Molly O'Shea

“	I won't be ignored, Dutch van der Linde. I aren't him... I ain't her, or any of your stooges! You don't owe me nothing. I don't owe you nothing. Nothing!	„
	—Molly O'Shea

Molly O'Shea is a supporting character featured in Red Dead Redemption 2.

History[]

Background[]

“	A Dublin girl and the object of Dutch's affection, for now at least, Molly is too high‐strung for a life on the run and it’s all starting to take a toll on her.	„
	—Rockstar Games' description of Molly.

MollyOSheaBio — Biography in RDR 2 (click to enlarge)

Molly claims to have been born into a wealthy family in Dublin, Ireland. She came to the United States searching for adventure, eventually joining Dutch van der Linde and his gang at some point prior to 1899. She and Dutch later became lovers.

Events of Red Dead Redemption 2[]

Colter Chapter[]

Molly is seen escorting Dutch to his room upon returning from Adler Ranch, and stays with him throughout the chapter. If Arthur asks Molly if she would like to stay with the others for company, she refuses, saying: "Dutch is all the company I need.”

Horseshoe Overlook Chapter[]

Throughout the majority of the chapter, Molly can be found around camp, but she never participates in any camp chores or finding a lead to make money. Typically, she remains in Dutch’s tent, doing her makeup or writing poems, one of which Arthur can find. In the poem, Molly expresses her distaste for much of the gang and sense of loneliness.

When Arthur returns from Flatneck Station with an unconscious Reverend Swanson, Molly notices and casually comments on when Swanson would turn up. She is also present when Lenny Summers informs Dutch and Arthur of Micah Bell's arrest in Strawberry. Although she isn’t featured, she is mentioned by Karen Jones when Arthur goes on a supply run with Uncle and the girls, being called “too high and mighty” to be out with the rest of the gang.

Later, during Sean MacGuire's return party, Dutch amorously invites Molly to dance with him to the music of his gramophone, to which she obliges.

Clemens Point Chapter[]

After relocating to Clemens Point, Molly’s relationship with Dutch visibly sours as she gets into several heated arguments with him and often spends more time away from Dutch’s tent. In the mission, “An Honest Mistake,” Molly tries to speak with Arthur about Dutch, but Uncle interrupts them with information about a potential coach robbery.

Saint Denis Chapter[]

After the gang relocates to Shady Belle following Jack’s kidnapping and a run-in with Pinkertons, Molly asks Dutch to speak to her, but he declines on the assertion that he is too busy. Throughout the chapter. Molly’s relationship with Dutch is only further strained as she barely spends any time with Dutch, spending much of her time by a corner inside the manor. Oftentimes, if the player tries to interact with her, she may lash out or cry out in sadness.

Guarma Chapter[]

After the gang briefly moves to Lakay following the disastrous bank heist in Saint Denis, Molly disappears for a lengthy period of time, with many gang members, such as Susan Grimshaw, voicing their concerns.

Beaver Hollow Chapter[]

Immediately after the gang’s relocation to Beaver Hollow, Uncle returns with a drunk Molly, whom he allegedly found in Saint Denis. Molly begins to rant about Dutch ignoring her, stating that she loved him, and sarcastically calling him "the Lord God almighty". Molly then proceeds to tell everybody that she informed the Pinkertons about the gang's plan for the Saint Denis bank. Furious, Dutch immediately pulls out his revolver, but Arthur attempts to stop him by claiming that she is a "fool" who isn't worth his time. Before any more can be said, Susan shoots Molly in the stomach with a shotgun, killing her instantly. Grimshaw states that "she knew the rules", and subsequently orders Simon Pearson and Bill Williamson to burn the body.

Most of the gang members believed Molly got what she deserved. The only people who were truly shaken by her death were Karen and Mary-Beth Gaskill. Immediately after Molly's death, a scene between Karen and Susan may occur where Karen accuses her of being a murderer, before renouncing Molly's guilt. Later in the chapter, Mary-Beth can be seen conversing with Tilly Jackson, expressing her grief by telling her that she "can't get over" Molly's death and that she was simply a fool in love who "would say anything".

It is later revealed by Agent Milton that the rat was in fact not Molly, but Micah, who was feeding information to the Pinkertons. Milton tells Arthur that, while they "sweated" Molly a few times, she did not say anything of value and merely left them with more questions than answers.

Character[]

Personality[]

Molly was considered stuck-up and entitled by the other women in camp, especially Karen, mainly due to her disdain for others and her refusal to do any work inside or outside of camp. Molly had made a point of saying she's not interested in chores or what she perceives as lowly work; when Arthur asks if she'd like to join the other girls in cleaning around the camp, she responds with "I'm nobody's servant girl, Mr. Morgan." This attitude is also reinforced by the fact that she is never seen doing work around camp, unlike the other girls who can sometimes be found embroidering, doing laundry, or other chores. It is unclear if the men in camp share a similar opinion of her, the only exception being Sean, who is unimpressed with her attitude and high-class background, calling her a "snotty nosed little West Briton" on one occasion.^[1]

Additionally, Molly also has characteristics of vanity and narcissism; she can often be found primping herself in her compact mirror, wears various forms of makeup such as lipstick, and takes pride in her appearance. She may also be superstitious, as she asks Arthur whether her grandmother was right in saying that her broken mirror means seven years of bad luck, before asking him to get a new pocket mirror for her.

