‘Almost Paradise’ Recap: ‘Breaking Badminton’

7/31/2023

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Art Acuña and Christian Kane as Detective Ernesto Almares and Alex Walker in Episode 202 of ‘Almost Paradise’ – ‘Breaking Badminton’. (Photo Courtesy of Chari Villegas/Amazon Freevee.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 202 of ‘Almost Paradise’. To revisit the Season Two Premiere, click here. Also, this piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the series being covered here wouldn’t exist.

Often times in crime themed stories, the death of an innocent, one that is close to a hero or a law enforcement individual… brings about a parable steeped in revenge. For the hero in question cannot stand the fact that someone would impart such cruelty upon an innocent, and that kind of monster must pay, at any cost. And well… we know how things go from there. For this is a cliché we have seen in film and television time and time again, with the only variation being how violent or graphic the vengeance is going to be and well… we tolerate this formula simply because… it has merit. For humans do harbor a dark side, and have been known to indulge it, especially when the world imparts such pain. So, this makes sense and is quite plausible in nature.

Which is why… it is so refreshing when we encounter a story, that works to buck that trope. Because we oft forget that not everyone is eager to give into the darkness and impart pain upon others. Sometimes they want their revenge to involve handcuffs and prison time, and it just so happens… that the next episode of Almost Paradise on Amazon Freevee, works to offer the opposite of what we know with this concept. But for a brief moment, it sure didn’t seem as though that was going to be the case. For ‘Breaking Badminton’ opened up with Alex Walker coming to learn that a good and innocent man named Carlo, who was helping him get back into shape… died terribly at the hands of people who clearly had no respect for humanity in the slightest. And since Alex is a true champion of right and wrong, he was ready to bring forth justice for a fallen friend… to the point where going rogue was indeed a valid option on the table.

But of course… that option was only going to happen if by chance… he could convince no one else to do the right thing, and thankfully some honesty with Kai and Ernesto and even Ocampo, allowed for this to be done the right way. Through investigation and evidence gathering, and by going undercover to really understand what Carlo had fallen into. Which as it turned out, was nothing but a supremely shady and dangerous drug operation. One that used a unique front (more on that in a moment) to move drugs into the city, and since Carlo had discovered what was happening, and was dealing with insurmountable gambling debt, he tried to use his knowledge to blackmail the kingpin into tossing aside his debts. But of course, you don’t mess with a man like that, in that manner and that is what cost him his life and that truth, only emboldened our heroes to bring this monster down… the right way.

Which allowed for this trio to shine as investigators. Since this gave Kai the opportunity to think fast and think ahead when the going got tough and it of course, let Alex use his endless knowledge of drug operations to break this wide open and it also, reminded us of how incredible Ernesto is from an undercover standpoint, and their powers combined, brought about a full confession from the heavy and stopped the drugs from coming in and this was… just refreshing to watch. For it wasn’t overtly violent in all the wrong ways, and it didn’t see Alex revert to the man he used to be. He chose the higher path here and really wanted to do things right and that allowed for an honest and powerful vendetta to take place, and this story also… offered up some fine humor.

Because the front that was used to move the drugs, was an underground Badminton club, and to get in deep and uncover the truth, Ernesto and Alex had to show off their badminton skills. Well, Ernesto did, since Alex’s were limited. But this led to some incredibly lighthearted and fun moments as this duo tried their best to be powerhouse Badminton players. But more important, that sequence served to remind us that this really is… a positive crime drama. One that always finds ways to make us smile, and where these intrepid characters do the right thing and remind us there is a better way when the chips are down, and well… that made for one delightful and engaging episode. One that was indeed wholesome and satisfying, and it will be interesting to see what other positive spins on old tropes await us, as season two of this magnificent show continues along. Until next time.

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