The Downfall of Evelyn Parker | Cyberpunk 2077 Character Analysis

Wiping the Doll’s memories sounds humane right up until you realize trauma runs way deeper than just memories.

If this story taught me anything it's that if your on a sinking ship don't try and fix it just run

The fact that Evelyn was able to bluff her way into potentially the greatest heist in Night city history just blows my mind.

When you meet her the first time a Lizzie's and she asks you if you've ever been in Konpeki Plaza, the Corpo dialogue option will have V say that the Konpeki in Japan is the best, making all the other ones, even the one in Singapore inferior, and while V is talking, Evelyn's facial expression looks like she's feeling awkward. In the end she just agrees with Corpo V. But I think it's pretty obvious that she's never been to Konpeki in Japan and she was only agreeing with V to preserve the air of Corpo on her. She really was trying so hard. I feel bad for her.

Night City slowly killed Evelyn's soul long before it took her life.

"Even if Evelyn had left Clouds by this point, her head was still in them." Absolute killer of a line that actually applies to the entire heist crew. Evelyn gets that worst hand in the entire game, and it's even more tragic because the criticism that characters aim at her are actually true of the entire group -- yet she's the only one they criticize. A lot of characters say that Evelyn's fate was foreseeable for aiming so high and being reckless, but the same is true of V and everyone else. Interestingly, Johnny is uncaring and even cruel when it comes to Evelyn's decision to flatline herself...yet he's way more empathetic if V decides to do it. His character development aside, Evelyn seemingly gets more harshly criticized and penalized for things everyone else does, too. When you really take a look at the heist, we have V (returning to NC after a long break) teaming up with Dex (a fixer who messed up something so badly in Pacifica that he left for years rather than deal with the fallout) to steal from the largest, most dangerous corpo on the planet. And their team is a guy who is KNOWN for wearing his heart on his sleeve and being a bit hot-headed, a netrunner who is really good but is no Spider Murphy, and a seemingly unimportant doll. From the outside looking in, nobody would bet this heist would work. But while V gets condolences and even some respect for attempting it, Evelyn just gets a cold "she got what she deserved", which creepily mirrors what heartless people say about women who become the victims of predators. "Look at the way she dressed." And I think that's intentional. Evelyn aimed for the stars so she could get out of NC, and she pays a disproportionate penalty for doing so, being taken in and abused by no-name people. I never thought about it from the viewpoint of Evelyn knowing that Dex could be manipulated, though, or that her last days were spent making sure nobody suffered the fallout for her actions. Those are really good points. **PHANTOM LIBERTY SPOILERS** Whereas V can, and seems to canonically care about people to a fault (to me, it's always seemed that Vik KNOWS V is screwing around helping people on the streets rather than prioritizing the chip), Songbird is the exact opposite. She'll burn every bridge necessary if it means saving herself. **END SPOILERS** Evelyn has the same drive as Songbird and even the same desperation, creating layers of betrayal, but she has the heart of V and can't actually follow through with those more horrific acts. It feels like NC is determined to objectify and penalize her for daring to dream big while caring about other people. Evelyn's really an example of just how horribly NC can treat you if you aren't cold and ruthless when you dare to dream of a better life, and I think the fact that so many characters seem eager to forget her and move on speaks to who disposable people's lives are in NC. Even if you try to avenge Evelyn, things turn out horribly. The only saving grace is that Judy is able to see what happens if you fail (Evelyn) and what happens if you succeed (V), and realizes that the only way to win is to not play. So she does what Evelyn tried to do and just leaves, even if it means she might not have anything waiting for her outside of NC.

I remember playing cyberpunk for the first time and spending two days trying to find out if we could save Evelyn. Her story was realistic and that shook me, human trafficking only to be saved and stuck in a constant state of agony with the only escape being death. Evelyn Parker was also the only character I could actually empathize with and enjoy.

Night City will chew and spit you, then chew you again and eat you.

The line does she flinch when a belt is unbuckled is great. I suspect you'll write something excellent one day soon.

