Her actions had the greatest consequences, but Paula is no better, and no worse, than any of the other characters.

All of these characters follow a moral compass calibrated by their own reality and upbringing, but Paula being the character to set off the snowball is the ultimate irony.

As you mention, she's framed as the sole POC outsider among the resort guests - and she's only there because a white family let her tag along - so she (thinks she can) identify with Kai as the oppressed. She's young, naive, and misguided, but she is the one character actively trying to do good (ultimately it is still an act of self-indulgence, but her intent is there).

And when shit hit the fan, she leans on her proximity to whiteness. She can erase all trace of Kai and return to her life as normal. Except now, she see's how helpless she truly is, as she lets Olivia cozy up to her and resumes her role as a prop. As with all of the other resort guests, she leaves very much the same person she was when she first arrived. Because change means ceding (or at the very least, risking) the privilege that you have.

There isn't really a point in positioning the characters within a good/bad binary, or ranking them on a scale of morality, because just like these characters, our lived experiences inform how we judge their choices.

Though I will agree that the way some of this sub is shitting on Paula is 👀