Apr 20
They're so deliberate about showing that Eliot is not playing a role when he's The Chef in French Connection. He doesn't use an alias, he doesn't restrain himself from being harsh or from being sincere, his food speeches to the class are very similar to the ones he gives Parker, he bickers with Hardison just like always --- he's just being himself.
And then in the end, the "head on a platter" conversation just as directly tells us that he is playing the role of The Hitter. He's not being himself, he planned and considered how to act the part. If only for one episode, he got to feel like The Chef was the real him and The Hitter was just a character he played.
