East of Eden ★★★
When John Steinbeck’s East of Eden was published in 1952, The New Yorker’s review was famously scathing of the novel, essentially a secular retelling of the Book of Genesis, describing it as “the precise equivalent of those 19th-century melodramas in which the villains could always be recognised because they waxed their moustaches”.
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they → publish → moustaches
Other critics similarly decried it as overly melodramatic.
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critics → decry → it
Almost 75 years on, even with the rise of classic literary IP on streaming platforms, it seems an unusual choice for a modern update.
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it → stream → update
Then again, in some ways, a deeply American biblical allegory feels apt for the times – at least in the US.
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allegory → feel → US
Written and produced by actor/writer Zoe Kazan, whose grandfather Elia directed the 1955 film adaptation that launched the career of James Dean, this incarnation allows for the entire multi-generational saga to play out, from the end of the American Civil War to the end of the Great War.
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saga → write → War
The original story – essentially a tale of the eternal conflict between good and evil – focused on two families, the Trasks and the Irish-American Hamiltons.
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story → focus → families
The former mirrored the story of Cain and Abel and the latter family was based on Steinbeck’s own family, representing wisdom and moral stability.
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family → mirror → wisdom
Kazan has modified the retelling to focus more on the Trask family, although the Hamilton patriarch, Samuel (Ciarán Hinds), also features in this seven-part reimagining.
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patriarch → modify → reimagining
We first meet Trask brothers Adam (Christopher Abbott) and Charles (Mike Faist) as boys, played off against one another by their domineering war hero father, Cyrus (Tracy Letts).
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We → meet → father
Cyrus harbours a secret only revealed after his death, and which hangs over the brothers, who spend decades estranged.
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who → harbour → decades
Once reunited, Adam and Charles are living on the family farm when Cathy Ames (Florence Pugh) enters their lives.
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Ames → reunite → lives
She turns up bloody and beaten and, against Charles’ advice, Adam insists on taking her in and nursing her back to health – before falling in love with her.
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Adam → turn → her
She’s a liar, a killer and a sociopath.
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She → ’ → ?
Or she is supposed to be.
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she → suppose → ?
In Steinbeck’s story there’s little nuance to Cathy: she’s the embodiment of evil, a Satanic force.
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she → ’ → evil
But Kazan has positioned this Cathy as “a fiercely independent woman”.
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Kazan → position → woman
It’s a somewhat baffling notion considering the character still adheres fairly closely to the book.
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character → ’ → book
Pugh, though, is brilliant as the remorseless woman who abandons her twin babies for a life as a brutal brothel madam, leaving them to be raised by Adam’s housekeeper Lee (Hoon Lee), the embodiment of good to Cathy’s evil.
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who → abandon → evil
The twins, Caleb (impressive young Australian actor Joseph Zada) and Aron (Joe Anders, son of Kate Winslet and Sam Mendes), have been destined to follow a similar path to Adam and his brother – another generation of Cain and Abel.
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twins → destine → Cain
It’s Lee, with his knowledge of the original Hebrew phrase “timshel” (“thou mayest”, meaning the free will we all have to choose a path of good or evil), who ensures this mostly bleak story ultimately has some spark of redemption.
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story → ’ → redemption
Netflix’s lengthy list of “do not reveal” moments means I can’t discuss much of the (slow burning) plot – IYKYK – but overall, this series is for those with patience and a love of character-driven drama and a wide shot.
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series → reveal → drama
The production design is gorgeous (even if it’s occasionally obvious that it’s New Zealand standing in for California).
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it → ’ → California
But unlike similar series embracing the classic cinematic melodrama vibe (such as Cape Fear), the heavy-handed biblical symbolism and the slow pacing can be something of a slog.
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symbolism → embrace → slog
East of Eden is streaming on Netflix now.
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East → stream → Netflix
We’ve got you.
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We → get → you
Get The Watchlist delivered every Thursday.
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Watchlist → get → ?
- What’s Julia Morris doing after I’m a Celebrity?
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I → do → What
Whatever she wants.
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she → want → Whatever
- Last Meals: Why TV is full of celebrities eating chicken and doing Tim Tam slams.
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celebrities → eat → slams
Meet the man who inspired the show.
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who → meet → show
The Aporia
