ERIC. This One Thing Makes Netflix’s New Series Outstanding! [REVIEW]

This miniseries was one of the most anticipated premieres of this spring. The story of a father who wants to find his son with the help of a creature straight out of Sesame Street debuts today on Netflix. Thanks to Netflix’s courtesy, I had the opportunity to see the production before its premiere. Although one might say that Eric doesn’t discover anything new, it has that one thing that makes it outstanding. Something I’ve always looked for in movies and series.

Eric is a new emotional thriller by Abi Morgan, about a father’s desperate search for his nine-year-old son who disappears one morning on his way to school. The story of Eric is set in New York City in the 1980s. Vincent, one of New York’s leading puppeteers and creator of the hugely popular children’s TV show *Good Day Sunshine*, struggles to cope with the disappearance of his son, Edgar, becoming increasingly depressed and unstable. Full of self-loathing and guilt after Edgar’s disappearance, he clings to his son’s drawings depicting a puppet with a blue monster named Eric. He is convinced that if he manages to create the creature imagined by his son and show it on his TV show, Edgar will see it and come home. As Vincent’s increasingly destructive behavior alienates his family, colleagues, and the detectives trying to help him, Eric, an illusion born of necessity and hope, becomes his only ally in the quest to bring his son home. While Edgar’s disappearance and the parent-child relationship seem to be the main themes of this story, they are just a fraction of the issues and questions Abi Morgan wants to draw the viewer’s attention to.

Benedict Cumberbatch stars in the series, taking on the role of Vincent and guiding the viewer through the plot, though it will not be an enjoyable journey, and Vincent will be hard to like. However, if Oscars were awarded for roles in series, Benedict Cumberbatch would be a sure favorite. I predict a Golden Globe nomination for him.

Netflix’s new series might not bring anything new. We have seen dozens of movies about missing children. We have watched numerous portraits of artists who, escaping into their work, lose themselves and “hurt” their loved ones. We have experienced worse and better stories about racism and homosexuality. The theme of good and bad cops and the true face of the police and authority continues to be overdone in crime dramas and thrillers. Therefore, the detached from reality and egocentric Vincent will not surprise us. Although Benedict Cumberbatch himself might, as he shows a side of his acting that he only slightly revealed years ago in *The Fifth Estate*. In Eric, he demonstrates his remarkable ability to balance on the edge of rationality. The hidden truth about power won’t scare us either. Each of us can recall at least one story of how power has changed a person. The hostility towards the detective, the homelessness crisis, and the epidemic on the streets of New York in the ’80s are also not surprising. We understand the boy’s mother’s anger and the slow-paced investigation. However, one thing shines through Vincent’s portrait, making Eric an outstanding series: the possibility of transformation.

Edgar’s disappearance is not the most important thing in Eric. It is merely the spark for events and transformations in the environment from which he disappeared. The same applies to the titular Eric. Although Vincent believes that this puppet will help him bring his son home, it is really meant to help him. It is meant to bring Vincent back down to earth and, consequently, back to his son. After all, Edgar created Eric’s drawing because it was the only way he could get his father’s attention. He imbued this toy with his greatest longings, joys, and fears, which he associated with his dad. That is why Eric constantly nags the already downed Vincent. He is his conscience and a mirror in which we too can see ourselves.

This story reminds us that children sometimes play with invisible friends and have beloved toys because they can cuddle them and receive the love that might be lacking from their parents. It gives them the strength to wait for their parents to notice them again. This is what happens with Vincent. Thanks to Eric, he teaches himself and us that, as a parent, our only job is to ensure our child lives, breathes, and is hugged, and in this, he fails his son. And this very moment makes this series outstanding, because not only does something click in Vincent. Watching this series, we too can see ourselves in Vincent. We might see if we too have something of this character in us. Perhaps we have a puppet demanding that we finally deal with the hidden lack within it. Therefore, I give Eric a solid 8/10, because in movies and series, I seek the possibility of transformation, and here I got it. So, if you decide to watch this show, you will get much more than a good crime puzzle.