Netflix Newswire: Eric (2024)

 Written By: Danny Albers 

Netflix released one of the more unique and bizarre netflix series last month with the release of Eric starring Benedict Cumberbatch. The show follows the main story of Edgar who’s gone missing in 1980’s New York. Multiple side stories of corrupt police, homophobia, aids epidemic, child abuse and trafficking are also happening while the main character Vincent is obsessed with finding his son. Vincent begins to see a creature that was created by his son Edgard named Eric, a big blue cookie-monster looking creature who lives underground. Vincent becomes convinced that Eric is the key to connecting him to his missing son. 

Vincent is a puppeteer working on a children's show in New York City in the 1980’s. His son Edgar has grown up around a lot of his fathers creations, and looks up to him and his work. Vincent, touted as a creative genius in the series, is over critical of everything, making him impossible to be around to the displeasure of his wife, colleagues, and son. His alcoholism and drug abuse amplifies those negative attitudes and behaviors. His work is the most important thing to him, and he’s flat out just an asshole. When his son creates a character that Eric refuses to take seriously, it causes a rift between him and his son. When Vincent decides to not walk his son to school, his son goes missing. In the wake of the panic and grief in a very public story, he becomes convinced that the creature his son created can help him find his son. Not only does Vincent see the monster, but he’s following what he believes to be a map to where his son is hiding. Before Vincent is  eventually let go by the show, his partner and the production team steal the design idea for Eric. Vincent, convinced Edgar is just hiding because he was a jerk, steals the Eric costume and apologizes on live television to Edgar. He tells Edgar “I will race you home,” hoping this final attempt convinces Edgar to come home. 

 

Themes and character development are areas where the creators of this show really excelled. Some of the themes that this show tackles are addiction, trauma, and neglect, and what the effects of those themes look like on loved ones suffering from them. Each character has more layers than an onion, and this show really does a great job on letting the viewer inside these characters. Vincent’s partner Lennie is a closested gay man that is tired of being let down from Vincent, and is tired of be overlooked for the “Creative Genius.” His ambitions eventually take over once Vincent is cut out of the show. Detective Michael Belcher is working the case of Edgar, and is dealing with his lover dying of aids whilst dealing with being a closeted gay black man in the NYPD. Vincent’s wife is struck with grief and is riddled with the trauma of being married to an abusive drug addict. I think the most important character though is Vincent. Someone can watch this film and write Vincent off as an artistic jackass who neglects his family. But as the story unravels we find that Vincent has immense love for his family, but doesn’t know how to cope with his childhood traumas. So he drinks and abuses drugs. His creations are just another way of coping with his problems. It’s a gripping story that follows multiple crimes happening to really show how dangerous New York in the 80’s were. Edgar missing is the least menacing issue since the viewer is aware that he’s alright, even though he’s tied in with the homeless underground folk that are involved with the true crimes going on. There is a child abduction ring going on in New York being done out of a gay nightclub. There are dirty NYPD cops that are involved in these crimes. So we watch Detective Michael Felcher ruffle feathers solving the larger criminal activity while Vincent and the hallucination of Eric track down Edgar. It’s a gripping and emotional story that is really well done from writing to directing and acting. The setting of the series is also really well done as they capture the raunchiness of 1980’s New York very well. 

Danny’s Star Grade: ★★★★★★ 6