-
Lesson 4
Reply to post your assignment.
-
1 Reply
-
What I learned about this assignment is that I am able to find ways for each character to complement one another in the drama. AI helps with the development of each character.
For your Inner Circle characters, fill in any of the Intrigue items that apply.
Character Name: Liam
Role: Main character
Hidden agendas: Wants to compete in ballet for a living and will do anything to succeed. He will also do everything possible to pay off his college debt.
Competition: He sees successful danseurs as competition.
Conspiracies: Is sick with a rare blood disease impacting his ability to dance. Because he lacks insurance, he does not fully understand what he has. He sees only one doctor. He looks at ways to raise money and even look into the black market for ways to heal.
Secrets: Plans to steal pain medicine from Jack’s medical office and pin it on him. He seeks revenge on Jack for getting him into legal trouble, but at the same time, the drugs are helping him with ballet…until the damage surfaces.
Deception: Pretending to have Jack search for medical records (that are not present) as a distraction for Liam to steal pain medicine. Liam leaves a couple of pills on the floor near Jack’s office for his supervisor to find (and therefore blame Jack).
Wound: His family and his two closest friends hurt him, but Jack tries to forgive them as much as possible, because they are his only support system.
Secret Identity: Everybody’s reliable friend.Character Name: Jack
Role: Liam’s best friend who deceives him.
Hidden agendas: He works in pharmaceuticals. He got that job through his family. He didn’t have to apply or go to college to get credentials. Nevertheless, he is very smart. He learns about medicine through his job, which might benefit Liam in the long run.
Competition: He sees Liam as his competition in his inner circle because Liam is confident and is driven to succeed.
Conspiracies: He wants to use Liam to his advantage. He tries to persuade him to sell drugs for profit. Liam would take the fall.
Secrets: He wants power and control as well as money. He knows that in spite of Liam’s financial setbacks, he will succeed sooner than him. He doesn’t want that to happen. He wants to be more powerful than him. Jealously has been there since childhood.
Deception: Gains Liam’s trust in order to use him sexually as well as illegally by selling drugs that Liam thinks will benefit him.
Wound: Parents belittle him. They call him vulgar gay slurs and tell him that he is worthless.
Secret Identity: A miracle worker for Liam and others.Character Name: Shayla
Role: Liam’s closet friend; also a friend to Jack
Hidden agendas: She struggles with balancing her friendship with Liam and with Jack. At times, Jack brings Shayla in on his plans to deceive Liam.
Competition: She wants to be everybody’s friend and doesn’t know how to balance things out. In the process, she hurts people, including Liam.
Conspiracies: She’s interested in ballet as well and attends some of the same competitions as Liam. She’s interested in fame more than money. She wants her name to be posted everywhere as a winner. She knows that Liam is a solid dancer. She finds ways to make her way to the top.
Secrets: Loves her friends deeply, but wants popularity more than anything. Secretly, she also has a crush on Liam, but is unsure of his sexuality.
Deception: Tells Liam that a main ballet competition is cancelled, when in fact the date was changed.
Wound: She was body shamed on social media in high school. Now at 25, she lost weight and is more confident in herself. This confidence leads her to crave popularity.
Secret Identity: Wants her friends to be as successful as she is.Character Name: Misty
Role: Liam’s mother
Hidden agendas: She sides with Liam’s dad more than Liam.
Competition: She sees families in the community as competition and wants to maintain a flawless image and therefore brushes Liam’s endeavors as a ballet dancer aside because it is embarrassing to her.
Conspiracies: Lies to the police about Liam’s sexual assault in order to maintain positive family image.
Secrets: Gambles excessively and uses the money that her husband stole from Liam at a casino.
Deception: Is embarrassed by Liam’s life and health struggles and persuades him to attend a sleep away Christian camp as part of a healing process. While there, she uses that time to hold cocktail parties, etc. at the house as a means to feel elite and only uses family pictures of herself, her husband, and her daughter.
Wound: Her husband used to be verbally abusive to her until he got therapy.
Secret Identity: A well-rounded, supportive mother.Character Name: Martin
Role: Liam’s father
Hidden agendas: Supports his wife’s gambling and needs help with his mortgage. He finds ways to take money from Liam.
Competition: His wife is his competition. He wants her to maintain a wholesome family image, but at the same time doesn’t want her to be financially stronger than him. He is very conservative and old fashioned in his ways.
Conspiracies: Brainwashes Liam into taking odd jobs to pay for certain debts from childhood.
