Despite being one of Jigsaw's first attempted victims, Amanda Young (Shawnee Smith) eventually entered an alliance with the demented villain. John "Jigsaw" Kramer is one of the more sympathetic villains in horror, at least to a point. As the Saw films would reveal, Kramer became Jigsaw after serious tragic events destroyed his life, including the loss of his unborn child at the hands of a drug addict, and a diagnosis of terminal cancer. Wishing for more time on Earth, but unable to gain any, Jigsaw decided to make others prove they deserve to live.
While Jigsaw plays his often deadly games with people he believes are wasting or taking their own lives for granted, there's no getting around the fact that he's still a serial killer, despite what some Saw fans might assert. Kidnapping a person, placing them in a situation designed to possibly murder them, and then leaving them to live or die makes Jigsaw just as much responsible for their deaths as he would be if he personally stabbed them.
Regardless, it's not impossible to understand why Jigsaw was able to find some kindred spirits who came to believe in his cause. These Jigsaw apprentices would play a vital role in continuing the games as John got weaker and closer to death, and the first to be revealed onscreen was Amanda Young.
Amanda Joins Jigsaw Despite Their History - Here's Why
Amanda's first appearance in the Saw series came in the first film, in which she's shown to be the only person to "play" one of Jigsaw's twisted games and survive. Amanda was placed inside the infamous Reverse Bear Trap, and managed to escape with her life. A drug addict, Amanda says that despite the terror involved in her experience, Jigsaw ultimately helped her by making her value her life. Her inclusion in Saw 2 as one of those selected to take part in Jigsaw's latest round of tests implies that she's fallen back into her old habits, but that's not the case. It's revealed that after surviving her game, Amanda came to see John Kramer as a mentor and father figure, and decided to work with him on future traps that would hopefully lead others to the same life-saving realization she reached.
In Saw 3, Amanda appears to be unstable and shoot Dr. Lynn Denlon out of jealousy at her interactions with John, but it's revealed later on that Amanda's downfall was all a plot by fellow Jigsaw apprentice Detective Mark Hoffman. Amanda and Hoffman developed a rivalry while working under Jigsaw, and Hoffman wanted his competition out of the way. For her part, Amanda had began making her traps inescapable, violating John's rules, which led to the test he arranged for her in Saw 3, one she ultimately failed. Still, John clearly remained personally fond of her, with Hoffman at one point asserting that John was letting his affection for Amanda cloud his judgment.
