‘Phony’ Episode 5 reveals a possible clue about Ellen’s identity as Connie Britton explains her transformation
'Phony' is back with another thrilling episode and this time, the Hulu mystery introduced a new character, which sent the internet into a frenzy. Episode 5, titled 'House of Dog', follows Sharla (Meera Syal) seeking Ellen's truth. In a previous episode, she saw Ellen (Connie Britton) talking to an unknown individual and handing him a bunch of cash. She couldn't identify the man, but managed to capture his vehicle's plates as he drove off. The private investigator uncovered that the vehicle belonged to a woman named Tracy Marks.
At the end of the episode, Sonny (Sam Nivola) finally comes home for some supplies. There, he goes through some of his mother's journals. He reads several entries. One recounted Tucker, Sonny's dog, running away and how her son was optimistic throughout the ordeal. If this one made Sonny emotional, the next one shocked him. In the second entry, she described a woman named Tracy coming for their father's ashes. Ellen described Tracy as erratic and scary. Sonny put it all together and immediately called Sharla to inform her that Tracey Marks could be Ellen's sister. He suspected that Tracy took Ellen's place.
The revelation made sense to many fans, who were intrigued by the subtle changes in Ellen's looks between the present and past timeline. Connie Britton went through an exhaustive process to bring the distinctions to life. "It was actually quite a process," Britton shared with E! News. "It ended up being sort of a combination of various different techniques, because it had to be so subtle but also consistent for an extended period of time."
At first, the show used makeup to bring out the changes; then they brought on a VFX team. The team's job was to "paint in, frame-by-frame" all the subtle changes as the show progressed. This made Connie Britton look distinct in different timelines. Britton was impressed but overwhelmed. "It's very jarring for me to see," Britton said. "When I look at it, I'm either 'I look freakish' or 'I look like myself. Does it even look different?'" It is still unclear whether these differences are real or Sonny's imagination as viewed by the audience. To find out whether Ellen is truly an imposter, tune in every Tuesday only on Hulu.
