Philip Holmes

Philip Holmes is a minor antagonist in Beyond: Two Souls. He is the husband of Susan Holmes, the father of their unnamed child, and the adoptive father of Jodie Holmes.
==Background==
Little is known about Philip's life prior to the events of the game. At some point, he met and married Susan Holmes. In 1989, the couple had an unnamed child. However, the newborn contracted an unknown illness and was taken to the hospital, where they passed away despite doctors' efforts to save them. Jodie can optionally see a vision of this event in "My Imaginary Friend..." if she enters the Holmeses' bedroom and interacts with a photograph of Susan and the baby.
After their child's death, the couple adopted a newborn girl, Jodie, who had been taken from her biological mother by the Department of Paranormal Activities. A scientist advised them that Jodie could develop strange abilities, and to contact the organization if anything "unusual" happened. As Jodie grew older, she began to exhibit supernatural powers and a connection to a spectral entity called Aiden.
At first, Philip and Susan believe that Aiden is just an "imaginary friend." However, as Jodie's interactions with the entity become increasingly alarming and violent, Philip becomes more cold and distant towards her, believing Aiden's violent behavior to be her doing.
==Events of Beyond: Two Souls==
===My Imaginary Friend...===
During winter break in 1998, Philip has forbidden Jodie from leaving the house or interacting with other children. When Susan suggests that Jodie go play in the backyard, Aiden helps her sneak out through a hole in the fence to join in a snowball fight with the neighborhood children. However, the game quickly turns violent when a child Jodie, pelted with a snowball, tackles her in revenge, causing Aiden to descend and start choking him. Frightened, the boy calls Jodie a witch. Philip intervenes and drags her back inside. When Jodie tries to explain what happened, he loses his temper and nearly hits her before Aiden frightens him by causing the lights to flicker. He sends Jodie upstairs to her room. Later that night, Susan tries to reason with Philip, but he condemns Jodie as a monster and claims that she may turn her abilities on them.
===Alone===
Some time after Jodie is first brought to the lab, her parents are transferred to another facility. Philip claims that he would like to bring Jodie to the new base with them, but that "everyone" has agreed the safest option is for her to remain at the lab. He also tells her that he and Susan will come visit whenever possible, and that when Jodie is "better," she can come live with them again. Philip is quick to interrupt Susan's tearful goodbye to Jodie. As they are leaving, it is possible for Aiden to strangle Philip. If he does so, Philip panics and calls Jodie "evil" and a "monster" before fleeing with Susan. If Aiden does not attack Philip, the couple leaves without further incident.
This is the last chapter where Philip physically appears. However, Jodie keeps a photo of herself and her adoptive parents in her room throughout her time at the lab. In "Separation," the photo is one of the items she can choose to take with her when she is leaving to join the CIA. Alternatively, Jodie can leave the photo untouched or rip it into pieces.
==Trivia==
* In the removed chapter "First Steps," Susan mentions that she and Philip have to attend an event at the "Officers' Club", which is an establishment for commissioned officers in the armed forces. This suggests that Philip works for the military.
** This could possibly explain why the DPA assigned him and Susan as Jodie's adoptive parents, as the DPA is known to work closely with the military.
** The user guide also mentions that the Holmes residence is on a military installation affiliated with the DPA.
* The Bible found in Philip and Susan's bedroom, as well as Philip's remarks about a "demon" living in their home, suggests that the Holmeses (specifically Philip) are religious. This could indicate that Philip's much harsher behavior towards Jodie is motivated in part by his religious beliefs.
* Philip likes baseball. He has several pieces of baseball memorabilia in his office, including several trophies and framed pictures.
* Philip's age is never specified during the game, but a script page for "My Imaginary Friend..." states that he is between 30 and 35 years old.
* During development, Philip was instead named John. This can be seen in early scripts.https://youtu.be/lne1f45vISw
==References==
de:Philip Holmes
es:Philip Holmes
ru:Филип Холмс
Category:Characters
Category:Antagonists
Category:Males