Day 4 Assignments

[Laurie Brown]

(Laurie Brown’s) Intriguing Character Layers

What I learned from doing this assignment was that I am definitely inclined to NOT see how these interest techniques create far more intrigue than the simple vice or virtues of each character.

ASSIGNMENT 1:

Think about your Example Show. Make a list of the places you’ve already seen Character

Intrigue

in the previous episodes.

Character Name: Beth

Role: Primary Character

Hidden agendas: Become a chess master

Competition: Everyone except for Lorene and her mother.

Conspiracies: her whole life is a conspiracy on the chess board to win.

Secrets: She’s an addict. And chess is one big secret itself.

Deception: Hides her addiction and is deceptive to feed it

Wound: Her mother tried to kill her

Secret Identity:

Character Name: Mom

Role: The protaganist’s cheerleader

Hidden agendas: Bring in the money.

Competition: Competitive?

Conspiracies: ?

Secrets: She’s an addict.

Deception: Maintaining her addictions

Wound: Her husband abandons her.

Secret Identity: ?

2. Watch the next episode and see how Character Intrigue is being used to create the need to see more episodes.

Deadline: 24 hours

ASSIGNMENT 2

1. For your Inner Circle characters, fill in any of the Intrigue items that apply.

Character Name: Joanne or Joe

Role: Lead character

Hidden agendas: Prove herself to dad by rising to the top ranks in the Army at at

time that women weren’t even allowed in.

Competition: Fellow army nurse, Marge, her Father Joseph

Conspiracies: Keep Marge from becoming a colonel.

Secrets: She’s gay and in love with Bette

Deception: She is breaking the rules by having a romantic relationship with Bette

Wound: Her mother died and her father had no time for her as a career army man.

Secret Identity: ?

Character Name: Bette

Role: Love interest of Joanne

Hidden agendas: To get into Joanne’s heart

Competition: Men, Joanne’s denial of her sexuality, the Army rules

Conspiracies: To get a kiss from Joanne without her knowing it Is coming.

Secrets: She’s gay and in love with Joanne. She has a son.

Deception: She signs an agreement not to have children, then she does and must

keep it a secret.-

Wound: born wealthy she could have anything she wanted but love.

Secret Identity: ?

Character Name: Marge

Role: T o challenge/threaten Joanne

Hidden agendas: To unseat Joanne as a colonel so she can take that position in the

Nurses Corp

Competition: Joanne, and Bette to some degree, since she is on to Marge’s ways

Conspiracies: She conspires to get Joanne thrown out of the army for being gay

Secrets: She has a son which, if known, would oust her from the Corp.

Deception: Hides her son. Hides her relationship with his father. Lies about Joanne

to sink her position at all cost.

Wound: Abandoned by her mother due to death and seemingly unloved by her

father

Secret Identity: Spy for the Department of Interior

[Timothy Barley]

Tim Barley’s Episode List (VERY) Rough Draft

What I learned from this assignment is that this is where the rubber is really beginning to hit the road and my characters are just beginning to stretch their legs and may take ME somewhere I didn’t think of at all…

Episode 1: …In the Beginning

Alex is attacked and new people enter his life, all wanting “to help”

· The Dark Men make an attempt on an unsuspecting Alex

· Feenix fends them off, pissing off Allistar

· They tell him that he is heir to the greatest power ever

· Edris gets an assignment in LA

Episode 2: What the What?

Alex learns the history of the eternal battle between Earthlings and Humans

· Allistar and Feenix share with him the real history of Earth, and what “humans” really are

· Battle for Earth, one race leaves to battle on

· Human virus gets into the source of The Power

· Fateful decision made to remove the human presence

· Review the history of genocides, wars, plagues, where the batte is now

Episode 3: Hey Now!

Jade gains Alex’s interest, much to the dismay of Allistar and Feenix

· Wanting nothing to do with any of this, Alex meets Jade

· They grow close quickly

· Allistar meets Jade and they fight – turns out they are exes

· Jade makes it clear to Allistar that she is actually interested in Alex, not for her mother, but for her

· Edris and Feenix get the same assignment but with different reasons to do the job

Episode 4: Pay Attention!

Despite Allistar’s efforts, Jade and Alex take more steps together

· Allistar looks into Jade’s motives

· Feenix and Edris both arrive at their target at the same time, an epic fight ensues

· Alex and Jade’s relationship takes a turn when Alex gains a new power

Episode 5: Look What We Did!

Allistar and Feenix introduce Alex to their mother and the council

· Alex continues to make big strides in growing his power and abilities

· Brother and sister take Alex to meeting the heads of the Houses

· The Houses are unimpressed and call into question his family lineage

·

Episode 6: Dammit, Edris

Hoping to get Alex’s attention, Edris makes a bold play

· Edris uses his target from an earlier episode (Billy from the office) as bait for Alex to come get

· Jade, Allistar and Feenix come along, but Edris also brought his friends

· They fight, and get Billy out, but at a cost

Episode 7: You Should Look at This

A call goes out to all the houses about something they should look at in the sky

· While getting medical attention at a Refuge, it’s made known that there’s something out in the cosmos heading toward the solar system.

· In recuperation, Feenix mentions that she may be liking Alex.

· Jade offhand says that he might not be around long enough to enjoy

· Jade drops Feenix off a cliff

· We see Feenix hanging off the cliff, swearing revenge

Episode 8: Not So Fast

Jade makes a move to get Alex to commit his patronage to her house

· Feenix shows up and takes a small amount of revenge

· Alex gets tired and frustrated with all the backstabbing

Episode 9: Alex Unchained

Alex finally begins to see the world as it is

· He begins to use his power for his personal use

· This brings about some nasty side effects

· Using the power for personal gain or ill effect may be “bad”

Episode 10: Oh, There’s More…

Edris and his follower confront Alex, Allistar, Feenix and Jade

· Edris tells the group that he’s only acting on orders from someone more powerful, and known to Alex back in his hometown

· The battle moves to the desert outside SoCal

· Jade makes a sacrifice that she can’t come back from

· Billy makes his presence know

[Elizabeth Dickinson]

Elizabeth Dickinson’s Episode List

What I learned from doing this assignment is that all the questions confused me. I had to look at fellow-student Timothy Barley’s episode list to remember how I could make this simplerE I also rediscovered an old outline that really helped. I need to remember all the work I already did before I started this course and not to always try to reinvent the wheel!

Episode 1

To become the angel it longs to be, Oversoul must purge regrets of its past lives, and starts by reliving its life as 1^st century A.D. young Celt boy, wrenched away from idyllic existence to become Roman slave.

· Roman soldiers threaten Celt’s village

· Celt makes bargain with god Taranis to save village

· Celt leaves with Romans

· Romans kill Tyran’s twin brother

· Celt turns down opportunity to escape

· Cletus cut out Tyran’s tongue

· Romans leave Britain with Celt slaves and animals

Episode 2

Celt survives the long ship journey to Rome, and is sold as slave to Acutius, not knowing Acutius is head of gladiatorial school.

· Celt becomes friends with slave rower Dakarai

· Tyran mistakenly thinks Dakarai is harming Celt

· Dakarai is beaten

· Xola (Dakarai’s friend) rapes Celt in retribution

· Celt uses Dakarai’s advice to advantage in slave market

· Celt is separated from Tyran, sold to Acutius

Episode 3

Acutius sends Celt to learn charcoal making in country, where Celt is visited by gods, learns hard truths about his possible options, is reunited with an earlier friend and tribal brother.

· Celt and Spurius (Acutius’ messenger) evade Xola and fellow escaped slaves in forest

· Celt works, learns from charcoal master (and Cletus’ father) Carbo

· Cletus returns

· Celt retreats into forest, has vision of gods who give warnings and gifts

· Cletus plots to buy Celt from Acutius as personal slave for foreign military expedition

· Celt returns to Rome, discovers Acutius has bought Tyran from brothel

Episode 4

Celt learns more about what happened to his tribal brother, finally understands the full consequences of accepting the offer the gods predicted – and intervenes with a horse, leading to a new opportunity.

· Spurius and Tyran himself fill in Tyran’s life at brothel

· Celt and Tyran work in the stables and forge

· Cletus makes and offer for Celt to Acutius

· Acutius offers Celt the choice to stay or go with Cletus

· Celt finally realizes going with Cletus to Britannicus means fighting his own people for the Romans and refuses

· Celt’s has a breakdown

· His quality of work deteriorates

· Celt becomes friends with the horse Altus, saves him from Xola’s mistreatment with help of Epona, horse goddess

Episode 5

Celt revels in his freedom with the horse, meets new people – and finds that freedom leads to retribution from an old foe.

· Celt is given permission to work with (but not ride) Altus in pasture

· Altus encourages Celt to ride him

· Celt designs a better bit for Altus

· Celt meets famous agricultural writer Columella and his female servant Melisa

· Celt ignores Epona’s dream warning

· Xola discovers Celt riding Altus, beats Celt in front of other workers

Episode 6

Celt recovers from his beating, is demoted, and he and his friend endure harassment from fellow slaves and his old foe, before the surprising intervention from a famous bestiarus.

