Note: This story contains spoilers from “Paradise” Episode 8.
President Bradford (James Marsden) was doing a lot of digging into Sinatra’s (Julianne Nicholson) running of the place when he got killed. Despite all his meddling, his death had nothing to do with any of that.
The “Paradise” Season 1 finale answered the question of who killed Cal Bradford — and it’s someone who managed to sneak into the paradise without being on the list. Xavier (Sterling K. Brown) manages to track down the man in question after Sinatra told him the DNA didn’t match anyone registered in the community.
Below, we break down who killed Bradford, what drove them to murder and how it happened, and where the biggest players land in setting up the show’s second season.
Who Killed President Bradford?
There was a lot of speculation about who killed President Bradford, but when Sinatra revealed that the DNA showed it was someone who snuck into their paradise most of that guessing went out the window.
As it turns out, it was Trent the Librarian (Ian Merrigan) who was responsible for bludgeoning Cal to death in his own bedroom. Trent had his own reasons for killing the president but none of them had anything to do with the digging Cal was doing into Sinatra and the fact that there were survivors up on the surface.
Why Did He Kill the President?
Trent was part of the construction crew charged with blasting out the Colorado mountain that would house the community from the end of the world. As building progressed, Trent grew close with his fellow workers and when reports showed digging and blasting deeper was going to have deadly long-term effects on the crew Trent tried to get the project shut down.
Instead, Trent was fired and the rest of the crew continued on until they got sick. The powers that be – Sinatra and her lackeys – deemed them expendable in order to get their paradise built. Trent became obsessed with revenge and tried to assassinate President Bradley outside the White House. Xavier stopped the assassination in a premiere during the premiere but turns out Trent would get another shot at revenge.
How Did He Get into Paradise?
Trent went to prison after his initial assassination attempt and as fate would have it he got locked up in Colorado. So when the world started falling apart and a riot broke out in lockup, Trent was able to break out. He knew where the entrance to the haven was and — after stealing a uniform from the prison — managed to lure away a husband and wife with clearance to paradise and kill them.
After altering his appearance and letting a random woman join him to play his wife, he managed to sneak in disguised as the person designated to run the town library. For years, Trent admitted to Xavier he grew complacent and used to the safety. It wasn’t until Cal showed up in his bathrobe that he was spurred back into action. It didn’t take long after that to show up and get his revenge.
What Happens Next?
As Season 1 rolled on, who killed President Bradford quickly felt like one of the least interesting question to be answered. The finale left a number of characters dangling on cliffhangers.
Xavier was dusting off those pilot wings and preparing to leave the haven to head out in search of his wife. His likely starting place is Atlanta, where she was when the bombs started flying.
Back in the community there are still plenty of problems. Sinatra is last seen alive but hooked to a machine and seemingly in a coma after she was shot by Jane (Nicole Brydon Bloom) to keep her secret. And as for Jane, the resident paradise psychopath is last seen playing her cherished Wii. The real concern is if she’s willing to rack up a body count to have access to Wii Sports, what will she do in Season 2?
“Paradise” is now streaming on Hulu.
