The latest Benedict Cumberbatch’s saga, titled Eric, available on Netflix from Thursday, might seem absurd at first glance. Cumberbatch is cast as a curmudgeonly puppeteer, reminiscent of Sesame Street, stationed in New York during the 1980s. The abduction and prospective murder of his nine-year-old child transposes into a fuzzy speaking monster, as a measure of his grief.
The fantastical being, identified as Eric, merges characteristics of the Gruffalo and a melancholic creature from Maurice Sendak’s Where The Wild Things Are, equipped with horns, a terrifying countenance, and a knack for sarcastic banter that eats into the already deteriorating self-esteem of a disheartened Vincent, portrayed by Cumberbatch.
When Netflix approved the series by Welsh dramatist Abi Morgan, it gave one pause. Yet, incredibly, the series pans out brilliantly, providing a heartfelt tribute to the grittiness of New York, and a vivid exploration of parental anguish.
A strong factor in its success is Cumberbatch’s captivating portrayal of the lead Vincent – a grouchy, drunkard, and failing husband to Cassie (Abbie Hoffmann) and father to Edgar (Ivan Morris Howe). Despite having no redeemable qualities, Cumberbatch infuses this character with an electrifyingly comical humaneness. You’re expected to loathe him but instead, you can’t help but feel sorry for him.
Don’t let the missing child plot deter you. Although dramatic, Eric never becomes overly distressful and even hints at the chance of Edgar’s survival. Notably, scenes featuring the gigantic creature are effective due to Eric’s pure irritability and Vincent’s disbelief and astonishment on facing this enormous fuzzy creature.
In a tough police subplot, McKinley Belcher III portrays Detective Ledroit, an individual of African descent navigating a potentially non-inclusive police department. He’s also quietly homosexual, getting entangled amidst a rivalry with his local precinct’s vice squad as he tries to unravel the enigma behind Edgar’s vanishing.
Cumberbatch earns high praise for his role in an AIDS-era New York narrative. His character, strikingly similar to a villainous Jim Henson figure, is a self-absorbed anti-hero which, on the face of it, doesn’t sound particularly appealing. Nevertheless, Cumberbatch flawlessly take on the challenge, offering an intriguing journey that plants a suggestion of remaining till the conclusion.