Character

In episode 10, “Sort of Like a Family,” we are exposed to the concept of Ellen slowly becoming Patty Hewes. The development of Ellen’s character grows through each episode. At the beginning of the episode, Ellen and David are having some fun and suddenly, Patty’s face appears where Ellen’s face should be. This freaks David out and he asks where Ellen is. She replies, “We’re right here.” This chilling episode sends a signal to viewers. Immediately after David wakes up from the nightmare, he finds Ellen out on the dock, looking out to the sea. She says she “could get used to this.” The line merely indicates the fact that she really likes the place and the idea of success; however the subtext suggests the fact that Ellen may be getting used to becoming more like Patty. It is a heads up to the slow fusion of Ellen and Patty. Another example is when Patty took Ellen off the deposition; Ellen does not like it – a sign of her persistence and desire to want to work closely with Patty. This may suggest Ellen’s desire to work closely with Patty and learn from her, which can easily lead to Ellen morphing into Patty.

There are so many hints at the dualism between Patty and Ellen; these hints are found throughout the entire season. For instance, in the episode, “Blame the Victim,” Ellen fires her assistant and we are given a glimpse of her behaving like Patty Hewes. When the assistant was fired, Ellen was in the elevator and right as she fired him, the music came on. This emphasized the growth, the change in Ellen. She was slowly becoming Patty. The music added to the suspense so much that Ellen does not seem to be aware of the fact that she is turning into Patty. It is daunting.

It is through the characters we are given the premise of the show. The question of how much damage a person is willing to take in order to achieve a goal. Sometimes, the character does not realize it until it is too late. Will Ellen figure out what is going on before she loses her own identity?