Netflix revealed the first look at Florence Pugh as antihero Cathy Ames in the seven-episode “East of Eden” limited series.
“I believe there are monsters in this world born to human parents,” said Pugh in her narration opening the trailer.
The seven-episode limited series was adapted and executive produced by Zoe Kazan (“The Plot Against America,” “The Deuce”). The Netflix adaptation of the classic John Steinbeck novel will specifically examine the ways in which a family’s history impacts an individual’s present reality, using Pugh’s Cathy as the narrative through line.
“Evil is not always apparent at first glance,” Pugh as Cathy said. “It can come cloaked in goodness or beauty.”
In the trailer, Pugh’s Cathy can be seen socializing with high society people at a party, dressed in early twentieth century garb. This moment seemingly followed her arrival at the home of Adam (Christopher Abbott) and Charles Trask (Mike Faist), notably covered in blood.
Per the footage, Faist’s Charles was not a fan of Cathy, as he yelled to his brother that she needed to be thrown out. “She’s going to tear you to pieces, and I don’t want to watch it,” he told Abbott’s Adam. Cathy appeared to live up to this assessment, as she eventually leaves Adam and her twin boys behind.
The trailer then flashed forward to Cathy working as a prostitute at a brothel, dressed in lingerie and looming outside with large sunglasses, a hat and a red lip.
The series will span decades in the lives of Cathy and the Trask family and is bookended by the American Civil War and World War I, according to the streamer.
Their paths will intersect with people like Samuel Hamilton (Ciarán Hinds), an Irishman who made his way to California where he raised a family, Lee (Hoon Lee), a Chinese American whose intellect is surpassed only by his ability to give care to those who need it most, and Faye (Martha Plimpton), a brothel owner whose open heart might lead to her downfall.
“To a monster, the norm must seem monstrous,” Pugh’s narration concluded.
“East of Eden” stars Pugh, Abbott, Faist, Hoon Lee, Joseph Zada, Tracy Letts, Plimpton and more. All seven episodes of the limited series will stream on Netflix Oct. 1.
