Working Girl
Summary
Tess, a smart and ambitious secretary, dreams of breaking into the corporate world but keeps running into class barriers, sexist assumptions, and gatekeeping bosses. When her elegant, well-connected supervisor is hospitalized after a skiing accident, Tess discovers that the woman has stolen one of her ideas. Using the unexpected freedom, Tess steps into an executive role herself. With determination — and some reinvention — she navigates a high-stakes deal, a new romance, and the risk of losing everything if she’s caught.
Key Characters
- Protagonist: Tess McGill — a bright, underestimated secretary determined to rise above the limits placed on her due to gender, class, and appearance.
- Antagonist: Katherine Parker — Tess’s charismatic but duplicitous boss who embodies the polished corporate elite and steals Tess’s idea while pretending to mentor her.
- Love Interest: Jack Trainer — a savvy investment broker who partners with Tess professionally and romantically.
Structure
Act 1 - Setup
Hook
Tess is a smart, capable woman stuck in a low-status secretarial role, constantly dismissed because of her accent, background, and gender.
Inciting Incident
Tess pitches a merger idea to Katherine, her new boss. Katherine praises it — then later secretly plans to present it as her own.
First Turning Point
After Katherine is injured on a ski trip, Tess discovers the betrayal. Left to manage the office herself, Tess decides to take control of her own career by attending events in Katherine’s place.
Act 2 - Confrontation
Rising Action
Tess reinvents herself as an executive, cutting her hair, borrowing Katherine’s wardrobe, and pursuing the merger idea directly with Jack Trainer. She works tirelessly to build credibility, gather information, and navigate the corporate world.
As Tess and Jack grow closer, the merger progresses — but maintaining the façade grows harder, and Tess risks everything if her deception is uncovered.
Second Turning Point
Katherine returns early and discovers Tess’s actions. She exposes Tess in front of Trask (the CEO the center of the merger deal), humiliating her and threatening to destroy her career.
Act 3 - Resolution
Climax
Tess refuses to give up. She confronts Katherine in a boardroom showdown, proving that the merger idea was hers and explaining exactly how she came up with it. Jack and Trask back her, and Katherine is exposed for lying.
Resolution
Tess is offered an entry-level executive position — her first real step into the career she’s fought for. On her first day, she learns she has her own secretary, symbolizing her hard-won place in the world she once only dreamed of entering.
The Love Interest
Working Girl is a standout example of how a romance can support The Virgin’s Promise → structure.
In these stories, the romantic subplot isn’t merely decorative — it often reflects the Virgin’s journey toward self-realization. A worthy love interest is someone who recognizes her truth and strengthens her authenticity rather than shaping it to fit their own expectations.
When Tess meets Jack, she’s posing as an executive, but it isn’t the façade that draws him in. What captures his attention is her sharp thinking, courage, and instinctive understanding of people.
As they work together on the Trask deal, Jack consistently proves himself:
- He listens to her ideas and gives her credit
- He supports her judgment even when it challenges his own expertise
- And, most tellingly, when Katherine tries to paint Tess as a liar, Jack chooses to believe her
Jack is a worthy love interest because he sees Tess clearly and values her for who she is — not for the role she’s performing. Unlike Mick, her ex-boyfriend, who underestimates her ambitions and expects her to stay within the world she comes from, Jack recognizes Tess’s growth and stands beside it.
Works Mentioned
- Working Girl (1988). © 20th Century Fox.
- All images and clips from Working Girl (1988). © 20th Century Fox.
- Some links above are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, which I reinvest into this project.
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