As far as the characters are concerned in Promising Young Woman, here's my take:
Protagonist: Cassie. She's the central character, she drives the plot, the story is told through her perspective, her character goes through the most significant metamorphosis. Classic Protagonist character.
Nemesis: Ultimately the focus is on Al Monroe, the prime assailant the night Nina was assaulted. But really, it's Toxic Masculinity as a systemic problem for women that weaves throughout the whole story. Each of the "nice guys" she fools with her drunk girl ruse, forcing them to confront the reality of their mysogony; brief interchanges with guys on the street, guys driving cars; the weight of those names in her little notebook, despite her acts of truth-telling with them still doesn't address the rage she feels about Nina's assault and suicide. The systemic presence of Toxic Masculinity is apparent when Cassie meets with Dean Walker who, despite being a woman, finds herself taking the side of the men accused of assaulting Nina in a she said/he said scenario.
Attractor: Clearly, it's Nina. The affection she has for her deceased friend consumed by the rage Cassie feels at what happened to Nina. I wonder if at least some of Cassie's anger exists as a kind of defense mechanism to allow her to minimize, even avoid the grieving process. But clearly, the boiling cauldron of rage which exists within Cassie's psyche and which she acts upon, that emotional dynamic is tethered to her ongoing relationship with Nina, despite her physical absence due to her death.
Mentor: I believe there are three: (1) Gail, Cassie's boss at the coffee shop. (2) Cassie's Mother and Father. Each in their own way tries to steer Cassie toward a more "normal" lifestyle... settle down with a guy... allow yourself the freedom to live your own life, not weighed down by Nina's death. In the end, I guess you could look at them as False Mentors because Cassie rejects them and embraces her commitment to exacting revenge on Nina's behalf.
Tricksters: Lots of them. Madison, who switches from enemy to ally by sharing with Cassie the recording of Nina's assault, a critical event in the plot. Jordan Green, who of all the males in the story, is the one guy who actually feels remorse about what he failed to do as a lawyer on the case. The fact his life has crumbled and he does show some significant degree of contrition is what saves his life, when Cassie waves off the planned hit. But the most significant Trickster is Ryan. He goes from Lover (Ally) to Asshole (Enemy) when it's revealed he was there the night of Nina's assault, indeed, he recorded the event. Indeed, Ryan exhibits his Trickster stripes when he is confronted by cops -- after knowing that Cassie is dead -- and lies to them that she went off on some sort of "business trip."
Thus, once again, these five Primary Character Archetypes appear to work when applied to the story's "Family of Characters."
