Alexander Gator In ‘Eric’ Explained: Did He Leave The City?

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Eric, the Netflix original show, had many characters that carried their own complexities. Some were closeted gay, while many were dealing with issues of racist attitudes directed towards them in the wake of the growing crime rate in New York City. Some others were coping with parental neglect issues and suddenly realized they needed to break the generational trauma to be able to live peacefully. Amongst them is Alexander Gator, who was not a central character initially but soon became so important that he caused the downfall of many powerful people in the city.

Spoilers Ahead

Alexander Gator was shown right from the start of Eric, where he was seen interacting with detective Michael “Mikey” Ledroit, who was assigned the case of Edgar Anderson’s disappearance. Alexander Gator owned the bar “The Lux,” which was frequented by many gay men from around the city. Since the bar was on the way to Edgar’s school, Mikey had to find a way to discover a lead that could direct them to the disappeared kid. Mikey began to frequent “The Lux” for various reasons. He wanted to be around men who were having a difficult time living as gay men out in the open. Apart from this, Mikey had heard of a VICE squad member blackmailing a man using the term “8.” Mikey, being a cop, had to get to the bottom of it.

Alexander Gator, on the other hand, was the only man aware of Mikey’s sexuality. Alexander Gator, being gay himself, never took advantage of Mikey and did not try to sleep his way into saving his bar. Alexander, at various points, had to ask Mikey to back off from his establishment as it could expose many innocent people.

Apart from that, Alexander had mentioned many times to Mikey that “The Lux” was a legal establishment, as nothing going on under his roof was in violation of city rules. This particular piece of information had to be shared with Mikey because, previously, Alexander had owned another bar a few years ago that was busted for many illegal things, including a child sex ring in which many high-profile names were involved. Alexander Gator has been clean ever since this scandalous incident that almost killed his reputation. The bar owner, however, was slowly understanding the amount of power he had since he had many discreet details that he was not ready to share with Mikey for several reasons. Mikey was getting close to finding out who could be the “8” and how his connection to Edgar’s missing case could be established. The police officer soon understood that there was something that happened in the bar that Alexander was not opening up about. Initially, Alexander was established as someone who was steering away and hiding something discreetly. As Eric progresses, there is a sense of understanding established between Alexander and Mikey that is borderline romantic.

Mikey had just lost his partner of many years, who had been suffering from a terminal illness, most likely HIV/AIDS, judging by the period the show is set in. When Alexander found out about Mikey’s loss, he became more empathetic towards the cop, and their shared feelings eventually brought them closer. Alexander and Mikey eventually slept with each other, but it was his insistence on not sharing the footage that always put Mikey on the backfoot. Mikey, however, found out who killed the young Marlon Rochelle, but without proof, his case was feeble, and his captain was not willing to proceed. Captain Cripp may have known some truth, but his duty as a police officer was to protect his colleagues.

Alexander, being the better man, dropped a VCR that contained evidence of the fact that the cops had killed Marlon Rochelle. The footage was proof of the cops immediately covering up the matter and getting rid of the body. Alexander may have gained some consciousness, which eventually gave him the courage to do the right thing. The Lux owner, however, was nowhere to be seen once the scandal involving the death of the young Marlon broke. Even though the police officers were arrested, Alexander had chosen to stay away from the limelight. The man did the right thing by walking away to avoid being cornered as the police or the harassment would be endless. 

Mikey, though, had not shared the source of his news, yet it was understood that Alexander could be the one behind the leak. Gator, however, may have given the footage out of compassion for the young boy who had died unnecessarily, and how the people in power had not saved him. Alexander probably saw Mikey as a good and just man, and he needed a win for his side. Even though Alexander Gator was nowhere to be found, his one act of bravery brought down many corrupt institutions and shook things up to the core. 


Smriti Kannan
Smriti Kannan
Smriti Kannan is a cinema enthusiast, and a part time film blogger. An ex public relations executive, films has been a major part of her life since the day she watched The Godfather – Part 1. If you ask her, cinema is reality. Cinema is an escape route. Cinema is time traveling. Cinema is entertainment. Smriti enjoys reading about cinema, she loves to know about cinema and finding out trivia of films and television shows, and from time to time indulges in fan theories.


 

 

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