The door to the basement, and the basement itself, is a subtle metaphor used in the show. During the last episode, it got harder and harder for Ryan to turn the knob; he was beginning to disregard his “Wilfred” and re-enter the “Archeologist” side of his personality. This ties in with the Richard R. Grant quote, which states that “The value of identity is that so often with it comes purpose.” Identity is a double-edged sword, as Ryan shows us when his interests (Jenna) find a purpose for his old identity.
Ryan uses the dirt he’s collected on his family and friends to further his own ends, similar to his eluded backstory as an infamous attorney. Unfortunately, he realizes too late that this purpose associated with this identity makes people miserable. As in his backstory, the opponents Ryan used his “black files” against lost, but Ryan suffered too, sending him into the predicament he found himself in at the start of the first episode.
The personification of Ryan’s good side, Wilfred, is aware of this, and begins working out his will. Ryan observes, but does not see the correlation to his own actions, as he has developed a somewhat healthy skepticism of his Wilfred.
Ryan’s trials in this episode painfully demonstrate to the audience the folly of compromising one’s values to advance one’s goals. As the “straight man”, Ryan is susceptible to influence from any of the sides of his personalities, easily seen in the Paranoia episode (Ep. 11). At the end of this episode, Ryan completely loses his Wilfred personality, and the basement stairs are now a closet.
There is hope, however, in the tennis ball. This classic symbol of the relationship between a man and a dog may yet serve to bring back Ryan’s Wilfred side. Whether he can salvage his relationship with his sister, and win Jenna remains to be seen in the coming season. Needless to say, I cannot wait.