· Celt is returned to forges and carrying water for horses

· Celt sees Melisa in new household as slave, learns she was now-deceased Columella’s illegitimate daughter

· Acutius tells Celt he is to be trained as gladiator

· Xola doesn’t believe the news, sends Celt to fetch water again

· The domino of the house where Melisa works grabs Celt and other slaves to fetch water for a senator’s pool

· Celt chooses repayment from the domino in a meal so he can see Melisa

· Acutius is angry with Xola for interfering with Celt’s training

· Famous bestiarus Carpophorus asks to train Celt as bestiarus

Episode 7

Celt finds his newest opportunity causes more grief than gains and plots to get himself extricated.

· Celt is inspired by some parts of the animal training-and sickened by others.

· Celt sees his ability to communicate with animals makes him a deadly bestiarus

· Celt asks to be relieved from his duties

Episode 8

Celt excels in gladiatorial training, fights with future emperor, grows strong, and starts to revel in his power.

· Under influence of Taranis, Celt excels in different gladiatorial techniques

· Celt is pulled from training to fight emperor’s son of the same age

· Celt fights Xola, turns tables

· Celt uses growing influence to help Melisa get a better position as apprentice herbalist

· Ironically, Melisa is sent out of Rome to train

· Celt begins relationship with Bre, a female Celt slave

· Celt promises to buy both their freedom and refuses to have sex and give Rome another Celt slave

· Tyran is jealous of Bre

· Coran brings Celt’s father to Rome to see Celt fight-and to spy on Rome’s forces

Episode 9

When the famous bestiarus dies unexpectedly, coliseum organizers tap Celt to take his place, promising it will only happen once – until the emperor decides otherwise, leading Celt to make a dangerous move.

· Celt goes to dinner with famous poet Martial and others

· Carpopophorus dies

· Martial suggests Celt as one-time replacement to emperor

· Emperor promises freedom to Celt if he will perform as bestiarus

· Celt takes Carpophorus’ place in coliseum, succeeds too well, receives rave reviews

· Emperor makes Celt permanent replacement for Carpophorous

· Celt ignores emperor, continues gladiatorial training

· Celt arranges with Acutius to buy a ne serva clause with Bre’s ownership papers to prevent her from being prostituted if Celt is killed in the ring.

· Emperor threatens entire school unless Celt returns to being bestiarus

· Bre gets pregnant

· Melisa returns, offers Bre herbal abortion

· Celt arranges for Bre’s escape from Rome

· Celt has vision of his and Bre’s son fighting to free Britannicus from Rome’s influence

Episode 11

Celt is hidden by friends at an official’s country villa, where he catches the eye of the official’s wife, and is caught in a torrid affair, leading to tragic retribution.

· Acutius lies publicly, saying Celt has plague

· A doctor infects Celt so he is moved out of the city

· Celt rests in seclusion in small cottage at aedile’s estate

· Aedile’s wife lusts after Celt

· Servius warns Celt against affair

· Celt has reluctant affair with wife

· Celt gets violent with her, leaves her tied up

· Aedile finds wife tied up, beats Celt

· Celt demoted, disfigured, becomes farmhand

Episode 12

Celt, though disfigured and disabled, is sought out as a sperm donor by an enterprising female slave who hopes to bear a gladiator-son but dies in childbirth, and gives Celt a daughter, that becomes Celt’s main motivation to endure.

· Celt tends forge and takes place of donkey, grinding wheat

· The overseer abuses him on instructions from the aedile

· Curia, a next-door-neighbor’s slave, seduces Celt

· Celt’s daughter is given to the aedile’s daughter as a slave

· Celt’s daughter eventually guesses who her father is

· Celt’s daughter arranges for easier work for her father

· Celt’s daughter dies

· Celt is offered the chance to celebrate the coliseum’s anniversary by returning as a gladiator

· Celt meets Dakarai’s gladiator son

· Celt intentionally dies in the ring by the hand of Dakarai’s son

[Ben Ather]

Subject line: Ben’s Episode List Rough Draft

What I learned doing this assignment is

I didn’t think I would come up with 13 episodes. I was thinking of 8, but the hardest part was coming up with the events for each episode. I know I was working on the main events only, but it was still difficult and requires a lot of thinking. Episode 1 was easy. I did a lot of thinking on that already. The rest, some of them I came up with more after a lot of thinking while the others have less. I will leave all that to when I start working on the outlines.

EPISODE 1: Old Beggar helps Rain get into the Affinity Academy to learn magic.

– Rain’s adopted father, Old Beggar, tells Rain he found her birth father.

– Rain goes to Eucher’s house to find out why he abandoned her. Turns out it’s because she’s ugly to learn magic and bring pride to the family.

– Hurt, Rain locks herself away.

– Rain tells Old Beggar her decision to learn magic and wants him to help her find a way to get into the Affinity Academy.

– Old Beggar refuses to help her. He doesn’t want to send her to her death.

– Rain finds two average teens talking about a man who can help anyone get into any school.

– Rain tries to get the information out of them, but they run away to avoid her giving them her bad luck.

– Rain threatens one of the teens in the market, forcing her to tell Rain the man’s name and where to find him.

– Rain asks Mani at the old dock if he can get her into the Affinity Academy.

– The Mani takes advantage of Rain and charges her double.

– Rain tries to find a job in a tavern, the tavern owner laughs at her and orders his men to throw her out.

– Rain tries out grocery stall. Grocery man mocks her so Rain steals his money bag, but gets caught and beaten almost to death.

– Rain uses her condition and life to threaten Old Beggar to help her.

– Old Beggar reluctantly agrees to help her.

– Old Beggar brings Rain to Strange sorcerer who can make her a special disguise, but wearing it for too long will lead to her demise.

– Rain goes ahead with the disguise, but strange sorcerer tells because of her condition, the disguise will kill her faster.

– Old Beggar and Rain return to Ryster city.

– Rain and the children go through the portal gate to Affinity Academy as new recruits.

EPISODE 2: Rain, Aloe, and Reed attempt to rescue the new recruits from strange beasts, but fall into a trap

– Terra explains to new recruits the importance of finding and taming the beasts as their training companions.

– The new recruits, including Rain, go through the large portal.

– In strange new world, the new recruits have no idea where to go and decides to

pick a leader, but it causes disagreements that result in three groups, each going in different direction.

– Risa, Laison, and their group are captured by people they believe to be from another magic

schools, but Risa escape.

– Risa runs into Rain and Aloe and tells them what happened.

– Aloe suggests they find Reed and Toto to rescue their people.

– Risa brings back, Rain, Aloe, Reed, and his group to rescue Laison and his group, but find the camp was never there.

– Risa, Rain, Aloe, Reed, and his group meet Peach being chase by a strange beast.

– The creature runs off and Peach tells them Tinn and their group need help fighting off the creatures.

– Peach brings Rain, Aloe, Reed, and his group to mountain with many caves.

– Peach turns out to be one of the creatures and has lured Rain and the others into a trap.

EPISODE 3: Rain, Reed, Aloe, and the new recruits are trap in creatures’ lair.

– Rain, Aloe, Reed, and the new recruits try to fight there way out, but can’t.

– Rain, Aloe, and Reed lead the new recruits into the creatures’ lair.

– In the cavern, Rain, Aloe, and Reed lead the new recruits through a dangerous passage.

– The passage collapses, cutting off the creatures.

– Rain, Aloe, Reed, and the new recruits can’t go back and must find another way out.

– Reed leading the way, the new recruits find a dead end and must retrace their steps.

– Rain, Aloe, Reed, and the new recruits find several passages and must choose one.

– The passage leads Rain and the new recruits to poisonous area.

– Rain, Aloe, Reed, and the new recruits find another passage that leads them to the creatures.

– The creatures chase Rain, Aloe, Reed, and the new recruits to an area they are afraid to go in.

– The creature of this lair is a giant one. While trying to kill Rain and the rest, it steps into another giant creature’s territory.

– The two giants creatures battle it out. The destruction they cause make a way out for Rain and the rest.

– Rain, Aloe, Reed, and the new recruits take the opportunity to escape.

EPISODE 4: Rain, Reed, Aloe, and the new recruits work together to tame beasts.

– Rain, Reed, Aloe and the new recruits search for Laison and his group.

– Rain, Reed, Aloe and the new recruits find Laison and his group and learn there was some sort of a spell that created illusion and were never captured.

– Aloe suggests they work together if they’re to succeed, but Laison refuses and goes his own way with his group.

– Laison runs into the creatures and barely escape, having lost almost his entire group.

– Laison and what’s left of his group meet up with Rain, Aloe, Reed, and the new recruits, but blames what happened on Reed and still refuses to work with them and somehow convinces Tinn to stay away from Reed with group, but stay close.

– Rain, Aloe, Reed, Tinn, Laison, and the new recruits find the creatures, but don’t work together to tame them, resulting in failure and casualties.

– Tinn, Laison, and the new recruits realize the only they can survive and tame the creatures is to work together as one.

– Tinn and Laison work with Rain, Aloe, Reed, and the new recruits, taming the creatures, but discover all that happened was to unlock their potential to learn magic and a test.

EPISODE 5: Rain discovers she can’t learn magic.

