The ending of ‘East Of Eden’ explained: what happens to Cathy and Adam?

Florence Pugh takes on the role of Cathy Ames in Netflix’s adaptation of East Of Eden.

Based on the novel by John Steinbeck, the miniseries follows half-brothers Adam and Charles Trask, who have their life upended by the arrival of the troubled Cathy Ames.

READ MORE: ‘East Of Eden’ review: brutal American epic powered by Florence Pugh

This adaptation comes from show creator Zoe Kazan, who is best known for roles in The Big Sick and Revolutionary Road.

Alongside Pugh, the show’s cast includes Christopher Abbott, Mike Faist, Hoon Lee, Ciarán Hinds, Joseph Zada and Joe Anders.

All seven episodes of East Of Eden are available to stream on Netflix.

What happens to Cathy at the end of East Of Eden?

Florence Pugh in ‘East Of Eden’ CREDIT: Kathy Griffin/Netflix

After coming face-to-face with her two sons, Caleb (Joseph Zada) and Aron (Joe Anders), Cathy (Florence Pugh) sinks deeper into her paranoid psyche. She returns to her room, where she continues to be plagued by voices in her head of people from her past.

At this moment, believing she is speaking with Charles (Mike Faist), Cathy states “something happened to me when I was five years old”. It’s never explicitly explained what she’s referring to, but it’s implied she was abused as a young child.

Inspired by her love of Alice In Wonderland, Cathy explains how she always carried her own “drink me” potion that would, in her words, make her “disappear”. After she downs a bottle of morphine, a young version of Cathy, dressed like Alice, crawls through the fireplace.

Cathy is later found dead in her chair inside the brothel, and in her will, she has given everything to her son Aron.

What happens to Aron and Caleb?

After Caleb showed his brother who his mother really is, Aron disappears and enlists in the army to fight in Europe. While abroad, he sends a letter to his girlfriend Abra (Zoe Phillips) to end their relationship, and tells her not to speak with his family.

Abra breaks this rule and, realising her feelings for Caleb, goes on a date with him, where they kiss. However, when they return, Caleb is greeted by a morbid-looking Lee (Hoon Lee) who tells him that his brother has been killed in France. At the same time, the shock from Aron’s death has caused his father Adam (Christopher Abbott) to have another stroke.

What happens to Adam in East Of Eden?

Christopher Abbott and Hoon Lee in ‘East Of Eden’ CREDIT: Kirsty Griffin/Netflix

After learning of Aron’s death, Adam suffers a second stroke and is left bedbound. Wracked with guilt, his other son Caleb admits to him that Aron joined the army after he decided to show him his mother Cathy at the brothel, in what was an act of petty revenge.

While Caleb believes he’s responsible for his brother’s death, Adam, who is struggling to speak, manages to utter one singular word, “timshel”, in response. As explained earlier by Lee, timshel is a Hebrew word which means “thou mayest”, which serves as validation of a human’s free will to choose good or evil.

While it’s open to some interpretation, the choice of word suggests Adam doesn’t hold Caleb responsible for his son’s death, as everyone has the right to choose.

The final scene shows Caleb laying in bed with his father, with it left unclear if he manages to survive the night.

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