Paradise episode 7 recap: what caused the apocalypse?

In Paradise episode 7, “The Day,” Xavier (Sterling K. Brown) and Sinatra’s (Julianne Nicholson) showdown leads to the truth of what happened to cause the apocalypse and what happened during the last day above ground. As it turns out, Xavier doesn’t know everything. Plus, Xavier learns that his wife, Teri (Enuka Okuma), may not have died after all and that Cal (James Marsden) may deserve some credit for that.

Speaking of Cal, by the end of the episode, Sinatra drops two bombshells that rock Xavier’s world, including who she believes actually murdered the president. Here’s everything we know about Paradise episode 7.

What caused the end of the world?

It’s October 28, 1962, and a military man is listening to the radio as a news reporter discusses the Cuban missile crisis. The man’s wife walks in and he tells her the US avoided catastrophe with a nuclear incident with Russia, but he warns his wife that it will happen again. He fears next time things could end in disaster.

In present day, Sinatra again tells Xavier his wife is alive. She claims the explorers who searched for life above ground didn’t die because of the conditions outside the bunker. They died because they were trying to bring a survivor back, and Sinatra couldn’t allow that as it could have opened a can of worms. She says the explorers set up transmitters above ground and they are still active. She’s been listening and plays a clip of several people stating they are looking for a loved one and headed toward the bunker. All of this is why Sinatra thinks Teri is alive.

Xavier calls her a liar, noting his wife was in Atlanta and the city received a direct hit. Sinatra replies that the president did something that Xavier doesn’t know about.

In a flashback to the last day on earth, the White House staff, including Xavier are watching a news report of a “mega volcano” erupting in Anticartica, releasing lots of volcanic ash in the atmosphere and causing a colossal tsunami. Xavier texts Teri to see if she’s arrived in DC from Atlanta, but the message won’t go through.

The president’s assistant Marsha (Amy Pietz) asks Xavier what’s going on, and he claims not to know. The vice president rushes in between them to go to a closed-door meeting with Cal and his cabinet. In the meeting, Cal and his officials talk about Russia and China preparing to make landgrabs, so Cal calls for “death con three.”

Further assessing the impact of the volcano’s eruption, Cal learns that all the coastal cities around the world are gone. He questions a scientist about what’s going on, and the scientist notes their projections didn’t have things unraveling this quickly. Cal asks his advisors if he should call “Versailles,” and they overwhelmingly vote yes.

Xavier gets a message from Teri that her plane is still grounded in Atlanta. He immediately requests to meet with the president, but the duo and the rest of The White House staff become distracted by a news story on the TV of a reporter getting pummeled by painful soundwaves caused by the tsunami as she stands outside on the roof of a skyscraper. All of a sudden, a massive wave approaches and she’s engulfed by the water. Xavier calls Presley (Aliyah Mastin) and tells her to get her brother and stay close to Jeremy (Charlie Evans).

Marsha overhears the conversation and again presses Xavier about what’s going on. He, however, rushes into The Oval Office where Cal is preparing to prerecord an address that will play for the US population once he’s safely on a plane. Xavier again asks to speak with the president privately, and shares the news about Teri. Cal instructs Xavier to speak with General Curtleigh (Scott Lawrence), which he does.

Xavier is told to let Teri know she needs to leave the major Atlanta airport and head to Dobbins Air Reserve Base, 25 miles away. Unfortunately, she only has an hour to make it and traffic reports note it will take three hours for the travel. Thankfully, after Xavier speaks to Agent Garcia (Eddie Diaz) he finds a route for Teri that will take 45 minutes, but she’ll need to steal a car quickly and get on the road. Xavier relays what she needs to know once Teri is finally able to speak with Xavier.

Chaos ensues and Cal has a change of heart

While Cal learns that Russia and China have exchanged fire, with both sides preparing to take nuclear action, Marsha approaches Xavier and pleads with him to at least make sure her son is okay. He makes a promise to her.

Cal and the chosen ones selected to be a part of the Versailles evacuation plan are preparing to leave The White House. But after seeing a custodian who has worked on the premises for nine administrations, Cal decides he has to be truthful with the American people. He tells his team he’s going back to The Oval to make a live address. As he gets situated behind the desk, Xavier and a fellow agent go downstairs to get weapons in preparation for the fallout of Cal’s remarks.

After the president makes his speech he walks out where Marsha is ready to bring in Edward to go with him, but Cal lets her down. Xavier gets a call from Teri, but as he answers chaos unfolds and he drops the phone. Marsha is upset with Xavier and he apologizes. Things get more tense as a White House employee lunges for another agent’s gun and the agent shoots him.

Xavier, Cal, Agent Robinson (Krys Marshall) and others barely make it to the elevator, as other angry staffers are approaching nearby. In the elevator, Robinson says Marine One took hits from identified persons and people are surging the South Lawn, so it’s important Cal get on the first transport out. Once outside, they push past the angry mob on the lawn to the helicopter.

At the airport hangar, Xavier unsuccessfully attempts to contact Teri again. Cal approaches him and urges him to join his kids on the airplane. Xavier looks at Cal and asks when Cal knew Teri wasn’t going to make it. Cal replies he knew when Xavier said she was still stuck in Atlanta.

Xavier is furious, wanting to know why Cal didn’t tell him this emergency was coming, and Cal says he tried. Xavier retorts the president danced around the urgency, as he would have made sure Teri stayed close. Cal stops the conversation and tells Xavier if he doesn’t want to be on the plane, there are roughly 8 million people who will take his place.

Cal makes a daring move, and Sinatra makes a big confession (and threat)

On the plane, Cal is summoned to a joint chief of staff meeting and is informed that countries are starting to launch nuclear attacks, and Colorado is on the assumed list of targets. The chiefs advise launching US nuclear weapons at all nuclear powers around the world. The president is reluctant to call for such an attack, but he gives his permission.

Cal walks off to be alone and Sinatra approaches to offer comfort. She says that all her team’s models that showed what would happen if the Antarctic super volcano blew ended with the same thing — a nuclear war.

He then talks about the “football,” which is the electronic key to launch all of the nuclear weapons in the US should he enter the red code. He notes many people know about the football's red code, but only presidents know what else it can do. There’s also a secret blue code that he can use which would set off global EMPs that would fry every electronic circuit on earth, including nuclear weapons. It would take the world “back 500 years.”

Sinatra doesn’t think he’s seriously considering that, noting the people outside the bunker would die anyway. But he wants to give them a chance. She replies they need the communication satellites above ground working when they are in the cave, but he remains adamant to give people a fighting chance.

Xavier makes contact with Terry one last time, and she tearfully says she didn’t make the flight. He assures her the kids are safe and they’re being taken somewhere in Colorado. She tells him to share with the kids that “it’s okay to be happy.” He sees on a screen that a nuclear missile is headed toward Atlanta, and the phone disconnects.

In present day, Sinatra says the missile never hit Atlanta, and people are rebuilding there. She plays an audio clip of Teri saying she’s looking for Xavier and her children, and requesting how to find the bunker in Denver. Before things go further, Sinatra makes a call and it’s to the man who’s looking after Xavier’s kids. Sinatra hands Xavier the phone and the other man states that Presley isn’t in the bunker.

Sinatra then reveals that the DNA found at Cal’s murder scene didn’t match anyone in the cave, meaning he was killed by someone from the outside. Xavier just wants to know about his daughter. She says if wants that to happen, he must release her people, return the guns, find out who murdered the president and help return the community to normalcy first.

Episodes of Paradise are available to stream on Hulu in the US and on Disney Plus in the UK.