Character Relationship Map: Relic

Characters

• Kay (played by Emily Mortimer) — protagonist

  Kay is Edna’s daughter and Sam’s mother. She travels with Sam to find Edna, manages the escalating consequences of her dementia and supernatural deterioration, and considers moving her into a retireme...

• Sam (played by Bella Heathcote) — protagonist

  Sam is Kay’s daughter and Edna’s granddaughter. She helps search for Edna, investigates the hidden passages beneath the house, and becomes trapped in their looping, mould-covered corridors. Sam surviv...

• Edna (played by Robyn Nevin) — supporting

  Edna is Kay’s elderly widowed mother and Sam’s grandmother, suffering from dementia and a terrifying physical transformation. After returning from a disappearance, she becomes confused, violent, and i...

• Jamie (played by Chris Bunton) — supporting

  Jamie is Edna’s young neighbour and has previously visited her at the family home. During a game of hide-and-seek, Edna locked him in a hiding place and forgot that she had seen him, leaving him there...

• Alex (played by Jeremy Stanford) — supporting

  Alex is Jamie’s father and a neighbour connected to Edna’s household. When Sam asks why Jamie no longer visits Edna, Alex explains that Edna once locked Jamie away during hide-and-seek and forgot the...

Canonical Relationships

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

• Sam → Kay (Family Daughter) — A close mother-daughter bond tested by the supernatural threat and Kay's decision to remain with Edna.

  Sam travels with her mother Kay to search for Edna. They investigate the house together and repeatedly protect each other.

• Kay → Edna (Family Daughter) — A deeply loving but strained mother-daughter relationship shaped by dementia, fear, and duty.

  Kay is Edna's daughter and travels to the remote family home after Edna goes missing. She later returns to care for Edna despite the danger.

• Jamie → Alex (Family Son) — A father-son relationship that influences Jamie's absence from Edna's home.

  Jamie says his father stopped him from visiting Edna, and Alex later explains why he prevented Jamie from returning.

• Sam → Edna (Family Granddaughter) — A once-affectionate grandmother-granddaughter relationship corrupted by Edna's deteriorating condition.

  Edna shares a tender moment with Sam before suddenly accusing her of stealing and taking back a ring she had previously given her.

Story Dynamics

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

• Alex → Edna (Social Concerned Neighbor) — Alex responds to Edna's dangerous behavior by restricting Jamie's contact with her.

  Alex explains Edna's treatment of Jamie and why he prevented further visits to her home.

• Sam → Alex (Social Questioner And Informant) — Their brief interaction supplies Sam with crucial background information.

  Sam visits Alex to ask why he stopped letting Jamie visit, and Alex recounts the hide-and-seek incident involving Edna.

• Sam → Jamie (Alliance Investigation Connection) — Jamie's experience leads Sam toward the hidden architectural threat.

  After hearing about Jamie's hiding-place incident, Sam investigates the hiding place and discovers a hidden hallway into another part of the house.

• Kay → Jamie (Social Information Source) — Jamie helps Kay reconstruct what happened in the house before the main crisis.

  Jamie visits Kay and Sam to explain why he had stopped visiting Edna. Kay later uses information from Jamie's family to understand Edna's past behavio...

• Jamie → Edna (Social Neighbor) — A neighborhood connection that provides important information about Edna's behavior.

  The plot identifies Jamie as Edna's neighbour. Jamie visits Kay and Sam and discusses his previous visit to Edna's house.

Story Analysis

A family confronts dementia, bodily decay, and an inherited supernatural threat while trying to preserve love and responsibility.

Plot Progression

1. The House Without Edna — Kay and Sam arrive at the remote family home after Edna disappears. The locked house, reminder notes, black mould, and unexplained noises establish an atmosphere of unease.
2. A Return With Bruises — Edna returns without remembering her disappearance and bears a strange black bruise. Her sleepwalking, suspicion, and aggression make the family question whether dementia explains everything.
3. Buried Family Memories — Alex reveals that Edna once trapped Jamie and forgot him. Edna destroys and buries the family album before briefly accepting Kay's care.
4. The House Beneath — Sam discovers a hidden hallway whose mould-covered corridors loop and narrow. Meanwhile, Edna's body visibly rots as the house loses power.
5. Love Inside The Decay — Kay and Sam confront Edna in her transformed state and escape into the lounge. Kay chooses to return, care for Edna, and remain beside her despite the final sign of infection.