Tom Ripley, meet Tom Ripley.
Steve Zaillian‘s Netflix limited series “Ripley” spends eight episodes building its own world away from Anthony Minghella’s 1999 movie, but the finale invokes another piece of Tom Ripley lore: 2002’s “Ripley’s Game,” based on the eponymous Patricia Highsmith novel. In the episode, Andrew Scott‘s Tom Ripley meets a mysterious stranger who instantly clocks him for who and what he is; the pair of them claim to be art dealers but share an unspoken understanding that they’re something else, they’re the same, and they can trust each other.
That stranger is played by “Ripley’s Game” star John Malkovich. In that film, directed by Liliana Cavani, Malkovich’s Ripley tires of working with a gangster named Reeves (Ray Winstone), and the end of their professional relationship snowballs catastrophically. In “Ripley,” Malkovich introduces himself as Reeves — either the beginning of this partnership or a fake name (adopted from an associate or victim, if he and Tom really are that much alike).
And while Malkovich’s cameo doesn’t actually connote the existence of a wider multiverse of Ripleys (but what if…), it’s a direct interpellation of another Ripley film and novel — and the enticing possibility that Zaillian and Netflix may tackle those down the line. Despite the ongoing captivation of Highsmith’s series, Tom Ripley has had the Hollywood arc of James Bond or Jack Ryan, a beloved character portrayed by multiple actors since as early as 1960. The role was first played by Alain Delon in “Purple Noon” and Dennis Hopper in 1977’s “The American Friend” before Matt Damon took the reins, and Malkovich was followed by Barry Pepper in 2005’s “Ripley Under Ground.”
In the current world of entertainment production and consumption, there’s a much stronger chance that Scott could have the opportunity to wear his Ripley hat (suit? Robe? Stolen ring?) for further installments of the series. He could even team up with Malkovich’s character, a more experienced con artist with reliable avenues to forge a passport and no doubt other nefarious activities. There’s the obvious invitation to a season 2 based on “Ripley’s Game,” or to adaptations of “The Boy Who Followed Ripley” and “Ripley Under Water,” which have yet to make it to the screen.
In their second and final scene together, Tom and Reeves meet for a glass of wine and a covert transaction; a fake passport with Tom’s photo and the name T. Fanshaw. This is also a nod to Highsmith’s novel, in which Tom stores Dickey’s suitcases and some paintings in Venice under the name Robert S. Fanshaw (which then leads to speculation that Dickey may still be alive and using that name). J.M. Tyree has a fascinating essay on the name Fanshaw/Fanshaw and how it connects to themes of identity and anonymity in literature, including the Ripley novels — and while it’s hardly setting up a “Talented Mr. Fanshaw” spinoff, the Easter egg reminds viewers that Tom Ripley himself is a fiction, skilled at disappearing and reinvention.
If nothing else, “Ripley” can rely on that suspenseful ending to set up future seasons (or to live forever as a classic cliffhanger). Unlike book or movie, the series wraps up with Marge (Dakota Fanning) publishing her book with a tribute to Dickey, whose photo graces the dedication page. Inspector Ravini (Maurizio Lombardi) realizes for the first time that the man he interrogated extensively and eventually lost in pursuit is not Dickey Greenleaf at all — but whether that’s Tom Ripley, Timothy Fanshaw, or a man by any other name, he won’t easily be caught.
“Ripley” is now streaming on Netflix.
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