Tamal Kundu
Created by Joaquín Górriz and Guillermo López, Netflix’s Spanish series ‘Welcome to Eden’ or ‘Bienvenidos a Edén’ is a typical cult thriller for the most part of its inaugural season. But certain revelations toward the end of season 1 suddenly transform it into a blend of science fiction and fantasy, even though it maintains its thriller credentials. The story revolves around a group of directionless youths who arrive at a paradisiacal island and are convinced to stay there by their charming and mysterious hosts. However, they soon realize they have inadvertently become part of a dangerous cult that will kill them if they try to escape.
Despite the promises of science fiction and fantasy, season 2 of ‘Welcome to Eden’ is mainly about the cult and its nefarious practices. The narrative moves forward with the introduction of several new characters, but it remains grounded despite the abundance of violence and intrigue. Here is everything you might want to know about the ending of ‘Welcome to Eden’ season 2. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Welcome to Eden Season 2 Recap
The second season begins right where season 1 ended. Just as Zoa (Amaia Aberasturi) is about to reach the boat to leave the island for good, she spots her younger sister Gaby (Berta Castañé), among the new arrivals. As the viewers who are caught up with the first season will know, Gaby conducted an investigation of her own following her sister’s disappearance and discovered that she was on Eden Island. And now, she has come looking for her. Zoa doesn’t know any of this, but she can’t leave her sister amidst a bunch of murderers. She returns to Eden and is apprehended by Nico, who, even though is aware of the growing closeness between Zoa and Bel (Begoña Vargas), still harbors feeling for the former. What he fails to realize is that even if there weren’t someone like Bel in Zoa’s life, she could have never loved him because of his staunch loyalty toward Astrid (Amaia Salamanca) and the foundation.
Meanwhile, although Charly (Tomás Aguilera) manages to leave the island, he soon finds himself swimming in the middle of nowhere with no land in sight. He is picked up by armed people, who he believes are law enforcement officials, coast guards, or the military. He is proven wrong when these people take him back to the island and, on Astrid’s instruction, put him in the same cell as África (Belinda Peregrín).
However, others don’t know about this and hold on to the hope that Charly has reached mainland Spain and alerted the authorities. Nico makes a big discovery. He finds out that Saúl, the head of the medical department on the island, is behind the attack on Astrid and Erick. He used the symbol of Lilith to pay homage to his mentor, his predecessor, Graciela. This is when Saúl walks in, and a scuffle ensues in which Nico is killed.
With the help of Bel and the other rebels, Saúl tries to take out Astrid but fails because of the timely intervention of África and is subsequently killed as well. Believing Eloy to be Ulises’ murderer, Astrid orders his death, but Eloy manages to escape, and he later encounters Isaac. Alma learns that it was Ibón (Diego Garisa) that killed Ulises. After discovering the sexual aspect of the relationship between Ibón, Eloy, and Orson, Alma kills her former boyfriend the evening he breaks up with her. As Ibón was Ulises’s murderer, Alma’s actions bring her back into the inner circle of the foundation just as she transforms into a fanatic follower of Astrid.
Maika (Lola Rodríguez) convinces Astrid and Erick not to kill Charly in exchange for him becoming the link for Som, one of the two new arrivals selected to stay on the island, the other being Molly, the carefully constructed alias that Gaby created for herself.
The more time Gaby spends on the island, the more she becomes brainwashed, much to her sister’s dismay. Meanwhile, on the mainland, Ibón’s father asks Brisa to stop her investigation as he is repentant about his abusive behavior toward his son and wants to give him the space he needs to heal. Despite this, Brisa continues to look for the missing teenagers and saves their loved ones from the attacks orchestrated by the foundation.
In the season 2 finale, Bel and Zoa make a deal with África regarding Astrid’s death, but it turns into a disaster as someone informs Astrid about it. Brisa recruits her old friends to infiltrate the island. Powerful enemies of the foundation make their presence known, and Astrid has Nuria killed, but not before Isaac finds out that the woman who virtually raised him is his biological mother.
