Character Relationship Map: Wormtown

Characters

• Jess (played by Caitlin McWethy) — protagonist
• Kara (played by Rachel Ryu) — protagonist
• Rose (played by Emily Soppe) — supporting
• Alice (played by Maggie Lou Rader) — supporting
• Dudette (played by A.J. Baldwin) — supporting
• The Rancher (played by Jordan Mullins) — minor
• Mayor Joshua (played by Jim Azelvandre) — minor
• Susanna (played by Madison Murrah) — minor

Canonical Relationships

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

• Mayor Joshua → Alice (Power Ideological Influence) — Mayor Joshua's doctrine strongly influences Alice's beliefs and actions.

  Mayor Joshua's sermons shape daily life, and Alice repeats his belief that darkness is not a curse and that he saved the community.

Story Dynamics

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

• Dudette → Susanna (Conflict Physical Opponents) — Dudette participates in the confrontation that leaves Susanna distressed.

  Dudette travels with Kara and Alice when the group encounters Susanna and struggles violently before escaping.

• Kara → Susanna (Conflict Physical Opponents) — Kara is involved in the violent confrontation with Susanna.

  Kara's group encounters Susanna, and an attempt to confront her turns into a brutal struggle.

• Kara → Rose (Social Crisis Association) — Rose is drawn into the consequences of Kara's resistance.

  Rose becomes caught in the escalating conflict while Kara openly questions the town's control.

• Jess → Rose (Alliance Conflict Companion) — Jess and Rose are connected as companions affected by the expanding crisis.

  Jess and Rose become caught in the escalating conflict surrounding Kara, Alice, Dudette, and the town's control.

• Kara → Dudette (Alliance Travel Ally) — Kara and Dudette cooperate during the dangerous journey away from Ashland's control.

  Kara and Dudette travel with Alice, encounter Susanna, and escape together in a vehicle.

• Alice → Dudette (Alliance Travel Companion) — Alice temporarily travels alongside Kara and Dudette during the group's escape attempt.

  Kara and Dudette travel with Alice before encountering Susanna.

• Alice → Kara (Conflict Deceiver) — Alice's apparent guidance conceals an act of infection and betrayal.

  Kara discovers that Alice deceived and infected her.

• Mayor Joshua → Kara (Conflict Ideological Adversary) — Kara's emerging resistance opposes the mayor's control over Ashland.

  Kara questions the town's control and argues that people should be allowed to choose their own beliefs, challenging Mayor Joshua's doctrine.

• Mayor Joshua → The Rancher (Political Alliance) — The mayor's authority depends partly on the ranchers' protection of the town.

  Mayor Joshua urges residents to trust the ranchers, while the ranchers protect Ashland from outsiders.

Story Analysis

A controlled community built on infection and belief faces resistance when Kara challenges the authority of Mayor Joshua.

Plot Progression

1. The Mayor's Dark Revelation — Mayor Joshua hides a disturbing condition and presents it as a revelation rather than an illness. His radio broadcasts begin defining the rules of life in Ashland.
2. Doctrine Beneath The House — Alice explains the town's beliefs to Kara, including the brain worms and the supposed necessity of ceremony. The language of salvation gradually reveals a system of coercion.
3. The Worm And The Choice — Kara learns that Alice deceived and infected her, then endures a violent attempt to remove the worm. Joshua's response turns Kara into a possible instrument of the community.
4. Resistance Leaves Town — Kara rejects the town's demand for ideological conformity while Jess and Rose are drawn into the wider conflict. Kara, Dudette, and Alice travel toward a dangerous confrontation.
5. Blood On The Road — The encounter with Susanna becomes a brutal struggle, forcing the survivors to flee in a vehicle. Joshua's calm broadcast contrasts with the violence outside Ashland.