– Rain’s teacher, Chasse, walks into the class and explains the first step in learning magic to students.

– Then she conjures a ball of light in her palm and tells the students to do the same.

– The students try and can’t do it.

– Chasse tells them to clear their minds.

– The students do so, but still can’t do it.

– Chasse ends the lesson and tells the students to learn what she taught them.

– Rain tries to conjure a ball of light in her room, but can’t do it.

– In the class Chasse finds out if the students have learned what she taught them.

– Some students have learned to cast balls of light.

– Rain and a few students are still struggling.

– Chasse ends the class tells Rain and the few students they must learn what she taught them.

– Rain finds a quiet place in the forest and tries to create a ball of light. Nothing happens.

– Rain goes to the library to do research.

– She finds information that will help her learn to conjure a ball of light.

– Rain tries out what she learned from the books in the forest. It still doesn’t help.

– In the class Chasse tests the students. All students can create balls of light, but not with ease and Rain still can’t do.

– Chasse tells Rain she must learn what she taught her no matter what.

– Chasse ends the class and tells the students to be really good at conjuring the ball of light.

– Rain does some research and learns that some people are not gifted in magic and will never learn.

EPISODE 6: Rain discovers she’s curse to never learn magic.

– In the class, Chasse tests the students and all can conjure a ball of light with ease except Rain.

– Chasse reveals to class that another test is coming up in three days and anyone who can’t conjure up a ball of light will be dismiss.

– Scared, Rain finds Chasse and tells her her trouble.

– Chasse brings Rain to Terra in Great Hall of Skai Ruse.

– She explains Rain has trouble learning magic.

– Terra casts a spell, but finds nothing wrong with Rain.

– Terra takes Rain to an elder of Affinity Academy who secludes himself in the mountain and explains everything to him.

– The elder does magic spell and discovers Rain is cursed and will never learn magic.

EPISODE 7: Zin discovers Mo’s scheme, but get caught.

– Zin’s informant is urgently called into a meeting in the middle of the night.

– In secret meeting location, Mo shows up and Kins tells everyone they are executing their plan tonight and tells everyone where to meet.

– Zin’s informant explains what’s happening to Zin.

– Zin orders Natchez and Sparrow agents to arrest Mo with him.

– At the meeting location, Zin discovers Mo set everything up from the beginning to catch him.

– Mo orders Natchez to kill Zin’s informant and arrest Zin.

EPISODE 8: Rain, Aloe, and Reed go out to the world to lift the curse, but are tricked and captured by an ambitious man.

– Rain, Aloe, and Reed travel across Shai’Ra, going from one school to another, looking for who can lift the curse. They find no one who can.

– Rain, Aloe, and Reed come upon a man who tells them about a mythical creature with magic that can lift any curse.

– Rain, Aloe, and Reed travel to the creature location.

– Rain, Aloes, and Reed attempt to kill the kill the creature, but it nearly kill them instead.

– Aloe suggests they come up with a plan to kill the creature.

– After some thoughts, Rain, Aloe, and Reed test out their plan. They failed.

– After a few try outs, they manage to kill the creature, but it turns out the ambitious man tricked them and captured them.

EPISODE 9: The ambitious man holds Rain, Reed, and Aloe as leverage.

– The ambitious man’s men throw Rain, Aloe, and Reed in a cage.

– One by one, the ambitious man tortures Rain, Aloe, and Reed to get the information about Affinity Academy out of them.

– When Rain, Aloe, and Reed don’t give the ambitious man any information, he threatens to kill one of them and sends their body to Affinity Academy as a message.

– Rain, Aloe, and Reed learn the ambitious man wants to use them to make Affinity Academy submit to him.

EPISODE 10: Mo and his Sparrow agents rescue Rain, Aloe, and Reed.

– Terra receives a message from Shard about Rain, Aloe, and Reed being captured.

– Terra summons Mo, tells him about the situation, and orders him to kill the ambitious man.

– Mo, Natchez, and Sparrow agents set out.

– Mo and Natchez go to meet up location, but find someone else the ambitious man sent to meet them.

– Mo orders Natchez to kill the man and find the ambitious man hideout.

– Natchez finds the ambitious man hideout.

– Turns out the ambitious man conspired with Mo to kill Rain, but failed.

– Using that, Mo kills the ambitious man to cover up everything.

EPISODE 11: Mo takes over Terra’s position.

– Zin escapes from the prison.

– Kins tells Mo Zin has escaped.

– Mo orders kins to gather his men and execute their plan ahead of time.

– Mo confronts Terra in the Great Hall of Skai Ruse to force him to hand over his position.

– Turns out Terra never wanted the position and has been planning to hand the it over to Mo.

EPISODE 12: Reed and Aloe help Rain investigate who curse her, but Sparrow agents arrest her.

– Rain, Aloe, and Reed come to Ryster City.

– Rain, Aloe, and Reed question her birth father’s neighbours.

– When their investigation leads to nowhere, Rain turns to beggars to find information.

– The beggars find the midwife who delivered Rain and has the answers, but Sparrow agents arrest Rain.

EPISODE 13: Terra sends Shard and his men to rescue Rain from the prison.

– Natchez throws Rain in the prison.

– Kins secretly leaves Affinity Academy and tells Terra.

– Terra devises a plan and sends Shard and his men to rescue Rain from the prison.

– After rescuing Rain, Terra tells Rain why he wants to change the rule and also convinces her

to join him in his quest.

[Linda Anderson]

Linda Anderson’s Episode List Rough Draft

What I learned doing this assignment is I’m starting to feel more organized.

Season 1 Episodes<b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”> with Main Events

1. Louise, a newspaper fact-checker, plunges into a midlife crisis when her memoir gets rejected by Candice, a NYC editor, because her life story is too boring.

· Hysterically crying over the rejection, Louise crashes her bicycle into Derrick’s car

· Louise guilts Derrick into helping her recover

· She decides to steal Derrick’s life story to write a new memoir that will sell

2. Derrick, a recovering alcoholic, thinks he’s a screw-up so starts lying to Louise by telling her the exciting life story of Chester, his crime-boss father in witness protection

· Louise’s daughter, Jan, fakes a job loss and being dumped by her boyfriend for Louise to let her move in and pursue an acting career

· Jan gets suspicious about Louise’s motives for befriending Derrick

· Louise accepts Derrick’s invitation to spice up her life story by going to the professional clown school where he’s an instructor

3. Louise starts to enjoy Derrick more in spite of herself.

· Louise and Derrick go on clown gigs and she starts to loosen up.

· Louise tells Derrick about her secret (and demonstrates it)—she sometimes hears conversations of inanimate objects

· Louise diminishes Jan’s drama over being rejected for acting auditions and roles.

· Louise completes the fake memoir and puts Derrick’s byline on it

· Louise sends the fake memoir to a different editor at Candice’s publishing company

4. Jan finds the memoir, reads it, and falls in love with Derrick.

· Derrick’s memoir creates a buzz at the company

· Candice manipulates to get the editor fired and replaces her

· Derrick locates Chester in hiding. Chester rejects him.

· Rejected, Derrick starts drinking again and lies to his AA sponsor Jake

5. Louise realizes Derrick is drunk on one of their clown gigs.

· Louise drives Derrick home. He tells her his secret wound—he killed his sister in a drunk-driving accident. Chester has never forgiven him for it.

· Louise sees how much pain Derrick is in and feels remorse for stealing his life story and passing it off as her own

· Louise breaks down and tells Jan what she did. Jan is furious with her.

6. Mark, a supremely inept and corrupt FBI agent on the take from the crime syndicate, feeds valuable information to his crime boss.

· Mark’s coworkers ridicule and reject him as a bumbling incompetent

· Mark saves the money he gets from the crime boss to be able to retire in style and leave the FBI job he hates.

· Candice falls in love with (bad boy) Derrick via the fake memoir.

· She offers a contract and advance money to him aka Louise but insists on an in-person meeting in NYC

· Candice sees the memoir as her ticket to promotion and gets it put on the publisher’s bestseller track

7. Candice talks the marketing department into place am amazing pre-publication teaser for the book online.

· Candice sends a link to the book trailer to Louise

· Louise realizes she has to confess what she did to Derrick.

· Before Louise can come clean, furious Jan betrays Louise, tells Derrick about the deception in an attempt to make him love her

· Derrick and Louise have it out. He confesses he told her Chester’s story, not his.

· Mark comes across the book’s trailer and reports it to his crime boss, thinking Derrick is Chester’s pen name.

8. The crime syndicate sends Mark to kill Derrick/Chester for having testified against it.

· In a near-miss, Mark attempts to kill Derrick without seeing his face.

· Derrick blackmails Louise into going on the run with him so she can transfer advance money while he tries to get to NYC without Mark killing him.

· To be near Derrick and con Louise into cutting her in on the advance money, Jan goes on the run with them.

9. Derrick and Louise do clown gigs to hide in plain sight from Mark on the trip to NYC.

· Louise saves them several times with her fact-checking skills and ability to hear inanimate objects

· Derrick tells Jan about Chester’s rejection

· Jan figures out Chester is an online con man and contacts him

· Jan begs Chester to save Derrick from the crime syndicate

· Chester realizes he still loves his son

· Chester goes deeper into hiding and figures out a plan

10. In NYC, Derrick is everything Candice hoped he would be. He introduces Louise as his assistant.

· Candice schedules a book launch is scheduled at an off-Broadway theater and invites her boss.

