Katherine Wellington

Katherine Wellington (portrayed by Claudette Mink) is the very definition of a trophy wife; a sexy woman closer in age to her stepdaughter than her husband, Thomas Wellington. Trish resents her, but Shea tolerates her because she makes their dad happy. But considering Katherine's secret dark desires, that might not be for long.

Episode 1, Whap[]

Katherine has a mostly background role in the first episode, appearing with the Wellingtons during the family photo on the boat, and later in the shower when Thomas goes to check his email.

Interestingly, Katherine can be seen slowdancing with Richard during the welcome dinner scenes, a subtle sort of foreshadowing.

Episode 2, Crackle[]

Katherine again only has a bit part in this episode, appearing once on the patio when Henry and Trish explain the rules of the scavenger hunt to the guests. She can be seen standing off by herself and sipping from a cup of coffee.

Episode 3, Ka-Blam[]

Katherine has a supporting role in this episode, first appearing with the rest of the Wellington family at the skeet shooting competition on the Candlewick lawn. When Thomas loses to Henry, she chides him, remarking that he doesn't usually perform so poorly.

Later, Katherine returns to her bungalow and sees one of the shootguns lying on her bed. As she examines it, Richard approaches behind her, and whispers threateningly that he knows she often insults him to Thomas. This is eventually revealed to be part of their roleplay.

Katherine later appears at dinner, arriving with Trish just in time to interrupt a tense altercation between Henry and Thomas. She also appears to notice when Hunter arrives to indicate wanting a private meeting with Thomas, further hinting that Katherine has some idea of who Hunter is and what his business with Thomas entails.

Episode 4, Bang[]

Katherine also has a significant role in this episode. Early on, Trish wanders into the Candlewick cellar and chances upon an intense bondage session between Katherine and Richard. Striken, Trish confides what she saw to Henry, and they decide it would be best to keep the knowledge private until after the wedding, for the sake of the entire family.

At the bachelorette party, Katherine presents the bridal party with a set of personalized hot pink "Henry + Trish" sweat jackets, mentioning that there will also be dark black ones for the girls. She mentions this as her way of trying to ingratiate herself into the "special club" of Trish's friends. Trish, of course, is unimpressed.

When Maggie enters, and mentions the destruction of Vanessa Wellington's tea set, Katherine attempts to comfort Trish, saying they could just buy a replacement set. Indignant, Trish says they can't replace her mother's set.

Trish's emotional reaction may well be the reason Katherine is the only member of the bridal party not in attendance at Karena's pyschic reading.

Episode 5, Thwack[]

Katherine appears late in this episode, entering the church for the wedding rehearsal on Thomas's arm. Katherine dreamily remarks that she sometimes regrets that they didn't have a "big church wedding". Thomas, who by now has been informed of the affair from Trish, nods her off.

Katherine is the only member of the wedding party sitting in the pews when the head spade falls from the chandelier and kills Thomas. Had he been in attendance, Cal would have been sitting a few rows behind her.

Episode 6, Sploosh[]

Katherine appears to go into a catanoic state after watching Thomas die. She remains sitting, in a state of shock, as the rest of the wedding party is escorted out of the church. Sheriff Mills has to gently lead her out himself, at which point Richard brings her into a huddle with Shea and Madison.

When the family returns to their bungalow at the Candlewick, Katherine lies to rest in bed, occassionally being brought aspirin by Richard.

When Trish loudly exposes Katherine and Richard's affair to Shea, Katherine does not attempt to defend herself, preferring instead to hit the bottle.

When Sheriff Mills interviews her, Katherine reveals the packet of Harper's Globe articles on the Wakefield murders she had discovered in Richard's bag. Interestingly, the reason Richard owned these articles is never explained.

Later, Katherine is reclining on a sofa and drinking when Trish confronts her about Richard's alibi. Katherine says they were not together that afternoon, and reiterates that she really did love Thomas. Trish seems to view the opinion with disdain.

Episode 8, Gurgle[]

Katherine has a sizable role in this episode, after being absent from Episode 7. She originally appears as the wedding party is preparing to leave, as Shea tells Trish and Henry that she can't find Madison anywhere.

