Eric2024

Though extremely difficult to watch, “Eric” is outstanding. .... But there is one glaring issue. As Vincent becomes unhinged, he begins to visualize a real-life Eric who taunts him and follows him around. Though the furry blue monster is a manifestation of the puppeteer’s inner torment, it’s a distraction.

This is a neon turd of wokeness - a preachy self-righteous effort at some form of entertainment that misses all the stations and crashes into the buffers of mediocrity. The idea seems good, but the plot twists are utterly unbelievable. The scriptwriter seems to try to hit all buttons of white privilege and portrays a dark hopeless world more at home in a Marvel movie. The heroes are black the villains are white and while the issues are/were real in historical terms, the simplification and belly-button staring is dreadfully executed. The end is so cringey that you are left wishing the main characters had indeed died at the end of episode 5 - ironically, if it had gone that way it would have been a far punchier ending. In summing up, a mistake made by the otherwise excellent Cumberbatch in accepting a role in this sad derision of entertainment.

Award-winning series creator Abi Morgan (“The Split”) and director Lucy Forbes (“This Is Going to Hurt”) bring their knack for authentic, ambidextrous storytelling to the table. The period details couldn’t be better, and the final episode weaves the many elements together with effortless poignancy.