Eric episode 6 begins the morning after the NYPD removed everyone living beneath the city, and 9-year-old Edgar Anderson (Ivan Howe) is still missing. The last time we saw Edgar, he plummeted into the now-flooded tunnels. His father, Vincent (Benedict Cumberbatch), must face his inner demons before he can find his son.
While the storm has stopped raging, the city is now dealing with the events of the night before, and City Hall faces mounting criticism for moving hundreds of unhoused people. Protestors now gather in Central Park. Progress in the case of 14-year-old Marlon Rochelle is made and Detective Ledroit (McKinley Belcher III) will ensure everyone knows the truth — including those involved in the significant coverup.
Read our full recap for the Eric finale.
The morning after
Gator (Wade Allain-Marcus) has spent the night at Ledroit's place, and Ledroit thanks him for being there for him. While the two have not been on speaking terms for years, the affection and shared history are palpable.
Gator also has a videotape for Ledroit: the CCTV footage from the night Marlon went missing. He says he can't watch it again. The tape shows Marlon wearing the "8" basketball shirt as he performs a sexual act on an unseen man. Detective Nokes (Ryan Hunter) and Kennedy (Bobby Schofield) interrupt, throwing Marlon beside the dumpster. Nokes repeatedly kicks Marlon until he no longer moves.
It's incredibly disturbing and also reveals the Hudson Sanitation men cleaned up the crime scene, and Deputy Mayor Costello (Jeff Hephner) paid to have a minor give him oral sex. Gator gives Ledroit the little black book that TJ (Stefan Race) has written every client detail in and implores him to use his power and do something with it.
Ledroit gets everyone to gather around the TV at the precinct and plays the CCTV footage. Captain Cripp (David Denman) tells him to stop the video, but Ledroit has had enough of being told what to do by a corrupt cop. Ledroit sends other detectives to arrest the key players, including Costello while at his church for his daughter's Catholic confirmation.
Vincent versus Eric
Vincent is still in the destroyed underground encampment and confronts Yussuf (Bamar Kane) when the graffiti artist returns to collect some things. Yussuf tells him some hard truths about why Edgar ran away and chose to stay away.
After this revelation, Vincent gets into a physical fight with Eric. We see versions that show Eric and ones that reveal Vincent is grappling with thin air. It's the last we see of the imaginary version of Eric.
A body has been found, with Ledroit explaining to Cassie (Gaby Hoffmann) that the woman (Raya) had Edgar's coat. Cassie fears the worst, but we see Edgar's hands push open a grate; he's still alive.
Solving two cases
Most people in this conspiracy "take the Fifth," but there is enough incriminating evidence on the CCTV footage alone. When sanitation worker Misha (Ioachim Ciobanu) is arrested, they discover the shirt Marlon wore is hanging in his closet. He says it's a reminder of the ones who don't let you sleep at night. He also reveals that Marlon's body was dumped with the rest of the trash.
Costello cuts quite a pathetic figure as he cries about his lack of action and then tells Ledroit he has spent his whole life hiding.
Some good news: someone spotted Edgar near the park, where Ledroit now heads with Cassie. The protests are getting bigger, and Sebastian (José Pimentão) leads a "Homes not homeless" chant. Vincent wakes up again in the subway, reenergized to find his son. He first heads to the Good Day Sunshine studio and grabs the Eric costume before going to the park.
Dressed as Eric, Vincent makes a public plea to Edgar in front of cameras. Edgars happens to be in a diner with the news on. "Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself," says Vincent, quoting Tolstoy. It energizes the crowd. Vincent then says he wants to race Edgar home and let his son win for once.
The Andersons are reunited. Knowing he has a lot of work to do to fix things, Vincent tells Cassie he is the toxic one and heads off to rehab.
Eric ending explained
In the hours and days after this huge NYPD scandal, there is a lot of fallout. The Lux is shut down and the files of those who were arrested at the Sierra are made public. Lennie (Dan Fogler) responds to this by jumping out of his apartment window. Other careers are left in tatters; Captain Cripp faces the consequences of hampering Ledroit's work.
Cecile Rochelle (Adepero Oduye) is still looking for her son's body and some final semblance of closure. During a press conference, Cecile memorializes her son, speaking of an unfair world, but she will not give up on love or hope. She implores those in power to do better.
Ledroit takes a beat with his apartment packed and lets out a full-body sob. A few months later, when Ledroit visits Cecile at her apartment, he wears casual clothes; it's unclear whether he is still a detective.
A just-out-of-rehab Vincent meets his father in the park. Vincent wants to discuss his memories of visiting the Central Park Zoo with his father when he was 4 or 5. When they entered the zoo, Robert (John Doman) used to say, "Good day, sunshine," which left an impression.
Signs advertising new condos in a previous scene show Robert continuing with his real estate plans, not caring if it impacts shelters. He uses the history of Central Park displacing residents, arguing, "It's called progress." Vincent responds, "Or theft."
It's far more cordial on the set of Good Day Sunshine, where Vincent is now playing Eric. A pregnant Cassie, Sebastian and Edgar are in the audience. Edgar is staying with Vincent for the first time since rehab. Vincent seems nervous, but Edgar quickly eases his father's anxiety when he puts on part of the Eric suit. Not everything in the world is fixed, but this father-son dynamic is nearly healed.
All episodes of Eric are now available to stream on Netflix.
