Drama
East of Eden
Netflix’s ‘East of Eden’ serves as a solid retelling of John Steinbeck’s epic novel—including all the moral quandaries of its source material in explicit fashion.
Leanne sits, stunned, at the kitchen island.
“You build a life in sickness and in health because you took a vow when you were young and skinny,” Leanne muses. “And then, after 33 years of complete and utter devotion, you find out he’s run off with a younger woman!”
Leanne’s sister, Carol (herself a two-time divorcée), offers advice on coping with the sudden departure of Leanne’s husband, Bill. Part of that advice is to rebound back into the dating sphere once more.
But the problem with the sudden collapse of a 33-year marriage is that you get a little out of practice when it comes to dating. Leanne knows she’s no longer in her prime. And even if she was, Leanne’s not even sure she’s emotionally ready to date.
Especially when Bill, despite expecting a child with his mistress, apparently can’t take the hint that he’s no longer welcome.
Of course, figuring out how to navigate dating apps isn’t Leanne’s only trouble. Her son, Tyler, is expecting baby No. 2 with his wife, Nora, and he needs his mom’s help and support more than ever. Leanne’s 30-year-old daughter, Josie, has her own set of issues. Josie was already on the fence about marriage before her parents split: Now she’s determined that it’ll never be something she pursues.
And that’s to say nothing for Leanne’s aging parents. When their house burns down at the start of Season 2—a result of some forgotten beans on the stove—Leanne’s not sure if, as a newly minted 60-year-old, she can provide the level of care that they need.
But “family takes care of family,” says Leanne. So somehow, she’ll find a way to get all her family and romantic affairs in order.
Leanne pitches itself as a sitcom, and it’s modeled after those from the 1990s and 2000s—the ones delving into family drama that insert a laugh track to remind you that the joke was funny. It comes prepackaged with the stereotypically promiscuous alcoholic aunt, the vagrant daughter and the desperate-to-please son. But the subject around which the show is based leaves the story feeling more sad than cheerful.
Leanne’s divorce prompts plenty of struggles as she makes her way back into the dating pool; she’s forced to relearn the “game” to find a new boyfriend. Her struggles are also a catalyst for the family to muse on the relationship between a man and a woman. As more affairs are revealed, one character clearly states: “It’s man’s nature to stray.” And sadly, the show lacks any example of stable, loyal, happy monogamy.
It isn’t long before Leanne’s Tennessee church community learns what took place between her and Bill, either—but piety is more of the nominal variety here than a committed lifestyle. Viewers will quickly find that Leanne’s family finds the commands in Scripture optional. It’s why Leanne and Carol engage and joke about many sexual encounters; why Bill runs off with another woman; why he, Carol and Josie all spend their recreational hours getting high; why Carol kisses another woman (not because they’re gay but to show her friend, who is a widow, how easy it is to kiss someone for the first time); why we’ll hear the s-word and misuses of God’s name.
And it’s why families will have to consider whether Leanne is worth a watch.
(Editor’s Note: Plugged In is rarely able to watch every episode of a given series for review. As such, there’s always a chance that you might see a problem that we didn’t. If you notice content that you feel should be included in our review, send us an email at letters@pluggedin.com, or contact us via Facebook or Instagram, and be sure to let us know the episode number, title and season so that we can check it out.)
When Leanne realizes she’s turning 60—not 59, as she had believed—she’s devastated and worried: Her parents require more care than ever, and while she doesn’t want to send them to an assisted living facility, she’s also not sure she can keep up with them as she herself ages.
A man frustrated with a self-checkout machine makes several aggressively lewd comments at it, calling it a “robot whore,” among other things. People joke that a serial killer dubbed the “Subaru Strangler” must be a lesbian. When Carol’s mom finds something unseemly in Carol’s nightstand (we don’t see it, but the implication is that Carol stashes sex toys there), she tells her husband, “We’ve gotta start praying harder for that girl.” Carol and Leanne dance with some men at the Veterans of Foreign Wars post because the elderly guys make them feel good about themselves.
Leanne slaps Carol when Carol points out that Leanne is turning 60—though Leanne immediately apologizes for the outburst.