Secrets: Martin is a minor character, but he, like his wife will maintain a flawless family image. His deep secret is infidelity. He cheats on his wife with a much younger woman he met on an app.
Deception: Tells his son that he will use a bonus at work to help pay for Liam’s medical attention. However, he ends up using the money for his mistress (e.g., vacations, etc.)
Wound: He doesn’t have the education or skills to excel in life. He has felt stuck in the same spot his whole life and doesn’t want Liam to succeed (same viewpoint as Jack’s.)
Secret Identity: Innocent family man.
AI:Character Name: Liam
Role: Main Character
Core Layers: Competitive, sweet, craves success, reliable friend
Genre: Character-driven drama
Concept (Sample): A tight-knit group of friends in a coastal city navigate ambition, betrayal, and hidden traumas as their lives and careers intersect in increasingly dangerous ways.
________________________________________
Intriguing Layers for Liam
A. Hidden Agendas:
Liam outwardly supports his best friend’s start-up company, but secretly hopes it fails so he can buy it cheap and rebuild it in his image. He believes this is justified because he’s “better at leading it.”
B. Competition:
Drives Liam’s every action. Even in friendship, he keeps score. He’s especially competitive with people who remind him of his estranged brother, who always overshadowed him.
C. Conspiracies:
Liam uncovers a hush-hush deal between his boss and a city developer that threatens his neighborhood. He’s torn between exposing the truth and using the info to climb the ladder.
D. Secrets:
Liam hasn’t told anyone he was briefly institutionalized after a breakdown in college — a secret that, if exposed, could ruin his credibility in his current profession.
E. Deception:
He’s in a long-distance relationship but is emotionally involved with someone else in the city. To both parties, he pretends he’s “all in” — lying more to himself than to them.
F. Wound:
He never got closure after his father abandoned the family. He masks the wound with ambition and charm, but it drives his need to prove he’s “worth staying for.”
G. Secret Identity:
Liam occasionally writes under a pseudonym for an underground blog that critiques the very system he works in — a guilty form of rebellion and truth-telling he can’t give up.
🧠 Intriguing Layers for Jack – Liam’s Best Friend
(Charismatic, funny, loyal on the surface — but filled with inner contradictions)
A. Hidden Agendas:
Jack appears to support Liam’s rise in politics — but secretly wants to leverage Liam’s growing power to expand his own underground business dealings (e.g., illegal liquor sales, insider real estate flips).
B. Competition:
He’s envious of Liam’s leadership and public appeal. Jack tries to mask it with humor, but he resents always playing the sidekick. He subconsciously undermines Liam in small, strategic ways.
C. Conspiracies:
Jack has knowledge of a cover-up related to the death of the town’s former leader. He’s connected to shadowy town figures and plays both sides — feeding intel to Sofia to ensure he stays protected.
D. Secrets:
Jack is secretly in love with Liam, though he suppresses it. His sexuality is something he hides from the group, especially from Liam, fearing it would change their dynamic or expose his emotional weakness.
E. Deception:
He plays the role of the fun-loving, no-strings-attached bar owner — but he’s emotionally manipulative. He lies to protect himself, often feigning ignorance or distraction while playing puppet master in the background.
F. Wound:
He grew up neglected and poor, living in Liam’s shadow. His charm developed as a survival mechanism. Deep down, he feels like he’ll never be “the chosen one,” which drives many of his decisions.
G. Secret Identity:
Jack has an alter ego online — a whistleblower account posting cryptic messages about town corruption. No one knows it’s him, not even Dani, who’s investigating the account.
📺 TV Series Breakdown
Genre:
Psychological drama / mystery thriller
Dark, character-driven, exploring the masks people wear and the lies they tell to stay relevant or survive.
Concept:
At a prestigious private high school reunion, old friends reunite for a weekend retreat in the mountains. But when a former classmate turns up dead under suspicious circumstances, long-buried secrets begin unraveling. Everyone is a suspect, and the lines between truth and illusion blur. Shayla, once the “queen bee,” finds herself at the center of the emotional and psychological storm.
________________________________________
🎭 Main Character Profile
Character Name: Shayla
Core Personality:
• Glamorous but insecure
• Charismatic but emotionally unavailable
• Always on stage, even off-camera
• Haunted by a need to be adored
________________________________________
Intriguing Layers (Expanded)
Element Description
A. Hidden Agendas Shayla has returned to the reunion not only to reconnect, but to silence anyone who might know what really happened the night of senior prom. She also hopes to use the weekend to revive her struggling influencer career.
