Diksha Sundriyal
The fourth episode of Hulu’s ‘Paradise’ delves deeper into the investigation of Cal Bradford’s murder. At the end of the third episode, a major suspect comes to light when Gabriela, Cal’s therapist, tells Xavier that his colleague and trusted friend, Billy Pace, is not who everyone believes him to be. Cal told Gabriela that Billy is a dangerous man, and sure enough, the events of this episode prove that he is capable of anything. However, not everything is as it seems in ‘Paradise,’ and this is confirmed by the way this episode ends. But before we get to that, we find out who exactly is Billy Pace. SPOILERS AHEAD
Billy Pace’s Past Takes Centerstage in Episode 4
True to its title, the fourth episode of ‘Paradise’ focuses on Billy’s story. It begins with his childhood in a turbulent household. When he was young, he was brought up by his uncle, who wasn’t the best person to be around. He taught Billy how to hunt and never hesitate before making his move because it could cost him dearly. When Billy fails to kill a deer, his uncle forces him to shoot his dog. Instead, Billy shoots his uncle. This shows that even behind his violent exterior, perhaps he has a good heart. Still, killing his uncle leads him to juvie, and it’s all downhill from there.
When Billy finally comes out of juvie, he is found by a man who looks for people like him and turns them into mercenaries. Due to his violent nature, Billy proves to be the perfect choice for the job. For a long time, he works as a hired killer until, eventually, the world starts to fall apart. He is hired as the President’s protection detail where he meets Xavier, who is grieving his wife. Despite the differences in their personalities, the two men bond, and their friendship only gets deeper when Billy meets Xavier’s kids and starts loving them like his own. This is why, when Gabriela says that Billy has something to do with Cal’s murder, Xavier finds it difficult to believe that his friend could murder someone in cold blood. But that’s because he doesn’t know the truth about Billy.
Billy is Complicit in Hiding the Truth from the Residents of Paradise
When the world went to hell, twenty-five thousand people were chosen to survive the apocalypse. They were taken in a city built in the heart of a mountain. However, all of these people also had to leave someone behind in order to ensure their own survival. For Xavier, that person was his wife. Because he didn’t see his wife die in front of his eyes, he believed that there was a chance she could be alive. The same feeling was shared by others, and they all conceded that the worst part is not knowing what happened to their loved ones. When Cal Bradford realized that this was a general feeling, he decided to send an expedition of four scientists who would brave the circumstances and go back to the surface to find out what Earth is like.
However, none of those scientists came back, which confirmed that Paradise is the only place where humanity can survive. But that’s just what the general public has been told. It turns out that the people in charge, ie. Samantha Redmond and other billionaires who actually run Paradise never cared whether there were any survivors on the surface and if it was possible to go back and live as they used to before. The scientists never knew that they were on a suicide mission, not because the conditions outside the mountain were bad, but because the plan was for them never to return.
Billy Pace was sent after them, and he killed everyone, including the wife of the bartender he had become friends with. What’s more shocking is that this was after the scientist confirmed to Billy that the air was breathable and that it was, after all, possible to live above the ground. The point never was to find out whether that was possible. It was to prove otherwise so that the people of Paradise could be convinced that they had no other option. Once satiated with a confirmation, they’d have to accept their life in Paradise, preventing any unrest, dissent, or demands of going back to the surface. This would give people like Samantha complete control over the general populace and construct the reality of things however they want it.
Another Murder Bloodies the Grounds of Paradise
Prodded by Gabriela, Xavier confronts Billy. He doesn’t have time to beat around the bush, so he outright asks Billy if he is involved in Cal’s murder. Billy is offended by the question but more by the fact that his friend doesn’t trust him enough to know that he would never do such a thing. But then, he has to accept that there are some very bad things that he has done, which he has been keeping a secret. Meanwhile, the investigation turns towards Xavier, especially after Agent Robinson catches him secretly checking up on Billy’s file. When Billy realizes that Samatha may be trying to have Xavier’s name thrown in as a major suspect, he warns her against it. He sees Xavier and his children as his own family, and he won’t have Samantha harm them for her own shady purposes.
Moreover, he has enough to destroy her reputation, especially with all the things that she has made him do for her. Samantha doesn’t appreciate being threatened. She tells Billy to keep his mouth shut and threatens him, confessing that he is not the only killer she brought to Paradise to do her bidding. Billy is not afraid of her threats and tells her to bring it on, but it turns out to be a huge mistake. That night, he confesses to Xavier that he did do something that may have been related to Cal’s death, but he leaves it for the next day to talk about the details. That turns out to be another huge mistake because the same night, he is murdered by the second killer Samantha had warned him against. It turns out that sweet, lovable Jane had been on Samantha’s payroll all along, and falling for her was the first mistake Billy made in Paradise.
Read More: Where is Hulu’s Paradise Filmed?
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