Character Relationship Map: Pork Pie

Characters

• Jon (played by Dean O'Gorman) — protagonist

  Jon is an Auckland writer who cannot finish his book and travels south to confront his former fiancée. After joining Luke, he becomes involved in the escape from police, loses his laptop draft, and re...

• Luke (played by James Rolleston) — supporting

  Luke is a highly skilled driver who escapes pursuers in a yellow Mini Cooper S and gives Jon a lift after nearly hitting him. He helps Jon evade police across the country, forms a relationship with Ke...

• Keira (played by Ashleigh Cummings) — supporting

  Keira works at a drive-through burger restaurant and is a vegan activist angered by animal exploitation and rude customers. She joins Luke and Jon on their journey to attend a protest, begins a relati...

• Noah (played by Matt Whelan) — supporting

  Noah contacts Jon during the journey and clarifies that the man who was consoling Susie at the wedding was her gay friend. This phone call corrects Jon's mistaken assumption and helps explain the conf...

• Becca (played by Siobhan Marshall) — supporting

  Becca is heard by Jon on the radio while he and Luke are hiding under a bridge. She says that Jon did not show up at his wedding with Susie, while the radio host reacts approvingly. Her broadcast adds...

• Bongo (played by Tom Sainsbury) — supporting

  Bongo is a conspiracy-theorist fan who encounters Luke and Jon near Roxburgh after crowds begin celebrating their escape. He offers assistance when they are low on petrol, but then produces a gun and...

Canonical Relationships

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

• Luke → Keira (Romantic Partners) — Their attraction develops during the road escape.

  On the train, Keira and Luke begin a relationship and have sex.

Story Dynamics

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

• Bongo → Luke (Conflict Threatening Intruder) — Bongo's actions intensify the public danger surrounding Luke.

  Bongo shows Luke and Jon a gun and demands inclusion in their team; after they leave, he claims that the gang shot him.

• Bongo → Jon (Conflict Threatening Intruder) — Bongo changes from a possible helper into a direct threat.

  Bongo offers help, then appears with a gun and demands to be included in the team, causing Jon and Luke to drive away.

• Becca → Jon (Social Public Commentator) — Becca's public account shapes the media narrative surrounding Jon.

  Jon hears Becca on the radio saying that he did not show up at his wedding, while the radio host reacts approvingly.

• Jon → Noah (Social Informational Supporter) — Noah provides information that corrects Jon's misunderstanding.

  Noah calls Jon on the train and explains that the man at the wedding was Suzie's gay friend.

• Jon → Keira (Alliance Travel Companions) — Jon and Keira share the group's dangerous journey.

  Keira joins Jon and Luke at the drive-through restaurant and travels with them toward Wellington and later Invercargill.

• Jon → Luke (Alliance Travel Companion) — Their improvised partnership becomes the central travel alliance.

  Luke gives Jon a lift after nearly running him over, and the two continue the journey together toward Invercargill.

Story Analysis

A desperate road journey turns an accidental trio into a media-created outlaw gang while Jon pursues personal reconciliation.

Plot Progression

1. A Chance Ride South — Luke escapes in the Mini while Jon begins a troubled drive toward Wellington. After Jon's car burns out, Luke gives him a lift and their partnership begins.
2. The Unplanned Crew — Keira joins the travellers for an animal-rights protest and rave. Jon's wedding confrontation and broken laptop deepen his personal crisis.
3. Escape on the Rails — The group evades pursuit by driving into a freight train. Disguised in old clothing, Luke and Keira become romantically involved while Jon receives clarifying news from Noah.
4. Viral and Surrounded — Keira's videos make the group nationally famous, but the publicity intensifies police pressure. Keira is captured, and Bongo's reckless intervention spreads a false gun rumor.
5. The Last Run — Luke is shot and Jon continues alone toward a final meeting in Invercargill. Help from the Southland Mini Club gets him to the café, where arrest and reconciliation follow.