Police everywhere in the world are an integral part of upholding law and order intact. Keeping that in mind, New York in the 1980s has been a subject of exploration by many filmmakers for a while. It was a time when the city was plagued with many issues and concerns regarding the social structure and the people of the city. The crime rate was high, minorities were subjected to scrutiny frequently, and the city infrastructure was bad, to say the least. Talking about these concerns is the Netflix original Eric. The cops could not be trusted, and the people found it hard to navigate the city because of the growing issues of narcotics supply and the crimes that followed.
Michael “Mikey” Ledroit was one of the best characters in the show Eric. The man, right from the start, had a tough life because he lived in a time when the police force was too powerful and would get away with crimes they were never questioned for. He was one of the few who wanted to do the right thing. Mikey was gay and lived with his boyfriend. He hid his sexuality fearing ostracization and removal from the force. Mikey loved his job, which involved tackling the rising crime rates, but he feared being ridiculed and mocked and not given ample opportunities to prove his mettle as a detective if he came out as gay. As stated in the other famous show, “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” the 1980s were a tough time for people of color, especially if they were queer as well. Mikey, however, cleverly kept his personal life away. He immersed himself in Edgar’s disappearance, which led him to the case of another young boy, Marlon Rochelle, who had gone missing eleven months ago. Since no one was keen on taking that case and he wondered if Edgar and Marlon’s disappearance was connected, Mikey took it upon himself to find out what the story of these boys was.
Mikey was also a loyal boyfriend who was taking care of his partner William, who had been diagnosed with AIDS. Sadly, Wiliam passed away, and things have not been easy for Mikey ever since. He approached the owner of “The Lux,” which was frequented by many queer men. The owner was Alexander Gator, who empathized with him, and since he was an openly gay man, his attraction to Mikey was palpable. Mikey needed information regarding both cases he was handling. Mikey was sure Alexander had some details about him that he was unwilling to share. Mikey had reached a dead end because he was not going anywhere with the case and felt helpless at times because his boss, Captain Cripp, seemed to have made up his mind and was now showing no intent to help him, no matter the cost. Captain Cripp did things that went against Mikey’s requests, which further created a divide.
Mikey had to endure Captain Cripp, who sadly tried to set him up with a female co-worker. The said co-worker quickly understood Mikey was queer, and she was supportive of him. It was one of those rare moments he felt seen and understood. He soon began to conclude that there was more to what he heard of Marlon Rochelle, and it finally brought him back to Alexander Gator. Even though they had feelings for each other and made love, Alexander, at many junctures, was not very keen on getting involved with the police since they were responsible for shutting down his previous establishment. It was essential to have a queer man in the police force because they were probably the only people who could sympathize with other men who were either in denial or had trouble living a dual life for the sake of society accepting them. Mikey had a lot of problems, but thankfully his sexuality was not one of them, and he found a way to crack both cases.
The key evidence behind Marlon Rochelle’s disappearance was in the hands of Alexander Gator, who disappeared right after handing over a VCR that contained footage of the CCTV from the back alley of his bar, “The Lux.” Mikey made sure his source was not revealed, especially to his boss. Mikey feared Alexander would be killed, just like Marlon Rochelle. Cripp was trying to protect his brethren, but Mikey was the righteous one who wanted people behind bars for committing crimes of this magnitude. The man also felt bad for the boy, Marlon Rochelle, who had had to resort to prostitution at a young age to make money. This was disturbing on many levels, and it showed the ugly picture of how the state of New York City was. A young boy of color who did not come from a family of means had to make hustle money by selling his body. He was sadly killed for the same by the police, and they did not want to take accountability for the same.
Mikey was beyond livid upon realizing how his colleagues got away with the crime and had to take formidable steps to make sure there was a lesson learned. Captain Cripp especially had everything to lose, and he tried his best to stop the arrests, but the mounting evidence was jarring, and necessary steps had to be taken. Mikey was probably the only man who wanted to go out of his way to enforce the law instead of manipulating it, like his colleagues. Personally, Mikey lost everything when William passed, but ever since, he has made sure to channel his pain into his work. He wanted Edgar to be found and Marlon to be given justice. Mikey was struggling a lot at the start, but by the end of it, he came out victorious.
