The woefully short-lived Netflix exclusive thriller series Welcome to Eden featured an ending that pointed to big things in the future for the show, but they never came to fruition. Debuting in 2022, the Spanish program chronicles the harrowing adventure of several young people who are tricked onto a mysterious island where they are held captive by two aspiring cult leaders. Fast-paced and surprising, Welcome to Eden checked all the boxes of a convincing thriller and added a dash of 21st-century social commentary which helped it stand out from its contemporaries. It had a free-flowing and lyrical nature that played out smoothly across its two seasons.
Critics were relatively high on the show’s first season, and it scored an impressive 80% on Rotten Tomatoes while maintaining a similarly illustrious 70% audience rating. As the streamer gets more into genre content, Welcome to Eden often ranks among the best sci-fi shows on Netflix, and it blends its more outlandish elements with a grounded story of cultish belief and family strife. Unfortunately for those hooked in by the Spanish thriller, Netflix pulled the plug on Welcome to Eden after season 2 which left many of the biggest questions posed in the finale unanswered forever.
Gabi Betrays The Revolution
Arriving at the island at the end of the first season to the shock and surprise of her sister Zoa (Amaia Aberasturi), Gabi (Berta Castañé) posed undercover as a potential convert while trying to rescue her long-lost sister from the cult’s grasp. Little did Gabi know, Zoa had actually planned an elaborate escape which was halted by the shocking arrival of her sister, and was actually well on her way to shaking the grasp of Eden. Gabi was enlisted to help out in Zoa and Bel’s (Begoña Vargas) plan to blow up Astrid (Amaia Salamanca), but it was eventually revealed that she sold the entire operation out for a multitude of reasons.
First, it was clear that the emotional brainwashing that Astrid slapped on Gabi actually worked, but Gabi also made the choice because she genuinely feared that the plan wouldn’t go off smoothly. Fearing what Astrid would do to the dissenters if the plan failed, Gabi decided to sell them down the river in exchange for their safety. However, considering how she was able to convince Astrid to spare Zoa later, it could have been that Gabi was actually exercising some sort of control over the cult leader instead.
Did Zoa And Bel Survive?
TV shows with fictional cult leaders often hype up aspects of the stereotypical cult leader persona, and Welcome to Eden was no different by making Astrid a paranoid, violent, and dangerous tyrant. Having foiled Zoa and Bel’s plan, Astrid then hoped to exact her revenge by having the two interlopers executed. However, Gabi stepped in on behalf of her sister and was able to convince Astrid to spare Zoa, though Bel’s fate was still left up in the air. Zoa was reticent to accept charity from Astrid because she knew it wouldn’t be given for free, and was saved by the arrival of helicopters which broke up the potential execution.
Nuria Is Isaac’s Real Mother
One of the season’s most shocking twists came when it was revealed that Nuria (Anna Alarcón) was actually Isaac’s (Max Sampietro) real mother, which threw the entire Astrid/Erick (Guillermo Pfening) dynamic off. Astrid was shown to be infertile, which began the long-seated resentment between her and Nuria who had the child with Erick during an affair. Nuria was Isaac’s caretaker on the island, but she was also willing to sacrifice the child in order for the explosion plan to go off without a hitch. Ultimately, Isaac was turned against Nuria without ever learning his true parentage, and she died tragically without having her revenge against Astrid.
Erick’s Relationship With Africa Explained
Co-cult leader Erick was known for his philandering, a trait common in cult leaders, and it was known to Astrid who saw their relationship as open as long as he was emotionally exclusive to her. However, his affair with Africa (Belinda) was somewhat different and actually sowed seeds of distrust between the dual cult leaders. The tense TV series took a fascinating turn when Africa, in order to avoid her own death, went to work for Astrid and Erick as a maid in their home. This caused dissension between Africa and the other rebels because the former resented the fact that no one came to save her.
Eventually, she took a liking to Erick who reciprocated, and they began an affair which irked Astrid. It is unclear whether it was Africa’s plan the entire time or merely a fortuitous coincidence, but in order to secure Erick’s love for herself, she took him to the communication room and revealed that Astrid’s plan was phony. This caused the cult leaders to have a physical separation and was seemingly a brilliant piece of rebellion on Africa’s part. However, when Zoa and Bel planned to blow up Astrid, Africa insisted that she’d help if only Erick was spared.
Detective Brisa Arrives At Eden
All throughout Welcome to Eden season 2, Detective Brisa (Ana Wagener) was seen snooping around the cult, and it was clear she planned to bring the entire operation down through legal means. In the final moments of the season, Brisa arrived at New Eden with a fleet of helicopters, and it was clear she finally had the proof she needed to nab the cult. Though the contents of Brisa’s folder were never revealed, there’s no doubt that Astrid would think of a way to worm out of her troubles, which explains why she opted to welcome her newfound guest instead of being hostile.
Danae Is A Double Agent
With so many Spanish shows on Netflix, the European nation is having a TV renaissance and thrillers like Welcome to Eden are a perfect example. Danae (Lucía Guerrero) spent most of season 2 being hired muscle for Astrid, but in the finale, it was revealed that she was actually a double agent working for Som’s (Nona Sobo) father. Som’s father had previously tried to take out Astrid’s father in a business-related hit, and Danae was dispatched to work behind the scenes to undermine her entire operation. Entering the communication room and hacking into the computer, Danae plan was seemingly going well until she was caught by Isaac.
It is unclear what her plan actually was, and the cliffhanger of her being caught by Isaac will unfortunately never be resolved. However, since Isaac was on hand when his grandfather was attacked by Som’s father’s men, there’s a chance he could be out for some much-needed revenge. Or, since Isaac had seen a shred of the wickedness of Astrid, he could be looking for an ally in order to bring the cult down from the inside.
The Real Meaning Of Welcome To Eden’s Ending
Unlike the heartbreaking ending of Welcome to Eden season 1, the ending of season 2 saw Astrid and her entire operation under assault, and she was powerless to stop it. With so many moles, double agents, and now law enforcement officers in her orbit, she was quickly running out of options. It was clear that the ending was supposed to be a setup for Astrid’s either comeuppance or revenge, but the sudden cancelation of the series denies the chance for definitive answers. Either way, Welcome to Eden had completely demystified its cult leader, and she was transformed into a classic villain.
