Paradise season 2 saved its most baffling twist for the finale, completely changing how viewers see one character.
The second season introduced viewers to Link, a survivor searching for the bunker housing Alex. In the finale, Alex is revealed to be a quantum AI supercomputer, and Link’s true identity also comes to light.
After several clues earlier in the season, Link is revealed to be Dylan, the long-deceased child of Samantha “Sinatra” Redmond. Given Dylan’s fate and Link’s involvement in Alex’s creation, the twist is not only baffling but also forces viewers to question its legitimacy.
Thankfully, the finale’s co-writer and the series creator have come forward with some answers.
Is Link really Sinatra’s son in Paradise season 2?
Image credits: Hulu
The second season introduces viewers to Link, played by Thomas Doherty, whose sole goal is to find and terminate Alex. However, it is later revealed that Alex is a supercomputer capable of predicting the future.
Samantha “Sinatra” Redmond (Julianne Nicholson) funded the project developed by Professor Henry Miller. However, Link, a child prodigy, actually created the AI core powering Alex.
Sinatra’s son, Dylan, passed away from an unspecified disease as a child. However, after meeting Link, she begins to believe he is her deceased son. She learns that Link was born the same day as her son, which seemingly confirms her suspicions.
However, Link is also skeptical of the idea, and the finale never explicitly confirms whether he is really Dylan. Given Sinatra and Link’s roles in Alex’s creation, their relationship becomes even more confusing.
Paradise writer explains how the show’s time manipulation works
Image credits: Hulu
Following the season 2 finale, executive producer John Hoberg, who co-wrote the episode, sat down for a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter.
During the interview, Hoberg was asked about the confusing Dylan reveal. Although the writer did not provide a straightforward answer, he explained how Alex’s time manipulation was connected to the twist.
His co-writer, Seena Haddad, who works at Caltech, helped shape the show’s non-linear depiction of time, which is based on a prevailing quantum theory.
Image credits: Hulu
“If you think of time as a block of cheese, the way we process time is that we slice off a piece of cheese as we move through it. But in this quantum theory, time actually exists all at once,” he said.
Hoberg added that different timelines could be viewed as separate blocks, with Alex’s time manipulation allowing slices to move from one block to another.
“We’re playing with almost a multiverse kind of idea. Maybe Sinatra is crazy, and Alex isn’t really doing this, but she sure feels like Dylan could be proof that this is actually working,” he shared.
Hoberg’s comments suggest that Link is an anomaly who may be Sinatra’s son from a different timeline.
Paradise creator Dan Fogelman on the finale’s big Dylan twist
Image credits: Hulu
In an interview with the LA Times, creator Dan Fogelman provided a more ambiguous answer to whether Link is actually Sinatra’s son.
The showrunner refused to provide an outright explanation, arguing that the situation was far more complicated than simple time travel, especially because of where the show is headed on a sci-fi level.
Image credits: Hulu
Fogelman also hinted that viewers do not have the complete information about Link and his connection to Sinatra to piece together the truth.
“We’re meant to believe that he is her son. Or a version thereof,” he said.
For now, Link is clearly connected to Sinatra, but the true nature of their relationship could evolve, given the show’s non-linear storytelling.
Paradise is streaming on Hulu.
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