‘Who is Erin Carter?’, written by Jack Lothian, first aired on Netflix on August 24, 2023. The action/mystery series is about the namesake heroine and how her previous life as an agent is threatened by being exposed. It has a 6.5 rating on IMDB and an Audience Score of 55% on Tomatometer.
“Erin is a woman of many secrets.”, as said by Evin Ahamd in an interview. “There is actually a big threat to her life, her family, and her daughter, so she could lose a lot of things.” The series does capture Carter’s frenzy in protecting her family brilliantly, although the ending wasn’t the icing on the cake.
‘Who is Erin Carter?’ Cast
- Evin Ahmad as Erin Carter
- Sean Tale as Jordi Collantes
- Pep Ambros as Emilio Martin
- Denise Gough as Lena Campbell
‘Who is Erin Carter?’ (2023) Summary & Plot
Erin Carter and her daughter Harper find themselves in the middle of a supermarket robbery. When one of the robbers threatens to shoot Harper, Erin’s instincts force her to kill him. However, the dying robber recognizes Erin as Kate and aspects from her past are continuously revealed that throw shade on her identity and her simple life.
Over the course of the series, Erin encounters various criminals that are connected to her past. It becomes obvious that she is not just a teacher but rather a skilled fighter when she successfully fends off one of the surviving robbers from the supermarket. Things take a sour turn when Erin’s friend, Emilio, is murdered by a money launderer named Daniel Lang because he interfered in his business.
Erin Carter takes the mission of bringing Lang to justice. She gets multiple chances to eliminate the head of the spider, but circumstances save Daniel each time. The plot revolves around Erin trying to save her family while protecting her identity. There is also a secret that she keeps close to her chest, which is revealed at the climax of ‘Who is Erin Carter?’, when Carter’s former friend, Lena Campbell, breaks out of prison.
‘Who is Erin Carter?’ Series Review
The first few episodes of ‘Who is Erin Carter?’ make it clear that the heroine has ‘a certain set of skills.’ She defeats criminal after criminal, and the action scenes are choreographed quite convincingly. The camera switches from third-person perspective to POV angles, with a few quick cuts to highlight the intensity of the scenes. The momentum can be felt by the viewers.
Speaking of the mystery in ‘Who is Erin Carter?’, the plot makes it too plausible that Erin is a former agent. It somewhat puts off the mysterious vibe associated with the character that the series desperately tried to maintain for a few episodes. Nonetheless, viewers get most concerned about other aspects, such as Harper’s parentage, Erin’s fear of the past, and the main villain in Carter’s life. All the questions are answered at the end.
Evin Ahmad shines in the role of Erin Carter. Her expressions alternate from a cheerful wife and a protective mother to a focused, bloodlust ex-agent, especially during stealth scenes and car chases. Sean Tale portrays an understanding husband who supports Erin despite knowing that she is keeping secrets. Side characters are also integral to the plot as they either complicate Erin’s life (Olivia) or give her a helping hand (Penelope).
A lot of urgency is established from the beginning of the series. New complications and obstacles are put in Erin’s way which she is eventually able to transcend. Unfortunately, some of them come rather abruptly as if to lengthen the storyline, thereby making the ending seem rushed.
Erin Carter’s Surreal Plot Armor and A Tasteless Ending
Not only does the season finale of ‘Who is Erin Carter?’ try to wrap up the numerous storylines it created, but also features an almost unnecessary flash-forward scene to give a happy ending. Action and drama is loaded in episode seven such that it becomes problematic for the viewers.
For example, Lena arrives at Canyelles to finally meet with Harper. She is taken hostage by Lang’s goons and freed in just a few minutes after revealing information about Erin Carter. Campbell returns to Canyelle but only to find Jordi and Harper taken hostage by Daniel. Meanwhile, somewhere in a trailer, a previously injured Erin beats three skilled kill squad members. These scenes happen in under 15 minutes.
Believability becomes an issue at the end of the series. Jordi and Harper, despite all the ongoing drama in their house, miraculously manage to stay away from danger. Erin is able to kill experienced assassins despite struggling with a bullet wound, taking numerous bumps, and being on the verge of fainting. Her reconciliation with Lena Campbell, someone who almost killed her, is comical, to say the least.
There are also cliffhangers that seem rather forced and garner eyerolls. Episode 6 ends with Lena shooting Erin in the abdomen and fleeing the scene with the Harwich heist gold. Somehow, Carter gets back up on her feet, finds first aid in abandoned camps, and travels on foot to Canyelle to get her wound dressed by Jordi. She then solos the kill squad sent by Daniel Lang. Clearly, Erin’s plot armor surpasses that of John Wick.
The Movie Culture Synopsis
Fans of the action genre will certainly love the fight scenes in ‘Who is Erin Carter?’, with the protagonist’s perfect execution of pirouettes, twirls, and attention to surroundings. Tension is built by Carter’s angst, and even though it seems overly dramatic, it becomes vital to the interesting plot.
The series captures the struggles of Erin in living two lives: how the teacher deals with emotional pain due to jealousy of her friends and how she deals with physical pain due to vigilantism. It is worth binge-watching but some of the aforementioned believability issues in the non-fiction need to be ignored.
