Template:Infobox character
Kate Beverly Marsh (born September 12, 1995) is a student at Blackwell Academy and a devout Christian. She has been having trouble coping with the release of a viral video featuring her kissing strangers at a Vortex Club Party, and seems emotionally traumatized. Max is seemingly good friends with Kate and watches out for her during this rough time.
Personality
Kate is a nice and kind-hearted, shy teenager who doesn't like being the center of attention. She is bullied for her conservative views on sex and religion. She is depressed as a result of bullying due to a viral video which contained uncharacteristic behavior that was due to being drugged by Nathan Prescott (or Mark Jefferson). Kate views the spread of the video as a form of punishment, one strong enough to weaken the foundations of her faith.
Biography
The following is what Max wrote about Kate in her journal:
I don't want to slam everybody. I do like Kate Marsh, she's down the hall and in one of my classes. She's so pretty AND sweet and friendly. It makes her more beautiful than the beeatches here like Victoria who think beauty is just your face and outfit. See? I'm already playing their drama games. No more!
I've forgotten if I've ever seen Kate Marsh smile or laugh in the past month. She's really sweet and nice, even though the other students make fun of her abstinence campaign. Even if they act immature, everybody at Blackwell are seniors, not high school freshmen... She gets a lot of shit in fact. I know she's involved in a lot of religious groups, but she doesn't preach to me so I don't care.
But she's been extra quiet and introverted the past couple weeks. She looks like she's in zombie mode. I wish I could help her, but I can barely help myself. I wonder if all that bullying has worn her down... I can see how it would. I have to make an effort to talk to her more often, maybe invite her to tea or a movie.
Although she's an adult I bet she's not "allowed" to watch "R" rated films...
Background
A picture of Kate and her family.
Kate was born into a heavily Christian conservative family and is devoted to the religion. Her father Richard is a preacher in the Church, who she seems to have a good relationship with. She has two younger sisters, one of them the 10-year-old Lynn Marsh. She seems to have a positive relationship with them as well.
She started attending Blackwell Academy in September, 2013.
She doesn't drink alcohol and wages an abstinence campaign at her school, although she has a few sips of wine in church.
Before the release of her viral video, Kate was a happy student at Blackwell with a high GPA of 3.9, and a spotless record. She's considered the representative of the very best students at Blackwell, her extracurricular activities include the Meals On Wheels program and a diverse religious studies group.[1]
She became friends with Max during her first month at Blackwell and they regularly met up to drink tea together. They even started to have weekly tea sessions.
Max comments that Kate's original drawings would be perfect for a children's book; so there is the possibility that Kate had aspired to have a career in published works. Kate's creative side also shines through her love of music; she plays violin (usually every morning), and enjoys the works of Mozart.[2]
Kate is traumatized by an experience she had at a Vortex Club party on October the 4th[3], in which Nathan Prescott drugged her, and promised he would take her to a hospital for help (something which he did not follow through with). Kate was caught on camera kissing several strangers, and recalls none of it due to the drugs. Kate later woke up outside her dorm room, stating she wasn't physically hurt but she felt gross (implying Nathan sexually assaulted her).[4] Victoria Chase published the video online and spread the news of the video throughout Blackwell.
After that, she consulted the school nurse who, concerned about Kate's current mental state, contacted Principal Wells to keep an eye on her and informed him about her suspicions regarding possible mobbing, but obviously, he ignored that.[5]
When word of her video reaches her family, all of her family but her father and her two sisters shame her and express disappointment. The persistent bullying from Vortex Club members and the vicious behavior of her peers is why she's become withdrawn and depressed.
Before the events of the Vortex Party, Kate was good friends with Alyssa and Stella; something which Max was oblivious to.[6]
She has a black and white pet bunny named Alice in her dorm room.
Episode One - "Chrysalis"
Kate sits at the table to the right of Max in Jefferson's classroom. She is teased by Taylor, being hit by a paper ball commenting about her "porn video". If Max speaks with her after failing to answer Jefferson's question, she worries that she embarrassed Kate by not knowing the answer. Kate asks to spend time with Max later on. At her table she looks at her notes; but upon closer inspection, it seems she is having depressing, suicidal thoughts. Drawings of nooses and the word "waste" adorn the page.