B. Competition Constantly measuring herself against others — especially former rival, Mara, who now seems effortlessly successful. Shayla cannot stand the idea of being forgotten or replaced.
C. Conspiracies Secretly believes someone is trying to ruin her reputation and has been tracking cryptic messages and anonymous threats that started before the reunion. She suspects it’s tied to a group chat that got mysteriously deleted years ago.
D. Secrets Shayla’s high school image was built on a lie — she wasn’t the popular girl everyone thought she was. She manipulated people behind the scenes and buried evidence of a scandal involving a teacher.
E. Deception Continually reinvents herself — online she is one persona, but in reality, she’s barely holding it together. Lies to others and herself about her happiness, career, and mental stability.
F. Wound Was severely bullied before high school but reinvented herself with plastic surgery and fake friendships. Her biggest wound is that no one truly knows her — and she fears that if they did, they’d reject her.
G. Secret Identity She operates an anonymous gossip account that once exposed dozens of classmates’ secrets — and may now be backfiring on her. She thought it was dead… but someone has revived it. Possibly using it against her.
Character Name: Misty
Role: Protagonist/central figure in the drama (likely someone with hidden depths and contradictions)
A. Hidden Agendas
Misty appears to be a perfect wife and mother, always saying yes to her husband and presenting an image of a calm, collected family life. However, she has personal ambitions or desires that conflict with her role as a caretaker. She may be quietly working behind the scenes to advance her own career, seeking validation in places where she’s never been noticed, or dreaming of something more than what her life offers. She could also be trying to “save” her family in a way that feels manipulative.
B. Competition
On the surface, Misty seems to be a supportive, dutiful partner who doesn’t like confrontation. But she’s secretly competitive. She constantly compares herself to other women—friends, neighbors, or colleagues—and wants to prove that she can be the ideal wife and mother while balancing her own desires. This could manifest as passive-aggressive behavior or even subtle sabotage of others to maintain her sense of superiority. Her competitive nature might also be linked to a desire to prove her worth, either to herself or to others.
C. Conspiracies
Misty is no stranger to creating or getting involved in conspiracy theories. She might be quietly manipulating the people around her to get ahead, like working against her husband’s interests behind his back or covering up something that could ruin her image. These conspiracies could be both big and small—sabotaging relationships or orchestrating things that others wouldn’t suspect. This adds a layer of intrigue, as she’s never entirely truthful with anyone.
D. Secrets
Misty has many secrets, especially about her past. Maybe she has a previous relationship that no one knows about, a secret affair, or even a hidden part of her personality she’s never shown. There could also be something darker in her past, such as a family tragedy, a crime she committed, or even an event where she let someone down, which she works hard to conceal. These secrets create tension and keep the audience guessing, especially as she hides behind the image of the perfect woman.
E. Deception
She’s a master of deception, carefully crafting her persona to fit whatever the situation requires. Misty knows how to manipulate the truth, spinning situations in a way that makes her seem like a saint while conveniently avoiding responsibility for her actions. She lies to her family and friends, as well as to herself, convincing herself she’s doing the right thing when she’s actually deep into her own web of half-truths and misdirection.
F. Wound
Misty’s wound is deeply emotional, perhaps rooted in childhood. She may have grown up in an environment where she was constantly overlooked, criticized, or made to feel inferior, shaping her need for external validation. This wound drives her desire to constantly seek approval, especially from her husband or family, to prove she is worthy of love and attention. She also may have faced an early betrayal that shaped her fear of being abandoned or left behind.
G. Secret Identity
Misty might not even be fully aware of her own secret identity. There’s a version of herself she hides from everyone, even herself, to survive in the confines of her domestic life. She could have a talent or passion—writing, painting, or another form of expression—that she’s been suppressing. This “secret identity” could also be darker: Maybe she’s living a double life that’s gradually unraveling, or maybe she’s been holding onto something from her past that she fears could destroy everything.
________________________________________
Additional Notes for TV Series Tone:
• Genre: Drama (character-driven, psychological depth, exploring relationships and hidden motives)
• Tone: The series could be intense, focusing on the complexities of family life, mental health, and identity, with high emotional stakes.
• Narrative Arc for Misty: Misty’s journey could revolve around uncovering who she truly is beneath the “perfect wife” image she’s curated for herself. Her internal conflict could come from the tension between her desire for approval and the darker truths she’s hiding. Over time, as the secrets begin to surface, Misty’s carefully constructed life could unravel, leading to a devastating crisis of identity.
