Who is Erin Carter? 1×02 really ramped things up while making me question the reality that Erin and her family are in. Because yes, I can understand that Erin is fighting for her life and family with everything that she has. But there are some aspects of this show that really throw me off because this doesn’t feel like a run-of-the-mill mystery where Erin was running away from an abusive boyfriend. If anything, this is giving me Hanna vibes where the child is special and the person who took them away from it all was trying to protect them.
Case in point, Harper’s hallucinations. There is something haunting Harper in her waking moments and in her dreams. And it’s something that is absolutely terrifying her to the point where she freezes and the entire world just stops. Now, I’ve seen kids with night terrors. And that look on her face is something straight out of one of those. The question is, why is she hallucinating this humanoid deer thing or is it just her past memories knocking and trying to get out? I’m leaning towards the latter and appreciate the show giving Erin’s daughter time to shine on her own.
Combine that as well with Erin’s training in Who is Erin Carter? It isn’t just that she knows how to fight. That’s a given from the first trailer alone. Episode 1×02 goes to show you that Erin is a master planner. She knows how to get into and out of situations and she knows how to take down opponents with everything around her. That takes foresight and thought. And Erin has that even when she’s making a calculated move to jump off a high ledge and into the ocean. Which, how was her hair all magically dried and pretty by the end of the day? It’s the true mystery of the show if I’m being honest and I need a full investigation stat.
Ultimately, 1×02 continues to highlight Evin Ahmad‘s amazing acting while throwing us deeper into a mystery that she so desperately wants to hide from everyone around her, including her daughter. The problem is, that her daughter suspects more than anyone that there is something wrong. You can see it in the way that Harper observes her mother. Yes, some of this is teenage angst. But a lot of it is an acknowledgment that there is pain and things not being answered. And it’s just something else that Erin is going to have to deal with as her life continues to crumble around her.
Who is Erin Carter? is now available on Netflix.
This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, Who is Erin Carter? being covered here wouldn’t exist.
I’m in the middle of S1: E3. I enjoy this show very much and look forward to the remaining episodes.