Character Relationship Map: Pendulum

Characters

• Capt. Frank Matthews (played by George Peppard) — protagonist

  A police captain honored for securing the conviction of Paul Martin Sanderson, then appointed as a technical consultant to a Senate subcommittee. After Sanderson is released, Frank and his wife Adele...

• Adele Matthews (played by Jean Seberg) — protagonist

  Frank Matthews' wife, who is found shot dead in their home after Sanderson's release. Her death becomes central to the investigation, and the circumstances lead Woodrow Wilson King to consider whether...

• Woodrow Wilson King (played by Richard Kiley) — supporting

  The attorney who helped Paul Martin Sanderson and later agrees to represent Frank Matthews when Frank becomes a murder suspect. King confronts Frank with the damaging circumstances, advises him to sur...

• Brooks Elliott (played by Harry Lewis) — minor

  A man found shot dead alongside Adele Matthews in Frank Matthews' home. Woodrow Wilson King raises the possibility that Frank returned from Baltimore to surprise Adele and Brooks together, making thei...

• Paul Martin Sanderson (played by Robert F. Lyons) — supporting

  A prisoner awaiting execution after his conviction for murder and rape, secured through Frank Matthews' investigation. The Supreme Court overturns his death sentence because of the rules governing evi...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Woodrow Wilson King → Paul Martin Sanderson (Professional Attorney And Client) — King's work for Sanderson connects the overturned conviction to the later investigation involving Matthews.

  The reference describes King as the attorney who helped Sanderson and says he contacts Sanderson's household after learning of the killings.

• Capt. Frank Matthews → Woodrow Wilson King (Professional Defense Attorney And Client) — King defends Frank while pressing him for an honest account and advising him to surrender.

  The reference says King agrees to represent Matthews and tells him to discuss the case only with him and to tell him the truth.

• Adele Matthews → Brooks Elliott (Romantic Lovers) — Their suspected affair becomes part of the accusation against Frank.

  The character profile says Adele is found shot to death in bed with her lover, and the reference says King raises the possibility that Frank intended...

• Capt. Frank Matthews → Adele Matthews (Family Husband And Wife) — Their deaths drive the murder investigation that places Frank under suspicion.

  The reference identifies Adele as Frank Matthews's wife and says they are found shot dead in their home.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Capt. Frank Matthews → Paul Martin Sanderson (Conflict Former Investigator And Suspect) — The legal reversal of Sanderson's conviction destabilizes Matthews's new appointment and precedes the events that put Matthews under suspicion.

  The reference says Matthews's investigation led to Sanderson's conviction for murder and rape, before the conviction was overturned and Sanderson was...

Story Analysis

A legal reversal releases a man convicted by Matthews, and the subsequent killings place Matthews himself under suspicion as his defense begins.

Plot Progression

1. A Conviction Under Review — Matthews is honored for the investigation that convicted Sanderson and receives a Senate appointment. The Supreme Court then overturns Sanderson's death sentence because evidence derived from an illeg...
2. Release After Retrial — At the retrial, the government says too little admissible evidence remains to secure a conviction. The indictment is dismissed, and Sanderson is released.
3. A Murdered Couple — Frank and Adele Matthews are found shot dead in their home. King learns of the killings, and suspicion turns toward Frank.
4. A Defense Begins — King challenges Frank about the possibility that he found Adele and Brooks together, while Frank insists they were already dead when he arrived. Frank refuses to surrender voluntarily, but King agrees...