Astrid is one of the most cruel antagonists, appears in the Spanish thriller series “Welcome to Eden.” She invites young men and women to capture them in this beautiful cage that is the mysterious island of Eden, where she rules as the megalomaniac queen bee, making sure that no one can escape. In the two seasons of “Welcome to Eden”, Astrid progresses from pure evil to cartoonishly evil. Although we learn about the mishaps that occurred in her life in the past, this does not excuse her wrongdoings. Let’s take a closer look at her heinous deeds, which also serve to highlight her character flaws.
Spoilers Ahead
Astrid: What Made Astrid A Malevolent Person?
Over ten years ago, Astrid began her quest to grow her cult. Her dad was just as crazy as she was. The real cause of her irrational beliefs about the New Eden was her father. The series gave little information regarding Astrid’s father, who might have been involved in astronomy. His thorough investigation eventually led him to discover a New Eden in a parallel reality, but because of the discovery, Astrid’s father became embroiled in a conflict with Sisuk, a well-known Thai businessman. Astrid’s fury was fueled when Sisuk’s henchmen killed her father as a result of the discovery. Astrid consequently made the decision to set off for the New Eden in order to realize both her own and her father’s dreams. Although it is clear that Astrid had a tragic history, it is uncertain whether her father’s murder inspired her to turn vile and inflict torture on innocent people or whether she had always been a bad person, even when her father was alive. Given that Isaac was a preschooler when Astrid’s father was killed, we can conclude that Astrid had already wreaked havoc on Nuria’s life.
Astrid has absolutely no relationship with anyone in her family. She wasn’t even Isaac’s real mother; instead, she took Nuria’s child and claimed him as her own. She seldom felt any affection for her husband, Erick. Erick and Astrid’s relationship seemed transactional for the entire two seasons. Astrid was an outstanding manipulator, and she mostly used this skill to brainwash members of her cult into adopting her irrational viewpoints. With Erick, she followed the same procedure. To strengthen the foundation of her cult, Astrid took advantage of the fact that Erick was much more in love with the concept of New Eden than with her. She controlled her employees Mayka, Brenda, Joel, and every member of her gang in the same manner. But once Zoa got to Eden, Astrid was unable to brainwash her. Ever since Zoa had come, Astrid had attempted to control her mind, but she was unable to do so. Basically, Astrid used to target people who had enough reasons to come to Eden to get a temporary distraction from the chaos in their daily lives; In these instances, Astrid attacked their susceptible minds in order to take control of them. But Zoa’s self-assurance outlasted Astrid’s. As a result, Astrid turned her back on Zoa and even considered killing her. Her sense of power—that she could kill anyone at any time—made her even more depraved. The authority she had gained all by herself through detrimental methods made her feel invincible, which is why she could simply take out anyone she chose without hesitation.
But eventually, she had to be stopped. Who will ultimately put an end to Astrid’s life is still unknown. It might be Zoa and her lover Bel, or it might be Brisa, the private eye that Ibon’s father had hired. Or it might be Som, the daughter of Sisuk, and his trusted employee, Danae.
Erick: Was Erick Ever In Love With Africa?
Erick, like Astrid, was another person who could be unscrupulous and troubling at the same time. He is nothing but a playboy who has had several affairs with the servants. Erick impregnated one of them, Nuria, and later, we see Africa was in the same boat. Perhaps, like Nuria, Astrid might take in Africa’s child as well. But first, let’s speak about Erick and his actual role in Astrid’s cult. To Astrid, Erick appeared to be a loyal spouse, but he was a crafty playboy. At times, it also appears like Erick’s role as a playboy is a ruse used by Astrid to deceive others around her. However, Erick had embraced his wife’s magnificent promises about New Eden and was eager to get there, but Africa demonstrated that there was never any contact between these two Edens, as the gadget began to display “No Response” after transmitting a signal. Erick felt deceived by his wife, but Astrid handled the matter with her incredible manipulating abilities. Even though we saw chemistry develop between Africa and Erick in earlier seasons, towards the conclusion of season 2, Erick breaks off that connection, claiming that there was no emotional investment in their relationship. Erick resorted to his family, emphasizing their importance in his life, but we all know deep down that Erick was truly an opportunist who decided to stay with Astrid despite seeing her on a killing rampage for the sake of New Eden. Erick wasn’t quite like Astrid; he had a sense of compassion, but he drowned all of it in Astrid’s evil in order to attain a transcending existence in the New Eden. It reduces Erick to a self-serving individual who tolerates whatever Astrid does in order to seize the right chance at the right time.
Overall, Astrid and Erick were solitary individuals in a relationship where they didn’t understand what it really meant to connect with others and build bonds. They both released each other to be with the partners they wanted, while their connection only became relevant when it came to talking about New Eden or deciding the penalty for the detainees. Other than that, Astrid and Erick were not a dominant pair.
Final Words
The characters of Astrid and Erick in the series “Welcome to Eden” have so much more potential. Astrid and Erick’s connection and their dominance over the island were deftly shown in the first season. It was tremendous and simultaneously delivered one surprise after another to us. However, the intensity dipped a little in season 2. Sometimes it seems like the storyline has just been stretched out, and other times, it feels on point. We still lack a clear understanding of what the New Eden entails. If it does, why does the transmitting device say “no response”? It might be a technical glitch, or the entire concept of the New Eden is just a lie. Let’s have all of our inquiries resolved in Season 3 of “Welcome to Eden.”