· Publicity for the launch clues Mark into where he can assassinate Derrick.

· At the launch, Chester manages to stop Mark from killing Derrick.

· The truth is revealed about their deception and crime syndicate chasing them

11. Louise, Derrick’s, Jan’s, Chester’s, Candice’s, and Marks story lines conclude with open loops.

· The audience, reviewers, and Candice’s boss love the added intrigue and think it’s part of Derrick’s true-life exciting story

· If the book becomes a major bestseller, what will the crime syndicate do to Louise and Derrick?

· Who will win Derrick’s love—Jan or Candice?

· Will Derrick fall off the wagon again if Chester cuts him off again?

· Does Jan having got Chester to help them make Louise start seeing her value?

· Will Louise ever write the real story of her life which now includes her clown experiences, a recognition of her hidden talents such as hearing inanimate objects talking.

[Stuart Voytilla]

Stuart’s Episode List Rough Draft

What I learned doing this assignment is… The set of questions was extremely valuable, allowing me to brainstorm episode ideas, as I continue to go deeper into the development of the show and explore this initial draft of the pitch document. A helpful tool I brought into the mix, asking “what’s the worst thing that could happen?” This helped me discover episodes and an additional untapped storyline.

Episode One: King Goplik crashes the wedding of Lady Amelia and Prince Brann.

• Timken prepares Amelia for her dream wedding.
• Wedding ceremony, reception… delivery of the gift from neighboring Brattvia – in return, Lavinia presents Timken’s mysterious guardian, Mauriae – a traitor to Brattvia and in league with the murderers of King Raynor.
• Gift transforms to bloody death and chaos.
• Timken fails to defend Prince Brann/Lavinia – Timken is captured by Lord Asnar.

Episode Two: Princess Amelia is alive – and a slave to the king’s courtroom!

• Asnar examines Temkin, his “pet” – the spoils of war…
• Temkin mourns the death of Amelia and his family/country, plans to kill himself.
• Asnar and Goplik are lovers. Asnar teases about the spoils of war he’s eager to offer the king in his court.
• King and his ministers are presented news/spoils of the practical joke. Asnar presents Temkin – who’s humiliated and named “Hop-Frog”.
• Asnar presents Amelia – the dancing princess – surprising Hop-Frog! She stumbles, humiliated. The Minister of Hunger names her “Trippetta”. Hop-Frog takes stage to deflect attention from Trippetta.
• Alone, Trippetta rejects Hop-Frog – he wasn’t there to defend her prince.

Episode Three: The murder of Minister of Hunger.

• Hop-Frog prepares the entertainment, but missing Trippetta.
• Hop-Frog entreats Amelia to trust him to help her escape – but she’ll have nothing to do with Temkin.
• Hop-Frog presents the entertainment to the king — other oddities…with Trippetta the headliner.
• Minister of Hunger requests the private meeting with Trippetta. But Asnar is protective of his treasure.
• Asnar tests Trippetta’s skills at swordplay.
• Trippetta plots her revenge on Minister of Hunger, unawares that
• Hop-Frog plots vengeance upon Minister of Hunger…
• Hop-Frog and Trippetta cross paths – as Hop-Frog executes his plan – Minister’s demise in his kitchen; his corpse is prepared for the king’s meal.
• King’s banquet, all enjoy huge limbs of delicious tender meat.
• Hop-Frog and Trippetta become allies – determined to see the king fall.
• But Asnar (or Syrelle?) observes the two huddling, and suspects…

Episode Four: Trippetta seduces Lord Asnar, while King Goplik/Hop-Frog plot how to use Trippetta to bargain an alliance with Balog.

• Hop-Frog serves meat stew to the peasants, the generosity of the Minister of Hunger. The word of Hop-Frog’s celebrity spreads.
• Princess Syrelle meets Prince of Balog to negotiate allegiance/marriage. Prince of Balog concerned about treatment of Lavinia.
• Asnar duels Trippetta, training her with the sword. Trippetta uses the sparing to seduce him.
• Asnar and King Goplik make love, Asnar shares his suspicions of Trippetta’s advances – intriguing the King.
• King Goplik hatches plot (with Hop-Frog’s guidance) to use Trippetta to bargain an alliance with Balog.
• Asnar and Trippetta commit to seduction, and Hop-Frog witnesses.

Episode Five: Hop-Frog plays the Prince of Balog to secure Trippetta’s freedom.

• Prince of Balog arranges a meeting with Princess Syrelle at the Brattvian castle.
• Entertainment for the prince – he’s ribbed by Hop-Frog, captivated by Trippetta’s dance.
• Prince of Balog sneaks into the cells to find Trippetta and promises her rescue. Lord Asnar kills him.
• Dispose of the body in the crypt – sealing the corpse in a wall.
• Hop-Frog finds Mauriae still alive, prisoner of the Master of Ceremonies.

Episode Six: Trippetta and Hop-Frog manipulate Lord Asnar, and break their own trust.

• Hop-Frog gets the truth about the resistance from Mauriae.
• King of Balog demands the return of Prince of Balog.
• Hop-Frog proposes a grand party to celebrate the anniversary of Goplik’s coronation – a comedy roast of King Goplik, but he promises a delicious twist.
• The play of Lord Asnar gets more devious, Lord Asnar suspects Hop-Frog and uses Trippetta. And she reveals Hop-Frog’s plan.

Episode Seven: Planning the Roast for the King

• The Roast – with Balog and rivals mocking the King.
• Asnar realizes Hop-Frog’s deception – and challenges him.
• Hop-Frog and Trippetta trap Asnar.
• Hop-Frog takes over the Roast – allowing the entertainment, while the King and his ministers withdraw for their final gift.
• And Hop-Frog prepares the King and ministers for their practical joke – dressing up in their mysterious costuming.
• Princess Syrelle suspects the deception underfoot.

Episode Eight: Serving the King’s Roast (Trippetta and Hop-Frog exact vengeance.)

• Hop-Frog presents the Fool’s Play performed by the king – chaos erupts.
• The courtroom is surrounded by shadowy were-beasts – terrifying all. Exits blocked to contain the evil.
• Huge were-orangutans attack… (the king and his ministers in disguise). The fires threaten to roast the party-goers, Goplik’s rivals.
• Hop-Frog turns the tables on Goplik trapping him in the chains for the chandeliers – and revealing the beasts as threats to all – and the crowd rise to burn the were-beasts – roasting the king and his minions.
• All horrified. An empty throne.
• Hop-Frog wants to take Trippetta away, free, but she too is considering the throne.
• Something is quaking, rumbling within the crypt where King Raynor’s bones lay.

[Avi K]

Avi Kapurala’s Episode List Rough Draft

What I learned doing this assignment is: It’s not easy to come up with a set of episodes and even just a rough list of main events for each one. It took me a while to come up with the list and it feels good to know that I can keep working on polishing this up more and more. IT’s the beginning, not the end.

EPISODE DETAILS:

Episode 1: A killer on the loose. Introducing the Vermas. Aman and Maya’s unhappy marriage.

· A young woman is murdered by a mystery killer on a moonlight date.

· A friend throws Aman and Maya Verma an anniversary party.

· Aman and Maya fight. She leaves the party abruptly, causing it to fail.

· Maya has an accident, which puts her in the hospital.

· RJ and Tara Verma are introduced. They blame their father for the accident.

· An unsuccessful attempt is made to kill Maya in the hospital.

Episode 2: Police investigation begins. Tara and her relationship. RJ and his lack of relationships. Tense dynamic between father and children.

· The police begin their investigation into Maya’s accident.

· Tara goes to her girlfriend, Beverly for comfort, but sees her kissing another woman.

· RJ records his feelings of loneliness and spends time at his mother’s bedside.

· Aman postpones a business deal.

· Aman tries to reach out to his children and is rebuffed.

· Maya regains consciousness, calls a stranger and confides that her life may be in danger.

Episode 3: Maya recovers and meets with a stranger.

· Maya is released from the hospital.

· She begins her recovery at home.

· Tara and RJ give her constant company. Aman is sidelined.

· Tara confronts Beverly. She does not tell her mother about the incident.

· Aman’s big business deal falls through.

· Maya ventures out to meet a strange man.

· Aman follows Maya and spies on her meeting.

Episode 4: Maya is killed in a mugging.

· Aman hires a PI to spy on his wife.

· Maya announces that she wants a divorce and will move out with the children.

· Aman is upset and has a big fight with Maya. Tara takes her mother’s side.

· Tara has a fight with RJ over his dislike for confrontation. She calls him a coward for not supporting their mother.

· Beverly reaches out to Tara to patch things up.

· The PI hired by Aman gets back to him with the info that the man Maya met is a PI himself.

· Maya goes for a run and is killed by a mugger.

Episode 5: Maya’s murder throws her family into chaos and a police investigation. The police get a tip.

· The police investigate Maya’s murder. All family members are interviewed.

· Tara, RJ and Aman have a hard time coming to terms with what happened.

