Why Xavier Chose His Kids Over His Wife In Paradise Episode 7 Explained By Sterling K. Brown: “It’s The Worst-Case Scenario”

Warning: There are spoilers ahead for Paradise season 1, episode 7, “The Day.”

Sterling K. Brown explains why Xavier Collins chooses his children over his wife in Paradise season 1, episode 7. The flashbacks in season 1’s penultimate episode show what happened to Xavier and other Paradise characters on the day that the world was forever changed by a cataclysmic event. Xavier and his children, who are in Washington, D.C., are able to safely escape with President Cal Bradford (James Marsden) and a select group to the underground bunker, but Xavier’s wife, Teri (Enuka Okuma), is in Atlanta and unable to reach a plane that would take her to safety.

In an interview with The Washington Post, Brown is asked how Xavier made the decision to get on the plane with his children instead of trying to save his wife. He explains that the choice is “binary” and Xavier’s children, Presley (Aliyah Mastin) and James (Percy Daggs IV) “need me.” Brown also discusses how emotionally devastating these scenes are, including when Xavier talks to Teri on the phone as he sees nuclear missiles headed to Atlanta. Check out Brown’s comments below:

As far as we’re concerned, death is staying and life is going. It’s that binary. At the end of the day, these two people need me. And while I’m in the midst of grief and not being able to understand what life looks like without my wife, Teri, life without these kids? I can’t risk that. It’s the worst-case scenario. And then to be on the plane talking to her in Atlanta as you’re seeing the nukes go to Atlanta? Child, please. Lord have mercy.

What This Means For Paradise

Xavier Makes The Right Choice

While it is devastating for Xavier to feel as though he is abandoning his wife, getting on the plane with his children is the only viable choice. With the apocalyptic tsunami only minutes away, it would have been impossible for Xavier to travel from Washington, D.C., and to reach Teri in Atlanta before it was too late. As President Bradford pointed out to Xavier, Presley and James had already lost their mother, and they should not have to lose their father as well. Teri would not have wanted Xavier to abandon their children for her.

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Her fate is not sealed, though, as Paradise season 1, episode 7’s ending reveals that Teri was able to survive due to President Bradford’s decision to activate a linked array of electromagnetic pulses. This disarms the nuclear missiles headed to Atlanta, and the message Samantha “Sinatra” Redmond shares with Xavier confirms that Teri survived after that day. Xavier has been haunted by what happened, but he now has an opportunity for him and his children to be reunited with Teri.

His Performance Makes The Emotional Episode Work

Xavier (Sterling K. Brown) looking worried in Paradise (2025) Season 1 Ep 7 — Image via Hulu

Episode 7 places Paradise among Brown’s best movies and television shows. The audience knows from the present-day timeline that Xavier will choose to get on the plane with his children, but Brown’s acting still makes his indecision devastating to watch, along with his reaction to talking on the phone with Teri for what he believes will be the last time. Xavier’s grief, fear, love, and courage all feel palpable in this episode and set up a riveting Paradise season 1 finale.

Source: The Washington Post