Character Relationship Map: Splashback

Characters

• George Losser (played by Alan Hay) — protagonist

  George is Jack Wancker's brother-in-law and works as a lavatory supervisor at the United States Space Agency. Frustrated by urinal splashback, he invents and tests the Urinal Splash Guard. After Neil...

• Jack Wancker (played by Matthew Simpson) — supporting

  Jack works at the United States Space Agency and dreams of making history; he is also George Losser's brother-in-law. He dismisses George's ideas, then tries to profit from the Urinal Splash Guard and...

• Neil Armstrong (played by Sam Rintoul) — supporting

  After returning from the Apollo 11 mission, Neil encounters George Losser's Urinal Splash Guard and praises it, saying it makes him comfortable using a urinal for the first time. He tells George he wa...

• Richard Nixon (played by Timothy Nixon) — supporting

  Richard Nixon orders a demonstration of George Losser's Urinal Splash Guard at NASA after Jack Wancker suggests the invention could attract presidential attention. A successful test could lead to a ma...

Canonical Relationships

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

• Jack Wancker → Richard Nixon (Professional Government Demonstration) — Jack presents George as the inventor at the demonstration Nixon orders, which could lead to a government contract.

  Jack tells George that Neil's connections could bring the invention to President Richard Nixon, and Nixon orders a demonstration at NASA.

• George Losser → Jack Wancker (Family Brothers-in-Law) — Their family connection is strained by Jack's condescension and ambition surrounding George's invention.

  The plot identifies George as Jack's brother-in-law. Jack dismisses George's ideas, disputes how to divide potential proceeds, and later tells the inv...

Story Dynamics

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

• George Losser → Neil Armstrong (Alliance Proposed Business Partners) — Neil's approval offers George a potential partnership and a route to wider recognition for the invention.

  After trying George's device, Neil praises it and wants to become a partner.

Story Analysis

George's overlooked invention briefly promises recognition, but the failed demonstration and unequal consequences leave him and Jack on sharply different paths.

Plot Progression

1. An Unnoticed Invention — Jack pursues a historic career while George hopes to move into research and development. George's frustration inspires the splash guard, but Jack treats the invention as a nuisance.
2. Recognition and Opportunity — After the astronauts return, Neil encounters the device and praises its effect. George claims authorship, and Neil wants to partner with him, while Jack sees a chance to reach Nixon.
3. A Risky White House Demonstration — Nixon orders a NASA demonstration that could lead to a government contract. Jack and George argue over the proceeds before Jack introduces George as the inventor at the White House.
4. Unequal Consequences — The demonstration fails in front of Nixon. Jack acknowledges to the investigating committee that the idea was George's, yet Jack is only reprimanded, while George is fired and later becomes a physics...