Who is Erin Carter? 1×03 sees the crumbling of Erin’s relationship with her husband and daughter. She’s keeping secrets. And I understand why. This life matters to her. And she’s spent way too much time running from whatever she is evading to let it go to the wayside. The problem is that she now has people who have the ability to question her. Before her daughter was too young to ask about them moving around and her new husband was just so happy to be with her that he ignored the signs and just married her. Now they are asking questions. Now they want to know. And Erin hiding away or acting like there is nothing wrong is not enough. It’s clear in this episode that she is on the brink of collapse. And we’re only on episode 3!
That scene in the pawn shop was pivotal in explaining where Erin is in Who is Erin Carter? She’s willing to give up a family heirloom, something that connects her to her mother that she never talks about, and she’s willing to give it up to protect her life. That’s not something that’s small. That’s big. I would even say that it’s monumental. And it makes me scared for what she’s running from. She even brought a gun to meet Valeria with the little money that she could come up with. She was ready for violence. If it came for her, she would respond in due. And she did in 1×03, with her ending up splattered with blood, but continuing to run and fight for her life to the point where a guy ended up on fire and she ended up jumping off of a bridge and getting knocked out.
We also have to talk about that weird thing that Erin and Harper are seeing in Who is Erin Carter? It’s giving me Yellowjackets vibes from the little bit that I know from that show or Riverdale when they were doing the whole supernatural board game thing. And it could just be a hallucination or it could be masks that Erin wore in her criminal past (because that’s the secret right?). But I love the fact that it is no longer just haunting Harper. It’s also haunting Erin. This means that she knows that what she did in the past was wrong but she does not regret it one bit. Even if that means people lose their lives or she has to bury someone in the woods. She’ll do it.
Talking about bodies in woods, they really didn’t do a good job at hiding that. Someone found it like nothing and Erin and her husband’s best friend are about to get into even bigger trouble. And as someone who is really good at guessing where things go next, I have no idea. In shows like this, the main character doesn’t tell her family what is going on. But I feel like the show is moving in a way where it’s the only logical conclusion for what’s to come next. And again, for someone who has been watching TV for so long, this is something that happens seasons down the line. But now we’re seeing the truth possibly come out in the fourth episode. And I’m so excited for what’s to come that I usually sit down and wait to write my reviews but I’m writing this right after watching it because I want to watch 1×04 now.
In a lot of ways I’m really disappointed that Who is Erin Carter? is only a miniseries. There’s a lot of potential here for a bigger universe. And you know I’m never going to say no to badass women having nuanced storytelling that isn’t just dependent on them being a mother or caretaker. We are so much more than that and I always appreciate when there are shows that highlight that we are messy and don’t have everything figured out. That is a more realistic portrayal of who women are and I’m really enjoying what the show is doing when it comes to showing the dynamics of the main character. Now, I would like to see Erin spend more time with other women and maybe do a team-up. No more of that antagonistic thing that she has going on with her next-door neighbor. I want unity and I want more badass women like Erin.
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.
