Question of the week #14
Aug. 4th, 2013 04:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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The writers of this show seem to have a love for full formal names when it comes to the KGB side of the Cold War. Philip is always Philip, never Phil, and Elizabeth is never Liz or Beth either--and this despite the fact that Russian names all inherently have multiple alternate forms that everyone simply uses as a matter of course. The same goes for Robert, the other Directorate S illegal who we've met, and for that matter, for Gregory (who's not Russian, but whose own culture isn't exactly known for its lack of informal names).
Given this, the question of the week is a two-parter: one, what do you think the writers are up to with this? And two, any thoughts on an explanation for this that works within the world of the show?
You can expect spoilers for the entire first season in the comments.
(There's no expiration date on these questions, so if you're reading this post months later and feel like jumping in, please do.)
Given this, the question of the week is a two-parter: one, what do you think the writers are up to with this? And two, any thoughts on an explanation for this that works within the world of the show?
You can expect spoilers for the entire first season in the comments.
(There's no expiration date on these questions, so if you're reading this post months later and feel like jumping in, please do.)
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Date: 2013-08-04 02:47 pm (UTC)I like katiac's reasoning too, especially as I now realize that Philip actually does use nicknames, and from what I can see, never actually introduces himself as anything other than Phil.
In the case of Gregory, I'd say it might be Gregory's side of things. Nicknames are very personal, and if he never introduced himself as 'Greg' than Elizabeth won't be the one to take that step.
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Date: 2013-08-04 02:55 pm (UTC)-J
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Date: 2013-08-04 03:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-08-04 03:02 pm (UTC)Ooh, ooh, that might work! Hmmm, thinking. :)
Thank you all for your input! This has been a real help.
-J
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Date: 2013-08-04 03:11 pm (UTC)I could also imagine that Gregory might have some want/need to be taken seriously and heard because of his background, and might like the stateliness of the full name. Philip, by contrast, loves to fit in and does it like a fish swims. So in my head, when he got to the US and started hearing other regular guys calling him Phil, or calling each other Joe and Steve, he would've liked the idea of Phil.
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Date: 2013-08-04 03:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-08-04 03:25 pm (UTC)Yes, that's exactly how I always saw it. Like he probably went by Philip exclusively back in Russia, but once he got over to the US, he would just be soaking everything in, picking up those subtle variations in speech and habits.
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Date: 2013-08-04 04:02 pm (UTC)-J
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Date: 2013-08-04 03:05 pm (UTC)And really, I think a lot of their relationship, by its nature, is based on projection. It's based on that very real way they connected, but then Gregory clearly projects how he feels about Elizabeth's family (that she would sacrifice the kids, leave them to run off with him) onto how he thinks Elizabeth feels. Elizabeth does the same thing, which is why it's so hard for her to get behind the idea that he's not going to want to go to Moscow. She's projecting that he feels the same way that there's nowhere better than Russia, that being back there after a long, faithful service would be a reward (and probably her dream.) Because they could only see each other sporadically, they would probably spend what little time they had reaffirming the one area they DID connect, rather than poking a lot into uncomfortable topics and potentially uncovering something that spoils the perfect little escape aspect of the affair for her.
And so since the nickname thing could potentially stir up some uncomfortable questions for Elizabeth, I could see why she would prefer just to not think about it, and enjoy the few hours they had together and get a break from all the uncomfortable questions she has to deal with in her daily life. Elizabeth, no matter who she's with, has the tendency to shy away from things that make her uncomfortable emotionally, only confronting them when she's forced to.