Character: Martin
Role: The flawed patriarch trying to balance old habits with new growth.
________________________________________
A. Hidden Agendas:
Martin has a deep-rooted need to maintain control over his family dynamics. While he is improving, he is still secretly manipulative and tries to use his position as the “head of the family” to subtly push his agenda. He often justifies his actions as what’s “best for everyone,” but his sense of entitlement sometimes conflicts with his actions.
• Layer Example: When Martin pushes his son to take over the family business, he does so out of genuine belief in his son’s potential—but he also sees it as a way to regain some of his lost influence.
________________________________________
B. Competition:
Martin struggles with a desire to maintain dominance in both his professional and personal life. He feels threatened by younger men, both in the workplace and in his personal life, particularly when he realizes his wife is showing interest in a much younger man (possibly his son’s age). He uses competition as a way to prove his relevance and masculinity, often feeling like he’s fading in a world that’s moving on without him.
• Layer Example: He’s secretly jealous of his son’s achievements, even though he outwardly supports him. At work, he still feels like he’s the one who should be running the show.
________________________________________
C. Conspiracies:
Martin isn’t above getting involved in corporate schemes to stay ahead. He may be participating in or at least aware of shady business practices. Although he’s no longer the aggressive, domineering person he once was, the temptation of money and power lingers. His past, filled with secretive deals and manipulative tactics, can occasionally resurface, testing his resolve.
• Layer Example: Martin might use his son’s financial struggles as leverage to extract concessions from his business partners—acting like it’s out of love for the family, but really, it’s a move to protect his own interests.
________________________________________
D. Secrets:
Martin has multiple secrets that impact his relationships. One of the darkest is his history of verbal abuse towards his wife, which he’s deeply ashamed of. He may have even cheated on her multiple times over the years, but that’s a piece of his past he’s tried to bury. His affair with the younger woman could be a symptom of his mid-life crisis, and possibly a reaction to the long-term resentment he holds towards his wife for enabling their dysfunctional marriage for so many years.
• Layer Example: He’s never told his wife that he cheated on her years ago. He rationalizes it as a mistake from a different time, but his affair with the younger woman brings the old wounds back to the surface, triggering guilt and regret.
________________________________________
E. Deception:
Despite attending therapy, Martin hasn’t entirely given up his tendency to deceive. He is capable of lying to protect himself, his family, or his image. He may lie to his wife about the extent of his personal growth, hoping she’ll believe that he’s a changed man. His deception is often rooted in fear—fear of losing his family, his status, or the man he once was.
• Layer Example: When asked by his wife if he’s still seeing the younger woman, he lies and says it was just a one-time mistake, all while continuing the affair behind her back.
________________________________________
F. Wound:
Martin’s core wound is tied to his insecurities and self-loathing. His verbal abuse of his wife was a result of his inability to handle his own inadequacies—he felt emasculated and powerless, so he lashed out. His attempts at therapy are genuine, but the healing process is slow, and he still fights old demons. The fact that his wife stayed with him for so many years while tolerating his behavior makes him feel both guilty and indebted, yet it also fuels his resentment.
• Layer Example: Martin feels like he doesn’t truly deserve his wife’s forgiveness. This internal conflict creates a cycle where he tries to do right but is still drawn to making the same mistakes.
________________________________________
G. Secret Identity:
While Martin’s external persona is that of a well-off, conservative businessman and family man, he secretly feels like a fraud. He’s terrified of being exposed for the broken man he believes he is, so he wears a mask of confidence and authority to cover up his vulnerabilities. His secret identity is someone who is deeply lost, uncertain about his future, and unsure of how to repair the damage he’s done to those closest to him.
• Layer Example: Martin might secretly go to a 12-step meeting or support group for men who struggle with infidelity or anger issues. This side of him is entirely hidden from everyone, including his wife, who believes he’s been faithful for years.
________________________________________
Genre: Character-driven drama with dark family dynamics, exploring themes of forgiveness, redemption, and identity.
Concept:
The series revolves around a middle-aged man (Martin) who is in the midst of personal and professional crises. As he attempts to repair his damaged relationships with his wife and son, he is confronted with the consequences of his past actions. His journey is complicated by his ongoing struggle with insecurity, jealousy, and the temptation to return to his old, destructive ways.
Log in to reply.