Paradise Season 2's Shocking Death Scene Explained

This post contains major spoilers for the first four episodes of "Paradise" season 2.

In 1999, comics writer Gail Simone coined the term "women in refrigerators" to describe female characters experiencing assault, harm, or death solely for the purpose of motivating male characters within the story. You might be familiar with the more colloquial "fridging," which reflects the unconscious (and often, conscious) sexist tropes that end up driving female narratives in fiction. 

This feels especially egregious if the female character in question has been set up as the new co-lead, as in the case of Shailene Woodley's Annie, who opens the highly-anticipated second season of "Paradise" — which can be considered the series' biggest risk that pays off right away. The first three episodes flesh out Annie with great conviction, her arc running parallel to that of Xavier Collins (Sterling K. Brown), who is now on the surface to figure out what happened to Earth after the world seemingly ended. In a tragic turn of events, Annie dies after giving birth in episode 4, entrusting her newborn to Xavier before breathing her last.

Annie's unexpected death definitely feels like fridging, considering how her character has been mapped in the first three episodes (which dropped together as a part of the season 2 premiere). We are privy to her difficult childhood, her acute loneliness, and the details of her survival inside Elvis Presley's Graceland, which evolves into her sanctuary. Annie's resilience puts a lot of things into perspective. For starters, she is representative of the millions left behind for the sake of the secretive Paradise project, deemed unworthy of survival despite having the same right to exist as everyone else in the underground bunker.

That said, Annie's death is more complex than the "women in refrigerators" trope. Let's talk about it. 

In "Paradise," Annie is not a damsel in distress. When the doomsday event occurs, she is the first to gather essentials and ask Gayle (Angel Laketa Moore) to do the same. Gayle's death leaves Annie completely isolated, leaving her with no one to depend on. This explains why she's so hostile towards Link (Thomas Doherty) and his men when they infiltrate Graceland. Once Link and co. prove that they mean no harm, Annie warms up to the group. Eventually, she and Link forge an emotional bond, and have sex. This is a major turning point, as it underscores the vulnerability of being held and known amid extreme circumstances. This same vulnerability prevents Annie from accompanying Link the next day, as she is afraid to venture outside.

Xavier's arc intersects with Annie's when she's out to search for Link while being pregnant. This evolving friendship is perfectly balanced, as Annie's innate compassion and Xavier's faith in humanity rub off on the other. Xavier's willingness to trust strangers pays off when he seeks help from a familial survivor group, who do their best to help Annie through a difficult childbirth. Keeping these developments in mind, can we still consider Annie's death an instance of fridging? 

Yes, and no. Yes, because Annie's death furthers Xavier's arc, given that he has been entrusted with protecting her child and preserving her legacy. She pleads with him to ensure that the child grows up to have faith in people without harboring the constant fear of being hurt. But Annie's complex interiority, her beautiful resilience, and her choice to help others despite her traumatic past, point towards a well-written female co-lead. So, why did Annie have to die in such a gruesome manner?

Trauma has been an integral aspect of Annie's story, as cemented by her childhood flashback — a format that season 2 wisely retains, as flashbacks are among the best parts of season 1. It takes immense bravery to survive an apocalyptic event alone, and Annie displays a rare inner strength during her time in Graceland. 

Before she heads out with Xavier, Annie deduces she has Preeclampsia, a blood pressure disorder that manifests in swollen limbs/distorted vision. No two instances of childbirth are the same, but Annie's is inherently traumatic due to the makeshift nature of the aid she receives inside an abandoned diner. Although the baby girl is safe, Annie loses an alarming amount of blood due to Preeclampsia and tearfully says that nothing can be done about it. This explains why she hastily writes a letter for her child and insists that taking care of the kid is Xavier's holy charge.

The emotional gut-punch delivered by episode 4 is undeniable. This is a shocking death that hits hard, as we expect Annie to guide Xavier through his journey and reach the Colorado bunker at some point in the series. Within the ambit of Xavier's arc, this is a death that serves a narrative purpose, as it gives him another reason to keep fighting while honoring the memory of a dear friend. A similar death occurs in the first season, where Billy Pace's (Jon Beavers) untimely murder adds urgency to Xavier's quest for the truth. 

While Billy has found a way to return to the story time and again, Annie's case is one-and-done. She will forever haunt the narrative, with the jarring tragedy of her fate fueling Xavier's "holy charge" as the series protagonist.

"Paradise" is streaming on Hulu.