There's a lot going on in Sterling K. Brown's new Hulu series Paradise, including its secret post-apocalyptic premise, but many fans are wondering why the main character was so shocked by the mention of James and the Giant Peach.
James and the Giant Peach is a children's book written by Ronald Dahl in 1961 that follows a young orphan boy who is met with a surreal Multiversal adventure after entering a gigantic magical peach.
The book is briefly mentioned in Paradise, and it has a deep connection to its leading character.
What Did That James and the Giant Peach Reference Mean?
James and the Giant Peach comes up in Episode 1 of Paradise when, in the opening moments of the premiere, Xavier (Brown's lead character) sees his son, James, reading it.
The fact that his child has the book in hand seems to be a heavy shock to Xavier—but it's unclear at first why exactly that is.
The answer comes later in the episode when recounting a story to the President not long before his death.
According to Xavier, his wife, Teri, became obsessed with James and the Giant Peach when she was eight months pregnant with their son. While they had been having trouble choosing his name, the moment she saw that book, it was decided: James.
The deeper purpose of that conversation with The President, however, was establishing that Xavier will never forgive him for what happened to his wife—of which all the details remain a mystery.
What Happened to Xavier's Wife in Paradise?
It remains unclear what exactly happened to Teri, Xavier's wife.
Clearly, she seems to not be in the land of the living and certainly not in Paradise itself. Wherever she is, the story seems to be alluding that she's there because of The President.
It's hard to imagine, however, given how sincere and genuine of a person James Marsden's character seems to be, that The President did anything to her himself. Instead, given his job, it's likely that he's responsible for a choice that put Teri in a bad position—probably something to do with when the world ended.
Clearly, something happened that made it so Xavier and his kids made it to Paradise when the world ended, but Teri did not.
Hopefully, more answers about the whole situation will become clearer sooner rather than later.
The first three episodes of Paradise are now streaming on Hulu.
