Eric - First episode

Where's Edgar? That is the question that concerns his parents and they are grasping at every straw to find out. Even if that last straw is a fictional monster named Eric. In the first episode of this miniseries it immediately becomes clear what it is all about. Edgar (Ivan Morris Howe) left for school alone in the morning, but never arrived. In the first few minutes of this episode we see the television appeal from the police and Edgar's father to all viewers if they have any information that could lead to finding Edgar. His father Vincent (Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock) begs Edgar to come back and prove to everyone that he is still alive.



However, there appears to be more going on. Vincent is a puppeteer and creator of the television program Good Day Sunshine. While everything in this Sesame Street/Muppet-like program is sweet, cheerful and friendly, Vincent is clearly not. His colleagues and his business partner Lennie (Dan Fogler, The Offer) are regularly criticized, his marriage to Cassie (Gaby Hoffmann, Transparent) consists of irritations and arguments and he does not pay too much attention to Edgar, even when Edgar has created a new character for the show, Eric. And to make matters worse, Vincent drinks far too much and there are several references to his mental problems.

Cumberbatch portrays this narcissistic, alcoholic father so well that it is difficult to feel any sympathy for him.

Not an ideal situation. Detective Michael Ledroit (McKinley Belcher III, We Own This City) soon finds out. He tries to get a good picture of the situation, but both of Edgar's parents do not seem to be completely open and honest. However, it is also questionable whether Ledroit is fully paying attention. He has switched to the missing persons department, but seems unable to completely let go of the work of his old department. He is also a gay cop in the 1980s, a time when fear of HIV and the resulting hatred towards homosexuals was rampant.

But back to Vincent. Because he believes that he should do more to find Edgar and is convinced that making Edgar's doll Eric will ensure that he will find Edgar again. So that doll will have to be made, something that shouldn't be too complicated since Vincent is now actually seeing Eric and talking to him.



I really enjoyed Eric's first episode and it does what it's supposed to do. It provides a clear basis for a story and makes you curious about what will happen next. The most important question is of course whether Edgar is still alive and will return to his parents, but besides that, almost everyone seems to have something to hide and I am therefore very curious about what exactly is going on and how the storylines are brought together in six episodes.

If the first episode is a harbinger for the rest of the miniseries, then you will enjoy Benedict Cumberbatch's acting performance for at least six episodes. While as a viewer you expect to feel compassion from the parents of a missing child, this is still quite difficult due to Vincent's behavior. Cumberbatch portrays this narcissistic, alcoholic father so well that it is difficult to feel any sympathy for him.