Character Relationship Map: The Devil You Know

Characters

• Zoe Hughes (played by Rosamund Pike) — protagonist

  An aspiring actress attempting to build her career in the footsteps of her famous mother. She struggles with her mother's criticism, distractions during a screen test, and a growing rivalry with Kathr...

• Kathryn Vale (played by Lena Olin) — protagonist

  A former Hollywood star and Zoe's mother, currently promoting her memoir 'Behind the Vale' ten years after her husband's unsolved murder. She returns to acting against her agent's advice, faces threat...

• Jake Kelly (played by Dean Winters) — supporting

  Kathryn's recently remarried husband. He appears at dinner with the couple and is invited over by Zoe for a romantic encounter, which is interrupted by Kathryn's dramatic entrance.

• Edie Fontaine (played by Molly Price) — supporting

  Kathryn Vale's assistant. She informs Zoe about Kathryn's potential acting comeback and the receipt of a script, helping to highlight the emerging mother-daughter rivalry.

Canonical Relationships

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

• Zoe Hughes → Jake Kelly (Romantic Attempted Seduction) — Zoe attempts to initiate a sexual encounter with her mother's husband, which is interrupted by Kathryn.

  Zoe invites Jake over to have sex, but Kathryn arrives before he can leave.

• Kathryn Vale → Jake Kelly (Romantic Recently Remarried Couple) — Kathryn is Jake's recently remarried wife; their marriage becomes part of the tension when Zoe invites him over for sex.

  The interview says Kathryn has recently remarried Jake, and both attend dinner with Zoe.

• Kathryn Vale → Zoe Hughes (Family Mother And Daughter In Rivalry) — Their mother-daughter bond is strained by Kathryn's criticism and an escalating professional rivalry.

  The plot identifies Kathryn as Zoe's mother. Kathryn criticizes Zoe's acting, and Zoe accuses her of wanting Zoe to succeed only as long as she does n...

Story Dynamics

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

• Edie Fontaine → Zoe Hughes (Narrative Informant) — Edie alerts Zoe to Kathryn's possible comeback, intensifying Zoe's concern about her mother's career.

  Kathryn's assistant Edie decides to tell Zoe that Kathryn may return to acting.

Story Analysis

An aspiring actress's career ambitions become entangled with her mother's attempted return to acting, their rivalry, and the shadow of an unsolved murder.

Plot Progression

1. A Daughter Under Scrutiny — Kathryn interrupts Zoe's acting scene and criticizes her afterward. Zoe watches Kathryn discuss her memoir, her husband's unsolved murder, and the possibility of returning to acting.
2. The Comeback Takes Shape — A script reaches Kathryn, and she rejects her agent's warning by insisting on a return to acting. Edie informs Zoe, who sees Kathryn at a cocktail party and becomes more concerned.
3. Rivalry at the Dinner Table — Zoe's screen test goes poorly as thoughts of Kathryn's comeback distract her. At dinner, Kathryn's discouragement prompts Zoe to accuse her of treating her daughter's success as competition.
4. A Troubling Disclosure — Rumors about Kathryn's possible involvement in the unsolved murder continue as the rivalry between mother and daughter grows. Zoe invites Jake over, and Kathryn's arrival brings a revelation about thr...