Eden (III) (2021) User Reviews

i didnt like it.

[veinctor · 4/10 · 14 June 2021]

Direction and actors were fine. The series gimmick was also interesting: in each episode, you go through an entire week over and over, but from a different person's perspective.

But I didnt like the plot and the characters. So I guess, if you like the cliche story "I did drugs and I dont remember what I did last night but a murder happened" then go for it. It's slow, the character arcs are uninteresting and it lacks energy. It's way too focused on drugs, as everyone uses, and everyone is passive or makes stupid choices. And everyone is broken. It's a miseryfest.

The do try to make each character's arc interesting, but to me everything is just boring. It's like there's nothing but drugs, sex and corruption everywhere. I didn't like any of the characters or their motivations or their progression.

Also, the 1st episode ends in a fake cliffhanger. That was a complete troll.

So far

[Headturner1 · 4/10 · 12 June 2021]

I had the exact feeling as the first reviewer ( how could Australia put out such drivel) then I got to the second episode and it was bearable and the 3rd, 4th and 5h then I fell asleep. I com back when I see how it ends and update because it's a thriller and I can't really rate it until SPOILERS ...maybe...............................

I see what happened to Hedwig ( or whatever her name is) because that's going to make or break the whole series. If you can get thru like 2-3 episodes it gets better and I don't know why I kept thinking of that series 5 days or something with Jude law in it?

Mediocre

[mattmusko · 6/10 · 15 May 2022]

Episode 1 was aweful and plenty of reviews here point out that it gets better further on but not by much. Dedicating each show to the perspective of an individual character worked well enough but that technique wasn't all that novel. If you still dislike the series after watching the Andy centered 3rd episode then I recommend you abandon it...as it more or less plateaus from there. I gave it a 6 but is probably a 6.5 but I can't justify rounding it up to a 7. I wouldn't purchase this series on its own but if your provider includes it in its lineup go ahead and take it for a test drive.

Keep at it. It gets better each episode.

[stuartwoodley-58722 · 7/10 · 13 June 2021]

First episode is pretty bad. By 4th episode it finds its rhythm and is a quite interesting satisfying small town police mystery.

Btw- the story is nothing like the trailer suggests.

I stuck with it. And now I want my 8 hours backs.

[somethingreal81 · 2/10 · 18 August 2021]

As everyone else has said, the first episode is awful, but the show does get better after that. Unfortunately, what it never actually gets is anything close to good. None of the characters are worth caring about and there are so many extraneous plots that go absolutely nowhere and ultimately have no point. I spent the majority of the 8 episodes bored out of my mind and only stuck with it because so many users said it was worth it in the end. Sadly, it was not.

A sense of mystical place

[gayegordon · 7/10 · 18 June 2021]

Loved it. You have to feel your way in AFTER the first 2 episodes it settles into a mystical, strange, hippie, slightly surreal vibe that drew me in slowly. Then it was addictive, and I had to know what happened. Thought vistas were beautiful thanks to great cinematography, great directing and acting. You could feel place.

BORING

[monty-86225 · 1/10 · 13 September 2021]

If you read some of the reviews for this series, you might scratch your head and wonder why there is so much difference between high marks and low marks. Anywhere from 10's to 1. The only way to see where your preferences lie, is to grab some popcorn a blanket and settle in for some movie night time.

My thoughts...save the popcorn, wash the blanket and go see your dentist for painful dental surgery. I was easily swayed from the folks who said, and I am paraphrasing "ignore the early episodes, be patient, and get taken in by the other episodes for a magnificent mystery/thriller with an outstanding ending." As each episode ran and moved to the next, all I could think of was that I was lied to. No thriller and not much of a mystery. What this turned out to be was first a primer for drug abuse; and second, a documentary on the Kama Sutra. Not being much of a prude in the field of erotica, I found the gratuitous sex, both straight and gay way past limits. It was if the writer of the screenplay copied letters from Penthouse Forum line by line. He dug deep into his psyche and reached for a fantasy world that he carries around with him.

To wrap up in regard to the rest of the series, the characters were lifeless and did not merit any empathy. It was if you took a bunch of minor characters, put them in a bag, shook them up and then spilled them out and hoping they developed into believable characters. It failed.

The acting itself was close to acceptable, but not memorable. The overt sex scenes got in the way. Others stated that it would be worth the wait for the "tremendous ending". I'm still waiting. No spoiler, because there is none.

