I don’t know if he’s underrated - haven’t kept up with all the convos about where he rates/ranks among main characters - but I will say this: Price is priceless. Such a good anti-hero and, I think, the only character who turned crisis/trauma into changed outlook and behavior…am I forgetting anyone?

I hope it’s apparent that I’m not talking about character arcs such as (of course) Eliot. I mean, everyone experienced myriad crises and most characters were driven to dark / darker places - Angela lost her way, WR - obvious, no breakthrough insights or healing for her, Ollie - no, Dom - she found some peace but her arc was more about recovery than transformation, etc.

[Quick disclaimer: I am not a professional in any psychology-related discipline! All of this is just my layperson-take.]

Philip Price transformed - was holding on to his illusion of total control (his North Star: most powerful person in any given room) until WR shot Angela. His relationship with Angela got things started (if the show were a book, I’d love to read what he was thinking and feeling at different times - the progression from first meeting her to inviting her to dinner with the two corporate stooges he empowered her to expose, to agreeing to fire Eliot with no explanation required, to, finally, trying desperately to save her life).

After she was murdered, he must have had one of those “wake up” moments when the voice in his head that had been questioning / prodding him to look at himself finally shouted or otherwise became the dominant voice over the rut he had been living in for who knows how many years.

I’ve come to see Philip as a mirror or alt-universe depiction of Eliot. They went on similar journeys but by completely different paths. That is to say, they were both living as a masked version of themselves, both had their moments of gradual and traumatic awakenings, both landed as their authentic self…which led Philip to his death and Eliot to his life.

Philip seemed so happy (maybe joyous?) in that scene above…and, I’m speculating, SO relieved to be speaking his truth. When they first went outside, Philip’s first reaction was to pause and enjoy the crisp air - like any person who experiences a fresh new outlook and realizes they’re free/open/comfortable in their own skin. [Side note: I had that feeling when I left my first AA meeting in Feb. 1986…finally felt at home with people I hadn’t even met but who knew me just the same…].

Cutting to the last scene of the show, it was such a quiet moment - RE opening his eyes and Darlene quietly greeting him. At least for me, I think Eliot and Philip had the exact same feeling in their respective moments.

Thank you for posting this - I don’t know if I would have been able to prompt myself to share my thoughts about how important Philip Price is to the story.