In the ground of the Prescott Dormitory, Kate sits looking off into the distance alone on a bench. She asks Max to leave her alone for a while so she can think; clearly thinking about her reputation after the viral video she was involved in.
Outside Kate's room, Max can remove the mean message written on her slate "Will bang 4 Jesus". Instead, she can replace it with a peace sign.
Upon leaving the dorm to meet Warren, Max finds Kate being harassed by David Madsen.
David becomes enraged at Max for interfering in official Blackwell business, saying he "will remember this conversation". However, he walks away leaving Kate alone, and she thanks you for your intervention.
David walks away without noticing that you took a photo for proof of his actions, Kate is distressed by your lack of intervention and leaves, upset.
As Max searches through Chloe's garage for tools to fix her camera, she can happen upon David's files. It's clear he's been spying on Kate, taking photos and creating a file for her.
When Max discovers that Chloe was drugged by Nathan Prescott, she assumes that the same thing happened to Kate due to her strange, uncharacteristic behavior on the viral video.
At the end of the episode, Kate is seen crying in her room during the snow-storm.
Episode Two - "Out of Time"
During the beginning of this episode, Max can again remove the mean comments from Kate's Bedroom slate. Further down the hall, Juliet is watching Kate's video on her phone beside Brooke. Talking to her, you can encourage her not to share the video any more.
In the bathroom, Kate asks Max for her copy of "The October Country " back. The girls talk for a moment before Max goes to have her shower. While in the shower, Max witnesses Victoria and Taylor harassing Kate, and writing the link to the viral video on the mirror. Max has the option to rub it off.
Returning Kate's book, Max can look around her bedroom. Max comments that it's "way too emo", with the blinds closed, mirror covered and depressing drawing on the floor. Around the room are letters, postcards and photographs which relate to Kate's family. Her father sent her a postcard to give her hope, while her Aunt sent her a letter condemning her actions in the video. Kate's favorite Bible verse is highlighted on a post-it note inside the book; Matthew 11:28 - "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."
Max talks to Kate about the events of the Vortex Club Party and the viral video. She reveals that she was not drunk, and after consuming only a small amount of wine, was seemingly drugged by Nathan who failed to take her to the hospital as promised. Her unusual behavior of kissing people on video and acting wildly could be attributed to the drugs, proving Kate's innocence.
Kate asks Max whether she should go to the police for help with her situation. If Max chooses to go to the police, Kate will be easier to deal with at the climax. If Max chooses to find more proof, Kate will be distraught by this.
Later, at the diner with Chloe, Max will receive a phone call from Kate, and will have to choose to either answer it or ignore it. Answering it will cause Max to miss a confrontation between Chloe and her mother, which Chloe will chide her about later, but will comfort Kate.
At Blackwell Academy, a distraught Kate will be seen talking to Mr. Jefferson for help, who will dismiss her. Kate runs off crying, missing class. On her way outside, she runs past Warren ignoring him, while David Madsen is taking pictures of her. Zachary will run into Mr. Jefferson's classroom, saying that something is going on at the dormitories. Upon arriving, Max sees Kate throw herself off the roof, killing herself. She attempts to use her power in order to reverse time, but suffers severe headaches and nosebleeds as a result. Finally, she exerts her power to the degree that she can stop time, which allows her to make it to the roof.
Once on the roof, however, Max is unable to use her powers due to the pain they are causing her. She has to talk Kate down without the assistance of the Rewind. To talk her down, Max needs to encourage Kate to be strong and beat the bullies who spread her viral video around as well as to have paid attention to items in Kate's room while returning the book to Kate and pointing out all those pertinent items that mean a lot to her (Kate's father or sister and her favourite Bible verse). Defending Kate from David, encouraging Kate in her initial decision to report the matter to the police and answering her phone call earlier are helpful, but she can be saved without making those actions by making the right dialog choices.
If Max succeeds in talking her down, the montage at the end of the episode will show her recovering in a hospital bed. If she fails, the montage will instead show a memorial at the steps in front of the dorm.
Episode Three - "Chaos Theory"
Regardless of the outcome in episode two, Kate doesn't directly appear in this episode.
