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Eric might be marketed off the back of Benedict Cumberbatch (Vincent), but this latter-day superhero of the mystic arts is only half of what makes Abi Morgan’s (The Iron Lady) melodrama tick. In truth, it has more in common with the Emmy award winning Jim Carrey showcase Kidding. Each features a restless manchild with neuroses to spare and a serious case of arrested development, aided in the main by an overbearing but emotionally unavailable patriarch. Both Jeff (Jim Carrey) and Vincent hide away from the world by playing with puppets, having shaped their dysfunction into hugely successful television shows. However, what divides them is the means of emotional freefall each one endures.
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Vincent is the creative genius behind Good Day Sunshine who seems incapable of making people happy. At loggerheads with his wife Cassie (Gaby Hoffmann), dismissive of his work colleagues, including co-creator Lennie (Dan Fogler), and unable to engage on any level with his son Edgar (Ivan Morris Howe). In an opening episode that eloquently opens this world up, Morgan gives Cumberbatch all the opportunity he needs to embrace every ounce of self-loathing he can muster, as Vincent blames everyone else after Edgar goes missing on his walk to school.
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At this point convention dictates that Cumberbatch turns Vincent into a tour-de-force performance that unintentionally overshadows other cast members. However, something intriguing takes place instead when Mckinley Belcher III (Ozark) steps up as Detective Ledroit. In a time of fear and prejudice towards certain sexual orientations, this New York police officer has more than his skin colour to contend with. In an overtly male environment, his passions are best concealed from colleagues who would use it as a means of mockery designed to undermine more than his ethnicity.
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As this story unfolds in parallel to Vincent and the search for his missing son, Eric morphs into more of a political thriller with imaginary friends. From the poster it might be assumed that someone somewhere had watched Monster Inc too many times, since much has been made of the six-and-a-half-foot monster who acts as his conscience. In truth, although this is an ingenious way of manifesting emotional angst and brutally honest anger management issues, Eric’s importance is more emblematic.
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This creation comes with no agenda aside from the one enforced on him by others. For Edgar he is a protector from all the horrors of this world, while his father sees Eric as a form of penance destined to dish out horrendous home truths at every opportunity. Elsewhere, Morgan takes a swipe at social issues in America as law enforcement persecutes the homelessness in their efforts to find the missing boy.
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Much of what makes Eric such a solid piece of drama has nothing to do with Benedict Cumberbatch. It comes from the way Abi Morgan grounds these characters in a reality that feels authentic. Highlights beyond the Batch include Bamar Kane (Yuusuf) who brings a real dignity to the role of Yuusuf, as well as Mark Gillis (William) who gives an understated, but no less critical performance opposite Belcher III. These moments of intimate disconnection and revelation in this pitch-black character piece is what brings Eric to life. There is no denying that come awards season Benedict Cumberbatch will get recognition, but in many ways, McKinley Belcher III steals the show out from under him with a portrayal that is reminiscent of the late great Sidney Poitier.
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Eric is available to stream on Netflix now.