Vincent Anderson (Benedict Cumberbatch) has been keeping secrets about what happened the morning his son Edgar (Ivan Howe) disappeared. In Eric episode 3, while Vincent wants to work on his new puppet, Detective Ledroit (McKinley Belcher III) has other ideas. After releasing George (Clarke Peters) with no charges, Vincent is currently the best lead in finding Edgar.
Meanwhile, Cassie (Gaby Hoffmann) struggles to deal with the idea that her husband might have killed their son. She also meets another mother demanding answers about a missing child. Ledroit ponders if the two cases are linked and returns to the Lux nightclub again. Plus, we find out if Edgar is alive or dead.
Here's what happened in Eric episode 3.
Looking for connections
Cassie has taken the $25,000 reward and meets with Vincent's mother, Mrs. Anderson (Phoebe Nicholls), who repeats her theory that Vincent needs to medicate again. Vincent didn't come home and is still working on the Eric costume at the Good Day Sunshine studio.
At an event celebrating network boss Jerry (Donald Sage Mackay), Vincent continues to drink and is his usual unfiltered self to Deputy Mayor Costello (Jeff Hephner). Costello introduces his brother-in-law Bruno (Gerard Monaco), who runs Hudson Sanitation. They are in charge of the controversial plan to move the sizeable unhoused community out of the city.
When Vincent tries to return to the workroom, he is stopped by Ledroit, who needs him to come to the station. While he is sitting in a holding cell, he sings the Good Day Sunshine theme with Eric, as his delusions continue.
At the precinct, Cassie meets Cecile (Adepero Oduye) in the waiting area. Cecile is there to put pressure on the NYPD to look for her son Marlon, who has been missing for 11 months. Cecile tells Cassie she is lucky they have a reward and that Edgar is white, as people don't forget someone "who looks like their own."
What did Vincent do to Edgar?
Ledroit plays the CCTV footage that shows Vincent shouting after Edgar on the morning he disappeared. During this questioning, Eric keeps talking and Vincent keeps replying. To everyone else, it looks like he is yelling at thin air.
When Vincent sees the bloody t-shirt, he finally admits he followed Edgar into an alley that morning. Vincent grabbed him by the collar several times and got the cut when he slipped. He describes Edgar looking at him like he didn't know who his dad was.
Edgar threw his ripped shirt at his father, which Vincent used to blot the cut on his head. Edgar then walked away in the direction of his school. Vincent says he then threw the t-shirt behind the dumpster.
While it appears he is telling the truth, Ledroit wants to keep Vincent overnight. Lennie (Dan Fogler) takes Cassie home from the station, and they talk about Vincent's current state of mind. Lennie mentions that Edgar has been medicated by his mother since he was nine, though this is nothing out of the ordinary (all things considered).
Looking for Marlon
Cecile is still waiting to see Ledroit, so he offers her a ride home. Cecile points out how the NYPD has failed her son because of how he looks. "You are better than that," she tells Ledroit. Whether Marlon is alive or dead, she just wants to hold him in her arms again.
CCTV footage proves Edgar walked toward school after the confrontation in the alley, and Vincent headed to work, which means Ledroit has to release him. After his conversation with Cecile, Ledroit puts Marlon's picture next to Edgar on the investigation board.
Ledroit explains to a skeptical Captain Cripp (David Denman) that he wants to look at the arrest files from the 1979 Sierra nightclub because Edgar's route to school is by the same basketball court where Marlon was last seen.
Cripp can't see the correlation between the two, as they had pulled Marlon in for drugs twice. He also calls Marlon a homophobic slur, underscoring his prejudice. Ledroit is convinced that someone working in vice (like Nokes) knows something.
Pitching Eric
Vincent is late to the pitch meeting but nails the presentation after a bumpy start. He explains Eric is the monster who is the best and worst of us. The panel of network executives is impressed, and they all head to The Lux to celebrate this victory.
Unknown to Vincent, underneath the city is an entire world, and it is down in the subway system where Edgar is — and he is alive! Yussuf (Bamar Kane) uses the rope to rescue Edgar but also keeps him hidden. Raya (Alexis Molnar) thinks they can get more money for Edgar if she sells him to her contact, TJ (Stefan Race), who works at The Lux.
Meanwhile, after an awkward dinner at Captain Cripp's house, Ledroit semi-makes out with his date Tina (Erika Soto) in the car but turns down her offer to go inside. Tina mentions she knows Nokes' wife, and Ledroit wonders if she will talk to him. Tina says she will ask.
At the Lux, Jerry tells Lennie the network will take Eric but is cutting Vincent loose as he is a liability. Lennie also spots the male sex worker who he hired the previous night now working at the club, and the connections keep stacking up.
Ledroit approaches club owner Gator (Wade Allain-Marcus) again. While The Lux might be above board now, it doesn't account for what happened while Gator was in prison. Gator warns TJ that he better not be conducting anything illegal; Raya's plan to sell Edgar to TJ suggests that Gator will be disappointed.
In the bathroom, Vincent and Eric are doing lines of coke before hitting the dancefloor when "Gloria" by Laura Branigan comes on. Ledroit clocks Vincent, who looks like a mess.
Back at the police station, a cleaner knocks the Sierra nightclub arrest files onto the floor, and one of them reveals Lennie's mugshot. Does he have something to do with the activity at The Lux?
All episodes of Eric are now available to stream on Netflix.
