Madison Paige by CaptainMurasa1987 on DeviantArt (original) (raw)

We'll be able to forget what happened. We'll lead a normal life, and one day it'll all just seem like a bad dream. We've earned the right to be happy now, Ethan. All three of us.

Madison Paige is one of the main protagonists and four playable characters (the other three being Ethan Mars, Norman Jayden, and Scott Shelby) in Heavy Rain. Madison is a young journalist living alone in the city. Suffering from crippling insomnia and nightmares, she often finds herself checking into local motels for the night - the only place she can relax and sleep in. She is also the star of The Taxidermist, the first DLC for Heavy Rain.

Madison's motion capture is provided by the British model Jacqui Ainsley, and her dialogue is done by two different American actresses: Judi Beecher in Heavy Rain and Barbara Scaff in The Taxidermist.

Madison is introduced in the eleventh chapter of the game, "Sleepless Night," the latest of any initial appearance. She wakes up at 2 a.m., tired and suffering from insomnia. She notices a series of strange goings-on in her apartment as if someone is there. Suddenly, a gang of intruders appear and ambush Madison. Madison will always end up being defeated by them, and will "die" - before this is all revealed to be a nightmare.

Madison will then check into the Cross Road Motel in "First Encounter." She meets Ethan Mars for the first time in this chapter, and tends to his wounds from "The Bear." Although unseen, a later chapter reveals that she followed Ethan to the power plant during "The Butterfly," and she nurses him again after he returns to the motel. In "Fugitive," Madison must help Ethan escape from Carter Blake and Norman Jayden; failure to do so will result in Ethan being imprisoned (only to be broken out by Norman later). During these chapters, Madison gradually discovers that the Origami Killer has forced Ethan to complete a series of trials for his son's sake. She now begins her own investigation into the killer, with the intent to prove Ethan's innocence.

In "The Doc," she confronts Adrian Baker, who is the legal owner of the apartment in which "The Lizard" takes place. Unfortunately, Madison will engage in a fight with Baker - in which she can end up killed - if she drinks the drugged beverage he offers her or fails to escape the house in time. Whether she fights Baker or not, she will find evidence pointing her in the direction of Paco Mendez at the Blue Lagoon. In "Sexy Girl," provided she survives her encounter with Baker, Madison visits the Blue Lagoon and is forced to do a striptease (removing at least one article of clothing) while held at gunpoint. During the striptease, she knocks Paco out with a lamp and interrogates him to learn the name of the man he leased the apartment to. Madison cannot die in this chapter. She will also appear briefly at the start of Norman's chapter "Fish Tank" if she is alive.

In Ethan's chapter "On the Loose," if she is alive, Madison visits a distraught Ethan in his motel room, and they discuss the outcome of the fourth trial. Ethan is given the option to kiss Madison. If he doesn't, Madison apologizes for trying to kiss him and promptly leaves. If he kisses her, then they make love. Ethan wakes up sometime later and discovers Madison's photos and case notes (thus learning she is a journalist). When confronted by Ethan, Madison admits to wanting to cover the story, but claims she planned to drop it after seeing the emotion in the story. Ethan can either reject or forgive her; either way, Madison leaves the building and notices Carter Blake and the cops outside. She can either get on her bike and exit or call Ethan from the motel's lobby. Ethan will then proceed to be arrested or escape.

In "Ann Sheppard," Madison goes to visit Ann Sheppard, who is suffering from Alzheimer's. Using objects around the room to remind Ann of her past, she is able to get her to divulge the Origami Killer's identity, Scott Shelby. Following this lead, she visits Scott's apartment in "Killer's Place." Discovering a secret room in his office, she must guess the password to his computer. If she guesses correctly, she finds the address to the warehouse where Shaun is held. After exiting the room, she is held at gunpoint by Scott, who sets the apartment ablaze after driving her back into the room, forcing Madison to find a way out. Staying in the apartment too long, touching the flames too many times, or jumping out of the first two windows seen will kill her. The player must climb out of the small safety window in the kitchen or hide in the fridge in order to survive. If she finds the address, she will get the ability to inform either Ethan or Norman about it.

She can die in "Sleepless Night" (which is not real and occurs no matter what), "The Doc," "Killer's Place," "The Old Warehouse," and The Taxidermist. Madison is the first main character who can be killed, and also the only one who cannot die in any of the epilogues in which she appears.

Madison is the only playable character who cannot possibly die in the scenario where all characters make it to the warehouse, possibly due to the fact that she is the last to arrive there.

Madison can choose to jump out a window of the Origami Killer's burning apartment even after observing that the fall will kill her. This makes her the only playable character who can intentionally take her own life when being controlled by the player. (There are other ways for her to die in the apartment, but none of them are triggered by pressing a button after she explicitly tells the player that they will be fatal.