Character Relationship Map: Delirious

Characters

• Jack Gable (played by John Candy) — protagonist

  Jack is the lead writer and producer of the soap opera Beyond Our Dreams. After a car crash, he discovers that writing on his typewriter can control reality, using this power to save Rachel, help Jane...

• Janet Dubois / Louise (played by Mariel Hemingway) — protagonist

  Louise auditions for the role of Janet Dubois, a character Jack initially did not want introduced. In the alternate reality, Janet seeks to protect her late father's weight-loss formula from the Hedis...

• Rachel Hedison / Laura Claybourne (played by Emma Samms) — supporting

  Laura plays Rachel Hedison, the selfish lead actress on Jack's soap opera, while privately attracting Jack. In the altered reality, Rachel is engaged to Paul but becomes interested in Jack after he re...

• Carter Hedison (played by Raymond Burr) — supporting

  Carter is the patriarch of the Hedison family and owner of a large pharmaceutical company. He and his sons, Blake and Ty, seek to obtain Janet's secret formula at any cost. His family conflict with Ja...

• Arlene Sherwood (played by Renée Taylor) — supporting

  Arlene is Jack's co-producer and Lou Sherwood's partner in reshaping Beyond Our Dreams. She helps oppose Jack's outline, supports removing Rachel, and backs the secret hiring of Fetterman. After Jack...

• Blake Hedison (played by Dylan Baker) — supporting

  Blake is one of Carter Hedison's sons and part of the family pursuing Janet's formula. After taking an overdose of medication prescribed by Dr. Kirkwood as part of Rachel's scheme, he suffers side eff...

• Fetterman (played by Milt Oberman) — minor

  Fetterman is Jack's rival writer, hired by the Sherwoods to impose the changes they want on Beyond Our Dreams. He is associated with the planned death of Rachel and with a replacement version of the J...

• Ty Hedison (played by Charles Rocket) — supporting

  Ty is one of Carter Hedison's sons and a member of the powerful pharmaceutical family seeking Janet's formula. He is grouped with Carter and Blake in the family's efforts to acquire it at any cost. Th...

Canonical Relationships

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

• Rachel Hedison / Laura Claybourne → Carter Hedison (Family And Co-Conspirators) — Rachel acts with the Hedison family in the scheme to get Janet's formula.

  At the Hedison mansion party, Rachel has conspired with her family to obtain the secret formula Janet entrusted to Jack; Carter is the Hedison patriar...

• Carter Hedison → Ty Hedison (Family Father And Son) — Ty belongs to Carter's family, which pursues Janet's formula.

  The plot describes Ty as one of Carter Hedison's sons.

• Carter Hedison → Blake Hedison (Family Father And Son) — Blake is part of Carter's family and joins the Hedison effort to obtain Janet's formula.

  The plot describes Blake as one of Carter Hedison's sons.

• Arlene Sherwood → Fetterman (Professional Hiring Collaborators) — Arlene and her co-producer support bringing in Jack's rival to reshape the soap opera against Jack's preferences.

  The Sherwoods hire Fetterman, Jack's rival, to make the changes they want to Jack's outline.

• Jack Gable → Arlene Sherwood (Professional Producer And Co-Producer) — Their professional conflict over the show's direction culminates in Jack using the Heimlich maneuver to save Arlene and secure her agreement to his approach.

  Jack is the lead writer and producer of Beyond Our Dreams, and Arlene is his co-producer. She backs changes to his outline and Fetterman's hiring; aft...

• Jack Gable → Rachel Hedison / Laura Claybourne (Romantic Unrequited Attraction) — Jack initially pursues Rachel, rescuing and impressing her, but ultimately rejects the relationship after discovering her actions against Janet.

  Jack harbors an unspoken attraction to Laura, who plays Rachel. In the alternate reality he pursues Rachel, but later recognizes that he loves Janet i...

• Jack Gable → Janet Dubois / Louise (Romantic Love Interest) — Jack's attraction shifts from pursuing Rachel to recognizing his love for Janet; after returning to New York, he starts a relationship with Louise.

  In the alternate reality, Jack feels a mutual attraction with Janet. After she is shot, he realizes he is in love with her, and in New York he begins...

Story Dynamics

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

• Rachel Hedison / Laura Claybourne → Fetterman (Conflict Character Targeted For Removal) — Fetterman's assigned story changes threaten Rachel's continuation on the show, putting him at odds with her interests.

  The Sherwoods hire Fetterman to make changes they want, including killing off Rachel because of Laura's contract demands. The plot associates Fetterma...

• Rachel Hedison / Laura Claybourne → Janet Dubois / Louise (Conflict Conspirator And Target) — Rachel works against Janet's interests, seeking her formula and later trying to ensure she dies.

  Rachel conspires with her family to obtain the formula Janet entrusted to Jack. After Janet is shot, Rachel convinces Kirkwood to kill her in surgery.

• Blake Hedison → Rachel Hedison / Laura Claybourne (Conflict Manipulated Allies) — Rachel's scheme contributes to Blake's impaired state and violent confrontation, with Janet becoming the accidental victim.

  Blake confronts Rachel with a gun after suffering side effects from an medication overdose prescribed by Kirkwood as part of a scheme orchestrated by...

• Jack Gable → Ty Hedison (Conflict Opponent Protecting Janet) — Ty is part of the family whose pursuit of Janet's formula Jack works to thwart, though the plot gives Ty no individual action.

  Ty is identified as one of Carter's sons and part of the Hedison family seeking Janet's formula; Jack assists Janet against the family's efforts.

• Jack Gable → Blake Hedison (Conflict Opponent Protecting Janet) — Blake's actions make him a direct threat to Janet, whom Jack is trying to protect.

  Blake is part of the Hedison family's effort to obtain Janet's formula, and Jack assists Janet against the family's machinations. Blake later accident...

• Jack Gable → Carter Hedison (Conflict Opponent Protecting Janet) — Jack's attempts to protect Janet place him in opposition to Carter's family's pursuit of her formula.

  Carter and his sons seek to acquire Janet's late father's formula at any cost, while Jack helps Janet resist the Hedisons' efforts.

• Jack Gable → Fetterman (Conflict Professional Rivals) — Their rivalry over the soap opera becomes an in-story contest when Jack uses his writing power to remove Fetterman from the local conflict.

  The plot identifies Fetterman as Jack's rival writer. After Fetterman's version of Jack Gates appears in the alternate reality, Jack sends him on a bu...

Story Analysis

A soap-opera writer enters the world of his own show, where his power to write events forces him to choose between fantasy, ambition, and love.

Plot Progression

1. A Writer's Fractured Weekend — Jack's conflict with the Sherwoods and his disappointment with Laura precede his car crash. He wakes in the fictional town that has become real.
2. The Power of the Page — Jack discovers that his typewriter can shape events and uses that power to pursue Rachel. He also becomes involved in Janet's struggle to keep her father's formula from the Hedisons.
3. The Mansion's Hidden Scheme — Jack's competing attachments and Janet's danger converge at the Hedison mansion party. A birth revelation and Blake's accidental shooting transform the stakes.
4. The Story Returns Home — Jack tries to save Janet, but Gates shoots him and strikes the typewriter. Jack wakes on his show's set, confronts Laura and the Sherwoods, and reunites with Louise.