8. Conclusion

Each instantiation of the Ripley story claims to be better at something than the ones that went before. This chapter argues that Zaillian’s and Scott’s Tom Ripley is better at playing “nothing” than in Clément’s or Minghella’s versions. From restraint and flat affect in the acting, to the evocation of difficult empathy, it is hard to know what to feel about Scott’s Tom Ripley. Relative to Plein Soleil and Minghella’s The Talented Mr. Ripley, Ripley radically remodels the relationship between the audience and the protagonist, encouraging oscillation between poles of empathizing with Tom and being appalled by him, but finally, settling on reinforcing allegiance between the spectator and the antihero, despite his crimes. To achieve this, Zaillian capitalizes on contemporary cultural movements and developments in television to create a challenging viewing experience that perversely entertains audiences by making them uncomfortable. The series critiques capitalism, consumption, and identity construction, and prompts viewers to ask hard questions about their own complicity as transnational consumers in the twenty-first century. This chapter also outlines potential lines of enquiry for future scholarship.