The True Shakespearean Tragedy of Philip Wittebane.
Spoilers for the finale underneath.
Do I still think that part of Belos’ actions was still fueled by not only his twisted hero complex (which I always thought since at least Hollow Mind) but also because of an underline sense of betrayal he felt after finding out his only family abandoned him for a life with a witch?
Yes
Am I actually okay with how the show ultimately only acknowledges his demented sense of puritanical justice as his sole reason for everything he’s done.
Surprisingly, yes. Let me explain.
I would have loved to see Philip’s backstory more fleshed out. To have confirmation about his feelings about going to save Caleb from the forces of evil, only to find out his own brother has fallen for witchcraft. It would have been great to finally meet Evelyn and flesh out Caleb’s feelings for her and his reasons for leaving. It would have been very appreciated to give The Story of the Brothers Wittebane in more detail.
However, I speak as a viewer. An outside force who desires clarity for their story purely because I find it fascinating. A lover of true tragedy when the fatal flaw of the “main character” (in this case, Philip in this scenario) is the thing that ultimately spells their doom. It comes from the want to have my curiosity satisfied.
In universe, however, who is left to actually care about Belos’ underline motives and feelings? Caleb and countless of his “other lives” were murdered in cold blood by his hands. Hunter, the last remaining essence of his brother, had been pushed away to the point that the teen completely denounced him, and just wants him to go down. Belos had direct hand in the death of the only remaining soul, other than himself, that could have known Caleb and Evelyn’s story in Flapjack. All the witches and demons just want to live and wouldn’t care for their would-be-hunter’s motive for genocide.
Then there is Luz, the first human he’s met since killing Caleb, and the last fellow human he’ll ever see. In his mind, she surely would sympathize with his plight on some level, right? A fellow human trapped in hell itself amongst evil. Sure she has a bit of Caleb’s old craziness for overindulging in sin, but maybe it’s not too late for her. At the very least, Philip knows what a bleeding, naive heart Luz has, so surely she wouldn’t just sit back to watch him die. Surely, she would care about him enough. He can use that to his advantage and have his story of heroism continue on.
But she doesn’t. She stares on in somber disgust just like how Caleb’s ghost has been haunting him for centuries and the rest of the grim walkers he cruelly killed. Luz doesn’t care and rightfully so. In the end, all she wanted was Belos to be gone for good. She doesn’t care about his tragic backstory. She doesn’t care about his underline reasoning for everything he’s done. He’s the monster that would kill innocent people due to his own prejudices. He attempted to destroy her loved ones again and again. He’s the one that made Hunter just to die. Philip destroyed any goodwill Luz could of had for him centuries ago when he used her sympathy to manipulate her. He doesn’t deserve the mercy the Collector attempted to give him, and Luz knew that.
He KILLED her.
So ultimately, no one is left to mourn or wonder about Philip Wittebane, the orphan raised by his brother, only for Caleb to chose a life with Evelyn over him. No one is left to learn about any lingering sense of regret he might have. He will be remembered as nothing but a self-righteous monster.
No one is left to care about his story, and it’s entirely Philip’s own fault.
