Character Relationship Map: Stickmen

Characters

• Jack (played by Robbie Magasiva) — protagonist

  One of the three core members of the Stickmen pool team. He works in an office, forms a relationship with Karen, and gets pressured by crime lord Daddy into placing a $15,000 wager on the tournament....

• Thomas (played by Paolo Rotondo) — protagonist

  A central member of the Stickmen pool team. Initially in a relationship with Marie, he is forced to move out after she suspects his infidelity. He reconnects with waitress Sara, and they become a coup...

• Wayne (played by Scott Wills) — supporting

  A founding member of the Stickmen pool team. He loses confidence after overplaying in the opening match and briefly loses his possessions to his temporary roommate Tess. Despite his fears, he delivers...

• Karen (played by Simone Kessell) — supporting

  Jack's colleague and romantic interest who secretly collaborates with Sara. She competes in the tournament alongside Sara under the team name Bastinados in the semi-finals. Though highly skilled, she...

• Jimmy (played by Rhys Morgan) — supporting
• Sara (played by Anne Nordhaus) — supporting

  A cafe waitress who develops a romantic relationship with Thomas. She secretly teams up with Karen as Bastinados for the tournament's semi-finals. Demonstrating her commitment to Thomas, she intention...

• Holden (played by Kirk Torrance) — supporting

  Daddy's enforcer and tournament organizer. He scouts the three friends for the underground competition, enforces debt collection by intimidating Dave, and enforces pub rules against losing players. He...

• Janelle (played by Irene Wood) — minor
• Eric (played by Victor Rodger) — minor
• Caller (played by Neville Stevenson) — minor

Canonical Relationships

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

• Wayne → Janelle (Professional Employer And Employee) — Janelle employs Wayne as an escort driver.

  Janelle conducts Wayne's job interview and hires him to drive Tess and Lulu to their jobs.

• Holden → Wayne (Power Tournament Authority) — Holden controls match assignments and forces Wayne into a dangerous contest.

  Holden announces that Wayne must play Caller after Wayne steps forward, despite Jack's objection.

• Holden → Jack (Power Enforcer And Target) — Holden exerts coercive authority over Jack on behalf of the tournament's criminal leadership.

  Holden brings Jack to meetings with the tournament owner and pressures him into accepting a $15,000 wager.

• Jack → Karen (Romantic Interest) — Jack and Karen share a romantic connection complicated by Karen's secret alliance with Sara.

  Karen has sex with Jack in his office, and she later chats with him at the bar.

• Thomas → Sara (Romantic Partner) — Their developing relationship becomes an important emotional thread and affects the tournament.

  Thomas and Sara become close after meeting at the cafe, and they later agree to become boyfriend and girlfriend.

Story Dynamics

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

• Jimmy → Eric (Alliance Teammates) — Jimmy and Eric form a competing pool pair in the opening tournament match.

  Jack identifies Jimmy and Eric as the Stickmen's first opponents in the tournament.

• Wayne → Caller (Conflict Pool Opponents) — Their match is one of the tournament's major sporting and physical confrontations.

  Wayne plays Caller while drunk, runs the table without allowing Caller a shot, and then fights him after the match.

• Holden → Thomas (Conflict Opponent) — Holden obstructs Thomas at the climax but ultimately enables his return to the game.

  Holden participates in locking Thomas and Sara on the roof during the final match, before later rescuing them.

• Sara → Karen (Alliance Secret Allies) — They secretly collaborate in the tournament and coordinate their support for Thomas and Sara's relationship.

  Sara and Karen plan something together and later compete as the Bastinados in the semi-finals.

• Thomas → Wayne (Alliance Teammate) — Their friendship and shared team membership form a central part of the story.

  Thomas and Wayne initially play pool together and later compete alongside Jack as the Stickmen.

• Jack → Wayne (Alliance Teammate) — They are founding teammates who rely on each other during the tournament.

  Jack and Wayne enter the tournament with Thomas as the Stickmen, and Jack later supports Wayne during the match against Caller.

• Jack → Thomas (Alliance Teammate) — Jack and Thomas are core teammates whose cooperation carries the team through the tournament.

  Jack joins Thomas and Wayne in forming the Stickmen pool team for the underground tournament.

Story Analysis

Three friends enter a dangerous underground pool tournament and preserve their team, relationships, and community through loyalty and courage.

Plot Progression

1. A Risky Invitation — Thomas, Wayne, and Jack form the Stickmen after Holden notices their pool skills. Their entry into the underground tournament creates both opportunity and danger.
2. Private Lives Collide — The friends prepare for their first match while Thomas meets Sara and Wayne accepts driving work. Jack's connection with Karen and Dave's debt problem introduce hidden complications.
3. Pressure Behind the Table — The Stickmen win early matches, but Holden's intimidation and Jack's forced wager increase the stakes. Thomas loses his former relationship while growing closer to Sara.
4. The Drunken Master — Wayne defeats Caller in an extraordinary performance, but the celebration becomes violent and Jack is injured. The team briefly considers quitting before Dave convinces them to continue.
5. The Last Eight Ball — Sara and Karen throw the semi-final to help the Stickmen, while Holden traps Thomas and Sara during the final. Thomas returns in time to make the winning shot and secure the bar's future.