Following the events of her attempted suicide, according to Max's diary, Max walked Kate down from the rooftop. When they exited the dorm, they were greeted by the school faculty "like heroes". Kate was later hospitalized for treatment.
In the following evening, her dorm room was sealed off with barricade tape. The whiteboards of hers and others in the girls dormitory have been rewritten by their respective owners in support of Kate's recovery, and Kate's social media page is full of supportive messages by a lot of Blackwell students including Victoria. In light of her absence, Max takes care of Kate's bunny. Sneaking out to meet Chloe, Max meets a remorseful Dana, and finds out that Victoria and Taylor are still very wrecked after Kate's suicide attempt.
Max will later receive grateful SMS messages from both her and her family members. Kate thanks Max for reaching to her on the roof and trying to help her. Kate believes Max was sent to help her for a reason when no else cared to and gave her hope. Kate will also mention her father Richard, among the individuals thankful for helping her and tells her that she would always be in their prayers. Max responds to the message immediately and tells Kate that she would visit her when she got the chance.
If she succeeded in committing suicide, Max describes in her diary that Kate's expression was frightened when she began to fall from the rooftop. When she exited the dorm, she saw Kate's body on the ground surrounded by paramedics while the police kept the crowd of students away from her body. With Kate gone, Max has become the caretaker of Kate's bunny.
In the following evening, the girls dormitory had set up a small memorial in front of Kate's door, which was sealed off with barricade tape. Additionally, their whiteboards were rewritten with "Rest in Peace" messages of condolences for Kate, and the Blackwell students left remorseful messages on her whiteboard and social media page.
Max will later receive a message of appreciation and an invite to Kate's funeral from Kate's father, Richard Marsh. Richard thanks Max for attempting to save his daughter's life, complimenting her heroism and grace for trying to deal with a situation that he believed was not in the control of either Max or his daughter.Episode Four - "Dark Room"
Provided that Kate survives the events of Episode Two, Max and Chloe will visit her in the hospital before going to the Prescott Dormitory to look for Nathan. Max, who is extremely happy to see her, will talk with her, noting that she seems happier since her attempted suicide. Kate regrets her suicide attempt deeply and feels very ridiculous, but Max assures her that other people need to feel responsible for what has happened. She is also very grateful towards Max for coming up to the rooftop to talk to her, because she was feeling lost and alone all the time, but Max's caring and trying showed her that she wasn't. Actually, she understood that there are a lot of people who love her.
Kate tells Max that she has to stay at the hospital for another day until her family comes to visit. Her family are now very protective towards Kate, and feel very guilty.
People seem to have felt truly sorry for her, sending postcards, letters, balloons, flowers and cards to her. She comments that she gave most of the flowers away to other patients, believing they need them more than her. She seems surprised that so many people from Blackwell wrote to her, including Daniel, Mr. Jefferson and even Victoria who wrote her a very sweet note. Max notes that Nathan's name is not on the card from the Blackwell students. Taylor had sent her pretty tulips.
A nurse provided Kate with pencils and paper, and Kate started drawing children's illustrations again; planning on creating a new book about bullying. She asks Max to take photos of the book for her. The drawings seem to make her more hopeful for the future. She and Max even talk about having a tea-shop tour of Portland. Kate suggests she also bring Warren along. Max can disagree, banning boys from the trip, or question Warren's involvement.
Principal Wells sent her an email wishing her a speedy recovery. He talks about a rally in her honor, and tries to offer her help.
After seeing a postcard by Victoria sent offering her help, Max can talk to Kate about Victoria's personality, speculating about either her insecurities or how bitchy she is. Kate decides to forgive her, because she believes in forgiveness and redemption.
If Max chooses to talk to Kate about Nathan, Kate states that he should pay for what he did to her and that they have to stop him from hurting anybody else. She will text Max his room number (111) when she visits the boy's dorms later in the episode.
On the End of the World Vortex Club Party, Victoria dedicates her Everyday Hero Contest prize to Kate.
Episode Five - "Polarized"
Whilst in the Dark Room, Max uses her selfie taken at the beginning of the first episode and travels back to Jefferson's class where everything started. Max may comfort Kate after the class telling her she'll always be there for her and also confront Victoria with her video of Kate. Kate will later be deeply thankful, as evident from her messages, although it does not have any effect on the rest of the episode, as Max later travels back in time again.
