Dan Fogelman’s political thriller, Paradise, just gifted the world one of the most badass TV sex scenes of all time.
The Hulu series, which follows secret service agent Xavier Collins (Sterling K. Brown) in the aftermath of President Cal Bradford’s (James Marsden) mysterious murder, dropped its first three episodes on January 28. Each ends in a compelling cliffhanger, but Episode 3, “The Architect of Social Well-Being,” also wraps with a steamy shower scene that will leave fans hot, bothered, and buzzing with excitement.
Episode 2 saw Paradise‘s therapist Gabriela (Sarah Shahi) stealthily coach Xavier through his lie detector test, so it was no surprise in Episode 3, Xavier sought answers. He and Gabriela spent the day having deep chats, sharing a plate of cheese fries, and learning more about each other’s lives. After a day full of emotional intimacy, the two attempted to part ways on Gabriela’s doorstep at night, but instead, they wound up kissing and headed inside for a spontaneous hook-up.
Hidden Citizens’ haunting, sexy cover of “I Think We’re Alone Now” set the mood, and the two passionately kissed their way to Gabriela’s bedroom as Xavier — conflicted by thoughts of his late wife — allowed himself to feel guilt, grief, and pleasure.
Gabriela paused their make-out sesh to glide her hands down Xavier’s body in a seductive search for a wire. Then after she made her way into the shower, Xavier stripped down and joined her for an incredibly steamy scene. Let the record show that at this point in time, Sterling K. Brown’s bare, incredibly toned butt was also perfectly displayed to camera. (A shot that the actor fully embraced.)
Just when you thought the sexy shower scene couldn’t get any better, Gabriela leaned over to Xavier’s ear and whispered seven words so iconic that I screamed at my TV: “I have a message from the president.” Sheer perfection.
Before the episode ended, Gabriela told Xavier that if something were to happen to Cal, she was supposed to find him and tell him that Billy Pace is dangerous.” (You’re telling me out dear, sweet Uncle Billy is the one who took out President James Marsden?! I’m not buying it!)
Aside from concerns about Billy, the steamy scene raised another crucial question for Paradise romantics: Did Gabriela have real feelings for Xavier like he seemed to have for her? Or did she simply need to get him somewhere safe to deliver the message? Paradise star Sarah Shahi thinks her character was motivated by both.
“We talked about this a lot, because what is the impetus for the shower? Why does she deliver the information there? Why are they kissing? Why is all of that stuff happening? And I think there’s a mixture of things,” Shahi told Decider over Zoom. “Because of the space that they’re in — in that world there hasn’t been a lot of intimacy. I think people are lonely. People are scared. So I think there is that very primal sense of the proximity, of having another human being this close with to you and what that does to you when you’re sharing an intimate story — especially when you haven’t gotten any in a long time. You know what I mean? Let’s just be frank.”
While Shahi believes the genuine emotional connection and desire for intimacy played a real role in the shower scene, she acknowledged there is another side to it.
“She takes her clothes off and then she goes searching for a wire. She goes to searching for any kind of thing. And they take their bracelets off,” she noted. “So it’s also very intentional in that this is the only safe space for me to deliver this information, while we’re naked in the shower. It’s serving two purposes.”
Whatever the motive, we’d like to officially thank Paradise for one of the steamiest and suspeseful scenes of 2025.
New episodes of Paradise premiere Tuesdays on Hulu.