Molly's mental state declines throughout the game, seemingly due to a combination of Dutch's neglect, the indifference of the other gang members, and the fear of the encroaching law enforcement. As such she becomes increasingly unwilling to socialize with others, often saying: "I need to be alone" or "I'm not much company" to Arthur if he tries to converse with her. Arthur will say on some occasions that he thinks Molly is "losing it". After Kieran Duffy and Sean are both killed, she becomes visibly hysterical and asks Arthur "How is any of this okay?"

She becomes somewhat paranoid about others talking negatively about her. In one instance she can be heard saying things such as: "them out there, they're all laughin' at me", for example. She also believes that the gang disregards her, which is evident in the way that Dutch, Arthur, and Uncle do on various occasions in cutscenes. Molly at one point confronts and accuses Karen of talking about her behind her back, instigating a fight which results in her slapping Karen, and Karen retaliating by punching her in the face. Karen makes a point of saying "Dutch or no Dutch", she will kill Molly if she gets physical again.^[2]

However, Dutch seemingly losing interest in Molly is the biggest cause of Molly's deteriorating mental state. There will be more and more instances of them fighting as time goes on, often with Molly accusing Dutch of sleeping with other women behind her back. Molly at one point begs Abigail for advice on their relationship and Abigail point blank states that she believes Molly is "sweet" but "not stupid" and that she should realize that Dutch does not love her, at least "not the way you want to be loved", insinuating that she believes Dutch is only interested in sex. This upsets Molly quite a bit who tries to tell Abigail it's "not like that", but Abigail retorts with "It is like that." Although Abigail is brutally honest, she does express several times through the confrontation that she does not wish to see Molly "make a fool of herself" and tells her to "take care of herself", but this does not seem to leave an impression on Molly who gets frustrated and runs away. At the beginning of "An Honest Mistake", Molly even tries to approach Arthur regarding Dutch, but is interrupted before she can speak.

At the party held after Jack is rescued Molly will attempt to approach Dutch and ask him to talk and will be harshly turned away, resulting in her running away into Shady Belle and not joining in the festivities. The deterioration of her relationship with Dutch is also the reason she ultimately has a meltdown and is killed.

Appearance[]

Molly is a young woman with stereotypical Irish features of red hair, green eyes, and freckles. Compared to the other women, she wears a lot of make-up, sporting red lipstick and eye-shadow. Her hair is half-tied up, while the rest of her red curls drape freely down her back. Molly most commonly dresses in a corseted, low-cut, green top (similar to a Swiss Waist or Victorian Dirndl) with a golden-gilded pattern and trim, with matching golden jewelry, as well as a red skirt and white boots. Just like other gang members, Molly often changes her attire and hairstyle.

Mission appearances[]

Red Dead Redemption 2

Trivia[]

Molly is the only member of the Van der Linde gang to never accompany Arthur on a mission or a companion activity, and as such is the only one to never appear on the map as a companion icon. The closest she comes is in "Horsemen, Apocalypses", where her death can result in failure, but like all others not participating in the fighting, she does not appear on the map.
- In addition to this, Molly is the only female in the gang who never participates in chores around the camp. Arthur may say to her that there's plenty of work to be done around the camp, but she dismisses this, saying, "I'm no one's servant girl, Mr. Morgan."
It's possible Molly was the first to notice Dutch's mental decline. During a cutscene in the mission "An Honest Mistake", she questions Arthur, saying "How is Dutch? I mean, how does he seem to you?". After Arthur gives her a vague answer, Molly then says: "I... I really love him you know... but if he... Like he always says, loyalty is everything so...". This could very well be in reference to the Pinkertons' interrogation of her, although her initial interest in Dutch's well-being suggests that she may have noticed a change in Dutch.
Molly is the only member of the gang who died in 1899 not to be buried. Instead, Miss Grimshaw orders Bill and Pearson to burn her body. This is most likely because she was believed to have given information to the Pinkertons and was therefore not worthy of a proper burial.
- However, she was originally planned to have her own discoverable grave during the beta stages of the game's development but the idea was scrapped. It is possible to spawn her grave under the map via mods.^[3]
Originally, Molly was going to accompany the gang during the mission "The Gilded Cage", as the outfit she would have worn was found in the game files.^[4] However, she was cut for unknown reasons.
In contrast with other gang members' humble backgrounds, Molly claims to come from a rich, privileged family.
The red skirt worn by Molly closely resembles the "Constance Skirt", available for female players to wear in Red Dead Online.
Molly is the only member of the gang who can never be seen riding a horse. However, she has voice lines in the game files suggesting she was planned to ride one at one point, but most likely got scrapped.
When asking Arthur for a pocket mirror, she asks him if he believes breaking it will cause 7 years of bad luck. This could foreshadow her death and the gang's demise later that year, as well as John settling with his family after the 'curse' would have been lifted. (Not accounting for Red Dead Redemption.)