Character Relationship Map: Exposé

Characters

• Paul Martin (played by Udo Kier) — protagonist

  A novelist renting a secluded cottage to write a novel while suffering from paranoid nightmares and a breakup with Suzanne. He hires Linda as a secretary, defends her from youths, rejects her advances...

• Linda (played by Linda Hayden) — protagonist

  Paul's secretary who types his manuscript. After being intimidated at the station and later raped in a field (where she kills her attackers with a shotgun), she manipulates the household, displaces Mr...

• Suzanne (played by Fiona Richmond) — supporting

  Paul's ex-girlfriend whom he asks to return. She is seduced by Linda, engages in a sexual encounter with her, and is subsequently murdered by Linda in the shower.

• Mrs. Aston (played by Patsy Smart) — supporting

  The original housekeeper displaced by Linda. She returns to the cottage at night and is murdered with her throat slashed by a knife.

Canonical Relationships

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

• Paul Martin → Mrs. Aston (Professional Household Employer) — Paul's cottage household originally includes Mrs. Aston in a domestic working role.

  Mrs. Aston is identified as the original housekeeper in the cottage before Linda displaces her.

• Linda → Mrs. Aston (Professional Domestic Replacement) — Linda takes over the domestic position previously held by Mrs. Aston.

  Linda insinuates herself into the household and displaces Mrs. Aston, the original housekeeper.

• Linda → Suzanne (Romantic Seductive Rival) — Linda redirects Suzanne's intimacy away from Paul.

  Linda seduces Suzanne after Paul asks Suzanne to return, and the two women have sex.

• Paul Martin → Suzanne (Romantic Former Lovers) — Paul and Suzanne are former partners whose unresolved relationship re-enters the story.

  Paul has split with Suzanne and later asks her to come back.

• Paul Martin → Linda (Professional Employer And Secretary) — Paul hires Linda to assist with his writing project.

  Paul employs Linda as his secretary to type the manuscript for his new novel.

Story Analysis

An isolated writer's household becomes a pressure chamber of obsession, manipulation, sexual rivalry, and escalating violence.

Plot Progression

1. A Cottage for Writing — Paul retreats to a secluded countryside cottage to write while suffering paranoid nightmares and dealing with his breakup. He hires Linda as a secretary and protects her at the railway station.
2. Revenge in the Field — Linda is assaulted during a walk in the field, then shoots both attackers with a shotgun. Her violent retaliation changes the atmosphere around the isolated cottage.
3. The Household Takeover — Paul's advances toward Linda are rejected while she increasingly embeds herself in the household. Mrs. Aston returns suspiciously at night and is murdered.
4. Desire and Sabotage — Paul and Linda continue working on the novel, but Paul also asks Suzanne to return. Linda seduces Suzanne, while Paul's car later crashes into a river after presumed brake tampering.
5. Pandemonium of Violence — Linda murders Suzanne in the shower after their sexual encounter. The accumulated betrayal, murder, and suspected sabotage erupt into widespread violence.