Character Relationship Map: Taking Off

Characters

• Lynn Tyne (played by Lynn Carlin) — protagonist

  One of the central parents searching for her missing daughter, Jeannie. She stays by the phone with other mothers, gossips about her sex life, gets drunk at a hotel, and later attempts to apply sexual...

• Margot (played by Georgia Engel) — supporting

  A friend of the Tynes who assists in the search. She stays by the phone with other mothers, sharing gossip about her own sex life and later confiding sexual tips to Lynn Tyne.

• Tony (played by Tony Harvey) — supporting
• Schiavelli (played by Vincent Schiavelli) — supporting

Canonical Relationships

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

• Schiavelli → Lynn Tyne (Professional Instructor) — Schiavelli temporarily acts as an instructor to Lynn and the other parents.

  At the Society for the Parents of Fugitive Children dinner, Schiavelli instructs the parents on how to smoke marijuana.

Story Dynamics

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

• Tony → Margot (Social Friend) — Tony and Margot belong to the Tynes' immediate social circle.

  Tony and Margot are both described as friends whom the Tynes enlist for support after the disappearance.

• Lynn Tyne → Tony (Alliance Search Partner) — Tony participates in the informal search effort surrounding the family crisis.

  Tony is enlisted with Margot to support the Tynes, while the men are pushed to search neighborhood bars for the missing girl.

• Lynn Tyne → Margot (Social Friend) — Margot is a close friend who supports Lynn during the family crisis.

  Lynn and her husband enlist Margot as a friend for support after their daughter disappears. Lynn later listens to Margot's intimate gossip and advice.

Story Analysis

A worried couple's search for their missing daughter exposes the absurdity and emotional disorientation of adult social conventions.

Plot Progression

1. The Empty Home — Lynn discovers that her daughter is missing and contacts the other family involved. Margot and Tony join the search, which quickly becomes mixed with drinking and gossip.
2. A Wider Search — The daughter disappears again, sending Lynn into the city. A chance encounter with another missing girl introduces her to a broader community of troubled parents.
3. The False Arrest — A police call suggests that the missing daughter has been arrested, but the trip upstate reveals a false identity. The failed search leads to an uneasy hotel night.
4. Parents Unbound — At the parents' formal dinner, social conventions collapse through marijuana, drinking, gossip, and a humiliating clothing game. The daughter's return interrupts the group's escalating absurdity.
5. A Musical Homecoming — The daughter introduces a thoughtful musician, who refuses to perform for the hosts. Lynn instead takes the piano, ending the film with a shared song.