Character Relationship Map: Set It Up

Characters

• Charlie Young (played by Glen Powell) — protagonist

  Charlie is the overworked assistant to venture capitalist Rick Otis. He helps Harper arrange a relationship between their bosses so they can regain personal time, but becomes conflicted after learning...

• Harper Moore (played by Zoey Deutch) — protagonist

  Harper is Kirsten Stevens's assistant, an aspiring sports journalist who greatly admires her employer's career. She partners with Charlie to set up Kirsten and Rick, but confesses their manipulation w...

• Richard "Rick" Otis (played by Taye Diggs) — supporting

  Rick is a high-strung venture capitalist and Charlie Young's abrasive employer. He begins dating Kirsten after Charlie and Harper engineer their meetings, then becomes engaged to her. His lack of genu...

• Suze (played by Joan Smalls) — supporting

  Suze is Charlie Young's girlfriend. She nearly ends their relationship because Charlie has no time for his personal life while working for Rick, and later ignores him after their circumstances change....

• Becca (played by Meredith Hagner) — supporting

  Becca is Harper Moore's best friend. She welcomes Charlie and Harper to her engagement party when Charlie is having trouble with Suze, and later supports Harper during a crisis over her writing. Her e...

• Kirsten Stevens (played by Lucy Liu) — supporting

  Kirsten is a former journalist who now edits an online sports journalism empire, and she is Harper Moore's demanding employer. She dates and becomes engaged to Rick after Harper and Charlie manipulate...

• Creepy Tim (played by Tituss Burgess) — supporting

  Creepy Tim is a janitor who helps Charlie Young and Harper Moore stage an elevator mishap intended to bring their bosses together. The plan goes wrong when another passenger causes chaos, but Tim late...

• Kirsten's Friend Sloane (played by Jackie Burns) — cameo
• Kirsten's Friend Emma (played by Fay Ann Lee) — cameo

Canonical Relationships

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

• Charlie Young → Suze (Romantic Boyfriend And Girlfriend) — Charlie’s work demands strain the relationship, and he ultimately ends it rather than continue without genuine love.

  Suze nearly breaks up with Charlie because he has no time for his personal life. Charlie later breaks up with her after realizing he does not love her...

• Richard "Rick" Otis → Kirsten Stevens (Romantic Engaged Couple Whose Relationship Collapses) — Their engineered romance advances to an engagement, but Rick's lack of sincere commitment brings it to an end.

  Charlie and Harper arrange for Rick and Kirsten to meet, and the two begin dating and become engaged. Kirsten leaves Rick after Charlie tells her that...

• Harper Moore → Kirsten Stevens (Professional Assistant And Employer) — Harper's admiration and ambition are tested by her deception of Kirsten; their working relationship ends in a renewed, more supportive professional offer.

  Harper is Kirsten's assistant and admires her career. Kirsten fires Harper after learning that Harper and Charlie manipulated her dating life, then la...

• Charlie Young → Richard "Rick" Otis (Professional Assistant And Employer) — Charlie initially tolerates Rick's abrasive management for career prospects, but eventually quits when Rick's deception threatens Kirsten.

  Charlie works as Rick's assistant, and Rick's professional connections could help Charlie get promoted. Charlie later quits and tells Kirsten that Ric...

• Charlie Young → Harper Moore (Co-conspirators Turned Romantic Partners) — Their scheme to free up time from work develops into mutual affection, despite the deception and conflict it creates.

  Charlie and Harper team up to arrange dates for their bosses. After Harper sees Charlie at the office, they confess that they like each other and kiss...

Story Dynamics

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

• Harper Moore → Creepy Tim (Alliance Plotting Collaborators) — Harper includes Creepy Tim in the attempted elevator setup for Rick and Kirsten.

  Harper and Charlie enlist janitor Creepy Tim to help stage an elevator mishap intended to bring their bosses together.

• Charlie Young → Creepy Tim (Alliance Plotting Collaborators) — Creepy Tim assists Charlie and Harper with their planned elevator setup, which goes awry.

  Charlie and Harper enlist janitor Creepy Tim to help stage an elevator mishap intended to bring Rick and Kirsten together.

• Harper Moore → Becca (Social Best Friends) — Becca offers Harper social support and encourages her to continue pursuing her writing ambitions.

  Charlie accompanies Harper to her best friend Becca's engagement party. Later, Becca encourages Harper during a crisis about her writing.

• Kirsten's Friend Sloane → Kirsten Stevens (friend)
• Kirsten's Friend Emma → Kirsten Stevens (friend)

Story Analysis

Two overworked assistants scheme to pair their bosses, but their plan forces them to confront dishonesty and what they want from their own lives.

Plot Progression

1. A Meal and a Scheme — Harper and Charlie meet while trying to satisfy their demanding bosses. They recognize that both have sacrificed their personal lives and decide that setting up their bosses might give them time back.
2. Engineering a Romance — The assistants' elevator plan fails, so they arrange a baseball-game encounter instead. Rick and Kirsten begin dating, and Harper and Charlie secretly manage the relationship as it becomes unstable.
3. An Engagement Built on Deception — Rick and Kirsten return from a vacation engaged, but Charlie learns that Rick's proposal is not sincere. Harper confronts Charlie and then tells Kirsten how the relationship was engineered.
4. Choosing Honesty and New Beginnings — Charlie ends his relationship with Suze, quits his job, and warns Kirsten before the elopement. Harper turns back toward writing, receives an offer of editorial support, and reunites with Charlie in a...