Wake Up Dead Man is so very woman-centric!
Though I’d like to add that Martha displays how even when a woman plays by the rules, by the standards set up by men, by patriarchal rules and standards that especially exemplified by the religious setting of the church they still lose.
Actually I believe that’s what all the primary female characters of Wake Up Dead Man, those connected to the church, (Grace, Martha, Vera, and Simone) display.
They each play by the rules set forth by a male figure and still lose:
Martha and Grace both play by Prentice Wick's rules. Despite how they are portrayed as opposite sides of the same coin within the setting of the church, as "good" and "evil" respectively, both do as Prentice says. Martha lives by his teachings because she believes that makes her a good and sinless person. Her following these rules leads to the death of the man she loves and for her to commit murder and "sin."
While Grace lives under his watch, his rules, and has her freedom stripped away because of the promise of her inheritance (and the implied promise of freedom.) Following these rules leads to her death and being remembered as the "harlot whore".
Simone plays by Jefferson Wick's rules by donating money to the church because of the promise that he could essentially cure her of her chronic pain through religion. She loses all of her savings and has her faith as well as her sense of hope manipulated by Wick's promise.
Vera plays by her father's rules. While she became a lawyer for herself, she upheld her father's wishes to continue his legacy through legal firm of Draven & Draven and loyally did what she was told, no questions asked, by raising and adopting Cyrus as her own. By playing by her father's rules, by being loyal to the boys who held power, her life and wants were made secondary, she was always forced to sacrifice for the men in her life, and because of this she was also made a fool of, as seen in the reveal of Cyrus' true parentage, for being loyal and playing by their rules in the first place.
So I think it can also be said that through the use of empty and implicit promises the women of Wake Up Dead Man are manipulated into staying in line with patriarchal rules and the oppressive systems that are already in place.
By avoiding being vilified they're put into this double bind. Forced to uphold a system that isn't fair to them.
