Character Relationship Map: Saved!

Characters

• Mary Cummings (played by Jena Malone) — protagonist
• Hilary Faye (played by Mandy Moore) — supporting

  A devout and controlling member of the Christian Jewels. After Mary's pregnancy and questioning of faith, Hilary expels her from the group. She harasses Cassandra and Roland, vandalizes the school, an...

• Roland (played by Macaulay Culkin) — supporting

  Hilary Faye's sardonic, paraplegic brother. He initially accepts Dean's sexuality and becomes friends with ostracized Mary. He dates Cassandra and helps Mary and Cassandra crash the prom with concrete...

• Patrick (played by Patrick Fugit) — supporting
• Tia (played by Heather Matarazzo) — supporting
• Cassandra (played by Eva Amurri) — supporting

  A rebellious Jewish student who is the only peer to discover Mary's pregnancy. She befriends Mary and Roland, forming a small support network outside the school's religious clique. She is expelled for...

• Dean (played by Chad Faust) — supporting

  Mary's devout boyfriend who confesses his homosexuality to her early in the story. Sent to a Christian treatment center after his parents find pornography, he eventually returns with his boyfriend Mit...

• Pastor Skip (played by Martin Donovan) — supporting

  The school's principal and Lillian's secret romantic partner. He enforces strict religious discipline, searches lockers to expose Mary's pregnancy, bans her from the prom, and threatens to end his rel...

• Lillian (played by Mary-Louise Parker) — supporting
• Mitch (played by Birkett Turton) — minor

Canonical Relationships

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

• Hilary Faye → Tia (Power Controller) — Hilary initially controls Tia's place in the group, but Tia eventually rejects her authority.

  Hilary replaces Mary with Tia in the Christian Jewels, but Tia later becomes tired of Hilary's lies and attests to her guilt.

• Cassandra → Roland (Romantic Dating Partners) — Their romance develops alongside their shared resistance to Hilary.

  Mary befriends Cassandra and Roland, who are now dating. They also retaliate together against Hilary's harassment.

• Lillian → Pastor Skip (Romantic Secret Partner) — Their secret romance is complicated by Skip's control over Mary's fate.

  Lillian is covertly dating the school's principal, Pastor Skip. Skip threatens to end the relationship unless she sends Mary to Mercy House.

• Pastor Skip → Patrick (Family Father) — Skip is Patrick's father and later argues with Patrick during the prom crisis.

  Patrick is identified as Skip's son while he attempts to pursue Mary.

• Hilary Faye → Roland (Family Siblings) — Their sibling relationship becomes strained by Hilary's conduct and Roland's opposition.

  Roland is identified as Hilary Faye's brother and comments on Dean's sexuality early in the story.

• Lillian → Mary Cummings (Family Mother) — Lillian is Mary's mother and is involved in decisions about Mary's pregnancy.

  Mary hides her pregnancy from her mother, Lillian. Pastor Skip later pressures Lillian to send Mary to Mercy House.

• Dean → Mitch (Romantic Boyfriend) — Mitch is Dean's partner after Dean's treatment-center experience.

  Dean arrives at the prom with his boyfriend, Mitch, after leaving Mercy House.

• Mary Cummings → Dean (Romantic Boyfriend) — Their relationship drives Mary's pregnancy and spiritual crisis.

  Dean is Mary's boyfriend when he confesses that he suspects he is gay. Mary later reveals her pregnancy to Dean at the prom.

Story Dynamics

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

• Hilary Faye → Mary Cummings (Conflict Former Friends) — Hilary turns against Mary to defend her religious image.

  Hilary ousts Mary from the Christian Jewels after Mary's pregnancy and questioning of faith, then participates in an attempted exorcism against her.

• Mary Cummings → Roland (Alliance Allies) — Roland becomes one of Mary's key allies against school hypocrisy.

  Mary befriends Roland, and he later helps Mary and Cassandra crash the prom with evidence against Hilary.

• Mary Cummings → Cassandra (Social Supportive Friends) — Their friendship gives Mary support outside the school's religious clique.

  Cassandra is the only peer to discover Mary's pregnancy at first, and Mary befriends her after becoming ostracized.

• Hilary Faye → Cassandra (Conflict Harasser) — Their antagonism reflects the school's religious intolerance.

  Hilary constantly harasses Cassandra, and Cassandra is later expelled after being suspected of involvement in the school vandalism.

Story Analysis

Mary's hidden pregnancy and spiritual crisis expose the gap between religious judgment and compassion.

Plot Progression

1. Faith Meets Uncertainty — Mary begins senior year as a devout Christian and member of the Christian Jewels. Dean's confession and Mary's vision lead her to make a desperate attempt to change him.
2. A Hidden Pregnancy — Dean is sent to Mercy House, and Mary discovers that she is pregnant. She hides the pregnancy while Hilary rejects her and religious pressure intensifies.
3. Outcasts Form A Circle — Cassandra learns Mary's secret and joins Mary and Roland outside the school's dominant religious clique. Conflict grows through harassment, retaliation, and vandalism.
4. Hypocrisy Is Unmasked — Skip's locker search exposes Mary's pregnancy and results in punishment before the prom. Roland then finds evidence that Hilary planted the spray-paint cans.
5. Birth Beyond Judgment — The prom confrontation exposes Hilary, while Dean returns with Mitch and Mary reveals her pregnancy. Hilary shows remorse, Mary gives birth, and her faith becomes more personal and uncertain.