She still loves him so much (of course) that she doesn't want him to risk his life on a mission that she fears will end in blood.
I didn't give Elizabeth that much credit here. Not that I think she wants him to risk his life, but I thought she'd backed herself into such a contemptuous position that she couldn't bring herself to ask for help and be vulnerable. She had no trouble asking him to do the thing with Kimmy because that was just her needing him to serve her in an op. But after deciding he was a waste of space selfish jerk she could only ask for help in her old passive-aggressive way. That is, not ask for help at all but take an opportunity to tell him he's an asshole for expecting her to be as useless as he is.
I think reaching out to Henry was also a way of reaching out to Philip. That is, she wanted an emotional connection, she's too angry at Philip, but Henry is like Philip in that he, too, loves her for things other than being a spy. He's normal and gives her what she needs. It's nice that he responds to her just because he can see she's asking him for something but doesn't quiz her on why. He just gives her what she's asking for and then alerts his father to the trouble.
Another small thing about that phone call is I thought it was a nice little "tell" (if we could call it that) that she'd never read On Walden Pond, a book that so many high schoolers have to suffer through. Of course it's possible she could have just missed it, but it's pretty standard. Especially for AP American Lit which Henry would be taking--how great that even his favorite subject was American.
Also that seemed to relate to Philip to me because part of Walden Pond is about living the simple life. Experiencing the joy of nature as opposed to these bigger things that every other person in the family is focused on, even Henry with his plans for the future.
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timeasmymeasure
Henry and Walden
Date: 2018-05-03 04:38 pm (UTC)I didn't give Elizabeth that much credit here. Not that I think she wants him to risk his life, but I thought she'd backed herself into such a contemptuous position that she couldn't bring herself to ask for help and be vulnerable. She had no trouble asking him to do the thing with Kimmy because that was just her needing him to serve her in an op. But after deciding he was a waste of space selfish jerk she could only ask for help in her old passive-aggressive way. That is, not ask for help at all but take an opportunity to tell him he's an asshole for expecting her to be as useless as he is.
I think reaching out to Henry was also a way of reaching out to Philip. That is, she wanted an emotional connection, she's too angry at Philip, but Henry is like Philip in that he, too, loves her for things other than being a spy. He's normal and gives her what she needs. It's nice that he responds to her just because he can see she's asking him for something but doesn't quiz her on why. He just gives her what she's asking for and then alerts his father to the trouble.
Another small thing about that phone call is I thought it was a nice little "tell" (if we could call it that) that she'd never read On Walden Pond, a book that so many high schoolers have to suffer through. Of course it's possible she could have just missed it, but it's pretty standard. Especially for AP American Lit which Henry would be taking--how great that even his favorite subject was American.
Also that seemed to relate to Philip to me because part of Walden Pond is about living the simple life. Experiencing the joy of nature as opposed to these bigger things that every other person in the family is focused on, even Henry with his plans for the future.