Kate later appears in Max's nightmare.
If Max saved Kate, in the art class scene of Max's nightmare, Kate's place in Jefferson's classroom will be filled with scribbles of "I WANT TO DIE". In the Girls' Dormitory scene, Kate is seen sitting in front of her dormitory room and mourning at her memorial. When Max talks to her Kate blames Max for making sure that Kate would never be alone again by saving her life. She will then jump off the roof like she did in episode two. In the diner scene, Kate asks Max not to let her die.
If Kate succeeded in committing suicide, in the art class scene of Max's nightmare, Kate's place in Jefferson's classroom will be splattered with blood. In the Girls' Dormitory scene, Kate is seen sitting in front of her dormitory room and mourning at her memorial. When Max talks to her Kate blames her for letting her die and claims that she is stuck in hell forever now. She will then jump off the roof like she did in episode 2. In the diner scene, Kate asks Max not to kill her so that they can "have [their] tea session."
Kate's survival and last appearance depend on Max's decision at the end of episode five.
If Chloe is sacrificed in the end of the game by returning to the bathroom at the beginning of the week and letting her die at the hand of Nathan, Nathan gets arrested and denounces Mark Jefferson to the police. Kate doesn't go to the roof anymore since the police found evidence in the Dark Room that she was abducted. It will be hard for her but people believe her and it will be easier for her to overcome this, especially with Max at her side. In the closing scene, Kate can be seen walking along with Principal Wells and other attendees before stopping beside David and Joyce Madsen to comfort them during Chloe's funeral.
If Max prevented Kate's suicide she has a good chance of surviving the storm, as she planned to leave the town after her hospitalization with her parents on Friday morning, but it's not clear if she or her parents managed to leave in time.
Relationships
Friends
- Maxine Caulfield - Kate and Max soon started to befriend each other at Blackwell. Max considers her to be a natural beauty, which is only enhanced by her personality. They share an affection for tea and hold weekly tea sessions. During her depressive phase after the Vortex Club Party events, Max is the only true friend she has to turn to in the school, the only one actually trying to help her and caring for her. After stopping Kate from jumping off the roof top, Kate is rejuvenated with hope again, thanking Max for being supportive of her at her worst time. She considers Max an angel and tells her how much she loves her. She also tells her how much she admires her fearlessness, while Max always admired her kindness and natural beauty.
- Alyssa and Stella - They seem to have been rather good friends before the Vortex Club incident, but they weren't there for her when she suffered from bullying and was all on her own. However, Alyssa still defends Kate when the Vortex Club mocks her after not showing up to class, and is there for her after her suicide attempt.
- Dana Ward - Kate and Dana seem to be friends since before Max came to Blackwell. After Kate's suicide attempt, Dana mentions that she wasn't a good friend to Kate because she didn't help her in that roof while Max did. When asked about the video, Dana admits that she was watching Kate's video with Trevor. Dana promises to be a better friend or, if Max failed to talk Kate out of suicide, is regretful and wishes she was a better friend like Max.
- Warren Graham - Kate and Warren are friendly with each other and talk with each other from time to time. Kate talks very positively about him calling him a "smart and silly cutie-pie" with a good heart and suggests Max to take him with her to their tea-shop tour of Portland after her suicide attempt. She also supports Max's date with Warren if she accepted his invitation to the drive-in.
Family
- Richard Marsh (father) - Richard appears to be a very loving and supportive father, especially after the publication of Kate's video, unlike the rest of Kate's family. In a postcard Max can find in Kate's room, her father calls her his "brightest light against the dark".
- Mrs. Marsh (mother) - Kate only says, "You don't know my mother," when Max says that she would care about her on the roof, leading to believe that they have a troubled relationship. Nothing else is known about her mother.
- Lynn Marsh (sister) - Lynn and Kate's other unnamed sister seem to have a good relationship with her based on the image in Kate's room where Kate smiles and eats ice cream with them. If Max mentions Kate's sisters on the roof, it doesn't have a negative effect on her, getting closer to stopping her from the attempt to commit suicide.