· Aman tries to make peace with Tara and RJ so they can grieve as a family.

· Tara and RJ shut out Aman and bond as siblings.

· A mystery man kills the junkie mugger who killed Maya, with an overdose.

Episode 6: The police get an unexpected tip and find their suspect, but he’s already dead.

· The police get an anonymous tip off about Maya’s killer.

· They find the location of the killer, but discover he’s already dead.

· The family is informed about the developments and is advised that the trail may have run cold with the suspects death.

· Tara storms out to stay with Beverly to process the events.

· RJ tries to vent his anger and sadness by drinking and swimming till he passes out.

· The killer strikes again by murdering another woman.

Episode 7: Who killed Maya’s killer?

· The police close the case, claiming that they found the killer who was clearly a junkie after drug money.

· Aman, RJ and Tara try to fight the closing of the case without success.

· Maya’s will is read out and it leaves her wealth to her children.

· Tara and RJ discuss leaving their father after getting their inheritance.

· Aman receives a phone call…on the burner phone the mystery man who killed the junkie took from him.

Episode 8: Is Aman behind Maya’s murder?

· Aman calls the number back and someone picks up, but says nothing. When prodded by Aman, they ask where the junkie is.

· Aman disposes of the burner phone.

· Tara and RJ begin firming up their plans to leave home. They fight and Tara restates her contempt for RJ’s lack of goals in life.

· Aman gets a call at home, telling him that he (the caller) knows Aman killed the junkie to hide his secret- he had his wife killed.

Episode 9: Why did Aman conspire to kill Maya?

· Aman is shaken by the phone call revealing the truth.

· He ransacks Maya’s room, looking for something he doesn’t find.

· He ransacks the house, looking for something he doesn’t find.

· He confronts RJ and Tara and lies to them that their mother had a dark secret and he’s trying to destroy the evidence. Did they know anything?

· RJ and Tara react by telling him they’re planning on leaving the house.

Episode 10: Aman’s secret is known to a mysterious stranger, who begins to blackmail him.

· Aman is shocked to find a note taped to his car that calls him a killer.

· Shaken by the note, Aman screws up a major business deal.

· He goes drinking and picks up a woman.

· Aman and the woman drive to a cabin on a lake. We find out for the first time that it belongs to Aman.

· Aman and the woman have sex.

· Aman and the woman go for a swim in the lake at night and he drowns her.

· Aman comes back to the cabin and cleans up the traces of her being there.

· He finds a message on his phone and plays it out loud.

The message says ‘I know why your wife had to
die. It’s because she found out that you killed Sarita, Rita, Layla, Shauna and
the others…

[Wendy Weising]

Wendy Weising’s Episode List Rough Draft

What I learned doing this assignment is that the story is coming to life more and more.

Assignment #4

1. Use the Cheat Sheet above to do Step 1–5, answering the questions.

Beginning: After her husband asks her to check the mailbox, Jayne, a perfect wife and mother, finds a note that says, “Goodbye, bitch,” is hit by a speeding car, and wakes up in a strange hospital where they tell her she doesn’t have kids or a husband.

Ending: After finding out that the hospital is a human brain-mining facility and that her kids are being held at another location, she decides to escape and save her kids. When Polly, Ava, Dr. Zyn, and Jayne escape together, Jayne sees red bands across the sky. When she asks what has happened to Earth, the others tells her that she is no longer on Earth but on Celebros.

Mystery

Mystery 1: Jayne wakes up in a hospital looking for her kids and is told she does not have kids. Ava sings a song about liars to Jayne. Polly whispers the words, “Don’t believe them.” Dr. Zyn placates her by saying that he’s sure she is a good mother. Dr. Jones continues to tell her that she has no family and that it’s just a side effect of the daily antibiotic she must take. Jayne notices that most of the patients are comatose and not getting better. She sees areas in the hospital that have “Do Not Enter” signs posted on them. She catches some of the nurses speaking in a strange language.

Mystery 1 Solved: She enters one of the rooms with the “Do Not Enter” sign on it. It is filled with comatose patients and scientists who are removing their brains. Polly and Ava tell her that the hospital is run by aliens, who are mining human brains for a serum that keeps them alive. Dr. Zyn tells her that she does have kids that are located in a different facility.

Mystery 2: Who left the note and hit Jayne?

Mystery 3: How do they escape the hospital? Jayne, Polly, Ava, and Dr. Zyn work together to secretly gather supplies, drugs, and food for the escape. Polly draws a map of the hospital from memory. They determine the best door to escape from. They need a vehicle and a key to get out.

Mystery 3 Solved: Polly is a hoarder. In her stash, she finds the key to the exit door. Jayne agrees to an experiment to buy her friends times to locate a vehicle. Dr. Zyn stops the experiment and saves Jayne. They fight their way through Dr. Jones and security to escape.

3. Journey

Jayne Beginning: Submissive and perfect-looking wife and mother

Jayne Ending: an alien fighting against her own people to save them

4. Layers

Layer: Polly spies for Dr. Jones even though she hates her so that Dr Jones won’t use her brain.

Layer: Ava is a fifteen-year-old prostitute who allows Dr. Jones to pimp her out to her friends. Ava earns drugs that she is addicted to, nice clothes, and a beautiful room for being Dr. Jones’s prostitute.

Layer: Dr. Zyn is in love with Jayne but remains Dr. Jones’s mate even though he hates it. If he keeps Dr. Jones happy, she will not hurt Jayne.

Layer: Dr. Zyn and Dr. Jones (and Jayne) must have a brain chemical only found in humans to survive. They do not tell the patients.

Layer: Dr. Zyn saw the horrors of Dr. Jones’s experiments and surgeries and his race dying when they ran out of the needed chemical.

Layer: Dr. Jones is afraid to be alone. She controls others to keep them from leaving her.

Layer: Dr. Jones hates humans but must rely on them to survive.

Layer: Jayne is really an alien, who hunted and captured humans for Dr. Jones’s experiments.

Layer: Jayne falls in love with Dr. Zyn, even though Dr. Jones tells her that her husband is alive.

Layer: As a baby, Polly was adopted by Dr. Jones, who later tired of and neglected her. Dr. Zyn raised her.

Layer: Polly hoards things to make herself feel safer.

Layer: Ava can change an alien’s minds when she sings.

Layer: Dr. Jones got Ava addicted to drugs.

5. List of major story lines

Line 1: Jayne finding out what the hospital is

Line 2: Jayne, Polly, Ava, and Dr. Zyn escaping

Line 3: Dr. Jones getting Ava addicted to drugs

Line 4: Polly spying for Dr. Jones to keep her brain safe from brain-mining

Line 5: Ava doing anything for drugs

Line 6: Dr. Zyn loving Jayne but having to hide it and pretend to love Dr. Jones to keep Jayne safe

Line 7: Dr. Jones determined to obtain enough brain serum to last until she can find another source

Line 8: Jayne is no longer on Earth

Line 9: Jayne thinks she’s having nightmares when she’s dreaming about real events

2. Episodes

Episode 1: Accidents Happen

Jayne is hit by car and wakes up in weird hospital.

· Jayne’s husband calls and sends her to the mailbox.

· Jayne find note that says, “Goodbye, bitch.”

· A car hits Jayne.

· Jayne wakes up in weird hospital asking about her husband and kids.

· Doctors tell her she has no husband or kids.

Episode 2: The Simple Genius

Polly’s story told

· Polly is a baby when Dr. Jones kills her parents and takes her.

· Dr. Jones tries to raise Polly but neglects her when she tires of her.

· Dr. Zyn cares for her.

· Dr. Jones reminds Polly that she needs to bring her better information or suffer the consequences.

· Polly steals a book from Dr. Jones while her back is turned

· Polly shelves book in her hidden stash.

· Polly listens in on Jayne and Dr. Zyn

· Polly cleans Jayne’s room and notices how upset she is.

· Polly decides to tell Jayne, “Don’t believe them,” and then leaves.

· Dr. Jones questions Polly and berates her.

Episode 3: The Thornbird Sings

Ava’s story told

· While serving Jayne breakfast, Ava sings about liars and then begins to cry.

· When questioned, Ava recalls her life

· She is separated from her mother.

· Dr. Jones listens to Ava’s voice and relaxes.

· Dr. Jones gives beautiful clothes and place to stay to Ava if she will entertain her friends.

· Dr. Jones introduces Ava to her friends.

· Dr. Jones’s friend lures Ava into a nearby room.

· Ava comes out in tears with her dress torn.

· Tells Jayne that she is Dr. Jones’s prostitute.

Episode 4: The Truth Hurts

Jayne finds out that the hospital is a human brain-mining facility run by aliens.

· Dr. Zyn and Dr. Jones have a huge argument about Jayne.

· Dr. Zyn removes Jayne’s restraints.

· She sneaks out of her room and sees the “Do Not Enter” signs.

· She enters.

· Doctors are removing brains from people who are comatose but still alive.

· Jayne is hysterical as the aliens rush her from the room.

· Polly and Ava tell her that they are in human brain-mining facility run by aliens.

· Dr. Zyn shares the history of his people.

