WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for Ripley.

Summary

• Changes in Ripley show's ending make Tom a more insidious character, acquiring wealth through manipulation.
• Locations like Mongibello in the series differ from the book, adding unique setting details for viewers.
• The dynamic between Marge and Dickie varies, affecting their chemistry and interactions throughout the series.

The critically acclaimed Netflix series Ripley's cast as the unnerving and power-hungry Tom Ripley, a calculated con artist who gets the opportunity of a lifetime. Throughout Ripley, Tom will stop at nothing, not even cold-blooded murder, to establish himself as a man of resources, status, and immense wealth.

Zaillian, the Academy Award-winning screenwriter of Schindler's List, made many poignant changes from the book while still maintaining the unsettling spirit of Highsmith's original text. One of the biggest alterations comes in Ripley's ending and the means by which Tom eventually acquires all of Dickie's wealth, essentially insidiously becoming him like a parasite. The Talented Mr. Ripley is the first of 5 "Ripley" books written by Highsmith, several of which have also been adapted for the screen. While there is currently no update on the status of a Ripley season 2 at Netflix, there is certainly much more source material to work from.

14 Herbert Greenleaf Initially Finds Tom At A Bar

Dickie's dad didn’t hire a private investigator to find him

In the novel, Herbert Greenleaf approaches Tom himself, offers to buy him a drink, and eventually convinces him to consider the offer by inviting him over for dinner.

At the start of The Talented Mr. Ripley novel, Tom realizes that someone is following him, so he leaves the bar he's at and heads to another. It's there where he realizes that Herbert Greenleaf has been trying to track him down in order to ask him about going to Italy to retrieve his son. In the series, Mr. Greenleaf hires a private investigator who finds Tom and tells him he's a hard man to find. In the novel, Herbert Greenleaf approaches Tom himself, offers to buy him a drink, and eventually convinces him to consider the offer by inviting him over for dinner.

13 Dickie's House Is In Mongibello, Italy, Not Atrani

The Talented Mr. Ripley movie is also in Mongibello

Dickie and Marge are also located in Mongibello in the 1999 film adaptation of The Talented Mr. Ripley.

In The Talented Mr. Ripley novel, Dickie resides in Mongibello, a gorgeous coastal town in Italy just south of Naples. Dickie and Marge are also located in Mongibello in the 1999 film adaptation of The Talented Mr. Ripley. In the new Netflix series, Dickie and Marge are staying in Atrani, which is similarly located near Mongibello on Italy's Amalfi Coast. Both Atrani and Mongibello are depicted as quaint and remote villages in the novel and series, while Mongibello in the 1999 film adaptation is much more crowded, particularly at the beach.

12 Marge & Dickie Are Not Engaged In The Book

They aren’t even in an established relationship

In the novel, Tom describes Marge as someone who Dickie is clearly disinterested in, although that's certainly not the case in the series.

A major difference in the dynamic between Marge and Dickie in the novel is that they are not engaged. In fact, they aren't even in an established relationship in the book, which drastically changes their entire chemistry. In the novel, Tom describes Marge as someone who Dickie is clearly disinterested in, although that's certainly not the case in the series. The fact that Marge and Dickie are not engaged or officially together in the novel makes it much more likely that Marge would accept Tom's story that he wanted to get away and move to Rome without her.

11 Dickie Liked The Bathrobe Tom Brings Him

Dickie's dislike of it in the series actually becomes a clue

The robe provides a clue for Freddie in Ripley episode 4 that Tom has been staying with Dickie in Rome since Freddie knew that Dickie would never wear it.

Tom brought Dickie a bathrobe from his mother in both the novel and the series, but Dickie actually liked the bathrobe in the book. This is an interesting change in the series because it provides a clue for Freddie Miles in Ripley episode 4 that Tom has been staying with Dickie in Rome since Freddie knew that Dickie would never wear a bathrobe like that. The robe does not become a big clue for Freddie in the book, which shows a clever addition that Zaillian made in order to make Freddie more suspicious of Tom. It also demonstrates an air of premeditation since Tom likes the robe and ends up wearing it after killing Dickie.

10 Marge Is Much More Friendly To Tom At First

She is instantly suspicious of him in the series

In the series, Marge can tell that something is immediately off with Tom, while in the book, it takes a while for her to start treating him differently.

