Lilith
Welcome to Eden, a new show about the dangers of hot coals. We still don’t know what’s in this drink but as the new recruits gulp down the beautiful blue tonic, they’re encouraged to walk across hot coals.
Erick and Africa cross the coals first, but Astrid falls to her knees and starts to burn. Erick jumps in and extinguishes the flames. Astrid is not happy.
The next step in their initiation comes from the tattoos on their forearms. We’ve seen this before, and know there are different levels associated with this. The specific purpose and what each grants those in the community is unknown. Through Erick’s cryptic chatter though, he tells them that the first level requires great commitment. Level 2 allows you “not to be burned” while Erick and Astrid are the only ones who have reached level 3, which appears to be reserved for the leaders.
Astrid and Erick are not happy with each other. Astrid is unhappy with Erick undermining her authority and she’s not happy about Africa’s promotion. Erick reassures her that they’re going to Eden with Isaac soon. ..
Bel and Eva meet up in secret, where they discuss the latter’s promotion and the message that appeared during the anniversary. Bel claims this was all part of “The Symbol of Lilith”, whatever that means. They don’t elaborate on this but do confirm that neither Bel nor Eva are behind this. It’s someone else. As they both sign off, they set to work finding the real culprit.
Nico speaks to Astrid and believes he deserves a promotion up to Level 2. However, she has other plans for him. He asks if he can speak with her about these plans, but she declines.
A private investigator from before, Zoa’s mother’s friend, shows up to see her in Barcelona. She is convinced that her daughter is off with Judith but the message she’s received, telling her Zoa needs some time off, is almost identical to the one Ibon has received. The PI is more convinced than ever that there’s something awry. ..
Gabi’s mother greets her with a slap to the face when she finally returns to Barcelona. Gabi shrugs it off, claiming she’s been at Barbara’s place, while her father is a little more understanding. However, he too isn’t happy about her running off.
Gabi soon gets talking to the PI outside though, who eyes up the Eden wristband sticking out her bag. Gabi doesn’t trust her enough to team up, so the PI sneakily takes the wristband when they part ways.
That night, David is kidnapped and attacked. Bundled into the back of a van, it races off late at night. We then cut across to Brida, who happens to have stolen Gabi’s wristband and sits at her computer.
Bel and Zoa discuss the cult and what’s really going on. The Blue Eden makes them hallucinate (which we all guessed from episode 1 anyway). Kids also aren’t allowed on the island and anyone who doesn’t fit their prefect idyllic family are disposed of and replaced with new candidates. These guys also not allowed to get pregnant either. This seems to be all Astrid and Erick’s plan to produce the perfect community together.
Bel and Zoa kiss later on, and the former wants to know who’s side Zoa is on and whether she’s really looking to escape. Zoa doesn’t care that the cultist are going to try and kill her and urges Bel to join her in this daring escape. Bel smiles but refuses.
That night, Africa watches Erick’s compound from afar as tears sting her eyes. As the night wears on, Astrid and Erick are attacked by the Lilith cultist. Sporting that familiar insignia on their wrist, they stab Erick. Astrid races off with him, the knife still sticking out his stomach, while the attacker leaves. ..
As the sun rises, Astrid takes a bloodied Erick out to see Isaac. Remember that kid who Zoa saw earlier in the season? Well, he’s actually Isaac and here with another strange robed woman. ..
The Episode Review
The penultimate episode of Welcome to Eden leaves many questions unanswered about the final chapter. The idea that Eden is being run by Astrid and Erick, who are presumably grieving parents, makes sense as an explanation for their behaviour. However, it does not explain how they have been able to do this for 15 years without raising suspicion - especially given their business and the logistics involved in bringing in workers and liaising with the mainland for bringing people into Eden. ..
The characters in “Beyond that though, the characters themselves really don’t have a whole lot of depth to them.” The trouble is, as soon as the show starts to dive into the psyche of these people, they’re killed off or a big twist gets in the way of the development.
Charly is from a rough background and has few ties to his parents. What are his interests? ..
Ibon is a mysterious character who we know very little about. He has a rich dad and he plays the piano. We don’t know much about him, given that he’s spent most of his time with Alma.
The main issue with the series is that the characters are not well developed. The mystery box series relies heavily on its characters, and based on this episode, it seems like Welcome to Eden may be headed for an early death. ..
