The Hidden Identity

As I said in my earlier post on Rakhi, I spent the off day binge watching Who Is Erin Carter? Yes it’s with a question mark.

Erin Carter is a British expat teacher in a local school in Spain working on contractual basis filling in for teachers on leave. She is earnestly looking forward to get permanent which will allow her daughter, Harper, who is her life and a student in the same school, to get a full scholarship to continue with her studies.

But Erin has a knack of getting into uncalled for trouble. She and her daughter visit the Super Market when a masked man and woman attempt to rob it. In a bid to save her daughter from getting hurt and the store from getting robbed she gets into a fight and succeeds to injure the man badly. The woman gets away. Later, the man dies in the hospital. But both the robbers seem to recognize Erin and call her Kate. Why??

Later the female robber comes back to Erin’s school when the children are participating in an evening show. They get into a heated argument which transpires into a bloody battle. Erin, in self defense, kills the other woman named Margot Mueller. Emilio, a witness to the murder, helps Erin to hide the dead body.

Emilio is a Police Detective and best friend of Erin’s husband Jordi. He is also their next door neighbour. He receives a video of the fight between Erin and the masquerader in the Super Market whereas the CCTV Cameras of the Store were inactivated by the robbers. Seeing the way Erin fights it out with the robbers and later Mueller, Emilio requests her to help him out in return for the assistance he offered to her.

Emilio confides that he has got into bad company and incurred huge gambling debt. That is why his wife, Ana has left him and taken his son, Rafa with her. If he does not repay the money the goons will finish him off. He asks Erin to enter their domain and get the details of their business deals from the Computer on a pen drive. Seeing the amount of risk involved, Erin refuses at first to help but later, being sympathetic towards him and to return his favour, does what is asked. However, before she can leave the gang leader arrives and sees her. Erin somehow manages to run away from his den.

Amidst all these mis-adventures, Erin is late for the interview at school for getting enrolled as a permanent teacher and somehow scrapes through it in the last minute. In the meantime, Emilio is kidnapped by the deadly gangsters. Erin arrives at the nick of time to save him. Subsequently, the gang leader, whose den Erin had earlier invaded, recognizes her in the Chemist Shop from where she is buying medicines and first aid for a badly bruised Emilio resting in the car. He clicks her photo on his mobile intending to circulate so as to know her identity. She pleads with him not to. But he is adamant. In the midst of their verbal exchange, Emilio runs the gang leader over in order to save Erin.

One trouble leads to the other. The neighbourhood, instead of praising Erin for saving the Super Market from being robbed, is suspicious of her because the robber, who was heavily injured, dies in the hospital. They think it is because of Erin that the man is dead. So, Erin is more of a formidable character than a saviour. Harper is treated as ‘different’ by her school mates. She feels isolated and friendless.

In comes the influential Mr. Daniel Lang whose son is with Harper in the same school. He is a problem child and not good at studies. Erin, instead of complaining about him, wants to help him out. She suggests Mr. Daniel appoints a private tutor who can help his son get better and improve his scores. Mr. Daniel is impressed and asks Erin to be the tutor. She does not want to, but in the long run has to, as she loses her school job.

Jordi loves Erin and Harper deeply. However, with the passage of time and Erin’s odd behaviour and lies to hide the fiasco Emilio has got her in and her dark past, Jordi starts suspecting her. Going through her identification papers he is surprised to see that her antecedents cannot be traced back to definite sources. So, the question is again : Who Is Erin Carter?

Since I am a thriller guzzler, Netflix keeps throwing such serials on my Home Screen. This is a British mini series (seven episodes) with a conclusive end. Given the edgy narrative one just cannot stop watching though at times I agree the story and behaviour of the characters appear weird and unrealistic.

Erin is a housewife and a school teacher who whisks off at odd hours to be the saviour of mankind!!

She is brutally shot at and left bleeding on a deserted mountain top, yet she reaches home in time to tell her husband and daughter to run away!!!

One of the jailbirds, Lena, manages to open her handcuffs with a plastic gem clip, murder the cop escorting her and escape!!!!

Emilio is in police force but only gets beaten badly by the gangsters all the time and just cannot retaliate back except when he runs over the gang leader.

Erin is supposed to be all for her family but the way her character is built she does not appear to be one who can be easily house bound.

Jordi, who is a nurse in the same hospital wherein the robber dies, is always seen doing the housework and helping Harper get ready to go to school. He does not object to Erin’s untimely absences from home and her unattended homely duties.

But we the viewers are middle class homebirds with a scheduled nine to five job. What do we know of those who are brought up in foster homes and have to be street smart to survive? Bereft of thrills and excitements, leading a mediocre life, we don’t have much choice but to satiate our thirst for adventure by watching these nail biting series and movies. Don’t we?

So, for those who love such adrenaline rushing, gripping, edge of the seat dramas can watch this show created by Jack Lothian for Netflix.

Cast

Erin Carter – Evin Ahmad

Jordi Collantes – Sean Teal

Emilio – Pep Ambros

Harper – Indica Watson

Daniel – Douglas Henshall (Remember the Shetland Detective)