At first glance, it appears that father and son are close, but as they walk home after the show is filmed, it’s clear they are anything but. Despite connecting due to their love for the arts, Vincent doesn’t seem particularly interested in having a relationship with his son. He cuts him off when he speaks, and while Edgar’s mother, Cassie (Gaby Hoffmann), showers their child with forehead kisses, Vincent seems incapable of treating him with anything other than contempt. He’s despondent with not only his child but his wife, and they both know it. It’s clear they both harbor resentment towards him and that all comes to a head one morning when Edgar leaves for school alone instead of waiting for his father.
That night, Edgar is reported missing, a catalyst that will change more than just the lives of the Anderson family. With his son missing, Vincent descends into a self-sabotaging fit of alcoholism and substance abuse that gives way to hallucinations of a 7-foot-tall talking puppet. This isn’t just any puppet, though; it’s the titular “Eric,” whom Edgar had created to not only save his father’s show from its low ratings but to connect with Vincent in the only way he knew how to. The puppet begins to haunt Vincent like his son’s memory, forcing him to reconcile with his misdeeds as a father, husband, and human being. Vincent’s journey to find his son also becomes a journey to heal from his childhood trauma, which has only been amplified by the city he lives in.
In “Eric,” New York is a city crumbling under the weight of the people who are supposed to protect it. From crooked cops to politicians unfit for the job, Edgar’s disappearance gives way to the coverup of other disappearances and even murders. As the story gets more bloated, the main characters slide back into the shadows, and supporting characters take their place. It’s a welcome change, as Vincent’s descent into madness becomes more middling to watch as the show moves along.
When one character disappears, another takes their place equally as fast. Many of them are revealed to be not only just as important as Vincent and Edgar, but perhaps even more. When it comes to the series’ themes of government and corruption, the side characters come to represent these ideas more than the main characters do. It makes these characters all the more interesting, which is great but hinders finding the main characters compelling. Frankly, there are more interesting characters in “Eric” than Vincent and his family, and while the show seems to understand this at times, it struggles with it as well.