Stick with it

[Knightsmare · 10/10 · 13 June 2021]

I hated the first episode. It seemed stupid and pretentious and none of the characters were likeable (giving them all ridiculous names didn't help). I gave the se.cond episode a chance and it got better. By the fifth I was hooked. It does take a while to find its stride but once it does is pretty gripping viewing. The acting was pretty good overall (Keiynan Lonsdale was the standout) and it looked beautiful. The ending was unexpected but not in a ridiculous way and was quite poignant. If you can stick past the first episode or two you'll be pleased you gave the show a chance.

Slow and unrelatable

[mjmclean-81121 · 2/10 · 20 September 2021]

The scenery and cinematography are great however that's where it stops.

The whole series is slow and boring. I stuck it out because some reviews on here said to do so but I just couldn't enjoy it.

The charectors are all quirky and eccentric and live in million dollar houses with luxury lifestyles. There is no footage of the township or any 'normal' people. There are no usual middle class charectors with middle class homes. It's all mansions and so many shots of charectors dancing Int he edge of hills and cliffs. It's like as though everyone is stuck in some slow motion trance and it makes it quite hard for the audience to really find any of the show relatable and engage in the story line.

The charectors are lifeless and dull and as for Hedwig..I doubt anyone is as boring as her. No facial expressions just boring.. Usually Aussie dramas are great but I give this two stars..

Stick it out past the first episode!

[niktaycol · 8/10 · 13 June 2021]

The first ep was a bit cringey, the characters seemed a bit forced and there was no chemistry between them, but every other episode after was much better and kept me hooked. Binged over 2 days, would recommend!

6 hours of my life I'll never get back

[maxroffman · 1/10 · 12 June 2021]

Dreadful acting, stupid story line all played in slow slow motion. None of the characters are likeable. This story has been played so many times but never as badly. I actually registered with IMDB so I could post my review. . Could be a winner for the turkey tv awards.

jesus h christ

[curtispeace · 2/10 · 13 July 2021]

Pretentious drivel, no way to write or start a 'story', as if anyone could possibly know what the hell is going on, moreso, as if anyone could possibly care, the people are all weirdos and I wouldn't want to know any of them in life or in a 'story', utter senseless nonsense.

More like purgatory than Eden

[rubyferraday · 2/10 · 5 July 2021]

I watched every episode of this and as a whole, it struck me as being presented from the viewpoint of someone with a terrible, pointless crush on a girl named Hedwig - crushing to the point where Hedwig could be devoid of anything at all and it made no difference because it was all about how she looked anyway. A statue would have done.

Hedwig is boring. There's just no other word for her. But we are expected to believe she is beautiful, smart, talented, a great friend, interesting, captivating etc, all because other characters say she is. Other than being beautiful, there is no evidence of these qualities. She is antisocial, jaded, desultory, disillusioned, lifeless...boring. Almost all camera shots are like model shots. I can hear them telling the actress 'just look really passive - no, more passive...okay that's perfect'. This does kind of fit in with the story as she's pretty much the victim of being everyone's fantasy (for some unspecified reason) and fantasies work heaps better if the subject is passive.

I feel a bit sorry for Bebe Bettencourt. She was in The Dry in essentially the same role. I hope she hasn't been typecast already.

It's a shame as this could have been way better. It wasn't just the characterisation of Hedwig that was an issue - a fair bit of stuff wasn't particularly believable.

Binged in one day

[wigglyweta · 8/10 · 11 June 2021]

Loved it - very gripping. Great ending too! A good dark and sensual mystery thriller.

Flashbacks instead of actual plot

[kat-8888 · 1/10 · 14 June 2021]

About as interesting as someone describing their dream in detail upon waking. Especially if that person is some random backpacker in a YMCA dorm.

Snoooooze. Couldn't get through first ep. It's like the most boring music video ever.

Very Bingeable

[wildannak · 8/10 · 13 June 2021]

I realise this has had some bad reviews but I have tio admit I was hooked right the way through and really enjoyed this series.. it was weird and wacky in parts but I thought that suited the drug themes throughout as well as the weird religious cult like community also portrayed. Lots of messed up characters and corrupt cops which is standard in many plots these days but I liked the characters and enjoyed the twists. Characters and individual story lines could have been played out more but hey it worked for me as easy to watch entertainment. Loved viewing through different characters too.

Was looking forward to this one...

[christianaabyorellana · 2/10 · 26 September 2021]

...but it was just trying so damm hard. Neither Samuel Johnson nor Cody Fern could save this one.

Whenever someone says "stick with it" - I want to punch them in their little CBD-oil smeared faces. It's the equivalent of sucking on those bitter caramels with the best part in the middle and ones you get there you realize it wasn't worth the journey.

This show had some great potential, but failed to deliver what could have been a great and suspensful show. But they killed it with drawn out scenes, which I'm not against, but these didn't add much to the episodes. The constant psychadelic trips just made the whole thing seem tiresome.

