The second episode of Paradise Season 2 throws Xavier Collins directly into the dangers of the post-apocalyptic world. After crash-landing in the wilderness, the former Secret Service agent fights to survive against raiders and his own injuries. But just when he thinks he has found help, he wakes up handcuffed and at gunpoint. The episode, titled “Mayday,” delivers a tense mix of present-day survival and heartfelt flashbacks that reveal how Xavier first met his wife Teri.
Xavier’s Plane Crash Leads to a Brutal Survival Fight
The episode picks up right where the season premiere left off. Xavier (Sterling K. Brown) is flying the small plane toward Atlanta, determined to find his wife Teri (Enuka Okuma), who he now knows is alive. But his journey takes a terrifying turn when he flies into a massive hailstorm. The hail damages the plane badly, forcing Xavier to crash-land. He manages to crawl out of the wreckage but hurts his leg badly in the process.
Xavier quickly realizes his kneecap is dislocated. He prepares to pop it back into place himself, a painful procedure he remembers from his Secret Service training days. Before he can do it, a young boy suddenly appears and covers Xavier’s mouth to keep him quiet. The boy grabs Xavier’s bag and runs off when he sees other people approaching.
Those other people turn out to be raiders who inspect the crashed plane. The boy returns with a stick to help Xavier walk and leads him to a houseboat where several kids are hiding. With raiders nearby, the boy helps Xavier time his scream with a loud thunder clap so no one hears him pop his kneecap back into place.
The boy introduces himself as Daniel. He and the other children are survivors who got separated from their families when the apocalypse began. They were on their way to a tournament when everything fell apart.
Flashbacks Reveal Xavier and Teri’s First Meeting
While Xavier recovers from his injuries, the episode takes viewers back to 2004. A young Xavier is at the US Secret Service Training Center where he suffers a bad knee injury during training. He ends up in the hospital, recovering in a dormitory room.
In the bed next to him is Teri, who is waiting for scoliosis surgery. She is studying for her microbiology exam and wants to focus on her career with the NIH and the WHO. When Xavier complains about his jello flavor, Teri throws her own jello at him just to shut him up. Instead of being offended, Xavier becomes interested in this outspoken woman.
Xavier asks a nurse to extend his hospital stay so he can get to know Teri better. Even though the nurse thinks he has no chance, she agrees “for the drama.” Xavier learns Teri is pursuing a doctorate in Cell, Molecular, and Organismal Biology. When he asks about settling down, she makes it clear that marriage and kids are not in her plans because she wants nothing to stand in the way of her dream job.
After Teri’s surgery, she suffers a complication called perioperative visual loss and temporarily loses her eyesight. The doctors say it will come back, but Teri feels terrified and alone. Xavier, even after being discharged, keeps coming back to the hospital to talk with her and keep her spirits up.
When Teri finally regains her sight, she sees Xavier arranging things on her table and realizes how much he truly cares for her. She asks him to come closer and kisses him, beginning their love story.
The Kids Abandon Xavier After a Deadly Attack
Back in the present, Xavier wakes up after passing out from the pain of fixing his knee. He reads James and the Giant Peach to Daniel, the same book he used to read to his own son James. Daniel falls asleep on Xavier’s shoulder, showing that some childhood innocence still remains despite everything these kids have been through.
During the night, Xavier hears a noise outside. A raider confronts him at gunpoint, saying he has been tracking the children. Xavier’s Secret Service training kicks in, and he fights the man, killing him to protect the kids. However, during the struggle, the raider stabs Xavier.
The children wake up from the noise and help bury the raider’s body in the marshy ground. They also patch up Xavier’s wound. But when Xavier wakes up again the next morning, the children are gone. They took all his supplies and equipment, leaving behind only a photograph of his kids, Presley and James, along with an apology note.
Badly injured and without resources, Xavier drags himself back to the crashed plane and collapses there.
Annie Finds Xavier and Takes Control
This is when Annie (Shailene Woodley) enters the picture. Viewers already met Annie in the season premiere, learning her backstory of surviving alone at Graceland after her friend Gayle died. Annie had been watching the sky through her telescope and saw the plane go down.
Annie rides her horse to the crash site and finds Xavier unconscious. She brings him back to Graceland, patches up his wounds properly using her medical training, and waits for him to regain strength.
When Xavier finally wakes up, he explains that he needs to get to Atlanta to find his wife Teri. He also mentions that his children are safe in an underground facility in Colorado. Annie listens quietly to everything.
But then Annie picks up a gun and makes her demand clear. She tells Xavier he is going to take her to Colorado first. She wants to reunite with Link, the man she fell in love with who left with his crew to go to the bunker. Annie is now pregnant with Link’s child, and she is determined to find him.
Xavier has no choice. Annie handcuffs him, and he realizes he cannot just walk away. He needs to get to Teri, but time is running out, and now he has a captor with her own urgent mission.
Mysterious Visions Connect Xavier to Link
Throughout the episode, Xavier experiences strange headaches that cause nosebleeds. During these moments, he briefly sees visions of Link (Thomas Doherty), the young man who visited Annie months earlier.
The show hints at a possible connection between Xavier and Link. When Xavier blacks out while flying, he sees Link. Later, during his dizzy spells from injuries, he sees Link again walking through a tunnel. Some fans suggest Xavier might somehow be seeing through Link’s eyes, or that radiation on the surface might be causing these visions.
Whatever the explanation, these mysterious moments suggest Xavier and Link’s paths will cross eventually. Since Link is heading to the Colorado bunker and Annie is forcing Xavier to take her there, a meeting seems inevitable.
What Happens Next in Paradise Season 2
The second episode sets up a tense situation for the episodes ahead. Xavier is now a hostage, forced to guide a pregnant woman through dangerous territory while his wife waits for him in Atlanta. Every day he spends traveling to Colorado is another day Teri remains alone and at risk.
Back in the bunker, new threats are emerging. President Baines has taken a hard line against dissent, and Jeremy is now imprisoned deep in the facility. Jane continues her deadly work for Sinatra, and Nicole grows more suspicious of Jane’s true identity.
The flashbacks to Xavier and Teri’s first meeting add emotional weight to his current mission. Viewers now understand why Xavier risks everything to find her. Their love story began with Xavier refusing to give up on her, and that same determination drives him now.
Paradise Season 2 Episode 2 delivers a slower but character-driven story that expands the world above ground. While the episode lacks the shocking twists of the premiere, it deepens viewers’ connection to Xavier and introduces the new conflict with Annie. The question now is whether Xavier can escape and reach Atlanta, or if Annie’s demand will change everything.
New episodes of Paradise Season 2 stream weekly on Hulu in the United States and on Disney+ in the UK, Canada, Australia, and India. The series has already released its first three episodes, with remaining episodes coming each Monday.
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