Eric
[info headline="Release date"]7 May 30 2018[/info]
[info headline="Language"]English, Hindi[/info]
[info headline="IMDb Rating"]7.4[/info]
[info headline="Genre"]Action, Fantasy, [/info]
[info headline="Cast"]Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson[/info]
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It takes either a staggering lead performance or a great
plot twist to truly prove that there’s something special to a new miniseries.
Netflix’s “Eric” is thankfully one that has both of these aspects tethered to
it, for better and sometimes for worse. The series begins with Vincent Anderson
(Benedict Cumberbatch), a mad genius-like puppeteer, filming an episode of his
hit "Sesame Street"-esque show. On the sidelines, his son Edgar (Ivan
Howe) watches with rapt attention, even though he’s seen the show being filmed
a million times.
At first glance, it appears that father and son are close,
but as they walk home after the show is filmed, it's clear they are anything
but. Despite connecting due to their love for the arts, Vincent doesn’t seem
particularly interested in having a relationship with his son. He cuts him off
when he speaks, and while Edgar’s mother, Cassie (Gaby Hoffmann), showers their
child with forehead kisses, Vincent seems incapable of treating him with
anything other than contempt. He’s despondent with not only his child but his
wife, and they both know it. It’s clear they both harbor resentment towards him
and that all comes to a head one morning when Edgar leaves for school alone
instead of waiting for his father.
That night, Edgar is reported missing, a catalyst that will
change more than just the lives of the Anderson family. With his son missing,
Vincent descends into a self-sabotaging fit of alcoholism and substance abuse
that gives way to hallucinations of a 7-foot-tall talking puppet. This isn’t
just any puppet, though; it’s the titular “Eric,” whom Edgar had created to not
only save his father’s show from its low ratings but to connect with Vincent in
the only way he knew how to. The puppet begins to haunt Vincent like his son’s
memory, forcing him to reconcile with his misdeeds as a father, husband, and
human being. Vincent’s journey to find his son also becomes a journey to heal
from his childhood trauma, which has only been amplified by the city he lives in.
In “Eric,” New York is a city crumbling under the weight of
the people who are supposed to protect it. From crooked cops to politicians
unfit for the job, Edgar’s disappearance gives way to the coverup of other
disappearances and even murders. As the story gets more bloated, the main
characters slide back into the shadows, and supporting characters take their
place. It’s a welcome change, as Vincent’s descent into madness becomes more
middling to watch as the show moves along.
When one character disappears, another takes their place
equally as fast. Many of them are revealed to be not only just as important as
Vincent and Edgar, but perhaps even more. When it comes to the series’ themes
of government and corruption, the side characters come to represent these ideas
more than the main characters do. It makes these characters all the more
interesting, which is great but hinders finding the main characters compelling.
Frankly, there are more interesting characters in “Eric” than Vincent and his
family, and while the show seems to understand this at times, it struggles with
it as well.
As the show progresses, Vincent takes a back seat to Michael
Ledroit (McKinley Belcher III), the lead detective in Edgar’s missing person
case, who slowly becomes the show's leading man. His obsession with finding
Edgar stems from a previous missing person case that went unsolved, leading
Michael down some of the most exciting paths the show has to offer. His
obsession with a seedy club called Luxe pulls him into darker corners, and it
becomes clear that it's not just the club but its owner, Ali Gator (Wade
Allain-Marcus), that he’s genuinely interested in. One night, when Michael goes
home after working on Edgar’s case, we glimpse his inner life. There on his bed
lies William (Mark Gillis), a slightly older and sickly man, who Michael
eventually embraces. Here, Michael’s life begins to unfold before the audience
and quickly becomes the most enthralling aspect of the show.
Each time McKinley Belcher III is on screen, sauntering
through each scene with a confident swagger warranted of an old Hollywood star,
it’s impossible to take your eyes off him. He expertly balances the roughness
of Michael’s outer persona with the tenderness he shows to his partner,
William. His position as a Black gay cop during the AIDS crisis is, frankly,
the most fascinating aspect the show has to offer. He struggles with finding a
balance between these two aspects of his life, and Belcher III’s resolve within
that plot arc makes him the standout.
It feels as if the creators also realized that Michael’s
eyes are a far more interesting point of view to view this story through, but,
unfortunately, they realized it too late. For a time, Vincent is a fascinating
narrator, but as the various mysteries the show is playing with begin to
unravel, his point of view feels redundant. On the other hand, Michael’s story
continues to be the series’ saving grace. From watching his heart-wrenching
homelife to seeing him slowly uncover more than just Edgar’s disappearance, the
show truly shines when he's on-screen, even if the constant switching in POV
hinders the pacing.
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