Episode 5: Love Protects

Dr. Zyn’s love story told

· Dr. Zyn volunteers to care for Jayne because he is in love with her.

· He remembers the day that his friend introduced him to his mate, Jayne, whom Dr. Zyn couldn’t take his eyes off.

· Dr. Jones sees him kissing Jayne’s forehead.

· Dr. Jones reminds him that they will mate that night after dinner.

· Polly sees that Dr. Zyn is upset and gives him a gold star from her stash.

· When Dr. Zyn arrives home and finds Dr. Jones hitting and verbally abusing Ava, he stops her.

· Dr. Zyn tells Jayne that he loves her, but she doesn’t hear him because she has fallen asleep.

· Polly hears this and tells Dr. Jones.

· Dr. Jones tells Dr. Zyn that she knows he is in love with Jayne, but he had better fully be her mate, or she will kill Jayne.

Episode 6: Believe It or Not

Dr. Jones blocks their escape by telling Jayne that she controls everyone.

· Polly produces a map of the hospital that she has drawn from memory.

· They figure out how to escape, but how will they unlock the exit door?

· Ava steals more of her drugs from Dr. Jones after spiking her drink.

· Dr. Zyn visits the “Do Not Enter” room and steals extra brain serum.

· Dr. Jones knows that something is going to happen. Did Polly tell her?

· Dr. Jones mentions to the group how she is controlling each person.

· Jayne scraps the plans to escape because she doesn’t trust the others.

· Polly refuses to spy for Dr. Jones.

· Dr. Jones tells her that she is going to use Polly’s brain for herself.

Episode 7: The Key

Polly finds the exit key, and Jayne sacrifices herself.

· Dr. Jones tells Jayne she is going to use her in an experiment.

· Polly convinces Jayne that they must leave and what will happen if they don’t.

· The group produces everything that they have stolen.

· Polly rummages in her stash for one more thing—a key to the exit door.

· Jayne agrees to Dr. Jones’s experiment so that the others can steal a vehicle.

· The group finds a vehicle but it won’t start.

· Polly hotwires it.

· Dr. Zyn saves Jayne just after Dr. Jones has begun the experiment.

Episode 8: The Escape

Jayne escapes with friends from the hospital and finds out she is not on Earth anymore.

· Dr. Jones stops the group from leaving.

· She lies about experimenting on Jayne’s kids.

· Jayne fights Dr. Jones and almost kills her.

· Dr. Jones tells Jayne that her husband is alive and well on the planet.

· Security aliens arrive.

· Jayne fights them with amazing skill, steals a weapon, and kills them.

· Dr. Jones laughs and tells her that she is being more like the Jayne she knows.

· Dr. Jones presses a button that closes the garage door and then locks it.

· Polly floors the vehicle and crashes through the garage door.

· Jayne sees green bands across the sky and asks what has happened to Earth.

· Dr. Zyn tells her that she is no longer on Earth but on Celebros.

[Laurie Brown]

(Laurie Brown’s) Episode List Rough Draft

What I learned from doing this assignment is that the story takes form as you brainstorm first, and then seek the order. Again keep moving forward vs. perfectionism is the way to go.

Question A: What is the Beginning of the season and the End of the season?

SEASON 1

A. High Concept How can an old for her age little girl, haunted by the mysterious death of her mother and an absentee Army Colonel father find her way in military school to pursue her goal to be the first female colonel in an Army that doesn’t allow women to join.

Cliffhanger: What will the headmaster do to her?

Beginning: Geri’s finds her mother dead in a pool of blood. Intro to her mother’s powerless world as wife of an absent military officer living on a military base and forced to follow his oppressive rules even in his absence.

Ending: Geri lays quietly in bed, as the headmaster does final bed count, shuts off the lights and closes the drape that separates her from Marge, the girl next door.

Mystery One.

Question A: What is the mystery? Mystery is how did Geri’s mother die. <div>

Question B: How could the mystery be set up? What parts will be left out that must be solved? Geri finds her body in a pool of blood. Must leave out the cause of death.

Question C: What it the ultimate solution that the characters must work to discover? Geri is driven to uncover the secret of her mother’s death and why her father won’t tell her.

Mystery Two – What do the girls fear about the Headmaster at the Military School.

Question A: What is the mystery? What do the girls fear about the Headmaster at the Military School?</div><div>

Question B: How could the mystery be set up? What parts will be left out that must be solved? Geri gets warned not to say a peep when he comes around. He leans into to her appearing to comfort her in bed, but shuts the curtain between her and Marge, staying on the side of Marge. Leave out what happens to Marge.

Question C: What it the ultimate solution that the characters must work to discover? The girls are driven to uncover how to have power over their superiors using military rules.

Looking at your answers to #1 and #2, you might already know where your lead character’s journey starts and concludes for this season.

Question A: Where does the Lead Character journey begin and end for this season? Geri starts as a traumatized little girl attempting to bring her mother back to life and vowing to solve her mother’s mysterious death. He character’s journey ends in military school, acting brave and accepting her fate, but terrified of the head master and powerless over her situation she vows to survive. </div><div>

Question B: Where might this character go in future seasons? Into the military to get the power in the world she has been denied. How could that influence this season’s journey? She makes a pledge to find justice for her mother, vowing that there would be no more secrets.

Layers.

Question A: What layers have you already discovered in your BW Framework?

· Intriguing Layers (Lesson 4)

· A. Hidden Agendas: Prove herself to father.

· B. Competition: Marge for Colonel

· C. Conspiracy: Cover a secret from her past

· D. Secrets: pregnancy, abortion, lesbian

· E. Deception: Hides her true self (her hat)

· F. Wound: Mother’s mysterious death

Question B: Are there any other layers that you could think of? What other meanings might you give the current story, plot, character, relationship, world, etc.?Hidden Agenda – motives of the headmaster. Relationship of the headmaster to the father. Justice for her mother. Get power in the world of the military,Competition with her father for her mother’s love.Wound: Father’s not allowing the hat. Headmaster taking away the hat. Conspiracy – Steal the hat back from the head master.Secret – Mother hates the father. Sleeps with him only for money. Geri steals her hat back and hides it from the Headmaster. Geri sleeps with Bette at night. Marge is being raped by the Headmaster.Secret identity – only trusts women.

· Layer: Opening scene Geri, with an army hat on finds her mother in a pool of blood.

· Layer: Geri, taken to a neighbor flashes back on her father coming home from the Army to visit.

· Layer:In same flashback the father scolds Geri for wearing the hat. She runs to her room and hides it.

· Layer: In same flashback the father and mother fight about him not sending money. She listens in. The mother begs him not to, but he rapes her leaving money on the kitchen counter.

· Layer: Back to scene – The father drops her off at military school where she meets the headmaster.

· Layer: The headmaster is a friend of the father. The father tells him to protect her.

· Layer: The headmaster takes her hat away saying girls don’t wear army hats.

· Layer – Geri conspires with Bette and Marge to steal the hat back and she hides it under her mattress.

· Layer – Geri is terrified that the Headmaster will find her hat at night.

· Layer – He comes in every night and she is warned to not make a peep.

· Layer – He comes in and pulls the drape between Geri and Marge.

· Layer – from the other side, Bette crawls in bed with Geri.

5. Make a list of the Major Story Lines.

Question A: What main characters have story lines that affect everyone else? </div>

Geri’s Mom dies a mysterious death.

Geri gets put into military school and defies the headmaster, a friend of her dad’s who her Dad tells to protect Geri.

The headmaster is doing something to Marge at night that is a secret.

Bette takes Geri under wing to comfort her while it is going on..

<div>

Question B: What are the most important story lines of this show?

Geri’s comeback from her mother’s death leading her to a way to gain power – a vow to become Colonel in the Army – and the secrets that threaten her rise to the top.

Bette’s big heart that she opens to Geri, and inherent fight for truth justice to restore and protect the honor of the soldiers she cares for in Viet Nam.

Marge’s sexual abuse as a child and in the Army and her perpetrators blackmail to keep it quiet, eventually leading to her secret son and betrayal of Geri.

Leo’s misogynistic ways leading to setting up Geri for failure and blackmailing Marge against her, eventually (as a secret operative of the Department of Interior) trying Geri for treason.

Bette and Geri’s friendship that is really so much more, but their “don’t ask, don’t tell” façade keeps the truth from even the show’s audience until the end.

OUTLINING PROCESS

3. Sequence the episode ideas into 8 to 13 episodes. You know where the season begins and where it ends, so those will be your Episode 1 and Episode 8. Then look to see what episodes might emerge in between 1 and 8.

Episode 1: Geri, a good student, and obedient child comes home from school and finds her mother dead in a pool of blood, with money and her father’s hat on the counter.

Episode 2: Geri’s father picks her up at the neighbor’s and takes her in the car.

Episode 3: Geri’s first day in military school and meeting with the Headmaster (a friend of her father’s) who takes her hat.

Episode 4: Geri, Bette and Marge eat dinner together at the military mess hall.

Episode 5: Geri steals her hat back from the headmaster in a scheme dreamed up by her new friends, Bette and Marge.

Episode 6: Geri, Bette and Marge play army, Geri is the colonel. Marge and Bette don’t care.

