Paradise Season 2 takes an unexpected approach in its first episode by introducing completely new characters, but who are Link’s group and what do they want?
Binge-worthy TV show Paradise returns to Hulu almost a year after the first season ended its run with the reveal that President Bradford (James Marsden) was killed by a construction worker who helped build the underground bunker.
Meanwhile Special Agent Xavier Collins (Sterling K. Brown) leaves the safety of the bunker to go searching for his wife, Teri (Enuka Okuma), after hearing her voice on a radio transmission – confirming that the world isn’t quite as destroyed as the residents thought it was.
But while audiences might be hoping to see Collins return straight away, Paradise Season 2 changes things up in the first episode by introducing Graceland tour guide Annie (Shailene Woodley) and survivor Link (Thomas Doherty). But who is Link, and what does his group want? Spoilers ahead…
What do Link’s group want in Paradise Season 2?
Link’s group are traveling around the country decommissioning all the nuclear powerplants to prevent nuclear meltdowns from completely destroying the U.S. This would obviously make matters worse for the world after the Antarctic supervolcanic eruption set off a devastating tsunami, as well as cooling the planet by 20 degrees thanks to the ash cloud in the atmosphere.
One of Link’s friends, aptly named Geiger, tells Annie that after the disaster he quickly realised that things could get even worse. “I was recruiting a crew to go around and safely shut down all the nuclear power plants. There’s 94 in the country. All of them are just meltdowns waiting to happen if they’re abandoned,” he explains.
In case it wasn’t clear about his intentions, he even has a patch on his vest of a nuclear mushroom cloud. When Link and the other survivors are first introduced in Paradise Season 2, it looks like they’re trying to attack Annie at Graceland for more nefarious reasons.
But it becomes clear that they actually have good intentions (or at least for now). They simply want to check out Elvis’ car collection and see if there were supplies or parts they could scavenge to keep themselves going.
However, there’s clearly a bigger mystery at play because Annie overhears Geiger telling Link that they need to get inside the bunker to “kill Alex,” but it’s not clear who that is or why Geiger wants them dead.
But considering the episode ends with Annie finding Xavier after his plane crashes nearby, it’s only a matter of time before Link’s group will be on a collision course with the bunker.
Paradise Season 2 Episode 1-3 recap