Ok, based on a comment that there are gay, bi, lesbian, and trans relationships, I'm going to do something I almost never do: review the second episode. Welcome to Eden, as you recall, is a Latin American teen thriller about six young adults tricked into coming to a party on an island run by the weird cult leader or mad scientist Astrid. As the first episode ends, they discover that they were given a drink to knock them out, and all of the other party guests have gone home. They're trapped.
Scene 1: On the boat ride back, one of the party guests notices that two girls are missing (in a party of 100, how could he tell?). He is reassured: they can catch a ride on the employees' boat.
Cut to Fran, the bartender who screwed up in Episode 1, being chased across the island by employees on foot and on horseback. If you screw up here, you're not just fired; you're killed. Eva, who likes him, finds him.
Scene 2: Still pretending that they just missed the return boat, Sinister Astrid and her joined-at-the-hip husband show the five guinea pigs (one is missing) around the facility. There are people doing tai chi, going surfing. An employee glares at focus character Zoa. "Everyone is here because they want to be," Astrid claims. "No one is forced." Ok, they aren't employees, they're cultists.
Cut to Eva, who likes Fran the Bartender, but still signals the others to come and kill him. Ulp.
"Don't worry. Another boat will be here to pick you up tomorrow. Until then, just relax and have fun."
Astrid and hubby gaze at each other like they're about to rip their clothes off. I'm getting really tired of this couple.
Scene 3: Zoa's sister Gabi at home. Her rather hunky Dad (Cesar Mateo, I think) and his female hookup emerge from the bedroom, swallow each other's tongues, and ask where Zoa is. Gabi doesn't know. They discuss Druggie Mom, who is out of the clinic and clean -- yet again, but keeps calling and asking for money. Backstory drama.
Scene 4: Ulysses, the muscle from Episode 1, shows the guinea pigs...er, um...guests to their modules. They balk; they want to stay together. Nope, wherever there's a spare bed.
Zoa's module-mates are Claudia, who was upset by Fran the Bartender getting beat up last night, and Nico (Sergio Momo) (beefcake alert: he's wearing a towel).
Rebellious Aldo, upset over the "incompetence" of being left behind, complains to his new module-mate (a girl). He wants to talk to the boss, but module-mate tells him to keep a low profile and don't ask questions.
Scene 5: In the middle of the night, Rebellious Aldo wakes up to see his module-mate climb out of bed and make a mysterious gesture through the glass wall. When she goes back to sleep, he leaves the module and looks around. A drone spies on him!
Scene 6: Morning. Medic Saul (Jonathan "Maravilla" Alonzo) extracts blood from them to check for viruses, and they are forced to put on cult uniforms. "Hey, I thought we were going home today." "The boat is...um, er...delayed due to bad weather. You'll be here another day."
Influencer Africa has a contraband cell phone, and tries to call out. Sinister Astrid's husband catches her with it, and confiscates it. So that's what he looks like with his tongue in his own mouth. They flirt, and show each other their tattoos.
More weird antics and upset, crying cultists.
Zoa stumbles upon the stables. Orson, who had a three-way with her missing friend Judith and his girlfriend last night, is kissing a guy, Eloy (Carlos Soroa, top photo)! He sees Zoa watching and get angry. But she just wants to know if he has any clues to Judith's disappearance. He denies even knowing her.
Scene 7: Last night a girl approached Classical Music Lover Ibon as he sat alone on the beach. Today he runs into her playing the piano (what a coincidence!). They flirt for quite a long scene.
Meanwhile, Rebel Aldo gets a dune buggy and drives it over the island. The scary gray-clawed fingers, monitoring him, report a perimeter break. A girl tracks him down and flirts with him.
Scene 8: Zoa is still trying to find out what happened to her missing friend Judith. She asks her module-mate Nico if he knows anything about it. He doesn't.
She says she wants to go home. "Why, you have a boyfriend waiting for you....or girlfriend?" They both laugh at "girlfriend": obviously it's ridiculous. Lesbians do not exist, just "girls gone wild" waiting for a man.
Back home, Little Sister Gabi gets a delivery "from Zoa." The box says "Lyon." Am I expected to know what it is?
Scene 9: Back at the modules, Sinister Astrid and the cultists are congratulating Eva for tracking down Fran the Bartender, so he could be killed. As a reward, she gets to decide "who will do today's evaluation." She chooses Zoa! But...Zoa doesn't even belong to the cult. How will she know what to do?
Oh, she's not leading the evaluation, she's being evaluated.
Two cultists sign that she's not ready for brainwashing; she needs to be observed more first.
It's basically Astrid interrogating Zoe about her family, looking for a weakness. When Zoa mentions that it's her little sister's birthday, the scary gray-claw fingers start typing, and arrange for the delivery of a birthday cake. That's the Lyon package.
Aha, Zoe's Mom is a drug addict. "How does that make you feel?" Sinister Astrid asks. "Repeat after me: My mother doesn't love me. She hates me. Again! Louder! Louder!"
Back home, Little Sister Gabi gets a text from "Zoa": "I'm staying here for awhile. I need some time. Don't look for me, because I'm fine." Gabi is suspicious, obviously. I think she'll be saving the day.
Scene 10: The evaluation over, Sinister Astrid and her husband swallow each other's tongues for 45 minutes or so. (Left: the only scene they have together where they aren't kissing.)
Everyone else hugs, except for Influencer Africa, the Rebel Aldo, and two morose-looking female cultists. I don't know who; I got into this without realizing that the cultists would be important characters, so I never bothered to keep track.
Back home, Little Sister Gabi gets upset, yells, and breaks things.
Scene 11: Zoa awakens in the middle of the night. A little boy is staring at her through the glass wall (the closing credits identify him as Isaac, played by Max Sampietro. But there are no kids on the island! She follows him out, and he vanishes! The end.
The Cult: What kind of cult just wants five new recruits? And why research the recruits in extreme detail? Don't cults take anybody?
The Blue Drink: Completely forgotten about in Episode #2. I think it was just something to knock out the guinea pigs.
Paranormal: None except for the little boy, who might be a ghost.
Ok, I was promised at least one each of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender characters.
Bisexual: Orson kisses boys and girls.
Gay Male: Eloy, the boy Orson was kissing.
Lesbian: Nico and Zoa think that the idea of lesbians is ridiculous.
Transgender: No one mentioned. Maybe Little Sister Gabi, back home? No, according to the website Netflixdeed, it's Maika, played by trans actress Lola Rodriguez. She ends up dating guinea pig Charlie.
Will I Keep Watching: Nope
0 Comments