Character Relationship Map: The Revival

Characters

• Eli (played by David Rysdahl) — protagonist

  Eli is a Baptist preacher who inherited his father's struggling church in Hot Springs. He organizes a Revival to save the congregation, while secretly pursuing a sexual relationship with Daniel. As Ju...

• Daniel (played by Zachary Booth) — supporting

  Daniel is a hungry drifter who initially seeks help from Eli and develops an emotional and sexual relationship with him. He cooks meth at the cabin but discards it after Eli's plea, then publicly conf...

• Jimmy (played by Stephen Ellis) — supporting

  Jimmy is a parishioner who repeatedly visits Eli for advice about his sexual attraction to his cousin, Missy. He later watches Missy at work and is ordered to guard Daniel after Trevor beats him. Jimm...

• June (played by Lucy Faust) — supporting

  June is Eli's pregnant wife and is part of the church community he leads. She becomes suspicious of Eli's relationship with Daniel after finding an exposing photograph, confronts Eli, and goes to the...

• Trevor (played by Raymond McAnally) — supporting

  Trevor is Eli's friend and a key organizer of the Revival. He informs Eli about the congregation's discontent, helps promote the event, and reveals his struggle as a recovering alcoholic while caring...

• Missy (played by Kathleen Suit) — supporting

  Missy is Jimmy's cousin and is seen working while Jimmy watches her. She is the focus of Jimmy's sexual attraction and the subject of his repeated conversations with Eli. Near the end of the story, sh...

Canonical Relationships

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

• Jimmy → Daniel (Power Guard) — Jimmy is temporarily placed in control of Daniel's confinement.

  Trevor tells Jimmy to watch Daniel after Daniel is beaten and hogtied, while they plan to put Daniel on a bus.

• Jimmy → Missy (Family Cousin) — Their family relationship is complicated by Jimmy's sexual attraction.

  Jimmy tells Eli that he feels sexually attracted to his cousin Missy.

• Jimmy → Eli (Professional Pastoral Confidant) — Jimmy seeks moral and personal guidance from Eli as his pastor.

  Jimmy visits Eli's office twice to discuss his sexual attraction to his cousin, and Eli listens and advises him against it.

• Eli → Daniel (Romantic Forbidden Lover) — Their secret sexual relationship becomes the central emotional conflict.

  Eli and Daniel nearly kiss at the cabin, later have sex repeatedly, and Daniel confesses his feelings for Eli.

• Eli → June (Family Husband) — Eli and June are married, but their marriage is damaged by Eli's affair.

  Eli introduces Daniel to his pregnant wife June, and June confronts Eli about his relationship with Daniel.

Story Dynamics

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

• June → Daniel (Conflict Threatening Rival) — June treats Daniel as the source of the crisis in her marriage.

  June goes to the cabin, threatens Daniel with an allegory, and tells Eli she will clean up his mess.

• Trevor → Daniel (Conflict Assailant) — Trevor violently removes Daniel as a threat to the church's plans.

  Trevor enters the cabin, beats Daniel unconscious, and hogties him before ordering Jimmy to watch him.

• Eli → Trevor (Social Friend) — Trevor is Eli's close friend and an important adviser.

  Trevor invites Eli hunting, discusses the congregation with him, and hosts him for a meal to plan the Revival.

Story Analysis

A struggling preacher sacrifices compassion and truth for religious success, destroying Daniel while securing a full congregation.

Plot Progression

1. A Failing Pulpit — Eli presides over a shrinking Baptist church and meets the hungry drifter Daniel. Trevor proposes a Revival as a way to save Eli's position and attract a larger congregation.
2. The Hidden Cabin — Eli brings Daniel to his father's secluded cabin after feeding him and discovering their shared interest in Proust. Their emotional intimacy begins to challenge Eli's public identity and marriage.
3. Desire and Deception — Eli and Daniel begin a sexual relationship while Daniel cooks meth and Eli continues serving as pastor. Trevor reveals the crisis at Emmanuel Baptist, increasing pressure to make the Revival succeed.
4. A Public Performance — June discovers evidence of Eli's affair, while Eli tries to end things with Daniel. Instead, Eli exploits Daniel's public confession to stage a religious healing that makes the Revival a success.
5. Fire and Revival — June and Trevor act against Daniel, culminating in his beating and confinement at the cabin. Eli burns the cabin with Daniel inside, then returns to a church filled by the successful Revival.