‘Almost Paradise’ Recap: ‘Something Walker This Way Comes’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM. YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

At some point or another, each and every one of us are going to deal with an incredibly important, life-changing moment. The kind that more or less makes it clear that our current path is unsustainable and unhealthy to us in some or fashion, and how we respond to this, is supremely fascinating. For some people immediately embrace what the universe is saying and make some tough alterations to their lifestyle in order to find some semblance of peace. While others, sees this as the perfect opportunity to hit the reset button on their lives and start over fresh for a change. Interestingly enough, neither path is incorrect in regard to how one responds to that stunning moment, but it should be noted, that the latter of those choices, tends to leave a little unfinished business on the table.
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Because often times, starting over is handled in a hurried and frenetic fashion, where people sometimes get left behind and where the root cause of this change remains unresolved and this secondary choice has served as the foundation for the WGN America series Almost Paradise. For Alex Walker saw the betrayal of his partner and his issues with his health, as the perfect opportunity to start over fresh in the quickest way imaginable, by leaving his former life behind for a new one in Cebu. But while there is a lot of benefit to just hitting the reset button, as evidenced by the positive impact Alex has had upon the island, there is one inherent flaw to this particular plan. In that, eventually we have to face the people and the past we left behind in order to properly heal and it just so happens that Alex finally had to deal with both of these elements in the season one finale of this magnificent series.

For ‘Something Walking This Way Comes’ saw Evelyn Walker come to the island in order to finally speak her mind in regard to her broken past with her father, something that quite frankly rattled Alex like never before. Because he saw this impromptu reunion as a chance to bury the hatchet and potentially start over, but Evelyn only wanted to express her pain and make it known how hard it was to grow up with an absentee father. Something that put undue stress on Alex’s heart, which in turn, put him in the hospital and that allowed for Evelyn to see her father in a new light. Because she was finally able to see that her father was filled with good, since so many people visited him in the hospital and offered up praise about his time on Cebu, and that helped her to realize that maybe she had things wrong in regard to her dad and that maybe the time had come to make peace and try to heal their fractured relationship after all.

But before they could start that process, another part of Alex’s past reared its ugly head. For Todd Carpenter, the agent that betrayed Alex and engineered that life-changing moment, arrived on the island as well to see if he could motivate Alex to join him on an illegal job by kidnapping his daughter and well, how Alex responded to this was downright incredible. Because at long last, he was able to show Evelyn just how much he loves her and cares about her, since he risked everything to ensure her safety. Plus, it also allowed for him to finally face the biggest demon in his past by facing off against Carpenter and well, their final battle and everything that came out of it was supremely satisfying. Because it showed us just how much Alex has grown over the course of season one, and how much he wants to heal and for his efforts, he not only put this jackass away, but he finally will get a second chance with his daughter.

For Evelyn made it clear at the end of this tale that the time had come for them to stay in contact with one another and start to forge a path forward and that is just a phenomenal way to end what is quite frankly a perfect season finale. Because it offered up everything you could possibly want in a finale. For not only did it provide us with quality action and adventure and high stakes, but it brought Alex’s journey in this phenomenal first season to a proper and satisfying close. One that saw him grow into a new man right before our eyes as he figured out how to finally balance heroism and fatherhood, and now that his first year of adventures have come to a close in a satisfying manner, all we can hope for at this point is for WGN America to renew this series for a second season. Because this show really is the perfect escape for these trying times and we simply need more of what this series has to offer. Until next time.  

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