Character Relationship Map: The Rake

Characters

• Nicole (played by Rachel Melvin) — protagonist

  Nicole is Ashley’s family member and the host who welcomes her home after psychiatric treatment. She tries to rebuild the family, urges Ashley to stay for dinner, and announces her pregnancy with Andr...

• Ashley (played by Shenae Grimes-Beech) — protagonist

  Ashley returns home after inpatient psychiatric treatment, taking medication, studying online, and working part time as a florist. She experiences terrifying visions and night terrors, feels unheard b...

• Cassie (played by Izabella Miko) — supporting

  Cassie appears during the family’s Christmas gathering, helping Ben and Ashley decorate. Her role establishes the family setting before the darker revelations emerge, placing her alongside the childre...

• Ben (played by Stephen Brodie) — supporting

  Ben is Ashley’s family member who secretly listens to the recording about the entity during childhood. Years later, he is disturbed by Ashley’s night terror, leaves the gathering, and panics when Jere...

• Jacob Murphy (played by Joe Mullen) — supporting

  Jacob Murphy is the person whose belief is presented in the disturbing recording heard during the family’s childhood Christmas gathering. He describes an entity that attaches to people, feeds on their...

• Jeremy (played by Joe Nuñez) — minor

  Jeremy is connected to the family gathering and leaves the house to look for his partner outside. His playful search is interrupted by strange sounds and a threatening growl, after which he fails to r...

• Andrew (played by Joey Bicicchi) — minor

  Andrew is Nicole’s partner and remains wary of Ashley after her return from psychiatric treatment. During dinner, he announces the pregnancy with Nicole, but becomes angry when Ashley reacts bitterly...

• Young Ashley (played by Alexa Nasatir) — minor

  Young Ashley is the childhood version of Ashley who shares nightmares with Young Ben after their parents’ violent death. Her childhood experiences become important to the later mystery because Ben bel...

Canonical Relationships

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

• Nicole → Cassie (Family Connection) — Cassie participates in the family gathering surrounding Nicole and the other relatives.

  Cassie helps decorate during the Christmas family gathering, where Nicole's family history is introduced.

• Nicole → Ben (Family Connection) — Ben is part of the family group Nicole is trying to reunite.

  Ben is present at Nicole's family gathering, and Nicole participates in the attempt to keep the family together after Ashley's return.

• Ben → Ashley (Family Sibling) — Their shared childhood trauma forms one of the central emotional bonds in the story.

  Ben and Ashley are presented together as children, share nightmares about their parents' violent deaths, and later discuss what may have been present...

• Nicole → Ashley (Family Support) — Nicole actively attempts to support Ashley and restore their family connection.

  Ashley arrives at Nicole's home after psychiatric treatment, and Nicole tries to welcome her back and rebuild the family.

• Nicole → Andrew (Romantic Partners) — They are a couple whose attempted family celebration becomes strained by Ashley's reaction.

  Nicole and Andrew live together, and they jointly announce that they are expecting a child.

• Young Ashley → Ashley (Temporal Younger Self) — Young Ashley represents Ashley's earlier life and the origin of her recurring trauma.

  The story presents Ashley as a child during the earlier family tragedy and later follows Ashley years afterward as an adult returning from treatment.

Story Dynamics

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

• Jeremy → Ben (Narrative Disappearance Catalyst) — Jeremy's disappearance triggers Ben's urgent disclosure about the family's trauma.

  When Jeremy fails to return after going outside, Ben panics and begins explaining the childhood nightmares and the possible presence in the house.

• Ashley → Jacob Murphy (Narrative Trauma Connection) — Jacob's recorded warning provides a possible interpretive framework for Ashley's disturbing experiences.

  Ashley experiences nightmares and a night terror connected to the violent death of her parents, while the recording presents Jacob Murphy's account of...

• Ben → Jacob Murphy (Narrative Information Listener) — Jacob's recorded account becomes an important source of information for Ben.

  Ben secretly listens to a recording describing Jacob Murphy's belief in the Rake and its effects on people.

• Cassie → Ashley (Alliance Teammate) — Cassie cooperates with Ashley in the opening family scene.

  Cassie helps Ben and Ashley decorate during the opening family Christmas gathering.

• Cassie → Ben (Alliance Teammate) — Cassie cooperates with Ben during the family's shared preparations.

  Cassie helps Ben and Ashley decorate during the opening family Christmas gathering.

• Andrew → Ashley (Family Conflict) — Andrew's distrust intensifies the family's failed reconciliation.

  Andrew remains suspicious of Ashley and later calls her behavior frightening and unstable during the dinner.

Story Analysis

A fractured family confronts recurring trauma and the possibility that an unseen presence was connected to their parents' murders.

Plot Progression

1. Christmas Shadows — A family Christmas gathering introduces fear through a television broadcast and Jacob Murphy's recording. Ben secretly listens as the children’s shared nightmares connect the family to a violent past.
2. Ashley's Difficult Return — Years later, Ashley returns to Nicole and Andrew's home after psychiatric treatment. Her recovery account meets Nicole's cautious support and Andrew's visible suspicion.
3. The Family Breaks Apart — Ashley suffers a terrifying basement night terror, and Ben leaves disturbed. Nicole's attempt to preserve a family dinner collapses after Ashley describes a traumatic pregnancy experience.
4. The Unanswered Presence — Jeremy disappears after hearing strange sounds and a threatening growl outside. Ben links the disappearance, the childhood nightmares, and Jacob Murphy's warnings, but the available events end without...