Found myself picking up the phone way to much, to scroll through the news and like goofy clips of animals just to not feel like I was wasting my time on a bunch of b-roll shots.

So, if I could choose between this and and sucking on that bitter caramel, I would choose the caramel. I would at least get closure.

Cringeworthy.

[vxhdygn · 1/10 · 11 June 2021]

The worse piece of trash Television I have had the misfortune to watch in decades.

The best part is that Episode 1 is so bad, there is not a reason to ever watch a single second ever again.

Eden is so bad that I will be cancelling my subscription to Stan, just to avoid the possibility that in some drunken haze I accidentally see the name in the listings.

Thank me later, don't be tempted to even waste 60 seconds on this dog's vomit. I believe this show gave me optical cancer.

I've enjoyed crushing my fingers in a car door jam more. Other than the above the show is great -1,000.

Thank you rubyferraday for your review.

[pbann-55423 · 2/10 · 20 July 2021]

Dead on the money! I wanted so much more from this series but in the end it really underwelmed.

Worth a watch if you take it at face value

[Cson1234 · 9/10 · 4 October 2022]

I really enjoyed this series and the back and forth between perspectives I thought was done quite well. There was some plots that seemed irrelevant and almost like time fillers like the couple who were holidaying there.

If you watch the show as a fictional utopia type place rather than relating to real life then it is captivating. Also for anyone who's not been to Byron Bay this depiction is not far from the reality of it. It's a beautiful place filled with spotless beaches, crystals and free spirits everywhere, however there is an eerie drug fueled under belly to it which this series captured.

the perils of passing dumbness in the garb of being woke!

[prashant-63677 · 3/10 · 21 September 2021]

Well, first of all i am not a woke person. But I have nothing against those who call themselves liberal or 'woke'. But I definitely carry a grudge against being dumb! This tv series pretended to be very 'woke', but in reality it was extremely dumb, moronic, bereft of any story and logic. It was one of the most incoherent tv shows that I have seen. Again, I have nothing against same sex relationships. To each his own. But, I have a grudge against that director who peppers a tv show with aimless, logic less same sex scenes to grab attention. Shouldnt every physical relationship and its depiction carry some logic and connection with the story? Well it seems not for the team which created this travesty! Unexplained events, threads that led nowhere, characters that were created and then forgotten, it was a terrible tale, told in an even worse manner. If this is being liberal and woke, God save humanity and definitely the film and tv series industry. I think such pretensions as this tv series do more harm to the so called movement than benefit. It was a terrible tv show.

Amazing, Incredible, Thrilling

[ashleighrebecca90 · 10/10 · 16 April 2022]

Deeply sensual, mystical, emotional yet modern and riveting drama which dives deep into the heart of the surreal experience of this part of Australia "Rainbow Region, Northern Rivers, Byron Shire".

It held me hostage on a strange voyage through this part of the world which I have spent some time in. It is like magic to have a drama like this capture it in a fictional "magic realism/surrealism" way.

It may seem to be making a part of our modern world seem too fantastical and unrelatable

However, if you have spent time in this region, you will know that it feels like you can slip in and out of different realities, and some of it feels like a dream. Anything can happen. You're not sure what will be manifested.

There's the rich folk who own all the land and mansions close to Byron, those older folk on the old farmland, drug makers and dealers, natural people who should feel like it's their home (but have had trauma and been unlucky), indigenous folk, alternative hippie vagrants

It's a slice of the world where a depth of emotional and spiritual drama can come from

And it was very compelling seeing it shared and acting like this on screen, as a viewer.

Waste of time

[bmangion · 1/10 · 11 July 2021]

Not good worse ausie drama that i have ever seen. Acting is poor. Plot is rediculous half of it is repeated. Could not wait for it to end.

hugely disappointing

[angelikaarman · 1/10 · 29 October 2021]

I had high expectations as the script was by "all female writers", and I like Australian movies and series - turns out that is not a guarantee and the result can be exactly as generic as your typical Netflix fastfood - great scenery, shallow psychology, unrelatable characters, with a plot to make you binge til the bitter end. Great scenery though.

Please watch paint dry instead of this

[muhlbeiergreg · 2/10 · 26 January 2022]

I'm sorry but reviews range from 0 o10. Really? I gave it a 2 because the scenery was pretty. The story is cliché and dull and the characters are all unlikeable and the viewer doesn't care what happens to any of them. They all deserve their miserable outcomes because of their stupid choices. Gratuitous sex and excessive drug abuse also are randomly scattered throughout. I've had a better time at the dentist than watching this mess. Save yourself the grief...