Character Relationship Map: The Last Supper

Characters

• Jude (played by Cameron Diaz) — protagonist

  A psychology graduate student living with the other four. Warns Norman Arbuthnot about the poisoned wine before the final dinner. Dies alongside the group after Norman outsmarts them.

• Pete (played by Ron Eldard) — protagonist

  A wealthy law student and one of the five graduate students. Initially participates in the murders and protests sparing the teenager. Dies along with the group after Norman's final toast.

• Paulie (played by Annabeth Gish) — supporting

  A social work graduate student living with the group. Zack threatens to rape her during the initial confrontation. Later regrets his death and participates in the subsequent murders. Dies after the fi...

• Marc (played by Jonathan Penner) — supporting

  An aspiring painter and the first victim of Zack's violence. Fatally stabs Zack in self-defense, triggering the group's plan to murder other conservatives. Dies after the final dinner.

• Luke (played by Courtney B. Vance) — supporting

  A political science doctoral student. Becomes increasingly unhinged and secretly murders Sheriff Stanley. Pushes hardest to kill Norman Arbuthnot but is ultimately dissuaded. Dies after the final dinn...

• Abortion Activist (played by Rachel Chagall) — minor
• Sheriff Alice Stanley (played by Nora Dunn) — supporting

  The local sheriff investigating a missing person case. Becomes suspicious of the students and trespasses in their backyard. Secretly killed by Luke.

• Norman Arbuthnot (played by Ron Perlman) — minor

Canonical Relationships

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

• Sheriff Alice Stanley → Paulie (Professional Investigator) — Paulie becomes one of the students facing law-enforcement scrutiny.

  Sheriff Stanley questions Paulie at the students' home during her investigation.

• Sheriff Alice Stanley → Marc (Professional Investigator) — Her inquiry threatens to expose Marc's involvement in the cover-up.

  Sheriff Stanley questions Marc at the house after becoming suspicious of the students' behavior.

• Sheriff Alice Stanley → Pete (Professional Investigator) — She examines Pete as part of the missing-person investigation.

  Sheriff Stanley questions Pete at the students' home while investigating Jenny Tyler's disappearance.

Story Dynamics

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

• Luke → Abortion Activist (Conflict Punitive Adversary) — Luke embodies the most uncompromising response to ideological opposition.

  Luke supports the group's practice of killing guests who do not recant their conservative beliefs.

• Paulie → Abortion Activist (Conflict Ideological Opponent) — Paulie's participation connects her to the group's ideological violence.

  The students' murdered dinner guests include an anti-abortion activist.

• Pete → Abortion Activist (Conflict Ideological Opponent) — Pete participates in the campaign against the activist's beliefs.

  The abortion activist is one of the conservative guests targeted by the students' dinner procedure.

• Jude → Abortion Activist (Conflict Ideological Opponent) — Jude's group treats the activist as an ideological enemy.

  An abortion activist is listed among the conservative dinner guests whom the students murder for refusing to change beliefs.

• Luke → Sheriff Alice Stanley (Conflict Secret Killer) — Luke removes the investigation's immediate threat through concealed violence.

  After finding Sheriff Stanley trespassing in the backyard, Luke kills her secretly without the others knowing.

• Luke → Norman Arbuthnot (Conflict Ideological Adversary) — Luke represents the most extreme opposition to Norman.

  Luke is the only student who still wants to kill Norman and calls him Hitler before being dissuaded.

• Marc → Norman Arbuthnot (Conflict Hostile Host) — Marc is involved in the collective threat against Norman.

  Marc attends the final dinner where the group considers poisoning Norman.

• Paulie → Norman Arbuthnot (Conflict Hostile Host) — Her participation places Norman inside the group's murder ritual.

  Paulie is part of the group that hosts Norman during the final dinner and debates his fate.

• Pete → Norman Arbuthnot (Conflict Hostile Host) — Pete treats Norman as a potential ideological target.

  Pete joins the students in inviting Norman to dinner and later argues over whether Norman should be killed.

• Jude → Norman Arbuthnot (Narrative Warning Giver) — Jude unintentionally gives Norman a crucial clue.

  Before leaving Norman alone at the dinner table, Jude warns him that the wine in the blue bottle has gone bad.

• Marc → Luke (Social Housemate) — Their shared household hides Luke's secret killing from Marc.

  Marc and Luke live together in the student house and participate in the dinner-murder scheme.

• Paulie → Luke (Conflict Moral Opponent) — Paulie's remorse contrasts with Luke's escalating violence.

  Paulie regrets the veteran's death, while Luke later becomes increasingly unhinged and secretly kills the sheriff.

Story Analysis

A group of idealistic students turns ideological judgment into murder before a persuasive outsider reverses their deadly ritual.

Plot Progression

1. A Dinner Turns Violent — Five graduate students invite a veteran to dinner after he helps move Pete's car. His racist and extremist views provoke debate, then a knife attack that ends with Marc killing him.
2. The Garden of Conviction — The students cover up the killing and design a procedure for murdering conservative dinner guests. They offer ideological opponents a chance to recant before poisoning them with wine.
3. Guilt Enters the House — After ten murders, doubt and infighting weaken the group's certainty. They spare a teenage opponent despite Luke and Pete's objections.
4. The Sheriff at the Door — Sheriff Alice Stanley investigates Jenny Tyler's disappearance and questions the students. Luke secretly kills her after finding her in the backyard.
5. Norman Turns the Table — Norman Arbuthnot defeats the students in debate and discovers their crimes. His deceptive toast leaves the five students collapsed while he survives.