Netflix has released the full trailer for East of Eden, its forthcoming seven-part period drama starring Oscar nominee Florence Pugh as antihero Cathy Ames. The series will premiere on the streaming platform on October 1.
The trailer opens with Pugh's Cathy saying: “I believe there are monsters born in this world to human parents.” She adds: “A monster is a variation from the accepted normal. A child may be born perfect, but without kindness or conscience.”
Audiences are then shown a montage as Cathy is discovered and taken in by two brothers. Cathy quickly wins over Adam Trask (played by Christopher Abbott), despite his brother Charles Trask's (Mike Faist) reservations.
Marriage and warnings
Cathy and Adam marry, but things are far from happy for the couple. Charles warns his sibling to “throw her out” because Cathy will “tear you to pieces” and he can't watch this play out.
After Cathy walks out on her family, the Trasks' friend Samuel Hamilton (Ciarán Hinds) says: “Your wife left them motherless. Don't leave them without a father.” Meanwhile, Cathy appears to be carving out a new life for herself, seen on the side of the street in an all-black ensemble.
Later, Cathy's salacious new life is revealed as she works as an exotic dancer. As the teaser reaches a head, interspersed shots of violence suggest the truth about Cathy's whereabouts and scandalous new job will come to light.
Fan excitement and novel praise
Netflix viewers are already calling the limited series “awesome” and “so exciting”, with one person predicting: “This could be one of Netflix's bigger shows this fall.”
The story spans 50 years, from 1862 to 1918, taking audiences from the end of the American Civil War to the beginning of the First World War. Fans of the book have previously praised the novel on Good Reads, as one person posted: “It's surprising how often the terms "easily readable" and "masterpiece" are mutually exclusive - but that is not the case here. I couldn't put it down.”
A second opined in their five-star review: “Steinbeck's classic East of Eden is a masterpiece and one of his finest books.” While a third person said in their top-rated review: “A magic book, an everything book, both like and unlike everything else Steinbeck wrote. I can never quite manage to stop reading it - the naming scene and the ending are about as good as writing can get.”
Fresh take on Steinbeck's novel
East of Eden gives a fresh take on John Steinbeck's 1952 novel, which was inspired by The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men author's own family. Actress and writer Zoe Kazan serves as showrunner for the forthcoming costume piece, which will focus on the monstrous Cathy.
Speaking to Netflix's Tudum about the show, Kazan said: “The thing that was really important to me was to stay rooted in the text of the book when it came to exploring who Cathy is.” Kazan added: “Basically everything that's in the series has at least a root in the book.”
East of Eden is a deeply personal project to Kazan given her director grandfather Elia Kazan helmed the 1955 film adaptation of Steinbeck's novel. While her grandfather's version focused on the latter events of the book, Kazan's series will encapsulate the sweeping story and the huge time period covered. East of Eden will be released on Netflix on October 1.
