“Cal Bradford…that’s a name for a leader, a leader of men.”

Following Xavier’s attempts to unearth Paradise’s dark secrets from Billy, “In the Palaces of Crowned Kings” shines a brighter light on the town’s most powerful and the man behind the murder victim. This episode is about Cal and his final hours…

Until now, the picture painted of the last leader of the free world was a conflicted one. He was the man who was always joking and seemingly let everyone down in Earth’s dying days, but things are rarely as simple as they appear on the surface. Cal Bradford was a complex man, and his actions provide the first real payoff to the series’ overarching mystery.

The episode begins with some context about Cal as a family man. He comes from a respected lineage of old money, a fact that his father (Gerald McRaney) is all too happy to remind him. What Cal comes to realise early on is that his sole purpose in life has been to help his father’s vested interests, whether as an oil magnate or a political pawn. He never had a choice, only what his father had chosen for him.

Cal’s relationship with his father shaped his later life, and suffering under the Bradford name made him determined not to treat his son in the same way. Despite their strained relationship in Paradise, their scant scenes together show a father trying his best to spend quality time with his son. Unfortunately, by this point, it was already too late, and something Jeremy (Charlie Evans) would only come to regret after his father’s death.

By the time Cal reaches Paradise, his status as a powerful pawn seems doomed to repeat itself, that is, until the perspective shifts to his final hours. His resentment towards his powerlessness unravels the first part of the series’ mystery.

Through a little digital trickery, Cal learns the truth behind Sinatra’s cover-up of the truth. Realising he’s in danger, his final acts turn him into a tragic hero. Determined to be the man he’s always wanted to be, he sets about hiding clues with each of the story’s main players. It gives Xavier just enough to work with while managing to put Sinatra on the back foot.

This intricate web that Cal creates pays off again during the episode’s climax when Xavier and Robinson set aside their differences and decide to work together.

“In the Palaces of Crowned Kings” is an episode that exemplifies why Paradise is easily one of the most engaging series of the year. This episode seeks and succeeds in adding layers to its main cast, creating complex and endearing characters, whilst simultaneously managing to push the narrative forward with only a few important scenes. This upward trajectory seems likely to continue as the focus for the next episode will switch to a more action-heavy approach.

I Give In the Palaces of Crowned Kings: 9/10