- Auntie Marsh - Auntie Marsh seems to have a bad relationship with Kate. She writes a letter to Kate where she says "you released your harlot image before God's eye." She will also, "pray for her soul to be saved from Eternal Hellfire."
Enemies
- Nathan Prescott - He drugged Kate on a Vortex Club Party, which led to her being filmed while kissing strangers and ending up in Mr. Jefferson's Dark Room, which she doesn't recognize, but she knows he's done something terrible to her. She wants him to pay for what he's done to her and even thinks that there's something evil about the Prescotts that connects them with death.
- Mark Jefferson - Although not directly an enemy, Mr. Jefferson is more of an antagonist towards Kate than she knows. When Kate attempts to find comfort from Mr. Jefferson he harshly advises her to stop being dramatic. As later revealed, Mr. Jefferson drugged, kidnapped and photographed her in his Dark Room and later on, subtly pushes her to attempt suicide for the sake of covering his tracks.
- Victoria Chase - She spread Kate's video in Blackwell and even build up a homepage. After her suicide attempt, Victoria sends her a lovely letter offering her help and even dedicates her Everyday Hero Contest prize to Kate. Kate acknowledges that she really struggles with her guilt and, despite her mean behavior, is actually insecure about herself, and so decides to forgive her.
- Taylor Christensen - Considered enemies due to her being one of Victoria's "minions". She supported the spreading of Kate's video and took part in the bullying on Kate. After Kate's attempted suicide, Taylor is shown to be regretful of her actions towards Kate however and even brings her flowers when Kate is at the hospital.
Spirit Animal and Symbolism
Symbolism
Colours associated with Kate the most, are black and white due to her clothing (still needs elaboration).[7]
In Kate's hospital room in episode four, Max can find flowers from Taylor, which are yellow tulips. Yellow tulips stand for hope and cheerful thoughts and are a common caring get-well gift. Yellow is also the color of friendship.
Spirit Animal
It's most likely that Kate's spirit animal is the rabbit, which is the animal connected to her the most as she has a pet rabbit. The rabbit is a symbol of vulnerability, comfort, abundance - it's associated with sentiment, desire and procreation. People with this totem are usually unpredictable, spontaneous, gentle, nurturing, observational, alert, clever, quick-witted, successful and good advisers. This totem is furthermore a symbol of fertility, warmth, sexuality and luck. This may not completely describe Kate, however. Also, she had posters about advising on abstinence.
Kate's Binder
In the Dark Room, Kate's binder is one of the three viewable binders other than Rachel Amber's binder and Victoria's empty one. In the binder, you can find several photographs of a drugged Kate, taken by Mark Jefferson.
Possible Theories
The name "Katie" appears in Frank's client list (codenamed as "Chihuahua"). It is possible that Kate may have bought drugs from Frank in her depressed state, as Chihuahua would be a fitting dog type for Kate and this Katie bought a sleeping drug called green dream and a drug that causes death (both uses would be fitting for Kate in her sleepless and suicidal circumstances). Otherwise, it's more unlikely for Kate to use weed and acid (the other drugs under Katie's name in the book), none of the transactions took place in Blackwell itself where she spends most of her time, and she can't even say a swear word let alone become involved with Frank. However, it has been confirmed by the developers that the Katie on Frank's list is not Kate Marsh.
It's very likely that Kate survived the storm in the Sacrifice Arcadia Bay ending, since the hospital is a solid brick building that could have been able to withstand the storm as opposed to the destroyed wooden buildings that are shown in this ending. Also, hospitals do usually have underground storm shelters, and Arcadia Bay is known to have a lot of bomb shelters.[8]
Additionally, she could have been released by the hospital after a 48 hour hold period, by which time her family would have visited (as she mentions they would during Max's visit). The storm would have been on its way by then, and Kate and her family would most likely have fled the town.
Inconsistencies
- Main article: Inconsistencies
Max's journal page for Kate will change in episode three, depending on whether Max manages to save her life or not. A new decal will appear on the page to cover the 'LiFE' graphic that was visible in the previous two episodes. However, there is currently an inconsistency with how these new graphics appear, due to the files being misnamed in the Unreal Engine packages (TX_Character_E3_Kate_SF, TX_Character_E4_Kate_SF, and TX_Character_E5_Kate_SF).
