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Netflix's East of Eden series draws praise for Florence Pugh, split verdicts on the adaptation

Netflix's seven-episode East of Eden, adapted by Zoe Kazan from Steinbeck's novel, is reviewed as led by Florence Pugh's Cathy. Critics differ on whether the adaptation as a whole works.

12 outlets · 5L · 4C · 3R First reported Account updated
Image: The Independent
Image: Radio Times
Image: Daily Mail
Image: Collider
Image: The Hollywood Reporter
Image: Irish Independent
Image: Screen Rant
Image: Variety

1 / 8

The story, neutrally told

Netflix released East of Eden, a seven-episode miniseries adapted from John Steinbeck's 1952 novel, on 1 October. Zoe Kazan wrote and co-runs it with Jeb Stuart; she is the granddaughter of Elia Kazan, who directed the 1955 film starring James Dean. Florence Pugh, also an executive producer, plays the manipulative Cathy Ames, with Christopher Abbott and Mike Faist as the brothers Adam and Charles Trask and Hoon Lee as the servant Lee.

Reviewers broadly single out Pugh's performance; The Hollywood Reporter calls her "terrifying" and the New York Post calls her a "dazzling villain". Most reviewers also praise Lee, whom the 1955 film cut, as the series' emotional centre. Several critics say Kazan makes Cathy more sympathetic than in the novel, with a new origin story; Collider reads her as a woman forced to become evil to survive, while Screen Rant says this robs her of agency.

Verdicts on the whole differ: the Independent calls it "slow, poetic television-making", Screen Rant a "stiff" adaptation, and the Irish Independent a "bit of a slog" in which Pugh at times "veers close to cartoonish". Critics also fault the weaker male leads and rushed final episodes, with Abbott's Adam described as "mopey" and one-note. The Daily Mail covered the New York premiere rather than reviewing the series, describing Pugh's gown and her remarks on a lawsuit by a former Cornell student.

Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on.

Left5 outlets

Framing
Mostly admiring reviews that place the series against Elia Kazan's film and the novel, praising Zoe Kazan's ambition and Pugh's performance.
Emphasis
Fidelity to the novel, Pugh, Hoon Lee's expanded role, and the Biblical themes.
Leaves out or plays down
Little on the production controversies or premiere coverage; criticism is limited to Abbott and pacing.
Charged language
“magnificent”“Terrifying”“poetic”
For example
“Florence Pugh is magnificent in this poetic piece of television” — The Independent
“A Terrifying Florence Pugh Towers Over Zoe Kazan’s Accomplished Netflix Adaptation” — The Hollywood Reporter
“Zoe Kazan’s Magnificent Netflix Epic Will Knock You Over” — IndieWire

Centre4 outlets

Framing
Detailed reviews that praise Pugh and the production but diverge on the adaptation's merit.
Emphasis
How Cathy's character is reworked, Abbott's weak Adam, and the Cathy-focused structure.
Leaves out or plays down
Neither mentions the premiere or Pugh's activism; Screen Rant gives little on Lee's expanded role.
Charged language
“stiff”“riveting”
For example
“Zoe Kazan's East of Eden is a faithful, bold adaptation of Steinbeck's classic novel, compellingly led by Florence Pugh.” — Collider
“Florence Pugh Soars In Netflix's Stiff Adaptation Of John Steinbeck's Magnum Opus” — Screen Rant

Right3 outlets

Framing
Varied: a favourable popular review, a negative review, and premiere gossip.
Emphasis
The New York Post stresses Pugh as a captivating antihero; the Irish Independent finds the tone oppressive; the Daily Mail focuses on fashion and Pugh's views.
Leaves out or plays down
The Daily Mail gives no assessment of the series; the New York Post does not engage with the Cathy backstory change.
Charged language
“dazzling villain”“slog”“plunging”
For example
“isn’t flawless, but it’s an emotional, sweeping story that does justice to the widely beloved book.” — New York Post
“This doom-laden, oppressive new mini-series version of John Steinbeck’s classic novel is a bit of a slog” — Irish Independent
“Florence Pugh commands attention in a dramatic plunging lime and grey gown” — Daily Mail