Paradise: We Owe Cal Bradford An Apology

By: Mark T. Wilson

Okay, in the latest episode of Paradise, we finally learned what happened the day all hell broke loose in the world. We were led to believe that Cal Bradford did the unthinkable and left Xavier’s wife for dead, when, in fact, it was the opposite.

Let’s be clear, Bradford was between a rock and a hard place when it came to all this. While he did know what was in store, he was also led to believe that he and everyone else had more time.

In Season One of Paradise, Bradford comes off as a spoiled prick who was the leader of the United States and still held that title underground. With Xavier pointing a gun at Sinatra, she informed him that his wife was still alive but the real shocker was that Bradford made a decision that day. Through the flashbacks of that horrible day, we learn that Xavier was just as much to blame as Bradford was regarding his wife.

Yes, the President knew something horrible was coming but truth be told, in the previous episode, he did tell Xavier not to let his wife go to Atlanta. And as Xavier said to him, “In 20 years my wife has never listened to me.” He knew something was coming, he did not know what but the President did warn him, he just did not listen and let his wife get on that plane.

When it all goes down, amidst the chaos, Bradford and Xavier had a heart-to-heart and he informs Xavier of the truth. His wife is gone but he needs to be there for his kids. It was a slap in the face and not what Xavier wanted to hear but it was the truth. Xavier should have made his wife stay home but he wilted.

But to learn that the Bradford we thought we knew and even hated was indeed doing his best to play the role of hero even when he did not have to. Instead of launching nuclear weapons, he wanted everyone to have a fighting chance to survive. He sent out an EMT, and as Sinatra stated, it must have worked.

This was not the Bradford we met in episode one. We had him all wrong. He actually gave a damn. He did his best to warn Xavier. He had a touching moment with the White House janitor and tried his best to keep his staff and the rest of America calm in the face of death. But what more could he have done?

We hated him when we didn’t have the whole story. Was Bradford perfect, no, but he did care. He wanted Teri to make it but Xavier never stopped to realize that he truly did not deserve any extra special treatment. Bradford knew that Teri was a goner but he still tried to find a way for her to make it out safely. It just wasn’t in the cards. He did all he could for Xavier’s wife but in the end, her supposedly death was her and Xavier’s fault, not Bradford’s

I was wrong about Cal Bradford’s role in Paradise. He turned out to be the first hero of this show. Xavier was blaming this man for something that was out of his hands. And the viewers, in turn, took the side of Xavier’s without having all the details.