Who is Erin Carter? 1×06 marks the penultimate episode of a show that has consistently surprised me. But this episode highlighted the absolute heart of Erin’s entire journey. Hell, even Lena’s journey even though she ended up leaving Erin dying in the desert. Who is Erin Carter? is about love and the lengths that you are willing to go to protect those that you love. From Jordi to Lena and even Daniel, with the latter me thinking it was white savior bullshit. And it might be a little for him because of TV and its terrible history with white men trying to come in, save the day, and “protect” others. But most of the characters in the show have someone to fight for. And that matters.
Erin is fighting for Harper. She never expected to end up in this place but she did. And you could see that when she saw Lena…there was regret. She loved Lena just as much as Lena loved her. And she honored Lena by making sure that Harper didn’t end up in the system. That doesn’t mean that Lena’s pain isn’t real or justified. It is. And Erin knows it. That’s why she apologizes and why that conversation by the rock is so hard. Lena knows in her heart that Erin saved her child and did her best. But that anger isn’t something you can easily set aside. And I don’t know about you, but I have felt a time or two when my anger at something felt unbridled and wild, and I never acted on it because I would regret it. Lena acted on it and I think she will regret it.
This regret and unbridled anger is also something that we saw in Erin earlier in the episode when she confronted Daniel at the party. Not only did she look like vengeance incarnate, she brought the moves into an awesome action scene that showed how much power she has and how much she has been holding back. Which, shoutout to Yayan Ruhian in Who is Erin Carter? 1×06 for playing Moses. He’s such a talented martial artist and has been in so many projects. Basically, talent. But back to Erin. She could’ve killed Daniel in the same way that he killed Emilio. The one thing that stopped her was Daniel’s son and how much she knew the loss of a father would devastate him because the loss of her parents devastated her.
At the end of the day, Who is Erin Carter? 1×06 was a showstopping episode that exemplified Evin Ahmad‘s talent while exploring rage, love, and how our own actions can hurt our loved ones even if we have the best intentions. Saying sorry doesn’t take away the pain or heal that wound. But staying and trying to make things right matters. And I think that Erin wants to make things right. What I’m afraid of is the lengths she’s willing to go to make sure Harper and Jordi are set for life. Because these aren’t normal circumstances. They can’t just go to therapy like any of us would in a lesser situation. Erin has to stop Lena. Not for herself, not for Lena, but for Harper. And that path only can end in tragedy according to the copious amounts of years I’ve watched TV, right?
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.