Leanne is clearly self-conscious about her appearance as she gets older. She says she plans to lose “a pound a week” while she’s still 59. She researches plastic surgeons. And when Carol suggests that Leanne “express gratitude for how gracefully you have aged,” Leanne replies that it’s hard to be grateful when she feels like a skeleton with a sickle is following her around.
We hear many, many jokes about aging, memory loss and how elderly people are frequently taken advantage of by scammers. We also hear jokes regarding the death penalty, suicide, breast augmentation surgeries, menopause and baptism. Leanne’s dad is rude to a store clerk, implying that the man is a marijuana smoker. He’s also insulting of firemen.
Carol and Leanne drink on a few occasions. Leanne’s dad allegedly promised his wife he’d stop “day-drinking” at the VFW, but she doesn’t believe him, calling him a “big ol’ liar.” Leanne imagines growing old at an assisted living facility with Carol, picturing the sisters taking their own lives via stashed pills.
We hear uses of “b–ch,” “d–n,” “d–mit” and “h—.” God’s name is misused twice.
Family members are rude to each other and occasionally try to manipulate one another, though they do seem to love each other.
Carol and Leanne spend the first half of the episode helping their mom find their missing dad, who left the house without his phone. When they finally find him and take him home, it’s to discover that their parents’ house has burned down—a result of some forgotten beans on the stove. And the sisters spend the rest of the episode trying to decide who should take care of their parents.
Leanne, frightened of landing in a nursing home herself someday, ultimately steps up to care for her parents, stating that “family takes care of family.”
Shocked by her husband’s betrayal, Leanne tries to hide the news from her daughter and parents.
Leanne complains about the size of the underwear she once wore to impress Bill. She also claims that Bill left her for a woman with whom he could “do nasty things with.” Leanne tells Carol every spot she and her husband had had sex. She also reminds Josie that she helped her get fitted for a diaphragm. Carol says she once married a man to trick his mom into thinking he was straight. Leanne doesn’t want to show a new man her naked body, but when Carol pitches a celebrity, Leanne says she’d consider seeing where it went. Leanne’s daughter, Josie, arrives at church wearing a low-cut top, prompting disapproval from her mom. Someone describes a man as “a little handsy.” Leanne blames an outburst on menopause.
Leanne says she’d drive off a bridge if she found out her husband left her for an older woman. She also smacks her husband a couple of times. Leanne’s father says that they used to walk “perverts” deep into the woods and come back alone.
We hear a joke about someone being rebaptized. While at a church potluck, a woman tells Leanne that she struggled with runaway anxiety about her husband’s faithfulness when he traveled a lot for work. When Leanne reminds the woman that her husband is dead, the woman says “But I know where he is.” The woman also tells Carol that she had been rooting for her and her Italian ex-husband. When Carol says that the man was from New Hampshire, the woman replies, “Still, a Catholic.” Someone says that she’s “basking in the sunshine of our Savior.” Someone else says that a man is in the “sweet arms of Jesus.” We hear other Scripture-based allusions, such as “salt of the earth” or “no rest for the wicked.” Following an outburst, Carol tells Leanne that she’s “been a good Christian all [her] life; [she’s] entitled to a small psychotic break during fellowship.”
Aunt Carol offers Leanne Xanax, Ativan and Ambien (she settles on a laxative). Carol encourages Leanne to get drunk so she’ll feel better (and we’re told that’s how she dealt with her divorces). Leanne’s daughter arrives at church inebriated. People drink beer.
We hear one use of “b–ch.” God’s name is used in vain twice. Someone uses the word “buttload.”
Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He’s also an avid cook. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”
Emily studied film and writing when she was in college. And when she isn’t being way too competitive while playing board games, she enjoys food, sleep, and geeking out with her husband indulging in their “nerdoms,” which is the collective fan cultures of everything they love, such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Stargate and Lord of the Rings.
Netflix’s ‘East of Eden’ serves as a solid retelling of John Steinbeck’s epic novel—including all the moral quandaries of its source material in explicit fashion.
On its own, ‘Lego One Piece’ is blocky animation with some odd mystical elements. But the show could lead young viewers toward its more problematic inspiration.
The characters of Paramount+’s MobLand love their families. But the series itself isn’t anything resembling family friendliness.
Paramount+ reboots the video game franchise ‘Golden Axe’ with a tired storyline and new content issues.