We're quickly reaching the end of East of Eden, and the stakes are getting higher. In the previous episode, Adam and Cathy came face to face for the first time since Cathy left Adam and their sons as she promised. Adam also learned that his brother Charles died without the opportunity to say goodbye, and after sending Cathy a portrait of the three of them, she hears her named whispered.
East of Eden episode 6 doesn't pick up with Adam or Cathy but with Lee in San Francisco in 1912 as he's being denied the opportunity to buy himself a home due to racism. He meets with a friend and receives words of wisdom about his future, which leads him back to Adam's house asking to come back. Lee makes Adam agree to a number of terms that put them on more equal ground.
In 1916, Cal and Aron are now teenagers. Cal isn't trying hard in school while Aron has ambition and is dating Abra Bacon. Adam meets with Sam's son Will Hamilton with a business proposition about taking advantage of ice by buying the ice plant. He moves full steam ahead on his lettuce empire, and Cal suggests planting their own produce in order to make more money. Adam turns him down.
Cal sees his mother, gets arrested, and learns the truth
After storming out of the house, Cal heads into town where he runs into Rabbit Holman, who mentions Kate and unknowingly reveals her connection to his father. Rabbit shares the story of Kate shooting Adam and running out on him. Cal accompanies Rabbit to Kate's for the show. But Cal doesn't pay attention to the act on stage and only stares at Kate, noticing the scar on her face.
Cathy catches Cal staring at her with a shocked look on his face, but after the show, she asks Joe not to allow children back into the venue. Whether she recognized him as her son is unclear. Cathy meets with Ethel, who asks a chance to work together again. She's not entertaining Ethel's inquiry, which leads Ethel to blackmail her about finding the smashed up medicine bottles after Faye died.
Unfortunately, Cathy realizes Ethel has her cornered. She pays Ethel the $100 that she wants, but she later uses that same money to frame Ethel for a burglary and get her removed from the county. When Cathy's informed that Ethel was ran out of town, she hears someone whisper "she could come back." Paranoid, she assumes someone at the dinner table said it, but no one did.
Adam holds a celebration for his Salinas Valley Lettuce business, which is going strong though the figures for the first shipment have yet to come in. Cal again tries to bring up efficiency changes they could make at the plant. Once again, Adam shoots him down over and over, leading Cal to have an outburst and storm away from the dinner table. Meanwhile, Adam keeps favoring Aron.
Despite the rivalry between Cal and Aron, Aron tries to appeal to their father to go easier on Cal. Lee interrupts them with a call from Sheriff Quinn. Cal was arrested after being found in a gambling den. Adam realizes that he's gotten as bad as his own father and has an honest conversation with Cal. Finally, they have brokered some semblance of peace and understanding for each other.
The next morning while Adam and Aron are at the ice plant, Cal confides in Lee that he knows where his mother is and has seen what she does for a living. Lee agrees to answer all of his questions about Cathy, her shooting his father, and what Adam knows. He's worried that he has his mother's darkness inside of him, but Lee assures him that he has the power to be good.
Adam's business fails and gives Cal a new idea
Meanwhile, Cathy continues to hear a voice talking to her, and she quickly realizes that it's Charles speaking to her. When Joe enters her office, she informs him that Ethel stole something else from her and sends him to find her. She then walks around town as Cal follows her closely behind. Once she walks through a gate, she confronts Cal. He reveals his name and belief that she's his mother.
Now in her office, she asks what he wants then begins asking him questions. She learns Aron's name and asks what he's like, if he's dull like their father. Cal asks why she shot Adam and why she wanted to leave. She admits that she didn't want to be tied down and is honest that's she has never regretted leaving. After Cal shares that he must be like her, he opens her curtains and she freaks out.
Cal leaves while she screams, and when he's gone she slams the door, closes the curtains, and grabs a small bottle of liquid. A voice tells her not to drink too much, and this time she speaks directly to Charles. All told, it's a bizarre encounter that probably doesn't end how Cal thought it would. He returns home and immediately gives Lee a hug as he joins the family for dinner prep.
Adam arrives and informs the family that their first shipment went awry, a failure resulting in a large fee. Aron storms out of the house in anger, and Lee sends Abra and Cal to calm him down. Lee worries about Adam's look of defeat, especially now that he's no longer rich, but he doesn't want to give up on the ice plant. Aron worries that being poor will mean Abra's parents won't let him marry her.
She's not worried about that or anything, though. Cal walks away when he sees them kissing and hugging. He returns home and asks Lee for a mystery loan of $5,000. The next day, he meets with Will Hamilton about becoming rich in order to give his father back what he lost. Rather than Cal taking over his own farm, he and Will plan to get into the bean business together to make money.
Cal is even willing to help Aron take his college entrance exams early to leave Salinas as soon as possible. While they buy ice cream and have a tender brother moment, Cathy watches them from across the way. She's catching her first glimpse of her sons together, and of Aron at all, but it's unclear what her intentions are by tracking them down. Is it curiosity or newfound regret?
Watch East of Eden only on Netflix.
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