I think my read is that this episode is about Philip feeling like he's losing his identity, and Elizabeth is his grounding anchor.
This is very much along the lines of my read. I do think it's different from saying that "he's Americanized" because that suggests that there's a core self, Misha, who has taken on American characteristics. I don't think that accurately describes what's happened to Philip at all. I do think that there's a core self in there somewhere and that self is both Soviet and Russian, but because of his chameleon-like nature, it's buried under so many other characters and he doesn't find it at all easy to access.
Elizabeth as his grounding anchor is crucial to this (and I find this simultaneously sweet and sad). There was an interview with Matthew Rhys once where he talked about how when he's with Elizabeth, "that's as close as he ever gets to the actual man." To me, that's what that last scene was about--her pulling him back, not all the way to that core self, but as close to it as he's able to get given circumstances. All of the little Russian things that he brought out in the first season (the vodka, the caviar, etc.) were for her benefit, but he needs that too. Maybe even more than she does.
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timeasmymeasure
Re: Philip and his memories
Date: 2014-03-28 12:54 pm (UTC)This is very much along the lines of my read. I do think it's different from saying that "he's Americanized" because that suggests that there's a core self, Misha, who has taken on American characteristics. I don't think that accurately describes what's happened to Philip at all. I do think that there's a core self in there somewhere and that self is both Soviet and Russian, but because of his chameleon-like nature, it's buried under so many other characters and he doesn't find it at all easy to access.
Elizabeth as his grounding anchor is crucial to this (and I find this simultaneously sweet and sad). There was an interview with Matthew Rhys once where he talked about how when he's with Elizabeth, "that's as close as he ever gets to the actual man." To me, that's what that last scene was about--her pulling him back, not all the way to that core self, but as close to it as he's able to get given circumstances. All of the little Russian things that he brought out in the first season (the vodka, the caviar, etc.) were for her benefit, but he needs that too. Maybe even more than she does.
-J