We're over halfway through East of Eden and getting deeper in the heart of the sweeping story of Cathy Ames and the Trask family. In the previous episode, we learned where Cathy ended up after she left Adam and their sons. She rose through the ranks of a brothel before poisoning the madam and inheriting her house and fortune. Now, she's building her own empire.
East of Eden episode 5 begins with Cal and Aron screaming into the mountains on their farm before assisting Lee without chores and cooking. He teaches them how to cook, and when they ask about Lee's mother, he says that his mother died when he was young like theirs. Adam meets with Mr. and Mrs. Bacon while Cal and Aron play outside with their daughter Abra.
They claim to have stopped by the ranch when they got caught in the rain, but they offer to buy his land since he's not doing anything with it. Outside, Cal reveals to Aron that he heard men in town mention that their mother isn't dead and only ran away. Aron is very hurt by this and is very clearly craving a mother figure in his life.
Adam learns where Cathy has been all these years
In 1911, Adam still owns the house and land, and Samuel seems to push him to move on with his life, which includes actually being a father to his sons. When Adam asks if he's heard about Cathy being in Salinas, Samuel jumps down his throat about still being hung up on her. Samuel reveals that he and his wife are moving to Salinas and don't plan on coming back to their ranch.
Before saying goodbye to Samuel, Lee explains he learned the meaning of the Hebrew word "timshel" and the concept of choice. Samuel's parting words to Adam is the truth that Cathy is in Salinas under the name Kate Albey and running a "vicious and depraved" brothel. Adam immediately walks into the vast expanse of his land and has a panic attack.
Six months later, Adam goes to Salinas for Samuel's funeral. After the funeral, Adam drops into a hotel bar and asks the barkeep about a place called Kate's. The barkeep warns him to leave it alone. He doesn't listen and heads to the eerie black house. A girl pokes her head out of the door and tells him to come back when they open, but he doesn't take no for an answer.
Cathy accepts Adam as a visitor and a butler escorts him to her room. For the first time in 11 years, Adam and Cathy are reunited face to face. She greets him and offers him a drink. Before long, their argument begins. Cathy doesn't believe Adam could have ever loved her because he didn't really know her. He wants her to tell him who she is... and she does.
She tells him the truth about her experience with Mr. Grew as a teenager and showcases more of the "evil and folly" nature of the world with a collection of photos of well-known men who frequent her brothel. She collects blackmail on them in case they ever wrong her. Adam directly asks Cathy if she's evil or foolish for abandoning their children, and she admits she doesn't know if they're his.
Cathy throws Charles in his face and says she could have loved him, noting their similarities. When Adam leaves, seemingly finally having gotten closure, she yells after him that he will come crawling back for her. The second he gets home, Adam hugs Aron and Cal and asks if they want to move to Salinas. Lee sends the boys away to do chores outside.
Charles' fate is revealed after Adam and Cathy's reunion
Adam tells Lee that he now feels free to start over, and Lee expresses his desire to leave Adam's family. He feels that his time has passed to start his own family and business. Lee stayed with the Trask family because he liked being needed and agrees to stay until they're settled for the same reason. Before moving to Salinas, Adam writes Charles and invites him to visit.
Once they're moved in, Cal and Aron look at Adam and Cathy's wedding photo. They take note of the scar on her face. Lee tells Adam that he should tell the boys the truth about their mother since she's so close by and they could find out from someone else. Lee tells Adam the story of his birth and his mother's tragic death. He's grateful that he's always known the truth.
Unfortunately, one of the twins listens to their conversation from the hallway and learns the truth about their mother anyway. When Adam refuses to tell his sons the truth right away, Lee bites back against his insistence to remain stagnant. The next day, Lee leaves the house with instructions for Adam and hugs for Cal and Aron. Lee ends up in San Francisco, but it's not as he planned.
He quickly realizes that while he was pretending to have an imaginary wife, he was playing the part of Adam's imaginary wife. Speaking of Adam, he struggles to start the new car he bought when the postman arrives with a package. It's a letter informing him that Charles has died of a lung disease and his $100,000 was left to Adam and Cathy to split equally.
Cal and Aron catch him crying, and he tells them the truth about his brother's death. That night, Adam writes Cathy a letter while Cal and Aron talk about the argument Adam and Lee were having, which apparently included their dad sending a wreath to their mother's grave. Cal prays that he doesn't want to be mean and lonely. Cathy opens the photo Adam sent he as someone whispers her name.
Watch East of Eden only on Netflix.
Add us as a preferred source on Google