'Paradise' fans baffled with the fate of Annie and her baby in Season 2: 'Man that is...'
The recently aired fourth episode of 'Paradise' on Hulu was titled 'A Holy Charge' and featured an unexpected set of twists and turns. As a direct consequence of the events in the episode, the character Annie, played by Shailene Woodley, found Xavier Collins, played by Sterling K. Brown. Annie is depicted as a former Gracland tour guide from Memphis, Tennessee, who survived the devastating events that occupied much of the screen time in the show's debut season. Several years after that, a group of survivors runs into Annie at the Elvis Presley estate. This story contains spoilers.
The leader of the said group was Thomas Doherty's Link. After developing a romantic relationship and spending a night together, Annie became pregnant. However, she didn't inform Link about her pregnancy, and he departed the following day in search of the bunker in Colorado. Since Annie is a former medical student, she was able to help Xavier after they crossed paths. When Xavier expresses his desire to travel to Atlanta, Georgia, to find his wife, Teri, Annie tells him that he must first take her to Colorado to locate Link. The two set forth on the journey together, with Annie on horseback and Xavier travelling on foot. During the course of the journey, Annie's condition worsens as she suffers from pregnancy-related complications. They run into a group of dangerous-looking people, followed by Annie almost giving birth on the road.
The group, however, proved helpful and assisted Annie in delivering the baby. Unfortunately, her placenta wouldn't come out, and the bleeding wouldn't stop. Once Annie realized that her condition couldn't improve, she accepted her fate and eventually died, but not before making Xavier promise that they would look after her child. She also gave him a note for him to read to her daughter. The letter contained the emotional lines, "There are good people in this world, there always have been, and there always will be. I trust that you’ve become one of them. I trust that love travels across death, across time. That it bridges impossible distances and binds people who’ve never known each other. I will always imagine you grown and brave and beautiful. I love you so much, my beautiful baby. Love, your mama.” The episode ended with Link and his group arriving outside the bunker, and Xavier finally reaching the location in Atlanta from which Terri had broadcast the radio signal earlier.
The episode caused considerable heartbreak among fans of 'Paradise', who were disheartened to see the appalling conditions of Annie's death. Taking to the r/ParadiseHulu sub-Reddit, one user wrote, "Man that is NOT what I wanted to happen, I am devastated. I so badly wanted her & that baby to make it back to Link. I wanted her to get her back back 😫💔". Another user commented, "Yeah I was really sad that they didn’t have Annie bring her daughter to meet Link and reunite. Shailene Woodley was outstanding in the time she had on screen, her character was a great addition. Hopefully we get more flashbacks scenes with Annie like Billy and Cal." A third user wrote, "I just finished the episode. Talk about a devastating loss. 😭💔 Every Mom’s worst nightmare. Annie was my favorite new character. Last season it was Billy. Ughhh." 'Paradise' season two airs new episodes on Hulu.
