Rachel

**Rachel** is a character appearing in the first season of the Apple TV+ series *Shining Girls*. She is portrayed by Amy Brenneman.

## Throughout Series

In Cutline in 1992, Kirby lives in an apartment with Rachel, who is a singer/musician for a local rock band. Kirby is seen leaving money for her and then asking her to pick up cat food if she goes out. Later, after experiencing a major shift in reality, Kirby tells her Mom, “Nothing is where it should be; I don’t recognise it anymore. It starts with little things, and then big things”. With Rachel possibly not understanding the whole situation, she advises her daughter to figure out her problems right where she is.

At the end of the episode, after another reality shift, Kirby no longer lives with her mom, but instead lives with Marcus, who is now her husband.

In Evergreen, Kirby tracks down her mother to a evangelical community church called *The Well* where she is a gospel singer. Rachel says a prayer in thanks for her daughter returning to her. Returning to Rachel's apartment, Kirby asks her mother for copies of her medical records after her attack. Rachel struggles to find any of the pictures or documents her daughter needs. She’s also surprised to learn that Kirby is helping with her own assault case. The pair eventually locates some of the photographs along with an old VHS tape from Rachel’s time as a lead singer in a rock band. Rachel pops the video into the VCR, which shows a blonde-haired and much more carefree Kirby singing on stage with her mom. When Kirby asks why they don’t speak anymore, Rachel responds that it was her daughter’s decision. There’s also an unspoken implication that their estrangement is related to Rachel’s newfound religion.

In Attribution, Rachel is at the hospital that is treating her daughter after the horrific attempted murder. She is very agitated because she is not being allowed to see her daughter. Harper, trying to find Kirby so he can make sure she is dead, sits down next to Rachel and expresses sympathy with her for not being allowed to see Kirby. Rachel doesn't take too kindly to Harper's intrusion, but does talk briefly with him before making a loud scene with the nurses about needing to see Kirby. Harper takes advantage of this distraction to slip past the nurses and make his way to the critical care area.

Kirby is remembering times when she experienced odd phone calls prior to her attack. She has a flashback where she is with her mom at Sids. After greeting her mother, Kirby looks up at a mirror (the same one she’s standing next to in the present) and notices the words “SHARON’S GONE LIKE THE SMOKE” written beside it. The phrase is a play off the closing lyrics of ‘The Ballad of the Absent Mare‘ by Leonard Cohen, which is one of her favorite songs. Her mom dismisses it as being from a secret admirer. As the pair continue to talk, we see that their relationship used to be much better despite Rachel disapproving of Sharon’s new job as a “corporate drone” at the newspaper. After Rachel heads to the stage to fix some sound equipment issues, she hears the bar’s payphone ring and asks her daughter to answer it. Sharon/Kirby responds that it’s not her job anymore, but still does. When she picks up, her ears are assaulted by the sound of her mom’s band struggling through a soundcheck. Everything that happens over the phone, including Rachel swearing in frustration, happens a second later in real life.

In Screamer, Dan still has issues with believing what Kirby is telling him so he visits *The Well* to talk with Rachel. Rachel is suspicious of Dan's motives but does tell Dan that Kirby has always been reliable and doesn't lie.

In Offset, on the day before Kirby's attack by Harper, Kirby takes the subway home from work and arrives to find her mom has popped by to take a shower since the water at her place was turned off. The pair bicker for a bit, but that doesn’t keep Rachel from being happy for Sharon after learning that her daughter’s been assigned her first solo byline at the Chicago Tribune.

After learning that Kirby had been put on leave of absence and that she was moving out of Marcus' apartment, Rachel comes over to help Kirby pack so they can take everything over to her place. As the two talk, Kirby remembers that she was attacked on the same night she learned about getting her first solo byline at the Chicago Tribune. She then realizes that Harper specifically and maliciously chose that day to kill her. Rejuvenated by anger and resolve, Kirby says she has to go and asks Rachel to finish packing for her. Before leaving the apartment, she takes the wooden pegasus that Harper gave her as a child.

## Physical Appearance

Rachel's appearance stays roughly the same in all different time streams. She is tall and slender, with long black hair and she wears dark clothing.