Netflix Dark Thriller Hit Asks You To Solve A Twisted Mystery

Set in New York City, Eric picks up in 1985, with the Big Apple bustling with people from all walks of life. Benedict Cumberbatch’s Vincent works in the city as a puppeteer for a children’s show titled Good Day, Sunshine!, which has taken a tumble in viewership ratings lately.

At home, things aren’t any better for the creative performer as he’s locked into a miserable marriage with his wife, Cassie (Gaby Hoffmann), and things are about to get one million times worse after the couple’s nine-year-old son, Edgar (Ivan Morris Howe) goes missing.

Vincent, Cassie, and the police don’t even have a jumping-off point on where they could possibly hope to locate the young boy in such a gargantuan city where he’s seemingly vanished without a trace. Leaning on booze as a coping mechanism, Vincent spirals further and further into a void that pushes his loved ones away during his darkest hour.

But there’s one friend that Vincent has left, and that’s the seven-foot-tall puppet Eric, who Vincent designed from one of Edgar’s drawings and who he’s convinced will help bring his beloved child home safely. 

On the surface, Eric could easily look like a cuddly movie about a giant invisible fluffy monster in the same vein as the currently playing feature-length flick, IF. But, the Netflix miniseries is anything but as it weaves in the horrors of being a parent who has lost a child as well as a character who doesn’t realize that his substance abuse is hurting those closest to him and himself.

Even though in his mind he may be trying his best, viewers can tell that Benedict Cumberbatch’s Vincent is making things ten times worse for everyone involved.

Eric is the latest title to come from Abi Morgan, who has previously been behind hard-hitting TV shows including Sex Traffic and The Hour as well as feature-length productions such as Suffragette, Brick Lane, The Iron Lady, and Shame.

Looking back at Morgan’s track record, she’s known for delivering serious dramas with well-developed characters, which is something that the Benedict Cumberbatch-led Netflix series has in spades. Morgan also penned the show’s story with BAFTA recipient Lucy Forbes (This is Going to Hurt) serving as the production’s director.

Netflix is overflowing with terrific content for its users to consume with the imminent arrival of Richard Linklater’s latest feature, Hit Man. But, if you’re looking for your next binge-worthy dark mystery obsession, look no further than Eric, as it will keep you guessing until the end.