Benedict Cumberbatch fans will be delighted as the actor returns to his eccentric oddball roots in Netflix’s Eric, a six-part series set in a Gotham-esque 1980s New York.
Eric - created by The Split and The Iron Lady boss Abi Morgan - follows the disappearance of Vincent’s (Cumberbatch) son, Edgar (Ivan Howe).
WARNING: This review contains spoilers from Netflix's Eric
Vincent is a narcissist - a trait that’s exacerbated by the success of his Sesame Street-like puppet show, Morning Sunshine.
Several characters refer to him as a "creative genius", which is the sort of thing someone like Vincent doesn’t need to hear.
Cumberbatch is compelling as Vincent, who descends into madness after Edgar goes missing.
He believes that if he can only get Eric - Edgar’s idea for a new puppet on Morning Sunshine - on television, his son will be found.
Netflix's Eric: Benedict Cumberbatch leads the cast
NETFLIX
The seven-foot puppet (voiced by Cumberbatch) eventually comes to life and follows Vincent around as he searches for Edgar.
It’s hard to tell if the monster is symbolic of the pessimist in us all, the schizophrenic in Vincent or if he’s just there to bring a magical realism to a show that’s desperate not to be just another crime thriller.
In the show’s pursuit of originality, we find out by episode three that Edgar is in fact alive.
The rest of the series focusses on so many side themes and subplots that by episode five you’re left thinking: "Who is Dana and who is Richard and why are we meant to care about them?"
Once we know Edgar is okay, the stakes fall and there's that sense that everything will come good.
That can be a real asset to a show, but here it just feels a bit dull.
There’s not enough humour or tension to carry the series without that hook of the missing child.
On the bright side, as Edgar’s disappearance begins to feel like a side plot, characters like Detective Michael Ledroit (McKinley Belcher III) shine through.
MORE BY BRIDGET O'SULLIVAN:
- Back to Black unfairly turns the troubled singer's life story into the 'Mitch Winehouse Show': Film review
- Bridgerton season 3 is binge-worthy gold but its lead is less Regency and more Love Island: Series review
- Netflix's Bodkin delivers more cliches than it does any semblance of the Irishness it promised: Review
Netflix's Eric: McKinley Belcher III shines in the series
NETFLIX
Ledroit is homosexual and Black - his story of the 1980s NYPD is gripping.
Belcher brings more emotion to his performance than Gaby Hoffmann ever manages to muster as Cassie, Edgar’s mother and Eric’s long-suffering wife.
Eric strives to achieve great things and sometimes it gets there - but it’s also overambitious, commenting on too many social issues all at once so it ends up feeling like there’s no focal point to come back to.
But if you’re a ‘Cumberb***h’, as the fandom goes by, and a grimy New York appeals to you (albeit there’s a musical theatre vibe to this version of ‘dirty, gritty New York’), then Eric might just be a pleasurable watch this weekend.