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This article contains HEAVY SPOILERS for FAITH: The Unholy Trinity. Read at your own risk! |
Lisa Pearson is a side character first introduced in FAITH: Chapter III. She is John's childhood friend who has the misfortune of living in an apartment complex owned by Gary Miller.
Appearance[]
Lisa is a young woman, presumably in her early thirties, with a slender build and long hair. She looks slightly different between appearances: in her first, she has her hair let down and appears to be wearing a low-cut blouse. During Ending II: A New Journey, she has her hair up in a high ponytail and is wearing a sweater with jeans.
Personality[]
Little is known about Lisa as a person. She has a habit of smoking cigarettes to relieve anxiety. Somewhat more social and outgoing compared to John, she made friends with Tiffany, initially unaware that she was one of Gary's cultists. She's shown to trust John completely: they have known each other since early childhood and she secretly harbors affection for him.
Biography[]
Childhood and Growing Up[]
Although Lisa's birth year is uncertain, it was likely sometime in the early 50's. She either lost both of her parents to unknown causes or was given up as a child, and was likely within the foster care system to find a new place to live.
Roughly a couple of years after a rumor of something in the cornfield murdering six orphans near Snake Meadow Hill Church died down, the building reopened with new staff and volunteers. More importantly, a woman named Miriam Bell, who went by Sister Bell, was hired to take care of the reopening orphanage and clean up around the area. Shortly after, Lisa was transferred to the orphanage, along with another orphan named John, and the two became close friends.
Sometime later, numerous paranormal events transpired, resulting in the disappearances and possible deaths of Bell, the other orphans, and Father Clarke; however, Bell allowed both John and Lisa were allowed to leave as "husks".
As they grew up, John moved into his own home in Palmyra, New York, while Lisa moved into an apartment complex in New Haven, Connecticut. The two had seemingly parted ways when John met and got engaged to another woman named Molly; Lisa tried to keep in touch by regularly sending him letters, but John did not respond. Lisa met a woman named Tiffany who also lived in the complex, and the two became friends.
October of 1987[]
Over the early weeks of October, a man named Gary Miller, a cult leader of the Eternal Order of the Second Death, takes over Lisa's apartment complex. His cult, made up of thralls, occupy the rooms and become tenants. He, the thralls, and Tiffany (his henchwoman) aimed to summon a "very special visitor" to further assist in summoning an evil deity named the UNSPEAKABLE via human sacrifice. Gary also searches for a worthy vessel for the Second Death to summon the Antichrist. The visitor then preyed on the new tenants over the following weeks, killing all of them except Lisa.
Why Lisa was spared is unclear. One possibility is that Tiffany suggested grooming her friend to become a suitable vessel for the UNSPEAKABLE to possess. This process is intricate compared to that of other evil spirits, however: it can only take control of somebody via drugs, such as the one used to dose the cult members, which excludes Lisa. Regardless, over time the thralls gradually get friendlier with Lisa. Although still free to walk the premises, she began to feel uncomfortable with the neighbors. Trying to contact John about her situation via letter, she advises that he meet up with Tiffany if he ever comes by as Lisa gave her a spare key. The letters fall on deaf ears; John never replies and seemingly ignores her. Shortly after, the thralls started preventing Lisa from leaving her room at all, but not before she sent one final plea for John to rescue her. By now, she began to suspect that Tiffany was somehow behind all of this, feeling watched by something in the darkness. The letter took some time to reach John's mailbox.
In the meantime, Gary and Tiffany manage the complex. Tiffany had been faithful to Gary for a long time, trying to gain his love, but discovers Gary's true intentions: he only really cares about Amy Martin, a teenage girl he deemed the perfect vessel for the Second Death. Tiffany, overflowing with jealousy and hatred, planned to sabotage Gary and perform the Second Death ritual on herself to one-up Amy and hopefully gain his love. She planned to block entry to Lisa's room so that nobody could enter or use her as a vessel; it is unclear whether Tiffany genuinely wanted to help Lisa or only did this to bring attention to herself. Gary caught onto her plan, announcing her betrayal and daring her to help Lisa as the UNSPEAKABLE would crush them both.
Later, Tiffany summoned a demon called Alu, using its seal on Lisa's door so nobody could enter or leave, although he eventually possessed her. Gary noticed the presence, announcing it to the Thralls but seemingly doing nothing about it. While shut away in her room, the complex is overtaken by the Peekaboo Demon killing the other tenants, Tiffany attempts and fails the Second Death Ritual, and Gary ultimately abandons the complex as the Profane Sabbath draws closer.
October 29th, 1987 (Chapter III)[]
John, emotionally and spiritually beaten down by the horrors he has witnessed and divorced from his wife, received a letter from Father Garcia telling him to investigate the New Haven apartment complex, believing Malphas may be summoned there. John finally reads Lisa's letters; realizing she lives in the same apartment complex and is in danger. John hops into his silver sedan and speeds to the building, finding the entire complex eerily silent despite appearing in good condition.
