Having met the shadow that looms large over Paradise in the last episode, the latest instalment sees a return to the mystery and Xavier’s investigation, but does Dr. Torabi have the answers he seeks?

“The Architect of Social Well-Being” sees an opening up of the series’ mystery. With several of the story’s key players introduced over the past two episodes, this one splits them into two teams hoping to find, or perhaps, cover answers about Cal’s murder.

Since his interrogation, Xavier has become a man possessed, searching for answers and someone he can trust. This leads him into the arms of Dr. Gabriela Torabi (Sarah Shahi), Sinatra’s trusted friend and the mind behind Paradise’s constructed community. Their scenes together are akin to a well-choreographed dance, each only revealing what they need to gauge whether the other is trustworthy.

For Xavier, his psychological dance moves take him on a journey of introspection about his moral compass. We already know by this point how strong his moral compass is, but this episode goes above and beyond to show that his justice knows no limits, even towards his own father, who he gets fired.

During these moments of introspection, we also get glimpses into Xavier’s relationship with his wife. It sees a departure from the usually straight-laced Xavier, who gives in to a cheesy love story moment that proves that love conquers all.

“She’s the person who could get a little sand on me”

Xavier about his wife.

In exchange for Xavier’s tell-all, Torabi reveals her role in the creation of Paradise. She’s one of the main reasons why the town has been such a success. Everyone in the new society has a role to play to ensure everything goes smoothly. This goes for the town’s appearance as well, and it goes some way to explain why nobody is still in panic over what happened, at least on the surface.

Ultimately, she chooses to trust her wildcard (Xavier) and reveals that Billy Mace has the power to disrupt the peace of Paradise.

While Xavier and Torabi have been continuing their unofficial investigation, the other half of the story focuses on the official one between Robinson (Krys Marshall) and Sinatra. Unlike Xavier and Torabi, however, there is no equal relationship between them.

In the hopes of getting answers, Sinatra’s constant hovering over the investigation puts everyone on the Secret Service team under pressure. Robinson works well under these conditions and manages to piece more clues together about the night of Cal’s death. Unfortunately, despite Robinson’s best performance, they turn out no leads on the case other than a heap of unprofessional conduct.

Unlike the series’ previous two episodes, “The Architect of Social Well-Being” takes a subtler approach towards the story’s main mystery. Not all flash, bang, and conspiracies, the episode takes the angle of having the main cast psych each other out to reach for motive.

While this approach may not be to everyone’s taste, it works well in this context. As a result, we get a fuller picture of the series’s character dynamics and a good idea as to how they will react as things get dicier and the mystery continues to deepen.

I Give The Architect of Social Well-Being: 8/10