I regret to inform you that, even if the world as we know it ends and everyone who somehow survives is forced to re-evalute every single priority they have, men who want women who don’t want them back will still do atrocious things in the name of that unrequited love.
So says this week’s “Paradise,” at least. The episode tells the story of how Xavier’s wife, Teri, made it through. It’s a tale of the kindness of strangers… until it’s not.
Read on for the highlights of “The Mailman.”
The hour opens by taking us on a typical day in the pre-End Times life of Gary, aka the man Xavier met in Atlanta at the end of Episode 4. In the extended flashback, Gary is a mailman who leads a solitary life: He works, he plays video games, he worries about a kid on his route who doesn’t seem to have involved parents, he doesn’t do much else. He meets someone online who seems like a kindred spirit; the fact that the other player’s screen name is NormusP*Ennis doesn’t put Gary off.
Ennis, as he likes to be known, seems like a bit of a conspiracy theorist/prepper. He likes to talk about the attempt on President Bradford’s life, whether the talk of imminent climate catastrophe is true, how he and Gary should best select a dream team for the “zombie apocalypse.” Ennis is also hype to have a well-stocked arsenal, though Gary isn’t sure that’ll be necessary.
During one of their conversations, Gary tells Ennis that his post office was designated as a fallout shelter, with thick walls that can protect against nuclear attack and electromagnetic pulses. “It needs work,” Gary says. “We need time to plan. But I think we could live there, five to 10 people, for years if we have to.” Ennis is on board, saying that he knows at least a couple of people — a nurse, a mechanic — that he can recruit. Gary volunteers to start stocking the place, using his pension to pay for it.
And then, The Day arrives. Gary is watching TV one morning when the news breaks in with a report about the Antarctic volcano and ensuing tsunami. He’s watched the interviews in which Dr. Louge warned this would happen, and he knows it’s go time.
Ennis calls. “I’m coming for you,” Gary says. “Send me your address.”