At times I resent Evelyn for putting V in the ultimate shit but at the same time I cannot blame her for trying to make the most out of a horrible situation. I wouldn't be surprised if she was simply just trying to make enough dosh to escape the city.

This was a tough subject to analyse. But you did a great job! Scavs and the VOODOO of Pacifica, Fingers, Woodman and the Tyger Claws... they almost all get a death sentence or the crippling bullet. Evelyn was the Catalyst to ARASAKA's demise and given that she sacrificed herself after being willing to sacrifice everything and everybody else before hand.... well just shows how good of a writing team CDPR has ^^

The road to hell is paved with good intentions. But sometimes to mean well is all it needs.

I'd also add, how then Dex chose T-bug for the Heist. There are many hints throughout the game as well as in Phantom Liberty: there's a chance T-bug works/worked with Militech. Dex's bodyguard is comfirmed to be an agent for FIA, which begs the question: is Dex also related to any of those factions? Then it would make the Heist even more of a flustercuck.

Evelyn saw her chance of a better life just like Jackie and V, when Maman Brigitte hires her for recording the VD and learns Yorinobu´s plans for the Relic she saw her chance to up one of the most dangerous gangs in NC and the biggest more powerful corporation in the world. But in the end everything goes wrong and everyone that participaded in the heist paid: T.Bug died, Jackie died, Dex was killed by Takemura, V got a death sentence with the Relic and Evelyn had it the worst. She in her effort to leave NC was cripple by the Vodoo Boys, abuse by Woodman, Fingers and the Scavs until what has left of her soul was consume.And then after so much trauma she decided to end it all in defeat, she lost her fight against the forces that rule the world, fate and the city where she lived. But her actions (and the choices of the player) led to the destruction of Arasaka and final victory of Yorinobu over the demented ambitions of his father Saburo. She being a doll did more to destroyed Arasaka that Johnny Silverhand ever could with 2 thermonuclear bombs. Is a powerful message for a character that is not really that present in the story but left her mark in us.

Looking back on Evelyn, her story felt very Noir in its execution. While it lacks the black and white and the gumshoe detective. Evelyn does play sort of Nightclub entertainer that would bring a case or in Cyberpunk's case a job to our lead. She seduces V with the promise of pay and acclaim, and the player with her beauty and personality. We like her and want her or to be her, but in the end her demons caught up to her and unlike V she didn't have any combat cyberware or percussion pistol to protect herself with. But even with her fate sealed as you put it, she doesn't condemn anyone else to her fate, she takes herself out of the equation, and in tern earns our sympathy, gratitude, and grief. In the end Evelyn was a friend and her tragic loss was just one more reason Night City needed to burn. Great analysis Ms. Scott! And I can't wait to see your next video.

Love her character. I started playing since launch, but I intentionally stopped progressing beyond the Watson area until I was able to upgrade my PC because I wanted to experience the game with much better graphics. I was able to upgrade my PC many months after launch but I never really stopped playing, so I felt like I spent a lot more time with Evelyn than most players did. That's why what happened to her really shocked me, and it's one of the moments in video game that really impacted me emotionally. Sad that a lot of people in the CP77 hate her, but I've always empathized with her and for me she was just as much as a rebel as Johnny was in her own way.

It never occurred to me that Evelyn going back to Clouds might have been a way to protect Judy and not just her making a poor decision while under a lot of stress and being paranoid after the fallout of the heist. It ended up not mattering because Yorinobu was secretly trying to destroy Arasaka from within and so wasn't really interested in going after the chip, but it's not like anyone involved in the heist knew that. For all she knew, the hammer was about to come down hard.

I think the thing I realize the most about this game is how close it hits home, if you ever had friends you just watched you realize you have one friend that is the human embodiment of evelyn. A beautiful soul who is squeezed of everything he/she holds dear until nothing is left but emptiness.. Damn I really wanted a different ending for her.

I feel like people nowadays really need to relearn empathy. There were comments on reddit that said they don't feel sorry for Evelyn's horrendous fate and some even said she deserved it because she tried to screw people over.

love the breakdown! underrated character with a lot of complexity