Paradise finishes its second season this week, and yes, it’s been another batch of episodes where they use angsty slow covers of popular tunes that make me laugh in moments when I should be stressed or sad or happy. Including a whole DIFFERENT cover of “Another Day in Paradise” than the one they used in season 1. The slow, emo “Hound Dog” was particularly heinous and actually undercut the fun of setting some of the early episodes at Graceland.
This show is so weird. Mostly, I think it’s just okay and don’t like where it seems to be going, but it’s somehow still compulsively watchable because they are GREAT at casting. Plus, Dan Fogelman is using all his This Is Us pathos chops to introduce new characters in almost isolated hours, before they intersect with the ones we know, and/or tossing in tragic backstories. Maybe both! So, for example, Shailene Woodley was handed a very meaty arc and she KILLED it, and almost made me cry, and definitely should get an Emmy nomination. But then another character basically ANNOUNCES to the bad guys that she is ONTO THEM and WATCH OUT and HERE’S WHAT I’M GONNA DO and then has the gall to act surprised when she ends up in evil crosshairs. It’s just… I think it’s very, very stupid plot-wise, but effective emotionally, which is better than a well-written show where you feel nothing for anyone, so it’s easy to keep watching. What are your thoughts?
