The article contains spoilers for the Netflix series Eric.

Eric star Benedict Cumberbatch and creator Abi Morgan explain the Netflix show’s ending. Debuting on Netflix in May 2024, the psychological thriller focuses on Vincent (Cumberbatch), a puppeteer whose nine-year-old son, Edgar, has gone missing during the 1980s in New York. The puppeteer grows increasingly volatile to the point where he becomes convinced that he’ll only reunite with Edgar if he has the help of a seven-foot-tall puppet. Following this eight-episode journey, Eric ends with a bittersweet outcome as Vincent is reunited with his son.

In an interview with Variety, Cumberbatch and Morgan discussed the show’s ending in detail. Though the creator acknowledged that it’s a happy ending in some ways, Morgan stressed that the same cannot be said for many parents whose children go missing. Morgan likewise acknowledged that Vincent’s ability to move past his addiction quickly is a sign of what money can provide. In the quote below, Cumberbatch also sheds light on Vincent’s mindset:

Abi Morgan: I didn’t want the audience to say that was a happy ending. That was an uncomfortable ending. There is relief, because everyone wants a child to find their way home to their parents. But for me, there is also an ache at the end of the show, and it is a very deliberate and intentional ache that we should all feel. It is palpable and important that it is present. If it isn’t, then this is just another TV show that used the trope of a kid disappearing as entertainment. I want it to be more than that. I think if this was a drama that didn’t have the secondary storyline with Marlon, then I would feel very uncomfortable with that ending. But it is a very deliberate decision to show the ability that Vincent has because of his privilege and his profession and his intellect and his education and his family support, and because he is a white man with status. There are the tools there for him to rehabilitate himself, and find a form of redemption. That is very powerfully conscious there [in ending with Cecile in the police station]. We worked a lot on that cut. You cut from Cassie as she is just about to cross the road and be with Edgar, and we stopped them from actually being able to reunite. I guess I am trying to show that in an unfair world, there is a reason why some children don’t come home. And we have a moral, social and cultural responsibility to be held to account for that. It is easy to point fingers at Vincent and his mental illness, but it is really a larger crisis. Vincent, himself, is the victim of a larger crisis of improper parenting, of not being properly loved. That to me is what this show is about. It is about our inability to properly love each other and our children and ourselves in a society that isn’t taking care of us and loving us.

Benedict Cumberbatch: He’s in a very fragile state still, and a very vulnerable state, which to me speaks to profound change. He’s gone through this dark night of the soul to reach a quantum of solace, if you will. I think it is a beginning. It is the beginning of hope. It is a really beautiful scene [between Vincent and Edgar at the end]. He’s scared about where he is at with the love he has for his child, where his behavior has left his child and whether there is anything to salvage. He has come to a place of really truly being present for his child, and witnessing him. It is deeply moving for him to see the connection Edgar has with Eric, the voice he puts on to approach him as this creation. It is the medium that begins to bring them back together in this relationship. It is caring, it is engaged and loving.

Eric’s Ending Maintains A Difficult Balance

The Netflix Series Concludes On A Bittersweet Note.

Eric‘s appeal is at least partially due to its absurd-seeming premise and the unexpected visual of Cumberbatch walking around with a big blue monster. But beyond that initial draw, the thriller series can deftly strike the tone it hopes to achieve. The disappearance of Edgar (Ivan Morris Howe) is harrowing and happens partially because of how Vincent’s callous behavior drove the child away.

It’s a happy moment when the two are brought back together, with Cumberbatch’s character having to fight off his own demons to reach that point, but not all is solved. There’s a sense of unease when Edgar tries to dress up as Eric, the titular blue monster, which shows that Vincent’s experience is still scarring. However, the show still acknowledges how fortunate Vincent is, partially because of his wealth.

The crime thriller also tracks Cecile (played by Adepero Oduye), who has lost her 14-year-old son, Marcus. The difference in resources and attention can be marshaled by a relatively wealthy and famous White TV personality versus others in society. The cast of Eric, the show’s writing, and direction make that point without detaining from the main character’s harrowing and mind-bending circumstances.

Source: Variety

Watch Eric On Netflix