Among the Damned[]
Entering the lobby, John finds a letter seemingly written by Lisa; however, it is very formal with a different tone from previous letters. In it, she insists that she has not been feeling well but got better, no longer asking John to find her: she has gone on vacation out of the country so she would not be home. John reminds himself to compare this letter to the other notes and continues inwards.
A drawing in blood that appears on the wall if attempting to exorcize the Alu's seal
Taking the elevator to Room 3B, Tiffany's Room, John finds the spare key mentioned in one of Lisa's letters. Walking up to Room 5A, Lisa's Room, a large pentagram covers a door, preventing entry. John explores the bathroom and finds a note written by Gary: if the reader wants to remove the Seal of Alu, they have to find a blood-stained dagger and a special mask. Close to the note is a blue key that unlocks Room 10M. Attempting to exorcise the seal doesn't yield anything, but it leaves blood on the wall that gives a rough description of what both items look like. After finding and purifying the items, John begins heading up to Lisa's room again but Alu leaves Lisa's body in an attempt to possess him instead. John recovers himself and finally accesses the unlocked door.
Alu tries to take over John
John comes back to his senses and takes the elevator to Room 5A. He opens the now-unlocked door and sees Lisa standing motionless amidst five stick dolls. John approaches, saying that he is relieved to see her alright. When she unemotionally asks what took him so long, he shamefully could not answer. Lisa continued that it is so dark she cannot see the light anymore. John pleads that he got there as fast as he could and suggests to Lisa that they need to leave, but her voice gets gravelly, saying "I'M NOT LISA!"
Lisa, possessed by Alu, shambles towards John in an attempt to butcher him. John temporarily slows her down with his crucifix; Alu leaves her body and flees into one of the five stick dolls. Lisa gravitates towards John for safety. If he successfully purifies the doll Alu is hiding in time, the demon gets stunned long enough for John to do damage before it possesses Lisa again, repeating the cycle. If John takes too long to find the correct doll, Alu possesses him; Lisa stands by in shock as John struggles for control of his own body.
If John doesn't fight off the Alu-controlled urge to kill Lisa while possessed and gets too close, he decapitates her. John temporarily reverts to his normal self and, horrified, mutters, "Oh no! Lisa, I'm so sorry." His body turns purple, hinting that he's still possessed, and shouts, "THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT!" He then seemingly gets over the possession and can proceed as usual; however, Alu doesn't leave his body after this.
If John succeeds, he pushes Alu out of his body and the fight continues. Eventually, John banishes Alu, who makes a low growl and floats away before Lisa runs out of the room.
The two finally share a long-overdue conversation as Lisa smokes, thanking John for being there to count on. She shares Gary's plans with John, urging him to stop the cult. John meekly tries to ask if she needs a place to stay, but Lisa, shutting him down, insists that she will be fine and that he has to get going. John does so and explores the rest of the apartment complex, sensing as if a seal was broken somewhere beyond after banishing Alu.
October 30th, 1987[]
While John explores a Daycare Center somewhere in Connecticut, following up on a tip from Father Garcia, John unlocks a seal leading into a secret underground tunnel system nicknamed Garyland. Shortly before reaching the central area of Garyland, there's a riddle left behind by Gary:
| “ | She consumed six little twigs. Only two were left to walk as husks.
Go ahead, priest. Stare into the eyes of my mother |
” |
— Note #33: Poem for Miriam, Chapter III
|
John and Lisa's blue and yellow figures in the church windows during the hallucination
"She" is likely Miriam and the six twigs mentioned are possibly the orphans: four twig figures were found that may reference the twins and two other children, while the two left to walk away would account for John and Lisa.
Deeper into Garyland, while attempting to solve a puzzle, Gary sneaks up on John and injects him with a syringe. John quickly falls under the effect of the drugs, experiencing a substance-induced recollection of the events at Snake Meadow: Lisa and John standing in the church among the other orphans, two stick dolls holding hands and covered in maggots followed by the image of young versions of Lisa and John also holding hands.
October 31st, 1987 (Ending II)[]
Lisa catches up to John and Garcia.
After John and Father Garcia stumble out of the Daycare Center, John having finally defeated Gary, Miriam, and Malphas, and completed his long-overdue exorcism of Amy, the pair recuperate at John's sedan. Garcia congratulates him but reminds him that the UNSPEAKABLE is still out there and that he needs spiritual warriors. Suddenly, Lisa suddenly arrives and interrupts, begging John not to continue on the path of a demon hunter. She pleads for him to stop fighting, that she can come with him and they can live the rest of their lives together. John hesitates, admitting that, without answers to his questions, he can never rest, but Lisa assures him that they can figure it out together.
It is not stated how Lisa knew she would find the two at the Daycare Center, although while surrounded by Gary's cult she seemed able to piece together his plans and may have discovered where Gary had ultimately gone, knowing John would be there too.
