#phantom minisseries

[esmiephan]

Listing my fave Eriks (Phantomverse Of Madness).

This is a post i was suppose to make a long time ago, but i only got the time to write it now. I will probably make a part 2 with the "Worse/Less Favorite Eriks".

Remember everyone, this is ✨MY OPINION✨. No adaptation is free from flaws, these 6 Eriks are my favorite but they won't escape from my critics. And if you disagree, feel free to comment about.

6. MazM!Erik (2018)

We start with a polemic one. Mazm!Erik has an unique beauty and amazing hairstyle, his PTSD, the pain, the crying little boy inside of the man, the despair to be loved are still ON POINT. But let's not forget they turned him into a generic anime sociopath who does bad things because yes, and abuses Christine, and keeps Melek aprisioned, and other nonsense things of this mediocre script. However, MazM!Erik is still redeamable at some point and he has good stuffs.

5. Chaney's Erik (1925)

Our first adaptation, the 1925s silent movie! In my opinion, NO ONE played Erik better than Lon Chaney. No one. Like, this man, he's just fantastic. Chaney's hands, movements, the PHANTASTIC make-up, the expressions of pain, madness, anger and tenderness, OH MY GOD THIS IS HEAVEN!!!

ok but let's not forget the ending sucks and the movie tried at best to villainize Erik, this is unforgivable.

4. Merik (1986-2004)

Probably the most known version among us. Andrew Loyd Webber delivered us an amazing, outbreathing and beautiful musical that saved Broadway's story in the 1980s and brought Phantom back to popular tastes since then. Musical Erik has its questions, many people fan of the novel think Webber tried somehow to make him more manipulative and less redeeming. After all, even though people he killed weren't innocent at all, Erik isn't a man who runs out judging people and killing the ones he consider to be unworthy. He killed in EXTREMELY ocasional times in the novel. By the way, the way he constantely manipulates Christine and try to keep control as "the Angel" is just... no.

The original Erik wouldn't do this. He hates lying to Christine, he avoids at his best hurting her. Merik has more childish and toxic behaviour, even though he still ends up redeemed and changed out of his own will and kindness. We cannot deny Merik is one of a kind, one of the most iconic versions of the story. There are many actors who played Merik: Gerard Butler, Ramin Karimloo, Hugh Panaro, Norm Lewis, Ben Lewis, Michael Crawford, i could make a whole blog about my favorites and less favorites Meriks. And i'll probably do it.

3. Cherik (1990)

Look what we have here ❤️

"MY GOD, THIS PLACE REALLY IS HAUNTED" -- this and other funny lines are a gift of Charles Dance's version of Erik. The minisseries isn't very loyal to the novel, however, it's not a bad adaptation at all. This Erik is funny, shy, awkard and more healthy than most of the other versions. I disaprove anything about his version? Yep. First, he wears too colored clothes and is less "dark and goth" like other Eriks. Second, his mother actually loved Erik in this version... I think this was an unnecessary changing. Because the horrible abuse committed by Erik's mother is something EXTREMELY important that can't be changed. Mommy issue is an essence of this character. Should I talk about the "Christine looking like his mom" problem?

Well...

2. Kerik (1990)

Our favorite Susan Kay monologue! Yes, here it is. Kerik (or Serik as some people say) is funny, jerky and tragic, it's almost the same as Leroux's version, as it is supposed to be because "Phantom" isn't exactly an adaptation, but an explanation/expansion of what we've seen originally. Phantom is so good that we phans consider it as canon!

I can't help but say his relationship with Christine in this monologue is weird and a bit disappointing, though. Susan Kay actually started this "Christine looked like Erik's mom" shit, and it's not only weird, it literally confirms Erik's love for Christine was not real, that he only wanted to have a normal relantionship with his mother and Christine was a link to escape his pain. Ok, it makes sense Erik having mommy issues, but i disagree with Kay's vision about his love.

1. Lerik, The Original (1910).

Claps to our king, sis and bros. Gaston Leroux wrote this character with passion. This is my favorite deformity and vision about the character, the lines and the emotions are all just perfect for me. No one ever surprassed the original novel. Erik is a symbol, and a figure to many people. A broken, tortured, emotionally unstable man, who wants to fix everything his way, who doesn't have anyone to trust, who searches for love, pity and compassion, who searches for inclusion and tenderness from the society... but had everything despised and wasted. Erik, originally, is not a villain or a romantic hero. He is an anti-hero. He's the representation of frustrated people and abuse survivors who are able to LOVE, even after everything they had to pass throught. People who are able to recognize and fix their mistakes, people who won't sacrifice their beloved ones happiness for their own problems and fears. Erik is all of us.

Thank you.

[esmiephan]

Teri Polo's Christine apreciation blog 👇

[esmiephan]

About Erik's mommy issues

So, if you are in the phandom during a good time, you surely know about Susan Kay and the 1990 minisseries. And how, in both versions, Christine strangely looks like Erik's mother and this is why he develops such an obssession over her.

And sorry. But this is creepy, and i will explain why:

1. Erik is romantically and sexually interested in a girl that looks like his mother? Ew.

2. Is this a way to "justify" his obssession? If so, it's completely unnecessary. There is nothing to excuse/justify, Erik is a traumatized man that felt in love with a young soprano, but his lack of affection and life traumas led him to developt an obssession and jeaously towards her. That's it. It's not like it needed a justification or explanation, he was a man craved and despaired for love.

3. If he is interested in Christine just because she looks like his mom, then it means he never actually loved her. Something it's not true. Erik loved Christine genuinely, this is the real tragedy of the story. He is not some crazy sick obssessed dude, this would be just creepy. Erik is a man that loved a woman but fucked up everything because of his selfish jeaously. Much more tragic and meaningful.

4. It would much more sense if Erik searched for a woman that is older than him. Correct me if i'm wrong, but people with mommy issues/daddy issues don't usually search for a person that "looks like their daddy/mommy", they search for someone older that can give them what they didn't have from their parents. I have daddy issues, i know how it is. So, wouldn't it be so much coerent if Erik searched for a woman that is older than him and could give him a motherly protection, and also a romantic affection?

I think it makes much more sense. But yeah, i love Susan Kay, i love the 1990 minisseries, but Christine looking like Erik's mother.... hmmm.... just no. Not for me. Feel free to disagree, though.

[esmiephan]

So what are the things you love the most about your favorite adaptations of POTO?

Thanks for ask, @piedalchemist ;)

Ok, I will consider the 1990 minisseries, the musical and Susan Kay's monologue as my favorites, as I usually talk too much about the novel.

The 1990 minisseries has a perfect Christine to me. This is probably what I love the most, really, aside from being well-written as the original one, Teri Polo was a perfect choice for her. Her relantionship with Erik is goddamn perfect too.

The musical... well, I have issues with the musical, somethings I didn't write fully yet, but it's undeniably a phantastic musical. The best thing is the soundtrack lmao, for real. And the Red Death too, it's wonderful.

And as for Susan Kay's novel, I love almost everything aside from the "Christine looks likes Erik's mom" part. The tragedy of Erik's life, his ironic and cynic personality, his relantionship with Nadir Khan... HIS LITTLE AYESHA 🥺❤️... yeah Susan Kay did an amazing job there. Claps to her.