Character Relationship Map: The Assignment

Characters

• Frank Kitchen / Tomboy (played by Michelle Rodriguez) — protagonist

  A professional assassin who becomes the target of Dr. Jane's revenge and undergoes forced gender reassignment surgery, transforming into a woman named Tomboy.

• Dr. Rachel Kay (played by Sigourney Weaver) — protagonist

  A disgraced rogue plastic surgeon institutionalized for illegal gender reassignment experiments and murders. She orchestrates Frank's transformation out of revenge and scientific curiosity, ultimately...

• Dr. Ralph Galen (played by Tony Shalhoub) — supporting

  A psychiatrist assessing Dr. Jane's mental state in the present day. He serves as the narrative framing device and the recipient of Jane's final deposition.

• Johnnie (played by Caitlin Gerard) — supporting

  A woman who harbors feelings for Frank after he stays at her home. She was secretly hired by Dr. Jane to monitor Frank but ultimately helps him set a trap before being sent to safety.

• Honest John Hartunian (played by Anthony LaPaglia) — supporting

  A fixer hired by Dr. Jane to manipulate Frank. He serves as an intermediary who provides clues about Johnnie's involvement before being killed by Frank.

Canonical Relationships

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

• Dr. Rachel Kay → Dr. Ralph Galen (Professional Patient And Psychiatrist) — Galen evaluates Dr. Kay in the present-day frame; her attack changes her understanding of her prospects, and she later uses their meeting to explain her decision to accept her fate.

  Dr. Galen assesses Dr. Kay's condition. She attacks him when he contradicts her, and later tells him she had hoped he would help her be deemed mentall...

• Frank Kitchen / Tomboy → Johnnie (Complicated Romantic Ally) — Johnnie initially monitors Frank for Dr. Kay, but her feelings and assistance lead Frank to spare her and send her to Reno.

  Frank contacts Johnnie and stays at her home. She admits she developed feelings for Frank, and later agrees to help set a trap for Dr. Kay.

• Dr. Rachel Kay → Johnnie (Power Employer And Coerced Monitor) — Dr. Kay uses Johnnie to watch Frank through coercion; Johnnie later helps Frank set a trap for the doctor.

  Johnnie admits that Dr. Kay hired her to monitor Frank and that she agreed because she feared the doctor's guards would kill her if she refused.

• Dr. Rachel Kay → Honest John Hartunian (Professional Employer And Fixer) — Honest John acts as an intermediary in Dr. Kay's plan against Frank.

  Dr. Kay hires Honest John to double-cross Frank.

Story Dynamics

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

• Frank Kitchen / Tomboy → Honest John Hartunian (Conflict Target And Killer) — Frank seeks information from Honest John while pursuing revenge against those involved in his operation, then kills him.

  Frank interrogates Honest John for the surgeon's identity and kills him.

• Dr. Rachel Kay → Frank Kitchen / Tomboy (Conflict Revenge-driven Surgeon And Target) — Dr. Kay turns Frank into the target of both her revenge and her experiment; Frank later confronts her and leaves her unable to practice surgery.

  Dr. Kay hires Honest John to double-cross Frank and performs gender reassignment surgery on him as revenge for her brother's murder.

Story Analysis

A revenge plot follows Frank's forced transformation and retaliation, framed by Dr. Kay's account of her crimes and her final acceptance of the consequences.

Plot Progression

1. A Doctor's Revenge Takes Shape — The present-day assessment frames Dr. Kay's account. In the past, Frank's murder of her brother leads her to hire Honest John and arrange Frank's forced surgery.
2. A Changed Life and a Hidden Plot — Frank confronts his transformed appearance and finds Dr. Kay's recorded message. He turns to Johnnie for shelter while Dr. Kay's account of events continues in the institutional frame.
3. The Search for the Surgeon — Frank pursues those involved in his operation and learns that the surgery cannot be reversed. Honest John's clue leads Frank to discover Johnnie's role, but he spares her and accepts her help.
4. The Clinic's Final Confrontation — Dr. Kay's bodyguards capture Frank and bring him face to face with her. Frank escapes, kills the guards and assistant, and shoots Dr. Kay before staging the scene.
5. Two Accounts Reach Their End — Frank records his version of events and reveals that Johnnie stayed in Reno. In the present-day frame, Dr. Kay accepts her fate and is shown with hands mutilated so she cannot practice.