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All the right hooks

Paradise… is that even a place in this world? As the series by the same name takes you into its labyrinths, you actually realise it isn’t the same earth we are living in right now. Yet, it opens like a...
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So far, the series has the potential to make for compelling viewing.
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film: Disney+Hotstar Paradise

Director: Glenn Ficarra & John Requa

Cast: Sterling K Brown, Julianne Nicholson, Sarah Shahi, Nicole Brydon Bloom, Aliyah Mastin, Percy Daggs and James Marsden

Paradise… is that even a place in this world? As the series by the same name takes you into its labyrinths, you actually realise it isn’t the same earth we are living in right now. Yet, it opens like a regular murder mystery. US President Cal Bradford (James Marsden) has been brutally killed in his own house. Like us, you could end up wondering; why isn’t he living in the White House? Well, well, the mystery begins to deepen at many levels. As Special Agent Xavier Collins discovers his body in the sprawling mansion, things begin to unpeel like layers of onion.

Whodunit is what keeps the interest quotient alive. But there is much at stake. Fingers point in all directions. Red herrings abound. There is a disgruntled wife, an agent who sleeps with the President, and another one who sleeps on duty. Even Agent Collins, sworn to protect the President, is a suspect. Clearly, nothing here is elementary. Slowly, you learn that this place is actually a utopia built by billionaires governed by Sinatra (Julianne Nicholson), the richest woman in the world. Flashbacks link several characters, including grief specialist Dr Gabriela Torabi (Sarah Shahi), the architect of social well-being of the place. Clearly, this is a surreal realm, literally the hole that the environmental doomsayer had asked people to find refuge in to escape the impending climate catastrophe. On the face of it, everything looks normal. You get ‘cheese’ fries and even insect sounds have been recorded to give this artificial expanse a natural feel.

What lends the story an organic touch are the emotions at play. If the President sings, prances around and offers a drink to his security agent, even the seemingly cold and calculating Sinatra has an emotionally charged backstory. Agent Collins is a loving father and an equally caring son.

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Actors enhance the emotional heft. Sterling Brown as Agent Collins is nuanced, stoic and expressive. Nicholson has coldness writ all over her body language and the lovely Shahi seems to possess the ability to not only read people’s minds, but also get right into their mindspace. James Marsden as the President is charming.

Writing by Dan Fogelman, also the creator of this political thriller, is top class, layered with wit, humour and insight. With three episodes on air, the series could possibly go south and lose steam. But so far, it has the potential to make for compelling viewing.

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Get hooked! This one doesn’t even require binge watching.

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