© Netflix
It’s the phenomenon of the moment on Netflix. Ericis the second most viewed series on the streaming service in France and it ranks very well elsewhere in the world. Audiences enjoy this poignant fiction starring Benedict Cumberbatch.
What is the story of the series ?
The plot takes place in New York in the 80s. Edgar (9 years old), the son of Vincent, one of the city's best-known puppeteers, has disappeared. The latter tries to overcome his grief, but it is a wasted effort.
Eaten by his demons, he ends up telling himself that his puppet, whose name is Eric, could well help him investigate the disappearance of his son and why not find him. (Spoiler alert: the rest of this article contains major elements of the series' storyline).
How should we interpret the ending of Eric ?
Throughout the six episodes, Vincent teams up with Inspector Michael Ledroit (McKinley Belcher III). Note that the latter is also looking for Marlon, a teenager who disappeared 11 months ago in the Big Apple.
We finally learn that Edgar never really been kidnapped. He followed a homeless man through the subway tunnels. Although this journey was not without danger, he ultimately escaped unscathed.
His father is nevertheless on the brink of collapse. After having partly found his trace in this labyrinth, he decides to put the puppet Eric on TV, dreaming that this will encourage his son to come home.
This is precisely what is happening. Edgar sees her performance on TV while he is in a restaurant. He then rushes home. The meeting is poignant, but Vincent is not out of the woods.
He starts rehab to address his addiction issues. Speaking to the Netflix site Tudum, the creator of the series, Abi Morgan, commented on this awareness of the character:
I am this toxic thing. It's me. While everyone was looking for the monsters, the motivation for what happened to Edgar, the motivation and the monster are inside Vincent – he is Eric.
A final scene full of hope
If everything ended well for Edgar, it is clearly not the same for Marlon. Indeed, Inspector Ledroit manages to get his hands on a security VHS which reveals the truth. It shows the teenager going to an alley to have sex with the city's prominent deputy mayor, Costello.
He is then attacked by two corrupt police officers furious at the fact that Marlon did not go through them to get closer to the chosen one. They end up beating him to death.
While the series could have stayed on this drama, the production preferred a nice note of hope. The final scene shows us Inspector Ledroit sharing a meal with Cécile, Marlon's mother. His grandson watches Vincent's puppet show on TV.
A gentle conclusion assumed by Abi Morgan. Quoted by Digital Spy, she estimates thus: “It’is a sort of message of ;#8217;hope that this child might be different, that the world might be different for this boy when he grows up”.
She adds: “And I like to think that as he watches this young boy watch the show, he sees a very real representation of the fact that the world, thanks to what happened in this episode, is a better place for this young man….
If you were able to see Eric until the end, did you enjoy this finale ? Tell us in the comments.
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