Episode 7: Geri flashbacks on father coming home, scolding Geri and raping her mother, leaving his hat and the money on the table.

Episode 8: Headmaster pull curtain between Geri and Marge’s bed.

4. With each episode, list the main events of that episode in bullet points.

Episode 1

· Geri sits in her class and answers the question about WWII.

· Running home from school she races two boys and wins.

· Throwing open the door to the house she runs in screaming, “mom, I’m home”

· Running into the kitchen she finds her mother dead in a pool of blood.

· Her father’s army hat and money are on the counter.

Episode 2

· Geri sits at the table with the neighbor looking out the window.

· Two men wheel a body out of Geri’s front door to a hearse.

· The neighbor encourages Geri to eat.

· Geri flashbacks on her father coming home when she was younger, her mother begging him not to.

· He rapes her mother and leaves money on the counter

· He takes his hat back which Geri has put on her head.

· Father pulls up in his car.

Episode 3

· Geri’s rides with her father silently.

· Geri’s father goes into the building and talks to a man.

· Geri takes his hat off of the dashboard where he left it and tucks it under her shirt.

· Geri stands in an office before the same man at his desk, he gives her the drill.

· Geri unpacks at her bed, two girls, Marge and Bette look from either side through the pulled curtain.

· The Headmaster spots the hat on Geri’s bed

· The Headmaster takes the hat, saying no girl will ever get in the army.

Episode 4

· Geri looks for a table to sit at in the mess hall.

· Bette and Marge are seated together watching her.

· Marge makes a remark that there can be only one teacher’s pet.

· The headmaster comes through and smiles at Marge.

· Bette makes room for Geri to be seated.

· Geri quietly eats and heads to her next class.

· The teacher writes math problems on the board.

· Geri solves the problem in her seat.

· The teacher asks for someone to come up and solve the problem.

· Geri sits still

Episode 5

· Geri and Bette bump into each other on the playground.

· Geri is playing baseball by herself.

· Bette takes the ball and pitches it to Geri.

· Geri slams a home run.

· All of the girls turnaround in amazement.

· Geri picks Bette to be on her team alternating with Marge who is also building her team.

· Geri’s team wins after Geri hits a home run.

· Marge looks angry and stomps away mad.

· Geri and Bette hold up their hand in victory.

· The headmaster looks on.

Episode 6

· Geri and Bette hide around the corner from the Headmaster’s office.

· The headmaster leaves his office.

· Geri runs in, motioning to Bette to follow.

· Geri opens his filing cabinet and finds her hat.

· Together they tear out the office with the hat under her shirt.

· Marge is watching from the distance.

Episode 7:

· Geri tosses and turns in bed.

· Geri dreams being with her mother, Geri leading the march with her paper Army hat on.

· Geri’s father pulls into the driveway.

· Geri’s mother pulls off Geri’s hat and runs to the bathroom and puts on lipstick.

· Geri runs out the door to greet her father who ignores her.

· He goes into the house and Geri can hear them fighting about money.

· Geri’s mother starts to cry and scream no.

· Geri’s father forces himself on the mother

· He leaves forgetting his hat and putting money on the table.

Episode 8:

· Geri, Bette and Marge play army, Geri is the colonel.

· Geri barks orders at the other two.

· Bette takes it in stride and laughs.

· Marge storms out saying she will not take orders from a girl.

· Geri says they are just friends. They take a vow to be best friends forever – the three of them.

· Bette on one side and Marge on the other, they fool around in the group bunk hall.

· Geri stands on the bed giving orders for lights out.

· The lights flash on and off and all three jump under the covers.

· The Headmaster inspects all of the beds, then turns off the lights.

· The sound of the curtain pulled between Geri and Marges bed.

· Geri reaches over. Bette is huddled close in her bed.

</div>

[P.G. Sundling]

P.G. Sundling’s Episode List Rough Draft

Answer the question, “What I learned doing this assignment is…?” and put it at the top of your work.

I had to look ahead to the next lesson so I could make sure lesson 4 accounts for the requirements of 5 in which actions I list so that my bases are covered.

Use the Cheat Sheet above to do Step 1 – 5, answering the questions.

1. Beginning…………………………………………………………….Season End/Cliffhanger

Question A: What is the Beginning of the season and the End of the season?

Season 1.0 Renquist steals company. -> Attacks on White House.

Season 1.5 Must invade Russia to retrieve kill switch -> nuclear war and intelligence explosion

Question B: What possible cliffhanger could be in that last scene of the season, thus demanding that we watch the next season?

Season 1.0 Kill Switch revealed which can control all advanced US military tech.

Season 1.5 MJ is pregnant and the father is None or Fernando

2. Mystery Set up………………………………………………………………………Mystery Solved

Question A: What is the mystery?

Season 1.0 Will None and MJ get their company back?

Season 1.5 Who or what is killing sentient AI?

Question B: How could the mystery be set up? What parts will be left out that must be solved?

Season 1.0 They discover the hidden memories None blocked out. They try all the escape clauses to get the company back.

Season 1.5 It turns out Yu Gong Yi Shan is the one killing AI and he does it to wage a war for AI supremacy.

Question C: What it the ultimate solution that the characters must work to discover?

Season 1.0 None let’s himself walk into danger. His death or incapacitation will void the contract.

Season 1.5 None and Ada discover the true villain. They must find allies and figure out how to defeat him.

3. Lead Character journey begins……………………………………….Journey peaks, but continues.

Question A: Where does the Lead Character journey begin and end for this season?

Season 1.0 MJ has never been kissed, but after many steps along the way, she works up to a real kiss. This journey continues into Season 1.5, when she finally consummates a relationship.

Season 1.5 None’s brain is damaged, then it’s repaired by a brain implant, then he messes with the implant, creating Ada, an entity in his brain.

Question B: Where might this character goes in future seasons? How could that influence this season’s journey?

Season 2.0 MJ will die and be evolved form a zombie to a mutant. She faces her worst fears of being attacked inside.

4. ………Layer………Layer………Layer………Layer………Layer………Layer………Layer.

Question A: What layers have you already discovered in your BW Framework?

Plot Surface:

Adaptive Unlimited (Slam Dunk Jobs)

Layer: It looks like Maria betrayed James and will help Renquist run the Adaptive Unlimited.

Layer: Renquist stole control and profits of the company with a shady contract.

Layer: Maria was only using a ruse to get Renquist alone so she could kick his ass and threaten him.

Layer: Maria has to get James to forgive him. James makes her work for it.

Layer: No lawyers will take their cast against Renquist’s powerful law firm without being paid upfront. James’ only chance is his brother, who he just alienated.

Layer: James figured out Maria didn’t betray him, but made her beg to be friends again anyway. James teases her.

Layer: Renquist is attacking any company with a James Wong on the payroll, not just the right one. James won’t be able to take any new job.

Layer: Renquist filed a misconduct complaint to make sure James can’t receive unemployment.

Layer: Renquist made sure his car was repossessed so he can’t go anywhere.

Layer: Renquist destroyed everything in his apartment so he can’t sell his furniture to make rent.

Surveillance Tapes

Layer: Maria tells Renquist about surveillance tapes she recorded in None’s office. He threatens to kill MJ, but she implies she has a dead man’s switch.

Layer: James’ apartment is in shambles. MJ admits that Renquist is looking for the tapes.

Layer: James realizes his car was prepossessed to look for tapes. They are probably looking though Maria’s apartment. At her apartment they find armed intruders, which MJ stabs and chases outside. Ironically the police James called to help instead put her in jail.

Layer: James is being questioned at the police station. When the cops leave, a Russian in a trench coat comes in. If he turns against Maria, the sale of the company will go through. Otherwise, he’ll end up dead next time they meet.

Politics

Layer: James decides to run for president and asks Maria to be his VP. He announces his run in Beer Beakers, a steampunk bar. James bluffs some punks in a steampunk bar with what he thinks is water. Ironically, it was vodka, so he almost lit a Molotov cocktail.

Layer: A practice campaign video they made when James was drunk goes viral. Everyone is talking about the none of the above and more jobs part of their video, but not them.

Layer: When the Take Back America Movement changes their endorsement to none of the above and more jobs, James decides to change his name to None of the Above(None) and convinces Maria to change her name to More Jobs (MJ).

Layer: None and MJ must get on the ballot in as many states as possible before the Take Back America Movement realizes what they’ve done.

Character Surface:

Layer: James and Maria worked on Adaptive Unlimited as close friends and co-workers.

Layer: James thought he had drunk sex with Maria because he woke up in her bed. Maria tumbles out of bed to avoid his kiss. He’s embarrassed when he realizes he was fully clothed and nothing happened. Maria teases him.

Layer: Because Renquist destroyed him financially and for convenience, James has to move in with Maria.

Question B: Are there any other layers that you could think of? What other meanings might you give the current story, plot, character, relationship, world, etc.?

I have 190,000 words of notes for book 2. The problem isn’t coming up with layers, it’s selecting which to use. I’ll skip ahead to what’s in the episodes, since much of that was already worked out in the book (season 1.0), the first two episodes of 1.5(in thriller class) and the last two episode while locking down the ending. Just a several middle episodes to figure out.

