The Users (1978) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Elena was hired by film producer Adam Baker to seduce Randy Brent, who was working on a film called The Last Man in Phoenix. Since Randy stepped away from Hollywood seven years ago after his wife's death, his career had declined significantly. Adam wanted Elena to lure Randy back into the spotlight and into a relationship, presumably to benefit from his potential comeback in some way. This was essentially a calculated career move by Adam, using Elena as a professional manipulator.

Foreshadowing: Early in the film, Adam is shown as a powerful producer who orchestrates affairs behind the scenes, hinting at his willingness to use people for career advancement.

• elena
• randy brent
• adam baker
• seduction
• hollywood
• career manipulation

Elena learned from her masseur Harvey Parkes that Adam Baker was having an affair with Nancy, who was married to Adam himself. More shocking was the later revelation from Nancy that Adam had slept with her specifically to secure a lead role in Rogue's Gallery. This exposed the depth of manipulation in Hollywood, where even marriage was used as a transactional tool for career advancement.

Foreshadowing: The initial hints about Adam's manipulations were planted when insiders in Hollywood explained how the industry runs on power games and using people.

• adam baker
• nancy baker
• affair
• rogue's gallery
• hollywood manipulation

Randy attempted suicide after Elena discovered him in a compromising situation with screenwriter Andrew Lyons and left him in anger. The suicide attempt was triggered by the collapse of his relationship with Elena, which represented his emotional anchor after years of isolation since his wife's death. The rejection compounded his existing struggles with fame, career decline, and his traumatic past.

Foreshadowing: Earlier scenes showed Randy struggling with love scenes due to his traumatic past and his vulnerability after opening up to Elena.

• randy brent
• suicide attempt
• andrew lyons
• emotional breakdown

Elena returned home to find Randy in an intimate moment with Andrew Lyons, a screenwriter who hoped to cast Randy in his own project. This discovery enraged Elena and became the immediate cause of her departure from their marriage. The scene was ambiguous about whether the intimacy was romantic or professional, but Elena interpreted it as a betrayal.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, Andrew had hinted that he wanted Randy for his own project, suggesting a potential professional relationship that blurred personal boundaries.

• randy brent
• andrew lyons
• intimate moment
• marriage breakdown

Elena tracked down screenwriter Henry Waller, who held decisive casting power over Rogue's Gallery, after he refused to attend a party she threw in his honor. She went to his hotel, spent the night with him, and ensured that Randy would get the lead role. This was a strategic seduction that combined her personal influence with the industry's power dynamics to finally secure the breakthrough role Randy needed.

Foreshadowing: Warren Ambrose had directed Elena to Reade Jamieson and then to Henry Waller, emphasizing that Henry controlled the fate of the project.

• elena
• henry waller
• rogues gallery
• casting
• lead role
• seduction

Elena left Randy immediately after delivering the news that he had gotten the lead role in Rogue's Gallery. Her departure signaled that her primary goal was always her own advancement in Hollywood, not genuine love for Randy. She had manipulated him throughout their relationship to climb the social ladder, and once his usefulness was exhausted, she moved on to marry Reade Jamieson, the wealthy executive producer she had connected with earlier.

Foreshadowing: From the beginning, Elena was portrayed as someone who used people to advance her career, with the marriage to Randy being described as part of her scheming ascent.

• elena
• randy brent
• divorce
• reade jamieson
• career advancement

By the end, Randy Brent and his daughter Marina both regained their former fame. Rogue's Gallery became a serious contender for the Academy Awards, effectively reviving their careers. This success came as a direct result of Elena's manipulations, though she was no longer with Randy when the recognition arrived.

Foreshadowing: Throughout the film, Elena and Marina worked together to prevent Randy from fading back into obscurity and push for his comeback.

• randy brent
• marina brent
• fame
• academy awards
• comeback

Elena and Reade Jamieson felt an immediate connection when they were introduced during the Rogue's Gallery discussions. While Elena was using Henry Waller to secure Randy's role, she had already cultivated a relationship with Reade, a wealthy executive producer. After leaving Randy, Elena married Reade, settling into what appears to be a happy marriage - essentially achieving her goal of attaining power and status in Hollywood through strategic relationships.

Foreshadowing: The initial meeting between Elena and Reade established an immediate mutual attraction that would later become significant.

• elena
• reade jamieson
• marriage
• hollywood success

The movie presents Hollywood as a cut-throat world built on mutual manipulation, where everyone uses everyone else to advance their careers. Characters engage in transactional relationships, affairs, and strategic seductions to get ahead. The film shows that loyalty is rare, marriages are tools for advancement, and success often comes through exploitation of others.

Foreshadowing: Marina's early confession about her tangled love life with powerful producers set the tone for the industry's exploitation.

• hollywood
• manipulation
• ambition
• power games
• industry

Elena impulsively married Randy in Las Vegas as part of her calculated ascent in Hollywood. The marriage formalized both her romantic involvement and her control over Randy, allowing her to leverage the relationship for greater social standing. After the wedding, she appealed to Grace St. George to help her become a true Hollywood insider, using the marriage as a stepping stone to access higher social circles.

Foreshadowing: The marriage was described as a turning point in her scheming ascent, marking a shift from seduction to formal partnership.

• elena
• randy brent
• las vegas
• marriage
• social climbing