Katherine joins a search party with Henry and Abby, where she mentions Madison often hides to get attention. During this search, they come across the estuary where Richard's body has been left. Katherine is noticeably distraught, even moreso when Abby gets a phone call from Madison, letting her know that nobody is allowed to leave the island.

In a panic, the group returns to the hotel and realize that all the landlines are out, and cellphone reception has been nonexistant since Madison called Abby.

Katherine is present in the Candlewick lounge with the rest of the wedding party as they debate what the phone call means, Sully suggests the non-Wellingtons are free to leave, and Chloe begins making a list of everybody missing and presumed dead, just before the island's electricity is knocked out.

When Abby and the newly-arrived Jimmy go to find the Sheriff, and Henry and Danny go to restart the hotel's generator, Katherine, Trish and Shea go to the kitchen to prepare a pot of tea, inadvertantly giving Sully, Cal, Chloe and Beth a chance to escape.

Episode 9, Seep[]

Katherine begins the episode waiting for the others to return in the Candlewick lounge with Shea, Trish and Danny, She is apprehensive at the loud and threatening arrival of the armed Shane Pierce arrives, only to quickly be made an impromptu hostage when Henry returns.

When Beth vanishes and the wedding party splits up to search the bootlegging tunnels, Katherine roams the halls of the Candlewick, walking in as Shea looks through some of Madison's things. Katherine tries to explain that she truly loves Madison, but Shea harshly silences her, just before resolving to go in search of Karena.

Katherine was evidentally crushed enough by this encounter that she resolved to drown her sorrows with Shane at the hotel bar. Shane, possibly attempting to flirt, asks if she's one of the bridesmaids. Katherine replies that she's Trish's stepmother, and Shane rightly concludes she was a trophy wife. Frankly, Katherine agrees that she is. Shane asks if Thomas left her "a zillion dollars", at which point Katherine gets up to leave.

Death[]

Katherine apparently forgave Shane enough for his transgression (or perhaps she was just that desperate for company and Shane was the only one willing to give her the time of day) to sit with him in the hotel solarium.

At some poinmty in all this, Katherine was stabbed through the back of sofa she was sitting in with a pair of pruning shears. Shane, watching Trish, Shea and Abby return with Madison through the glass panels, turns to "wake" Katherine with the good news, but notices her bleeding out onto the dustcovers, providing the episode's title.

By the next episode, Shane has told Henry of Katherine's fate. Henry informs Trish and the others as the wedding party plans to leave for the marina to leave on Jimmy's boat. Trish, in keeping with her rather dim view of her stepmother, is only mildly fazed.

Trivia[]

Absolutely nothing is ever revealed about who Katherine was before marrying Thomas. She remains one of very few characters in the show without even the barest semblance of a backstory.
According to the bachelorette party list Shea shows Karena Fox in Episode 4, Katherine is barely a week older than Shea.
A deleted scene would have featured Katherine informing Thomas that Hunter Jennings has been disowned by his family and is virtually penniless, which would have further led to Thomas "banishing" Hunter from the island, leading to his death.
Katherine has no lines until Episode 3, despite appearing in the first two episodes. She is the only one of the 25 characters to not have lines in the pilot.
A very good argument can be formed that Katherine really did care about Thomas and Madison, despite her affair with Richard, given how affected she is both by her husband's death and Madison's disappearance. It is also likely she had some degree of affection for her lover, Richard, as well.
Katherine's motivation for engaging in adultery with Richard is never explicitly given, but is implied to have something to do with being bored in her marriage, however much she might have liked Thomas as a person.
Katherine seemed to have bonded with Shane before her death, as they are shown in conversation several times, he is even the first one to find out she is dead.
Henry reveals to Sully in Episode 13 that he stabbed Katherine while everyone was "running around looking for Madison." Interestingly, Henry can be seen holding a pair of pruning shears as the group is informed that Madison has been rescued.
Her death, along with Beth Barrington, Kelly Seaver, and Patrick Lillis is one of four whose death isn't shown.