Character Relationship Map: Chance

Characters

• Chance (played by Amber Benson) — protagonist

  A twenty-something slacker in Los Angeles who lives on a trust fund and shares an apartment with Simon. She tries to avoid emotional entanglements, but her mother's visit and the upheaval in her paren...

• Simon (played by James Marsters) — supporting

  Chance's unsuccessful telemarketer roommate, who is self-conscious about his body odor and sometimes asks her for money. He helps Chance evade her mother by pretending to be her, then becomes involved...

• Sara (played by Tressa DiFiglia) — supporting

  A woman Chance meets at a nightclub who makes sexual advances and goes home with her. After spending a day in bed together, Sara suggests taking drugs, but Chance refuses and leaves them behind. Chanc...

• Desiree (played by Christine Estabrook) — supporting

  Chance's mother, whose visit prompts Chance to enlist Simon in a weekend role-switching charade. Desiree tells Chance that she is leaving Malcolm, who is involved with Heidi, and wants to stay with Ch...

• Rory (played by Rayder Woods) — supporting

  A struggling soap opera actor who had a one-night stand with Chance. He later appears at her door, emotional and trying to persuade her that they share a connection beyond sex. Chance and Simon invent...

• Jack (played by Andy Hallett) — supporting

  A man Chance met at a nightclub and told her mother she was attracted to, although Simon uses that story to trick Chance into answering her mother's call. Later, Jack recognizes Simon at the nightclub...

• Malcolm (played by Jeff Ricketts) — supporting

  Chance's father, who is in a relationship with Heidi while his marriage to Desiree is ending. At dinner with Chance, Desiree, and Heidi, he explains that Desiree suggested they experiment sexually wit...

• Heidi (played by Lara Wickes) — minor

  Malcolm's partner, whose relationship with him is a source of conflict between him and Desiree. Chance invites Rory to dinner, knowing that Heidi watches the soap opera in which he stars; Heidi is imm...

Canonical Relationships

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

• Chance → Sara (Romantic Sexual Partners) — Their brief sexual encounter triggers the drug-related crisis in the apartment.

  Chance meets Sara at a nightclub, brings her home, and spends a day in bed with her.

• Rory → Heidi (Romantic Mutual Attraction) — Heidi's admiration for Rory creates another romantic complication at the family dinner.

  Heidi watches Rory's soap opera and becomes immediately smitten with him at dinner.

• Chance → Rory (Romantic Former Sexual Partners) — Their brief sexual encounter produces an unwanted emotional demand from Rory.

  Rory arrives after a one-night stand with Chance and tries to convince her that they share a deeper connection.

• Malcolm → Heidi (Romantic Partners) — Malcolm's relationship with Heidi contributes directly to the marital crisis.

  Desiree says Malcolm is in a relationship with Heidi, and the dinner conversation reveals their sexual and romantic involvement.

• Desiree → Malcolm (Family Spouses) — Their marriage is breaking down but remains emotionally significant.

  Desiree tells Chance that she is leaving Malcolm, while Malcolm says that he still loves her.

• Malcolm → Chance (Family Father) — Malcolm is Chance's father and one side of her parents' separation.

  Chance discusses her parents' divorce with Malcolm and Desiree during dinner.

• Desiree → Chance (Family Mother) — Desiree is Chance's mother and brings family conflict into the apartment.

  Desiree calls Chance to announce her visit and later tells her that she is leaving Chance's father.

Story Dynamics

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

• Chance → Jack (Unknown Fabricated Crush) — Jack is initially used as part of Simon's invented explanation to Chance.

  Simon tricks Chance into taking a call by claiming it is from Jack, a man she supposedly met and immediately liked at a nightclub.

• Simon → Jack (Social Confidants) — Jack gives Simon perspective that helps him understand his feelings.

  Simon tells Jack about his frustration and attraction to Chance, and Jack responds by discussing his own need for human contact.

• Desiree → Heidi (Conflict Rival) — Heidi becomes the focus of Desiree's romantic rejection and resentment.

  Desiree feels rejected when Heidi prefers Malcolm after Desiree suggested that they experiment sexually together.

• Chance → Simon (Social Roommate) — They live together and are closely involved in each other's personal crises.

  Chance shares an apartment with Simon, who returns from the grocery store and finds a woman in Chance's bed.

Story Analysis

A drifting young woman and her roommate confront family instability, sexual confusion, and their need for genuine human connection.

Plot Progression

1. The Apartment Deception — Chance and Simon manage awkward encounters with Rory and invent a story about meeting in a mental institution. Simon then fabricates a romantic phone call involving Jack.
2. A Family Fracture — Desiree visits after deciding to leave Malcolm, who is involved with Heidi. Chance arranges a dinner where the parents' unresolved marital and sexual conflict becomes explicit.
3. The Drug Crisis — Chance meets Sara at a nightclub and brings her home. Sara's drug use makes her appear overdosed, while Simon and Chance cross the boundary between friendship and sex.
4. Contact and Reconciliation — Sara survives and leaves after recovering from the drugs. Jack helps Simon understand his need for human contact, leading Simon back to Chance and a possible relationship.