Where things go from here: speculation and musing

[jae]

In their post-season-finale interviews, the showrunners have been very consistent about not wanting to speculate about what happens to any of the characters after the events of the finale, and have repeatedly said that it's now up to audience members to decide those things for themselves. Of course, to be consistent with both the nature and the tone of the show, any future imagined developments should probably be a) realistic (both in the sense of "consistent with reality" and in the sense of "psychologically viable for that person at that time"), and b) a mixture of melancholic and hopeful. But even within those parameters there are an awful lot of possible outcomes, and there are an awful lot of characters who those possible outcomes could happen to, as well.

So what do you think happens next? For any of the characters, and at any point in time after when the finale ends?

Comments

[sistermagpie]

I really don't have any detailed futures that I imagine for many of the characters. When I find myself imagining what comes next it's usually about Philip and Elizabeth readjusting and getting to know Philip's family--that interests me but I don't have any set ways it would go. (Though I do have certain, like, incidents or moments that pop into my head.) And I imagine how Oleg might eventually coming home and what that would be like. I'm not sure how realistic it is, but I think of Philip and Elizabeth having some contact with his family as well, not wanting to leave him like a fallen comrade etc.

The only things I really find myself thinking as natural in my head longterm are Elizabeth and Philip staying together and getting used to each new thing and Henry actually not developing close relationships with Paige and Stan as a result of this. I think he'll be fine with both of them and have a some relationship with Paige (not as much with Stan) but in general live a new life where very few people know about his history. (When he does tell people it's in such a way that it seems unreal to them.) But privately and in many different ways he'll always be trying to work out his past, often without realizing it.

It would be great if Stan decided to really consider why he seems to choose relationships with people who are intentionally always trying to mirror back what he wants from them, but I don't know that that he'd really look too deeply into that. When he does think about stuff like that he'll frame it as thinking about Philip instead of himself somehow.

[soupytwist]

It would be great if Stan decided to really consider why he seems to choose relationships with people who are intentionally always trying to mirror back what he wants from them

This is a GENIUS observation. And I would bet Stan never sees that at all.

[jae]

We were thinking in the opposite direction with Henry, but I totally think your version is realistic, too.

As for Stan, you're totally right. And man he has REALLY had a lot of relationships with Soviet spies and maybe-spies, hasn't he? That is so fascinating, and if he thought for more than two seconds about it, it would really give him pause. (But I agree that he wouldn't.)

-J

[sistermagpie]

I mean, Sandra tried to tell him. Even Matthew zeroed in on it. His biological family really did have his number more than most anyone else. Sandra who did EST *and* soul-retrieval through drawing!

Stan might have had a much more interesting friendship with Philip as Mischa. The black humor alone might have been something that really got through to him.

[sistermagpie]

This actually now is making me imagine him as a negative role model for Henry throughout the series and it's pretty interesting...