Name: Welcome to Eden season 2
Director: Denis Rovira van Boekholt, Juanma R. Pachón,
Released: 2023-04-22T00:00:39

In the second season of Welcome to Eden (Bienvenidos a Edén), Zoa’s sister, Gabi, comes to Eden, and the people on the island continue to struggle for their survival and desires. The new season is now streaming on Netflix.

Story

When Zoa sees Gabi coming to the island, she decides to stay back at Eden and not leave with Charly, who fails to escape successfully. He has to face the consequences of his actions, and Mayka helplessly watches him suffer.

Gabi and another girl named Som are the newcomers on the island. While Zoa is happy to reunite with her sister, she finds it hard to keep her safe.

Astrid locks up África in a prison because she now knows things that she should never have known. Astrid also calls a man named Joel to Eden to figure out who killed Ulises, which makes Eloy and Ibón anxious.

Bel and Zoa soon realize that they are not the only ones who want to rebel and find a way out. Despite Astrid and Erick’s use of force to keep the inhabitants in check, they are ready to do anything they can to escape, but not without each other.

Performances

Amaia Aberasturi, as Zoa, and Begoña Vargas, as Bel, perform their parts well. They manage to balance the hopelessness as well as the determination of their characters throughout the show.

Berta Castañé’s depiction of Gabi and Amaia Salamanca’s depiction of Astrid are very convincing. While Salamanca seems like a very manipulative cult leader, Castañé brings out Gabi’s vulnerabilities to show how and why people get manipulated.

There is nothing extraordinary about the performances by the rest of the cast, but Lola Rodríguez’s portrayal of Mayka is praiseworthy, even though she does not get much screen time.

Positives

Gabi’s character is quite interesting. It is used to show the audience how cult leaders can even manipulate people who have been warned beforehand and make them turn against their own loved ones. The shift in Gabi’s loyalties seems natural and understandable.

The one scene that will leave an impact on the audience is the scene where Zoa finds out who betrayed her. It is not only unpredictable but also touching.

Negatives

Similar to the first season, the second season of Welcome to Eden fails to offer anything new or exciting. The plot is not very unique from other shows that depend on good-looking actors and fan service to carry the whole show. In fact, sometimes the plot is just absurd.

Various characters in the show want to rebel against the woman who is the leader of this cult and does not let anyone leave. However, the scenes depicting rebellion are few and far between, and even those are very underwhelming.

The show has too many characters, and it has a hard time balancing all their stories. As a result, most of the characters lack emotional depth, and the audience does not get invested in them or feel for them when they are suffering.

Despite having eight episodes, in the end, it feels like nothing much happened. The drama is not entertaining, and the show is extremely dry, as there is nothing even remotely light-hearted. Eventually, the show becomes monotonous.

Verdict

Welcome to Eden season 2 is just another show that is dull and does not offer anything unique to the audience. If you are looking for a show about cults, this is certainly not the best one.