JD
Father Jud Duplenticy
A good-hearted young priest and former boxer sent to assist Wicks. He believes faith should offer love and forgiveness rather than fear.
ClearStory FILM GUIDE
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery2025
Know the congregation. Follow the impossible crime. Keep the confession hidden.
What you need to know
Young Catholic priest Jud Duplenticy is reassigned to Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude, a small church in upstate New York. Its powerful leader, Monsignor Jefferson Wicks, controls a devoted but troubled congregation through angry sermons and shame. When Wicks dies in apparently impossible circumstances, Benoit Blanc is called to investigate.
2 hours 24 minutesGothic murder mysteryA new case with no story connection to the first two films
OPTIONAL REFERENCECharacters, places and useful termsContains story details. Open after watching.
QUICK REMINDER
11 peopleThe only names you need
BB
Benoit Blanc
The private detective from Knives Out and Glass Onion. He is intrigued by Wicks’s apparently impossible death and works closely with Jud.
JW
Monsignor Jefferson Wicks
The controlling leader of Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude. His harsh sermons have driven away almost everyone except his loyal inner circle.
MD
Martha Delacroix
The church’s devoted manager and Wicks’s closest assistant. She has served the parish since childhood and knows its history better than anyone.
NS
Dr Nat Sharp
The local doctor and a member of Wicks’s congregation. His medical knowledge makes him important when the death is examined.
SH
Samson Holt
The church groundskeeper and a recovering alcoholic. He is quiet, watchful and deeply attached to Martha.
VD
Vera Draven
A tightly controlled lawyer and long-standing member of Wicks’s congregation. She is Cy’s adoptive mother.
CD
Cy Draven
Vera’s ambitious adopted son, an online political personality who sees Wicks as somebody he can turn into a much larger public figure.
LR
Lee Ross
A once-successful author whose reputation has collapsed. He remains part of Wicks’s small circle of followers.
SV
Simone Vivane
A former concert cellist living with chronic pain. She is drawn to Jud’s gentler view of faith.
GS
Chief Geraldine Scott
The local police chief. She focuses on physical evidence and is less willing than Blanc to accept an impossible explanation.
DURING THE FILM
Recap as you go
Choose only a scene you have completed. If you are unsure, wait until you finish watching.
Optional story focusContains story details. Open after watching.
AFTER WATCHING
Key story points
This section contains major spoilers, including the ending.
Content note: Murder, stabbing and blood, poisoning, death by suicide, bodies and acid, religious abuse and shame, alcoholism, chronic pain, strong language and references to past violence.
An unofficial, independently written viewing companion for the 2025 film Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Netflix, T-Street, Rian Johnson or the filmmakers. No official images, logos or film artwork are used.