John and Lisa trust in one another.
Choosing Lisa[]
Relieved that he no longer has to rely solely on himself, John takes Lisa's hand; he decides to trust in her as she had him. The two leave in his car and drive off to an unknown destination. Garcia, despite his hopes for John as a soldier of God, seems to accept John's choice and lets him leave.
While John finally has been able to emotionally open up to someone, this blossoming relationship could be a repeat of what happened with Molly, where his mental illness and obsession with saving Amy drove away those he loved. The UNSPEAKABLE's influence could perpetuate this cycle, but this remains to be seen: it is uncertain if this is considered the canon ending.
This may reference a handshake scene from 1987's "Predator"
Choosing Father Garcia[]
Despite Lisa's pleas, John and Father Garcia enthusiastically grip hands in solidarity; John mentally prepares himself, ready to fight more demons. The two hop into his car and speed off to an unknown destination, leaving a silent Lisa behind.
While John now has a strong, dependable, and experienced ally, Garcia himself has been shown to fall prey to dark obsessions for his craft and seems to draw John in to join with his passionate pursuit of defeating evil, pushing John further and further to the goal of stopping Gary. However, taxing as this is on John, it is a better outcome than letting the Unholy Trinity succeed. At least if John no longer can mentally or emotionally keep going, he does not have to go it alone and, if he strays from the path, he has someone to help prevent him from becoming a threat. It is uncertain if this is considered the canon ending either.
October 31st, 1987 (Ending I)[]
This ending occurs if John fails to banish all three demons and neutralize the seal over the Crucible, but avoids killing Lisa during the confrontation with Alu. While she is likely alive, she does not appear. John's resolve to continue battling evil is not as strong as in the previous ending, and Garcia takes more of a fatherly approach, offering to be there to guide him. The two ultimately agree to battle side by side, shaking hands.
Lisa likely came for John as she does in Ending II, but went to wait for John by his silver sedan, not knowing the two had gone to Garcia's station wagon instead and thus did not realize John was already gone.
"Get in the car, hijo."
Ending I, Bad Variant[]
In this ending, John either accidentally killed Lisa during his possession, never investigated the New Haven Apartment Complex at all, or decided to walk out the door during a nightmare sequence. John, broken down by all that he has done (likely pushed over the edge by Lisa's death or his abandonment of her), he refuses Garcia's offer; however, the older priest does not take "no" for an answer and, aiming his shotgun at John, demands that he get in the car. They then drive to an unknown destination, and their fate is unsure.
October 30th, 1987 (Ending III)[]
In this ending, John got too paranoid to investigate the Daycare Center and sped away. Thanks to his absence, the thralls that were supposed to be butchered during his drug-induced rampage are still alive, overwhelming the police officers stationed outside and running amok in the streets. As both Garcia and Lisa were likely in the area (if the latter was not killed at the apartment) they were likely mobbed by the thralls and killed.
Quotes[]
Pre-Alu Fight[]
- John: "Lisa! Thank God you're alright."
- "John... what took you so long?"
- "It's so dark. I can't see the light anymore."
- John: "I got here as fast as I could. ...Let's go, Lisa."
- "I'M NOT LISA"
Post-Alu Fight[]
- "Thanks, John. I knew I could count on you."
- "Listen, John. A man named Gary Miller runs this place."
- "He's trying to resurrect a horrible demon."
- "You have to stop him!"
- John: "Do you need a place to stay?"
- "I'll be fine. Now, get going!"
Ending II: A New Journey[]
- "John!" (Lisa runs onscreen, joining John and Father Garcia)
- John: "Lisa? What are you doing here?"
- "John, please don't go. You don't have to keep fighting."
- "We can leave this place together, live the rest of our lives in peace."
- John: "Lisa, I still have so many questions. I need to figure all this out or I'll never be able to rest."
- "Then let's figure it out together."
Trivia[]
- Development notes for Chapter III reveal that Lisa was intended to be an artist, whose paintings you could collect throughout the apartment building. These paintings were scrapped but their imagery (inspired by King of Pain by The Police) was adapted for the Injection sequence instead.
- There is no info given in-game about Lisa's occupation, so it's still plausible that she is an artist.
- For some reason, Lisa's overworld sprite doesn't change color when she gets possessed by Alu, unlike with John. If she would change colors, then her possessed sprite would've been orange considering that her default artstyle color (yellow) combing with a typical demon's artstyle color (red) would be orange, because this color change applies to John. When he gets possessed, his overworld sprite is purple since it's a mixture of his default artstyle (blue) mixing with a demon's artstyle (red).
- When Lisa gets possessed, her face doesn't become mangled compared to John, likely because Malphas particularly left a "mark" during John's possession process by partially biting his face off.
Gallery[]
In-Game[]
Cinematics[]
Other[]
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