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Okay, we need to talk about the ending of East of Eden on Netflix, because there's a lot to unpack, especially with that final scene.
Obviously, major spoilers ahead if you haven't finished watching East of Eden, but in this story (which follows multiple generations of the Trask family from the end of the Civil War to the beginning of World War I), Cathy (Florence Pugh) is a central figure. And for good reason TBH, I'll watch just about anything with Flo as the lead!
Here's exactly what happened at the end of East of Eden. Stream the full show on Netflix now.
What happens during the East of Eden ending?
By the end of the East of Eden finale, Cathy has achieved some level of power and is running a brothel, but she's becoming increasingly paranoid about her past catching up with her.
Meanwhile, her sons Cal (Joseph Zada) and Aron (Joe Anders), have a pretty complicated relationship with their dad Adam (Christopher Abbott). Cal constantly feels like the "bad" brother when compared to Aron, especially when he learns that his mother runs the brothel. Cal tries to help Adam financially, but Adam refuses — and honestly, this is where things start to go downhill for all the characters.
Cal is so hurt by his father's rejection that he eventually tells Aron the truth about their mother, and when Aron panics and enlists in the army, he eventually dies in battle. Adam suffers a stroke, and Cal feels responsible for just about everything that's happened.
Why did Adam say Timshel at the end?
Netflix
Obviously, the whole situation, and the way all the miscommunication and secrets have eaten away at the family, is just devastating, but there's one part I really do want to talk about. At the very end of the story, Lee (Hoon Lee) begs Adam to forgive Cal so he doesn't live with guilt for the rest of his life. And so Adam just says one word to his son: Timshel.
If you've been wondering what that means and you've been sitting on the edge of your seat, Timshel is commonly interpreted as "thou mayest." It's all about agency, and the idea that you can choose your own destiny. Basically, just because you come from a family with a complicated past, doesn't mean you're destined to repeat the same mistakes made by the people before you. Honestly, I feel like that's what makes the ending so interesting, because nothing is magically fixed, but there's still hope that Cal could break that cycle.
What did you think of East of Eden on Netflix? Let us know your thoughts down below in the comments, and if you want to stay updated, make sure to follow Brit + Co on Facebook for more.
