East of Eden; an Ambitious but Uneven Show
Lacy Baugher sees the series as imperfect but deeply satisfying, and gives most of the credit to Florence Pugh, whose Cathy comes across as a cold-blooded survivor rather than either a monster or a misunderstood heroine. She also singles out Ciarán Hinds, Hoon Lee and Joseph Zada among the supporting cast.
Her main complaint is that the show leans so heavily on Pugh that it sags when she is absent, especially in the later episodes, while Adam and Charles never become fully rounded characters. Lacy Baugher, RogerEbert.com
Alison Herman calls it a rich and unusually faithful adaptation, praising the handsome New Zealand photography and naming Hoon Lee, alongside Pugh, as the emotional centre of the story.
She is less convinced by a new backstory that explains Cathy a little too neatly, by thinly drawn secondary characters, and by a seven-episode run that sometimes feels squeezed, with uneven ageing effects across the decades. Alison Herman, Variety
For Bob Strauss, Pugh and Hoon Lee carry an ambitious but uneven show. He likes Zoe Kazan’s more humane take compared with her grandfather’s 1955 film, along with the costumes and the series’ frank adult tone.
The brothers’ storylines, however, feel dutiful to him, Christopher Abbott’s withdrawn Adam lacks impact, and Pugh’s late scenes of decline land less forcefully than her early ones. Bob Strauss, TheWrap
Keith Phipps finds it a rewarding, complete telling of Steinbeck’s novel that steps out of the classic film’s shadow, with Pugh making Cathy understandable without excusing her and Martha Plimpton adding a memorable turn.
His caution is about pace: the opening episodes demand patience, and the deliberate rhythm makes it better suited to watching an episode at a time than bingeing. Keith Phipps, TV Guide
The consensus: All four critics agree that Florence Pugh is the reason to watch and that Hoon Lee is the standout of the supporting cast. They split on how well the slower, male-focused second half holds up, but the overall verdict is a strong, faithful adaptation worth your time.