Welcome to Eden Season 2 Ending: Who Are Som and Danae?
There is a flashback scene in season 2 episode 5 that explains certain mysteries in the series, including the history behind the cult. Astrid founded the cult using her father’s teachings as the foundation and her husband’s money as capital. Set in 2014, the flashback scene also shows that Astrid’s father was killed by people sent by her father’s biggest enemy, Mr. Sisuk. In the present day, seeking revenge, Astrid orchestrates the arrival of Sisuk’s daughter, Som, to the island. Erick has been vehemently against this from the start, as he believes that Som is innocent and is not part of the feud.
As the finale reveals, both Astrid and Erick have been wrong about this. Som came to the island likely on the instruction of her father, and she isn’t alone. Danae was the one who killed Astrid’s father in 2014. She has since infiltrated the foundation. She prevented Astrid’s father from sending his findings to her that day. In the present time, they smuggle that data in on the island with a chip implanted into Som’s skin. In the finale, Danae extracts the chip, and as the cult members are busy trying to execute Zoa and Bel, she gains access to the supercomputer to presumably find New Eden.
What is New Eden?
Like every cult, the Eden Foundation has a mythology behind it. They believe Earth is dying because of human activities and want to leave it behind. Astrid tells her followers, without a hint of irony, that the society they have created is an improved and better version of the civilization that came before it — a new Noah’s Ark. For years, they have tried to communicate with entities — presumably aliens. And now, for the first time, the said entities have responded.
Just like her father, Astrid calls the home planet of these aliens New Eden, drawing inspiration from the Bible. Isaac, who seems to possess certain special abilities, is destined to serve as the guide during the journey. Of course, most of what she said is a lie. The aliens, if they even exist, haven’t responded. She doesn’t have her father’s findings. Her address to the rest of the group stems from desperation. Astrid knows she is losing control of her cult, and even Erick now doubts her.
Who Tells Astrid about Zoa and Bel’s Plans?
Working together with Nuria, Zoa and Bel come up with the plan of killing Astrid with explosives. They even convince África to passively help them under the condition that they will not harm Erick. However, shortly after Astrid shows up at the module located in the middle of the volcanic crater, Bel and Zoa see Isaac arrive there. Although Zoa still wants to go through with the plan, Bel stops her, knowing that her lover will not be able to forgive herself if she kills Isaac. They realize Astrid shouldn’t be there unless someone told her about their plans.
Initially, Bel and Zoa suspect África and Eva, the two other girls who knew about the plans. However, the truth is that Gabi is the one who told Astrid everything. She and Zoa grew up in a dysfunctional household with their absent father and drug-addict mother. After Gabi meets Astrid and gets to know her, she concludes that this is what a mother should be, not realizing that she is looking at a performer who is exceptionally good at her job.
Even though Gabi doesn’t realize it, she is easily brainwashed. For her part, Astrid realizes this, and that’s why she doesn’t take any drastic actions against the younger woman even after finding out that she and Zoa are siblings. In the season finale, as Zoa and Bel are about to be executed, Gabi pleads for their lives, still naively believing that Astrid is a fundamentally good person. But Zoa and Bel know the truth and refuse to bend before the monster of a woman in what will very likely be their last moments. Ultimately, Brisa and her people’s arrival postpones the execution for now.
Is África Pregnant?
Yes, África is pregnant toward the end of the second season of ‘Welcome to Eden.’ Her relationship with Erick develops throughout season 2, making Astrid concerned about it. As she observes, both of them have been with other people in the past, but this time she feels that it’s different. As Erick begins to question Astrid’s actions, he moves out of their home and goes to live with África. However, when he discovers that there was another attempt on Astrid’s life, he once more chooses her and leaves África.
Astrid can’t have children of her own. Nuria thinks that there is a possibility that Erick got close to her to have a child that he and Astrid could raise together, knowing she would not put up much objection. It will be interesting to see how Astrid and Erick respond to the news of África’s pregnancy. After all, unlike Nuria, África will not give up her child without a fight.
