John Kramer and Amanda Young’s relationship in the ‘Saw’ franchise, explained

Warning: The following contains spoilers for Saw X and the Saw franchise.

The main antagonists of the first four (including Saw X chronologically) Saw films have a complicated history together as an adoptive father and daughter duo. We know Jigsaw’s methods are madness, but Amanda Young is one of few people who actually walked away from Jigsaw’s game with a newfound appreciation for her life, which was precisely the intended outcome.

From that moment on, Amanda and John Kramer cooperated on numerous “games” that included Adam and Dr. Gordon’s iconic bathroom segment from the original Saw. Eventually, Amanda came to view John as a mentor and a teacher, someone to turn to for guidance and protection. The two of them have been through a lot together, and since Saw X filled in the blanks of their relationship, we now have a completed overview.

John Kramer tests Amanda’s will to live

We first meet Amanda as a supporting character in Saw, where she becomes the only known survivor of Jigsaw (at that time) and earns John’s respect. Before that, Amanda was a drug addict with no consideration for anyone but herself, constantly chasing her next high. Afterward, she found a new purpose in assisting John with his various tests. It is implied that Amanda has an abusive father, although this is only alluded to, not stated. Given that information, it isn’t surprising that Amanda would gravitate toward John.

Amanda admires John as a mentor and father figure

From Saw onward, including Saw X, Amanda begins to learn John’s modus operandi and executes it herself on numerous occasions. More often than not, however, Amanda does all the dirty work of kidnapping the victims in her classic pig mask and black robe. It isn’t until Saw III that she begins assuming the role of Jigsaw, albeit going against John’s teachings by making her traps inescapable. John gives Amanda a chance at redemption by taking her under his wing, and at this stage, Amanda develops Stockholm syndrome.

In Saw X, Amanda assists John with his most personal trap

We see Amanda in action for the first time as John’s accomplice in Saw X, where she is actively seen assaulting and abducting the various con artists who scam John out of $250k with the promise of a life-saving brain surgery that turns out to be a hoax. Amanda does show some remorse for torturing the scammers — namely Gabriela — whose drug addiction hits too close to home for Amanda. She even says that drugs make someone do bad things. In one particular scene, Amanda weeps at the prospect of John dying, which would become a reality in a matter of months due to his terminal cancer.

Amanda works as a double-agent for Jigsaw in Saw II

In Saw II, Amanda joins the test subjects undercover, never revealing her identity as Jigsaw’s apprentice. It didn’t all go according to plan, as she did need to sift through a pit of dirty needles that was intended for Xavier. But still, Amanda was never in real harm, as if things had ever gone awry, John certainly would have had some sort of failsafe in place – such as a hidden escape route. Amanda’s job was to observe the victims and ensure they weren’t attempting to cheat the tests and followed the rules precisely. At the end of the film, Amanda pledges to carry on John’s work after he dies.

John puts Amanda through another test in Saw III

Saw III confirms that Amanda had been working with John all along since Saw, and that she had kidnapped one of that film’s protagonists – Adam Stanheight. At this stage, Amanda begins to ignore John’s modus operandi and displays tendencies of cutting herself under stress. John decides to put Amanda through another test to see if she is stable enough to continue his work once he dies, which is imminent. She abducts Lynn Denlon, whom she forces to perform brain surgery on John to save his life. If John flatlines, Lynn dies. Meanwhile, Lynn’s husband Jeff is completing various traps in the same warehouse.

Both John and Amanda die

Amanda ultimately fails her test by arguing over John’s ethics and refusing to free Lynn despite her best efforts to save John and John’s own instructions. When a delirious John professes his love for his ex-wife Jill Tuck in a vision, Amanda mistakes that declaration as an undeserved confession of love for Lynn, so her jealousy drives her to threaten Lynn’s life. When Jeff finally finds them, Amanda shoots Lynn in the abdomen, which prompts Jeff to shoot Amanda in the neck. As Amanda bleeds out, John expresses disapproval at her betrayal, then he too flatlines.