Caroline

"Yes sir, Mr. Johnson!"

- Caroline

Caroline is an unseen character in Portal 2. Her voice appears repeatedly in pre-recorded messages, and GLaDOS later discusses her. Caroline served as assistant to Aperture Laboratories's CEO, Cave Johnson, who called her the "backbone of the Aperture Science facility".

Background
Caroline was Johnson's personal assistant and closest confidant from the early years of Aperture Science until his apparent death in the 1980s. After realizing that he was terminally ill, Cave attempted to cheat death by ordering Aperture's scientists to develop a computer network onto which his consciousness could be downloaded. However, he decreed that should he die before the project was ready, Caroline would take over the company in his place, cautioning that she would likely have to be forced into the role as she would otherwise refuse out of modesty. He also suggested that Caroline could be downloaded into the computer network in his place, making her effectively immortal.

At some point, Caroline's mind was transferred to the AI network that would become GLaDOS, although she was against it. The AI proved to be dangerous and unstable, with GLaDOS at first trying to kill the facility's scientists within one-sixteenth of a picosecond every time she was activated.

Portal 2


Caroline never appears in person, but her voice can be heard through audio recordings in some test chambers located in older parts of the Aperture facility. In the recordings, Cave Johnson also mentions Caroline a number of times, consistently speaking very highly of her.

GLaDOS reacts strongly to hearing Caroline's voice while she is attached to a potato and exploring these parts of the facility with Chell. She is at first unable to remember how she knew Caroline, eventually lapsing into shocked silence for a time as she realizes her identity. At this point, Caroline's memories and personality gradually begin to reemerge, described by GLaDOS as a sort of conscience. Shortly after regaining her body from Wheatley, GLaDOS thanks Chell for helping her discover Caroline's personality segment - and its location. GLaDOS claims to have summarily deleted it; afterward, she displays a marked shift in mood, apparently reverting to her prior conscience-free state.

Despite this, however, GLaDOS ultimately decides to free Chell without harming her - although she claims this is merely because her dealings with Chell have been so troublesome. In the game's ending song, "Want You Gone," she expresses mixed feelings about Chell's departure and at one point sings the line, "now little Caroline is in here too," suggesting the possibility that she may have lied about deleting Caroline. During the co-op campaign, GLaDOS shows little sign of conscience - she has no problem with destroying sentient robots, actively encourages them to betray one another, and speaks disparagingly of humans. However, near the end of the campaign, she begins showing noticeable signs of emotion again. Ultimately, it is unknown whether part or all of Caroline's personality is still a part of GLaDOS.

'Portrait of a Lady'
In a hidden room overlooking the first test chamber in the 7th chapter, "The Reunion," a portrait can be found depicting CEO Cave Johnson with an unknown woman standing beside him. The woman has long brown hair and wears a white dress. While her identity is unconfirmed, Caroline is the most obvious candidate. Players who discover the portrait unlock the "Portrait of a Lady" Achievement/Trophy, and GLaDOS comments on the picture.

"Those people, in the portrait. They look so familiar..."

- GLaDOS

Personality and skills
Little is known about Caroline's personality; she has only a few lines in Portal 2, all of which are very short and along the lines of "Yes sir, Mr. Johnson!". She seems to have been a loyal and enthusiastic assistant to Johnson. GLaDOS's comments suggest that she admired his passion, determination, and aggressiveness, as well as his willingness to openly express these qualities.

Johnson, in return, expressed great respect for Caroline, praising her abilities and her dedication to science. He also stated that Caroline was a rather modest person - perhaps too modest - and tended to underestimate her own skills.

When GLaDOS begins to consciously access Caroline's memories, she implies that Caroline was more empathetic and concerned about morality than GLaDOS herself normally is (although this would be true of nearly any human). It is unclear how much of GLaDOS' usual personality reflects Caroline's original personality.

Trivia

 * Some of Caroline's lines not used in the game can be found in the game files. In most of them, she seems to be addressing Cave, desperately insisting to him that she does not want to be transferred into the A.I.


 * When Chell holds the Oracle Turret, one of the cryptic phrases it imparts is "Her name is Caroline."


 * In a possible in-joke referring to the main protagonist of the Half-Life games, the name Caroline means "free man".


 * The first Commentary Node in the chapter The Reunion states that the part of Caroline was originally to be played by a man named Greg. Since he would only have a few lines, the developers did not see the part as worth the price of another voice actor. Instead, they decided to change the character to Caroline and have Ellen McLain as her voice. This also allowed them to expand the story by relating GLaDOS to her.


 * In the ending song, "Want You Gone," GLaDOS claims that Caroline "was a lot like [Chell]." Exactly what similarities she sees between them is unclear; the comment may also have been simply a set-up for the next line, which goes on to insult Chell's weight in comparison with Caroline's.

List of appearances

 * Portal 2