Unlike in the series, Marge is initially very friendly and unsuspicious of Tom when they first meet on the beach in Atrani. This eventually changes once she starts to see Tom for who he really is and tries to convince Dickie that Tom is taking advantage of him. However, in the series, Marge can tell that something is immediately off with Tom, while in the book, it takes a while for her to start treating him differently. Marge becomes more jealous of all the time that Tom is spending with Dickie in the novel, as the two actually seem like pretty good friends up until San Remo.

9 Freddie Miles Is Very Different In The Book

He has red hair, is overweight, and is not initially suspicious of Tom

In the film, Freddie was played by the incomparable Philip Seymour Hoffman, who actually portrayed a closer rendition of the character described in the novel.

Freddie Miles is characterized quite differently in the novel, the series, and even the 1999 film. In the film, Freddie was played by the incomparable Philip Seymour Hoffman, who actually portrayed a closer rendition of the character described in the novel. The novel describes Freddie as red-headed and overweight, which is very different from the Freddie seen in the Netflix series. Both come from wealth and are supposedly playwrights, which marks two big similarities. In the book, Freddie runs into Dickie in Naples and doesn't say anything at all to Tom, but in the series, Freddie essentially starts investigating him.

8 Reeves Minot Does Not Appear In The Book

He becomes a character in Ripley books 2 & 3

Reeves Minot was invented for the second, third, and fourth "Ripley" novels written by Highsmith titled Ripley Under Ground, Ripley's Game, and The Boy Who Followed Ripley.

Reeves Minot, played by John Malkovich in Ripley episode 8, is not a character in The Talented Mr. Ripley novel. Reeves Minot was invented for the second, third, and fourth "Ripley" novels written by Highsmith titled Ripley Under Ground, Ripley's Game, and The Boy Who Followed Ripley. Reeves ends up playing a major part in Ripley's ending after he meets Tom at a party in Venice and recognizes him as a fellow "art dealer". Reeves helps Tom successfully take on a new identity in England and smuggle Dickie's Picasso out of Italy, which does not happen in the book.

7 Tom Didn’t Revise Marge’s Novel "My Atrani"

Tom doesn’t even read it in the book

Marge does write a novel in The Talented Mr. Ripley book, but Tom is not involved in its creation as he is in the series.

Marge does write a novel in The Talented Mr. Ripley book, but Tom is not involved in its creation as he is in the series. Tom is seen rewriting several parts of Marge's novel, which is how he ends up getting her to like him or at least earning some of her respect in the series. It also demonstrates his skill and intelligence in a more honest way. In the book, Tom doesn't even care to read her novel and often criticizes Marge for being a fake author. Since the novel takes place in Mongibello, Marge's novel is also not called "My Atrani" as it is in the series.

6 Tom Doesn’t Bring Carlo To Dickie's House

Carlo has a much bigger role in the series

Dickie is equally stunned and unnerved by Tom's proposition, although he never has to face Carlo in the book.

Carlo is a much bigger character in the series than he is in the book. Tom does bring a proposition to Dickie from an Italian thief like he does in the series, but Carlo is not established as much of a standalone character in the book. Tom does not invite the Italian thief over to Dickie's house in the book. The scheme is also revealed in the book to be a drug smuggling operation from Italy to using coffins with actual dead people in them. Dickie is equally stunned and unnerved by Tom's proposition, although he never has to face Carlo in the book.

5 Tom & Dickie Didn’t Talk Before He Killed Him In San Remo

Tom sensed that Dickie was sick of him & had no conversation beforehand

In the novel, there is no need for Tom to bring up the subject on the boat and he gets straight to the point by killing Dickie without saying a word.

Tom and Dickie have a clear conversation on the boat in San Remo in which Dickie all but directly says that their time together has come to an end. In the novel, Tom and Dickie make a detour to Cannes before they settle down in San Remo, which allows Dickie more time to pick up on the situation at hand. Tom concludes through Dickie's body language and lack of interest in him that Tom is trying to get rid of him but is too polite to just come out and say it. This is why, in the novel, there is no need for Tom to bring up the subject on the boat and he gets straight to the point by killing Dickie without saying a word.