Character Relationship Map: Predicament

Characters

• Spook (played by Jemaine Clement) — protagonist

  One of the two older criminally inclined misfits involved with Cedric in photographing and blackmailing amorous couples.

• Mervyn Toebeck (played by Heath Franklin) — protagonist

  One of the two older criminally inclined misfits involved with Cedric in photographing and blackmailing amorous couples.

• Cedric Williamson (played by Hayden Frost) — supporting

  Naïve teenager protagonist who becomes involved with older misfits in photographing and blackmailing amorous couples, ultimately ending up an accomplice to murder.

• Martin Williamson (played by Tim Finn) — supporting
• Maybelle (played by Rose McIver) — supporting
• Margot Bramwell (played by Brooke Williams) — supporting
• Detective Huggins (played by Edward Newborn) — supporting

Canonical Relationships

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

• Cedric Williamson → Maybelle (Romantic Interest) — Cedric has feelings for Maybelle
• Cedric Williamson → Martin Williamson (Family Father) — Cedric's father who tries to guide him

Story Dynamics

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

• Spook → Mervyn Toebeck (Alliance Partner In Crime) — Criminal partners blackmailing couples
• Cedric Williamson → Detective Huggins (Conflict Investigator) — Detective investigating Cedric's involvement
• Cedric Williamson → Margot Bramwell (Social Acquaintance) — Cedric knows Margot through town connections
• Cedric Williamson → Mervyn Toebeck (Alliance Accomplice) — Cedric becomes involved in Mervyn's schemes
• Cedric Williamson → Spook (Alliance Accomplice) — Cedric becomes involved in Spook's schemes

Story Analysis

A naive teenager's adolescent fantasy world develops into criminal complicity and murder within a 1930s Taranaki town.

Plot Progression

1. A Town And A Troubled Youth — Cedric Williamson is presented as a naive teenager in a 1930s Taranaki town. The story establishes adolescence as a psychologically powerful and disturbing world.
2. The Misfits' Photograph Scheme — Cedric becomes involved with two older criminally inclined misfits. Together, they photograph amorous couples as part of a blackmailing scheme.
3. Blackmail Turns Serious — The photography and blackmail move Cedric deeper into criminal conduct. His adolescent fantasy becomes connected to serious consequences.
4. An Accomplice To Murder — The criminal involvement culminates in murder. Cedric ultimately becomes an accomplice, completing the story's disturbing coming-of-age trajectory.