Last night I finished #BeingErica and felt so satisfied with how the writers, directors, and producers wrapped this series. It so touched my heart and gave me oodles to think about through the whole series, but especially the series finale season. Lots of tears with that season!
For all of you who are Profoundly Sensitive or interested in healing work, this series is an expertly presented example of the “consciousness thinking” skills and co-creative relating.
FIVE STARS for sure!
Being Erica is a one-hour series that explores the life of Erica Strange, a woman who has been given a wonderful gift. Every episode, Erica goes back to relive a regret from her past, in order to come back and make a positive change in her present.
In the pilot episode, we learn that Erica is 32 years old, perpetually single, making barely enough money to get by. Her friends are busy getting married, buying their first homes and climbing the corporate ladder. They’re moving up and on in their lives and leaving Erica in the dust.
Over the course of the first episode, Erica suffers a series of mishaps that ultimately land her in the hospital, where she meets the mysterious Dr. Tom – a therapist who seems to know a lot about her. He issues a bizarre challenge – if she wants to fix her life, he can help her. Desperate, Erica accepts his terms and after a brief and bizarre therapy session, during which she provides him with a list of her life’s greatest regrets, she finds herself launched back into her own past to make different choices this time around.
Through these time-tripping therapy sessions we see Erica become worldlier, more accountable, and more skilled in Dr. Tom’s unique brand of therapy. Season three was about transformation. Everything in Erica’s life – her job, her love life, even her therapy with Dr. Tom – started anew, and was turned upside down in the process.
There was a huge shift in the nature of her therapy as Erica began group sessions with Dr. Tom’s other patients, including Adam, a fellow patient who’s handsome, rough, blue collar, and not afraid to challenge Erica. Learning from other people’s journeys, Erica found that by helping others, she was in fact helping herself. This prepared Erica for her biggest test yet, and last season ended with Erica successfully graduating to “Phase Three” of her therapy: Doctor training.
Season four, Erica has come full circle as she begins the final stage of her therapy as a doctor in training. Thanks to the guidance of Dr. Tom, Erica has gone through some major life changes, and season four finds her happily in a new relationship, and at the helm of 50/50 Press, the publishing company she started with Julianne. But this doesn’t mean Erica has finished her own journey. Now Erica is learning about herself through how she is helping as a doctor in training. Universally, there will always be new bumps in the road, new mistakes made, and while paving the way to balance and happiness, the resilient Erica will continue to face obstacles that she must overcome to help both patient and doctor alike.
(description of series from CBC Being Erica – About Show)
