Character Relationship Map: Malice

Characters

• Dr. Jed Hill (played by Alec Baldwin) — protagonist

  A newly arrived surgeon who operates on Tracy, removes her healthy second ovary, and is accused of malpractice. He displays a grandiose belief in his surgical infallibility, declaring "I am God." He c...

• Tracy Kennsinger (played by Nicole Kidman) — protagonist

  Andy’s wife and a lifelong con artist who conspires with Jed to engineer a medical settlement. She secretly becomes pregnant, manipulates the surgery and legal case for money, murders Jed, and attempt...

• Andy Sarafian (played by Bill Pullman) — supporting

  An associate dean at a women’s college and Tracy’s husband. After consenting to surgery that leaves Tracy infertile, he learns he is sterile and investigates the conspiracy involving Tracy and Jed. He...

• Det. Dana Harris (played by Bebe Neuwirth) — supporting

  A police detective who investigates the campus rape and murder, requests Andy’s semen sample, and later reveals that she organized a sting operation to catch Tracy attempting to murder the neighboring...

• Neighbor Boy's Mother (played by Paula Plum) — minor
• Neighbor Boy (played by Michael Hatt) — minor
• Atty. Dennis Riley (played by Peter Gallagher) — supporting

  Tracy’s attorney in the malpractice case. He refuses to reveal confidential information about his client, but indirectly directs Andy toward Tracy’s mother, helping Andy uncover Tracy’s fraudulent his...

• Earl Leemus (played by Tobin Bell) — supporting

  A handyman at the college who is identified as the serial rapist and the killer of one of Andy’s students. Andy subdues him after a struggle, and he is arrested.

Canonical Relationships

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

• Neighbor Boy's Mother → Neighbor Boy (mother)
• Det. Dana Harris → Earl Leemus (Professional Detective And Arrested Suspect) — Dana's law-enforcement role encompasses the investigation of Earl's crimes.

  Earl is arrested after Andy identifies and subdues him as the college handyman responsible for the rapes.

• Dr. Jed Hill → Atty. Dennis Riley (Professional Legal Opponents) — Riley helps establish the legal pressure surrounding Jed's surgery.

  Riley's deposition exposes Jed's drinking on the night of the operation and challenges Jed's claim that he is above reproach.

• Tracy Kennsinger → Atty. Dennis Riley (Professional Attorney And Client) — Riley legally represents Tracy while withholding protected information.

  Dennis represents Tracy in her malpractice lawsuit and refuses to answer Andy's questions because of attorney-client privilege.

• Andy Sarafian → Det. Dana Harris (Professional Investigator And Interviewee) — Dana investigates Andy while he is connected to the rape and murder case.

  Dana interviews Andy as a possible suspect in the student's murder and requests a semen sample.

• Tracy Kennsinger → Dr. Jed Hill (Romantic Former Lovers) — Their prior intimate relationship becomes the foundation of the fraud.

  Andy follows the name Dr. Lilienfield and learns that Lilienfield was Jed, who had previously taken up with Tracy.

• Andy Sarafian → Tracy Kennsinger (Family Spouses) — Their marriage becomes the emotional and financial center of the deception.

  The plot introduces Andy and Tracy as newlyweds living together in a Victorian home. Tracy later leaves Andy after the surgery.

Story Dynamics

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

• Neighbor Boy's Mother → Tracy Kennsinger (Conflict Witness's Guardian) — Her household contains the witness targeted by Tracy.

  Tracy enters the neighboring house to suffocate the boy, but the mother later returns with him after Tracy's arrest.

• Neighbor Boy's Mother → Andy Sarafian (Social Neighbor) — The neighboring household becomes crucial to Andy's plan and the final sting.

  Andy lives next door to the boy whose home is later entered during Tracy's attempted murder plot.

• Andy Sarafian → Earl Leemus (Conflict Captive And Assailant) — Andy directly stops Earl's attacks and helps identify the actual rapist.

  Andy discovers Earl is the rapist and subdues him after a struggle before Earl is arrested.

• Andy Sarafian → Atty. Dennis Riley (Conflict Accuser And Counsel) — Andy suspects Riley before Riley redirects him toward Tracy's mother.

  After learning that he is sterile, Andy accuses Riley of having impregnated Tracy, but Riley denies it and refuses to break privilege.

• Dr. Jed Hill → Det. Dana Harris (Conflict Criminal Suspect) — Dana's investigation ultimately exposes the criminal scheme surrounding Jed.

  Jed is implicated in the malpractice conspiracy and in the plan to eliminate the witness, although Tracy kills him before Dana arrests her.

• Tracy Kennsinger → Det. Dana Harris (Conflict Police Suspect) — Dana becomes the direct law-enforcement opponent of Tracy.

  Dana reveals a sting operation designed to catch Tracy attempting to murder the neighboring child and arrests her in handcuffs.

• Andy Sarafian → Dr. Jed Hill (Social High School Acquaintances) — A prior acquaintance enables Andy to trust Jed and invite him into the house.

  When Andy meets Jed, he realizes that they attended high school together.

Story Analysis

A domestic medical fraud escalates into murder when a betrayed husband uncovers the conspiracy inside his own home.

Plot Progression

1. A Dangerous New Roommate — Andy and Tracy begin married life while Jed enters their home as a tenant. A student murder and Dana's investigation introduce suspicion around Andy.
2. The Surgery That Changes Everything — Tracy suffers a medical emergency, and Jed discovers her pregnancy before removing both ovaries. The discovery that the second ovary was healthy destroys the couple's stability.
3. Money Behind the Lawsuit — Tracy sues Jed, whose arrogance and drinking create legal danger. Fear of public exposure leads to a twenty-million-dollar settlement.
4. The Sterility Revelation — Andy helps expose Earl as the rapist, then learns that he is sterile and could not have fathered Tracy's child. His suspicion shifts toward Riley and Tracy's concealed past.
5. The Con Revealed — Andy uncovers Tracy's history as a con artist and identifies Jed as her former partner, Dr. Lilienfield. The conspirators turn on one another when Andy demands money and threatens exposure.
6. The Witness Trap — Tracy murders Jed and attempts to eliminate the neighboring witness, but Andy survives their struggle. Dana's sting operation results in Tracy's arrest and exposes the final deception.