quote:
Stroke of genius courtesy of thedoctor:
Phil: Dirk sees too much of himself in Phil, so he doesn't trust the guy. I'm not too happy with the flip-flopping personality that Sammitch has given him so far, so I'll wind up giving him a little more solid foundation. Since he has no idea who he really is, I see Phil not wanting to give away what little he knows about himself. He's secretive, yet he slowly pulls out all these unpredictable things for the rest of the team to see (like the cars, for example). I see this as somewhat a childish game. He likes to confuse people and keep them off guard. It's all a ploy, and Phil is laughing to himself the whole time...
From what Dirk has seen, there are few more accurate assessments that could be drawn. I have always appreciated the trouble you go through to develop an understanding of the various characters others have made. Phil is enigmatic, but only because he really isn't sure of exactly who or what he should be, and telling him to "just be himself" would obviously not be very helpful. But the truth is slowly coming out, and when we hear it, it'll be a shocker. [wink]

quote:
Nugget of truth from my roomie:
Man is fallen and depraved. This is the basis of Walker's character. And, Phil, no matter how many times you try to make the distinction, unless Phil starts killing, persecuting, or undermining his teammates, he'll probably always be viewed as a hero/anti-hero by many on these boards.
Good point. It always helps when you have frequent access to the person who helps you develop your characters! [wink] I think, though, that no matter how many confusing or disturbing things Phil does, everyone can see that he is trying to do the right thing, as best as he can tell what it is. And that's the essence of what it means to be human. We try and fail, but we keep trying. We fall, we get back up.

Even in Unidentified, when Phil did stuff that was pretty disturbing, he was always trying to find the right way to do things - except for that really dark period in the middle of the story when he was completely motivated by revenge. But in the long run, Phil's intentions have always been ultimately positive. He wants to become more than he is. And I think that's why everyone should be able to find something they like about Phil's character.

Good observations, everyone!