What Happened to Edgar in Netflix’s Eric?

Warning: Spoilers for Eric.Set in 1985, Netflix’s latest limited series, Eric, follows the story of Vincent Anderson (Benedict Cumberbatch), an addict and a troubled puppeteer on a local children’s show, Good Day Sunshine, whose nine-year-old son, Edgar (Ivan Morris), disappears one morning on his way to school. Grief-stricken and angry, Vincent and his wife, Cassie (Gaby Hoffmann), drift further and further apart in the wake of their son’s vanishing. Having argued in front of Edgar the night before he disappeared, it’s clear the pair haven’t done the best job hiding their marriage troubles from their son. Amid his sadness, Vincent seemingly loses touch with reality after he begins talking to an imaginary creature named Eric, a manifestation of his son’s drawings.

Tasked with finding Edgar, Detective Michael Ledroit (McKinley Belcher III) begins to explore the possibility that the child’s disappearance might be connected to the vanishing of a local 14-year-old Black boy named Marlon Rochelle (Bence Orere). With apathetic officers on the force and signs of possible corruption across nearly every facet of the city, interest in the teen’s disappearance has seemingly fallen to the wayside. However, as Ledroit continues to explore every possible connection between both missing kids, he eventually uncovers something more tragic than he could have ever imagined. Given Marlon’s heartbreaking fate, discovering what happened to Edgar nearly leaves viewers in tears.

Edgar Isn’t Kidnapped in Eric, He Runs Away

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The morning after his parents’ fight, Edgar is fairly reserved and quiet. Without saying much, he eats his breakfast in silence before heading off to school on his own. When he passes his parents, who are quietly arguing in the hallway outside their apartment, he ignores the urgings from his mother to allow his father to walk with him and continues down the steps. Already on edge, Vincent reluctantly hurries after Edgar despite believing the boy can walk to school alone, which triggers the domino effect that inevitably leads to Edgar’s disappearance.

Still a bit angry and clearly hungover from the previous night, Vincent takes his feelings out on his son after eventually catching up with him in an alleyway. He yells at Edgar, who then tries to get away, which in turn causes Vincent to aggressively grab Edgar’s shirt, which rips just before he falls to the ground and injures his forehead. Edgar removes his torn shirt, and Vincent uses it to wipe the blood from his face as Edgar runs away, seemingly toward his school. However, Vincent doesn’t follow him to ensure he makes it. Instead, he cleans himself up as best as he can and tosses the bloodied, torn shirt behind a dumpster.

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In the days following Edgar’s vanishing, Detective Ledroit discovers the shirt and steers his suspicions toward Vincent, as does Cassie. However, despite everyone’s worst fears, it turns out no one actually kidnapped Edgar. Instead, he ran away from home because of Vincent and his frightful actions. Afraid of his father’s temper and expectations, Edgar follows a stranger named Yuusuf Egbe (Bamar Kane) into the subway tunnels. Intrigued by the stranger’s graffiti tag, Edgar’s talent for drawing pulls him toward the man as his home life becomes more volatile. Unfortunately, on his way down into the tunnels, Edgar slips and falls. He sustains minor injuries but is looked after by Yuusuf, who genuinely cares for the boy and protects him from the dangers that lurk below the streets of New York.

Vincent’s Plan With Eric Seemingly Works

With a talent for drawing, Edgar creates a giant monster named Eric, whom Vincent begins to talk to after Edgar disappears. Seemingly losing touch with reality, Vincent believes Edgar will return home if he can bring Eric to life on Good Day Sunshine. However, given his continued drunken stupor and general surly demeanor, his days at the children’s show he created are numbered. Despite the tragedies occurring in his personal life, Vincent loses his job and further isolates himself from those around him. Struggling with his own addictions and tormented by his imagination in the form of Eric, Vincent nearly loses himself entirely before deciding to make one final televised stand to bring Edgar home.

While Vincent experiences his mental crisis, the police simultaneously set out to clear the subway tunnels of its homeless population. As a result, Yuusuf’s home is destroyed, and Edgar is forced back onto the streets of New York. After narrowly escaping with his life, Edgar winds up in a diner eating French toast when he sees his father on television dressed in a costume of Eric. Having circumvented a political rally, Vincent apologizes to his son with an extensive speech. He offers to race him home, something the pair have always done, but only Vincent has won. Subsequently, they both take off and head home, where Edgar finally wins and is reunited with his parents.

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With Edgar safe and sound at home, Vincent takes the right steps to better himself. He heads off to rehab and seemingly turns his addiction around. Back working at the show he created, Vincent’s relationships with his friends and family are on the mend, as is his relationship with his son, whose journey home was possible because of Eric and Vincent’s heartfelt apology. All episodes of Eric are currently streaming on Netflix.