Just a few weeks ago we were complaining about how Netflix, this year has wasted multiple opportunities to create gripping and intriguing action movies led by women.
Heart of Stone wasn’t particularly great, as well as The Mother.
This week the streaming giant released Who is Erin Carter? A limited 7-episode series. A limited series that doesn’t even get close to the budget of movies like The Mother or Heart of Stone that not only has a better story, but great acting and even fighting scenes.
SYNOPSIS
Five years after leaving England with her daughter, Harper, Erin is working as a substitute teacher at an exclusive Barcelona international school, where Harper is a student. After Erin gallantly takes down gun-wielding robbers at a supermarket, people start asking questions. Erin seems… skilled at fighting. Too skilled. She’s a substitute teacher, not a secret agent.
Not only that, but one of the gunmen Erin leaves in critical condition recognizes her. Why? Who is Erin, really? As she tries to avoid attracting attention amidst police questioning and press for her heroic actions, Erin grows intent on keeping herself hidden from the spotlight, but that proves difficult.
As more dangerous people come out of the woodwork, Erin’s lethal defense skills draw out questions that she’s not prepared to answer.
OUR TAKE
Evin Ahmad, the star of the new Netflix action series Who Is Erin Carter? Should look familiar to the Netflix audience. Ahmad was in other Netflix European hit series such as Snabba Cash and The Rain.
Her performance is brilliant, she is carrying the whole series as she is in practically almost all the scenes. Not only her acting is remarkable but she proves her talent even in the fighting scenes, which were very well choreographed. Her chemistry with her daughter played by Watson is delightful. Erin and her daughter’s Harper are very well-written charachters.
The viewers get invested in Erin’s story, it’s captivating, and only very little information is given in the first episodes for the audience to truly understand who is Erin. At the end of the third episode, we still have no clue if Erin was a policewoman, a spy, or simply a robber in her past life. Only halfway through the series, there’s a whole episode narrating Erin’s background story.
The rest of the cast and its performances are great, but we didn’t find ourselves invested in the characters’ lives and stories that much. Jordi, Erin’s husband, has no particular value to the plot, if not for just being Erin’s husband. At the end of the series, for example, we still wonder if Erin is truly in love with Jordi, or if he is simply fitting the role of husband she was looking for.
EXECUTION
For a limited series with not a big budget the 7 episodes created by Jack Lothian are very well done. The fighting scenes are well-coreographed and believable.
The same can’t be said of some CGI effects, but we have seen some or even worse CGI problems even in big budget blockbusters Netflix movies.
The limited series has only 7 episodes, which gives Who Is Erin Carter? the perfect opportunity of being a weekend beinge show. The pace can be, at times, a little too slow.
THERE WILL BE A SECOND SEASON?
Who Is Erin Carter? Is presented as a limited series, which means there are no plans for a second season.
The storylines wrap up completely but it looks like a door is left open for Erin’s story. It wouldn’t be the first time Netflix decided to give a second season to a series that was described as limited.
Who Is Erin Carter? Is a very intriguing, well-executed series. It has some plot problematic elements but overall Erin’s story, her character, and Ahmad’s great performance are strong enough to overlook the rest and watch the whole series.
OUR SHORTS REVIEW
Who Is Erin Carter? Is a limited action thriller series created by Jack Lothian.
Episodes: 7
Who is Erin Carter drops on Netflix August 24.
CAST
- Evin Ahmad
- Sean Teale
- Indica Watson
- Denise Gough
- Pep Ambròs
- Susannah Fielding
- Douglas Henshall
NETFLIX OFFICIAL TRAILER
