Ed Roven

**Edward "Ed" Roven** is a recurring character in the *NBC* original series, *The InBetween*. He is portrayed by Sean Bolger.

A malevolent spirit with a twisted past, Ed first appeared to Cassie under the facade of a spirit seeking atonement. He lent her his unique services despite her initial objections. As time passed, Ed's true personality began to surface, and his facade of atonement eventually slipped away.

When Ed's lies and sins finally caught up to him, Cassie aligned herself with Ed's victims and together, they sent Ed to Hell.

## Biography

Edward James Roven was born and raised in Texas. He resided there until April 1985 when he cashed a check somewhere in Colorado. He worked as a fisher trawler for cash and eventually landed in Seattle, Washington.

While in Seattle, Ed befriended fellow-trawler Frank Blair. They soon realized their mutual impulses and Frank taught Ed how to kill. One night, Frank was arrested for believed solicitation after he picked up a prostitute near Sea-Tac. In reality, Frank was picking their next target.

Ed later met and became infatuated with Seattle-resident, Millicent Pierce. He described his time with her as bright, and impulse to kill wasn't present when he was with her. During the day, Ed was with Mille connecting and bonding. But at night, Ed was with Frank, learning and helping to kill and torture women. Frank eventually wanted Ed to choose between Millie and him, and Frank made it clear that Ed couldn't have them both. When Ed refused Frank lured Millie to their home.

On August 28, 1985, Millie walked in on the men killing an innocent woman. Millie became their hostage until Ed decided what to do about her. Despite Millie's claims that she wouldn't tell anyone what she saw, Ed didn't believe her and murdered her. He buried her at the gazebo where they first met. She was his first solo kill and the only kill whose eyes he didn't remove. On August 30th, he returned to Texas.

In the mid-1980s, six women were brutally murdered in Galveston, Texas. The killer sexually assaulted them before he strangled them to death. Once the women were dead, he removed the women's eyes, which soon became his signature. His lack of address stymied the authorities' efforts, which allowed Ed to elude the police for years.

On August 29, 1994, he was arrested by Texas state troopers and interrogated for the murders of over a dozen women. He was prosecuted and stood trial. The jury deliberated for one hour before returning to find him guilty on all charges. As he was convicted and taken away he merely smiled and hummed *Peter Rabbit* to himself.

Ed Roven was sentenced to death by lethal injection and executed on October 2nd, 2005. However, his sinister crimes and nature lived on in the in-between. He spent several years perfecting his abilities as a spirit and finding the perfect conduit to appease his dark impulses.

## Series

Pilot

During the late hours of the night, Cassie was asleep when a creepy song awakened her. She went downstairs and saw a man sitting in her living room. The spirit greeted her and gave her an eery smile with a sinister look in his black eyes.

Monsters and Angels

Ed appeared to Cassie in the meditation room and mocked her prayer, calling it beautiful yet useless. Cassie wasn't surprised to see him. She knew that he was at his happiest when she's scared and alone. Ed found the claim to be harsh and dismissed it. He reminds her that things didn't have to end this way and that they made a good team. She scoffed and reminded him they were never a team. He smirked, agreeing that they were better off as enemies. Cassie asked Ed if he ever meant what he said about wanting redemption for his sins. He pondered the question for a moment before he admitted that at one point he believed it was possible.

She brought up Millie Pierce, who punched a wall in the in-between and showed them the real Ed Roven. Ed's face darkened then and anger spread through his face. He remained that way until Cassie called him a killer and he changed to a sinister smile. He grandly thanked Millie for what she did. He gave Cassie a speech about his forty years on earth and twenty-years or more in limbo trying to deny his true nature. He admitted that part was over but he wasn't quite finished. He asked her how long she thought it would be before he found another Mark Waterman. He promised that once the new Waterman was done her green eyes would be nothing but black holes. Cassie's soul would then be personally delivered to Ed. He warned her to keep looking over his shoulder because he had all the time in the world.

Cassie scoffed and corrected him as his time was up. Ed's cocky expression fell and fear sat in when she mentioned: "*the dark place*". She then brought up his fake attempts at atonement to bide his time in the in-between. He tried to hide the fact that he didn't belong in the in-between. She warned him to get his affairs in order. Ed angrily, yet fearfully, reminded her that she didn't have enough power to do that.

Abigail Foreman appeared then and coldly told Ed that he shouldn't be so sure of that. He was pleasantly surprised to see Abigail and asked about the "*niblet*". He found it humorous when Abigail responded that she was Cassie's friend. He asked if she could do any tricks to which she pushed him backward with a gust of air. He stumbled off balance and laughed saying that she'll need more firepower than just a young girl. Cassie agreed and at that moment, Millie appeared behind Ed. He asked Millie why she was there, to which Cassie coldly answered that Millie had come for him. Ed angrily turned to Cassie and advanced toward her demanding to know what she was talking about. Cassie reminded him of what he told her once, "*it's best to let the dead deal with their own*". The rest of Ed's victims appear and together, the women surround Ed and send him to Hell.

## Personality

Ed was a classic narcissist with psychopathic traits and extreme impulse-control issues. He is arrogant, cocky, and cunning. He can be considered charming, a trait that he used to manipulate women and lure them to their deaths. Ed was always prone to outbursts and sudden fits of rage. He projected his rage onto women, potentially due to a lack of a maternal figure in his life.

When Ed met Millicent Pierce his murderous impulses and sadistic thoughts were stalled. At the same time as his relationship with Millie, Ed was being trained by Frank Blair on how to kill properly. Ed's relationship with Millie and his personality during their shared moments was merely a mask he wore in an attempt to conceal his true nature. While he could care for others, it was smothered by his impulse to hurt those around him. His first kill shaped his serialistic behavior, and it was his sadistic methods that ultimately led to his capture.

## Powers and Abilities

* **Suggestion:** The ability to project oneself's voice under the guise it is an inner voice of his victim. Ed used the power to manipulate Calvin Hayes into attacking Cassie and later murdering another woman. Ed made Calvin truly believe that both women were Evil and had to die for their crimes.
* **Memory Projection -** The ability to show his memories to another person. After being taunted by Cassie, Ed lunged at her and walked her through his life with Frank Blair and Millicent Pierce. Cassie, however, was forced to endure both the physical and emotional trauma that happened to the women in the visions.

## Appearances

Season 1 (6/10)

* Pilot
* Made of Stone
* Where the Shadows Fall
* Let Me In Your Window
* The Devil's Refugee
* Monsters and Angels

## Notes and Trivia

* Ed is the first Evil spirit introduced in the series. He is also the first serial killer ghost.
* The police believed that Ed kept his victims' eyes as trophies. Ed later confirms this saying that his first kill, Millie, almost changed his mind because of her eyes. He swore to never give another woman the chance to change his mind again.
* He helped Cassie discard of Max Geoghan, a spirit still stalking his victim from the In-Between.
* Ed talked Waterman through how to kill Shannon Bell, which is why their murders were almost identical. Waterman can hear Ed but can't see him.