It seems as if every year Netflix has at least one breakout miniseries sensation in the vein of Adolescence, Baby Reindeer, or The Queen’s Gambit, which becomes a breakaway success and ends up initiating a cultural conversation that is relevant to current events. The beauty of these shows is that they cannot fully be anticipated; it is up to the audience to determine what stands out amongst the pack, and what ends up becoming a word-of-mouth sensation. East of Eden is based on the legendary novel of the same name by John Steinbeck, which had previously been adapted into a 1955 film starring James Dean. The new series created by Zoe Kazan, whose grandfather directed the original film, is both the most faithful take on the story yet and a careful reconsideration of the story’s perspective.
Although the film version was celebrated at its time, it only adapted the last few chapters of the novel, and Netflix’s East of Eden is the first iteration of the source material that brings the entire book to life. East of Eden is an epic that spans decades and generations, following the Trask family from the end of the 19th century up through World War I. It’s a striking and all-encompassing series that boldly uses different sets of actors to play the leads; Asher Whitehead, Costa D'Angelo, and Christopher Abbott all play Adam Trask at different ages, with Gus Turner, Tom Sweet, and Mike Faist all appearing as his brother, Charles. The fraternal bond is at the center of East of Eden’s story, but the most exciting component of the new series is the remarkable performance by Florence Pugh as Cathy Ames, a character that had typically been regarded as one of literature’s purest depictions of evil. Although Pugh does not pull any punches in showing just how cruel Cathy can be, Kazan offers a greater understanding of the environment in which she was raised and how she came to develop her survival skills.
Despite the presence of major stars, East of Eden gives just enough time to each generation, ensuring that the growth of the characters is of more importance than the interpretation of individual actors. The bond between the child versions of Adam and Charles is critical to the rest of the story because it explores how they both deal with love and fear as a result of their relationship with their father, Cyrus (Tracy Letts), a veteran of the Civil War who trains them as if they were members of the military. Charles’ feelings that he was denied love are critical to the resentment he develops as a young man upon being asked to stay to manage the family farm while Adam seeks experience in war, and it colors the way that both Faist and Abbott differentiate their performances because the years of tension have already been shown. Although the story of Charles and Adam is a classic “Cain and Abel” metaphor, Kazan makes a bold choice in showing resolute love between the brothers; it is rare to see masculine sensitivity in such a pure way.
Capturing the literate prose of Steinbeck’s writing is certainly a challenge, and Kazan does not attempt to shoehorn every single component of the novel into the series; although the Hamilton family plays an important role in the book in showing a divergent lineage from the Trasks, it makes sense for the Netflix show to be more closely focused on the fallout of Charles and Adams’ relationship with Cathy. The introduction of Cathy reflects the structure of the novel because she enters the story upon her initial interactions with the brothers, only for the flashbacks to reveal more about her upbringing. It’s in the second episode, “Cathy,” that Kazan is able to look at Steinbeck’s story through a different perspective, offering a perfect showcase for Vaughan Reilly as the younger iteration of the character. While the novel suggests that Cathy deliberately enticed her Latin teacher (Nicholas Burton) and killed her parents for malicious reasons, Kazan shows that she was fearful of being preyed upon and rebelled against the notion of being trapped in domestic life.
A creative interpretation of John Steinbeck's masterpiece.
While East of Eden recaptures a historical era with some of the most cinematic filmmaking ever seen for a Netflix production, the series is decidedly modern in how it considers Cathy as both a victim and a villain. There is sympathy given to Cathy because she was not afforded anyone to rely upon who didn’t want anything in return; even though Charles and Adam learned that their father was a con man who had lied about his military record, they still had each other to fall back upon. While this does not excuse Cathy for being absent from the lives of her children, it does suggest that she was too emotionally scarred to be involved in personal family matters.
East of Eden is likely to be an awards contender for Pugh in what might be one of the greatest roles of her career, but the series is filled with wonderful performances from actors who expand upon characters in the book. The most significant might be Hoon Lee in the role of Lee, a servant of the Trask family who helped Adam become a better man. Martha Plimpton also helps to elevate the character of Faye into more than just the generic brothel madame that she could have been. The success of East of Eden suggests that the story remains timeless, both for those who are well-versed in Steinbeck and those who are experiencing this generational epic for the first time.