The journal sticker graphic that implies Kate is alive has been labelled Kate_scrapbook_dead, and the sticker graphic that implies that Kate is dead has been labelled Kate_scrapbook_alive. If Kate dies, the sticker graphic that appears after this consequence implies she is still alive ("Get Well Soon"). If Kate lives, the sticker graphic that appears implies that she has died ("Love is how you stay alive, even after you are gone").[note 1]
Trivia
- Kate is the first human character who has a determinant status.
- According to Max, Kate likes to get up early in the morning.
- According to her file, Kate has a GPA of 3.9, and is one of the people who "represent" Blackwell Academy.
- Kate is one of the attendees at Chloe's funeral in the "Sacrifice Chloe" ending.
- Her room in the Girls' Dormitory is Room 222. It is suggested in Max's nightmare that the room was previously occupied by another student prior to Rachel Amber's disappearance. This also suggests that Kate is possibly a new intake student similar to Stella Hill, Taylor Christensen, Juliet Watson and Max Caulfield.
- Kate's favorite Bible quote is: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)
- Kate's work with the Meals on Wheels organization she is affiliated with was featured on the KBAY 7, a local news station in Arcadia Bay, according to her school files.
- Kate's book, The October Country by Ray Bradbury, is comprised of short stories that often deal with macabre themes, celebrity pressures and end in death, paralleling Kate Marsh's situation with the viral video and her suicide.
- Max suggests that Kate is in her H.R. Giger period upon seeing Kate's recent dark-themed drawings.
- Although in most outcomes she dies during her suicide attempt, she can be saved if you make the correct choices prior to her suicide attempt. (If you save her, she goes to hospital in regard to her mental health.)
- You can find a bottle of wine in her room, hidden behind the drawer, despite the fact she told Max that she doesn't drink. On the other hand, she did say she would drink wine and also drank some wine on the Vortex Club Party, but quickly states she only drinks a small amount.
- If you take a closer look at the scribbles on Kate's notebook in Jefferson's class at the beginning of the game, you will notice that they indicate suicidal thoughts and already foreshadow her eventual suicide attempt. The doodles depict an angel whose face is covered in blood, a tree with gallows as well as the words "WASTE" and "SO LONELY".
- As an official easter egg by Square Enix, players can actually visit the website for Kate's video. http://katesvid.com/ is an actual link that leads to a blog with a single post and a video that was "removed" by Youtube, linking to the fact that Victoria took the video down after Kate's suicide attempt.
- In Kate's hospital room in episode four, Max can find flowers from Taylor, which are yellow tulips. Yellow tulips stand for hope and cheerful thoughts and are a common caring get-well gifts. Yellow is also the color of friendship. [9]
- On Kate's "Get Well Soon" card, the names "River S" and "Rory W" are signed. Both are most likely references to River Song and Rory Williams, characters that appear in the fifth through seventh seasons of Doctor Who.
- The combination of Kate's middle and last name may be a reference to the character Beverly Marsh in Stephen King's IT.
- Kate's rabbit Alice is very likely a reference to the white rabbit in Alice in Wonderland that leads Alice to Wonderland.
Notes
- ↑ DONTNOD were made aware of this inconsistency on 29th March 2017. It is unknown if a patch will be released that fixes this issue.
References
- ↑ This is evident through her Blackwell Academy record.
- ↑ This is evident from the Mozart poster in her room in Episode Two
- ↑ This is evident from David's clues which include photos and location data cross-referencing the time of Kate's abduction with both Jefferson's and Nathan's vehicles on the evening of the 4th of October.
- ↑ She reveals this information to Max in Episode 2: "Out of Time".
- ↑ This is evident through a note attached to her Blackwell Academy record.
- ↑ There is a photograph of the three girls together in Kate's bedroom.
- ↑ For searching the meaning and symbolism of the colour black, see here: http://www.bourncreative.com/meaning-of-the-color-black/, http://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/color-black.html
- ↑ According to a document from the Prescott Barn, the Prescotts had brought "a bomb shelter boom" over the town.
- ↑ You can find out more about the symbolism of tulips here: http://www.easternfloral.com/blog/many-colors-tulips-meanings/