Turn those answers into a list of 8 to 13 Episodes with one sentence explanations.

Season 1.0

Episode 1 Doomsday Destiny – Doomsday foretold, company stolen, surveillance tape danger, running for president, name change, and off to campaign.

Episode 2 Disgruntled Election – Election campaign ending with an election day mass shooting.

Episode 3 The Robots are Coming – a win turns to a loss and comes down to a court ruling.

Episode 4 Frenemies – Even None’s friends work against him for their own agendas.

Episode 5 Stomping on Anthills – None’s dating life takes off and backfires.

Episode 6 Jury of Lovers – All his lovers confront None together on live TV.

Episode 7 Dead Man’s Switch – All of MJ’s dead man’s switches are dead with Renquist closing in.

Episode 8 Winning is Losing – Chasing after the company.

Episode 9 Murder Room – Faking a celebrity’s death.

Episode 10 Onslaught – Traitors in powered armor attack the White House.

Season 1.5

Episode 1 A Cold Day in Hell (or Colder War) The President invades Russia to get back the kill switch.

Episode 2 A Bridge to War (or A Race to Die or To Walk on Water) Escape from Russia and a new Chinese threat.

Episode 3 Mind Games – After a brain implant None has an entity in his mind, or he’s gone crazy.

Episode 4 Murica – Military technology escalate the world to the brink of war

Episode 5 Red Dawn Protocol – America prepares for a potential Chinese invasion

Episode 6 Jiangshi – A new Chinese space technology dominates space

Episode 7 Dead Hand – America creates a new nuclear failsafe, increasing chances of nuclear war.

Episode 8 Jericho A singularity cult brings down the AI safety resulting in many sentient AI and someone or something is murdering those AI.

Episode 9 Air Force One is Down – The nuclear failsafe countdown is triggered and any tampering will detonate nukes.

Episode 10 Cloudy With a Chance of Mushrooms – With nukes launched, only a crazy plan can stop them, but there is an even greater threat that reveals itself.

China dominates space with a new technology.

With each episode, make a list of bullet points that describe the most important events of that episode.

Season 1.0

Episode 1 Warnings/Doomsday Destiny/The Train to Doomsday/Crazy Train/Bloody Heel Prints

Hook/Intrigue: A cryptic simulation predicts doomsday.

Main Character journey: None expresses his feelings for MJ

Major Challenge/Conflict: Company stolen by Renquist. Maria had enough and fights back. Surveillance tapes put MJ in danger.

Action/Reaction: Decide to run for president, change name to None and MJ. None’s apartment ransacked and battle intruders at MJ’s house.

Cliffhanger: A simulation predicts None and MJ will be trapped at a mass shooting on election day.

Episode 2 Minimum Intervention

Hook/Intrigue: A simulation shows None getting shot for being a coward.

Main Character journey: MJ comes to accept her new name and identity.

Major Challenge/Conflict: A madcap campaign across the country on a limited budget to get on the ballot, include a confrontation at enemy campaign headquarters. None risks his life to distract the gunman, so MJ can attack them.

Action/Reaction: A newscaster risks her life to cover the mass shooting from inside.

Cliffhanger: MJ is about to be killed by the gunman.

Episode 3 The Robots are Coming

Hook/Intrigue: None and his brother Shen help MJ defeat the gunman. The Secret Service finally arrives.

Main Character journey: Nearly dying traumatizes MJ. None’s family mistakes a White House dinner as a marriage to MJ.

Major Challenge/Conflict: A mysterious phone call claims to rig the election against None. Who hid phones in MJ’s house? Has Renquist compromised the Secret Service?

Action/Reaction: A legal challenge in California puts the election at risk. Intimidated electors tip the election results against None. Shen defends None and MJ in court. None and MJ get their own reality TV show.

Cliffhanger: The California Supreme Court rules on whether None will be president. Simulation shows Thelma interrogated and killed at the beach over the packages.

Episode 4 Frenemies

Hook/Intrigue: A legal ruling makes None president.

Main Character journey: None stands up for himself, but ends up in an unhealthy relationship with the narcissist celebrity Astrid.

Major Challenge/Conflict: None makes selecting his cabinet part of his TV show.

None demos educational software, but sabotage prevents it from working.

One candidate was picked so None could call him out on TV. It backfires when the candidate wins and turns out to be Renquist’s spy.

While None tries to share innovative ideas, the TV host embarrasses him with surprise guests and hidden cameras.

MJ and Astrid get into a fight on TV that embarrasses None. If she attacks Astrid again, None will kick MJ out of his life.

Secretly smart, Astrid lets None underestimate her so she can manipulate him.

MJ gets rid of a rival, but sends her into the arms of an enemy. This move crushes None’s confidence and spirit right when the country needs his confidence most.

Action/Reaction: The global economy is falling apart. None must maintain confidence or the economy will collapse.

Cliffhanger: Astrid dumps None on live TV. She breaks his spirit and confidence. A simulation shows a man in a face mask taking Polaroids. A pig disposing of a corpse, Astrid’s hair visible. He pulls the hair and pieces of the corpse outside the pig pen with a garden hoe and drops the Polaroids. <None explained pigs can eat humans. A simulation shows Astrid eaten by a pig. Will None kill Astrid that way?>

Episode 5 Stomping on Anthills

Hook/Intrigue: Being dumped leave None listless on the couch. He needs to be revived, or America will be without a functional president.

Main Character journey: Corella wakes None up from his depression with a kiss. Unwillingly to see None fall into Corella’s clutches, MJ posts a dating profile for None, which goes viral and restores None’s confidence and attitude.

None accidentally triggers MJ’s phobias.

James’s mother recounts how None and MJ bonded as kids.

Major Challenge/Conflict: So many women want to date the President that he resorts to speed dating.

Action/Reaction: Enemies in Congress appear to give None the law he wants, but it contains a trap. An immigration law causes a dilemma.

MJ makes a new ally.

None sets off a technology boom with an investment program.

Anomalies warn None of economic strangeness, a mystery he must solve. Only five women remain in competition for None’s love, including Betty.

Cliffhanger: All the women None dated recently stand ready to confront him on live TV. A simulation shows Betty getting killed.

Episode 6 Jury of Lovers

Hook/Intrigue: Sarah and None seem happy with a small child. Glad he resigned as president. A cloud zooms across the ground towards them. When the cloud arrives, everything disintegrates into dust.

Main Character journey: None realizes he’s promiscuous because of his insecurities over MJ.

Major Challenge/Conflict: All the women dating None confront him on TV. While None wasn’t dishonest with them, they feel used. Sarah leaves first when None doesn’t choose her on the spot. None reveals Corella’s hidden agenda for the ambush. He’s done with Corella and the TV show.

Action/Reaction: MJ and Corella fight. Both their security details get involved. Zelda leads the other women off stage. Was this a ruse by Corella to scare off the other women?

An LA immigration debate is a trap. None shares shocking LA history that was covered up.

An intervention makes sure the murderer finds Sarah. (A text with her location).

Zelda gives None another chance. She becomes his girlfriend.

None finds out the company Renquist stole from him destroys the economy. It becomes more personal when he finds his mom is about to lose her house. Blocked memories come back to him.

If None doesn’t do more TV episodes, Corella will reveal that the company he founded destroys the economy.

None finds allies to make a hostile takeover of his company.

Fernando mentors MJ in martial arts.

Cliffhanger: None makes a deal with Corella, only to find out the next episode will be on location at the wedding of his ex-girlfriend Astrid to his biggest enemy.

Episode 7 Dead Man’s Switch

Hook/Intrigue: Simulation of second dead man’s switch is killed.

Main Character journey: None realizes he underestimated Astrid. When Zelda makes a pass at MJ, she confides about her fear of penetration.

Major Challenge/Conflict: MJ uses martial arts training as cover for secret meetings with Fernando. She confides about Renquist killing Thelma. Renquist will kill MJ when all her packages are found.

Action/Reaction: The app destroying the economy turns all professions into gig workers with dwindling wages. Unions stand up to the app. They lock down the LA airport, but Renquist drop ships in scabs to all area airports. The union gives up.

Renquist takes on a bigger union. Unions lockdown every airport in Baltimore, but Renquist flies his scabs into nearby cities. He protects the scabs with an army of security and blows up a wall to march thousands of scabs through the back.

[shorter version after Unions stand up to the app. Unions lock down airports, but it’s not enough to stop Renquist and his army of scabs. He blows up a wall to sneak thousands of scabs across the picket line.]

Government can’t stop Renquist. Can None’s hostile takeover stop him?

The Renquist/Astrid wedding concert fills a stadium. Renquist Aerospace introduces advanced battle armor which is demonstrated during Astrid’s rock opera. None watches Astrid burns him in effigy during the concert.

None tries to get closure from Astrid. Renquist confronts None in an unexpected way. When the conflict expands to security details, Renquist dons armor. He air lifts to leave the wedding, outdoing the Secret Service.

Intervention: makes sure Fernando finds the other dead kill switch.

Fernando finds out her second dead man’s switch is dead. He agrees to be her new dead man’s switch. MJ figures out Zelda is the spy looking for her package.

Renquist subverts None’s TV show and uses it against None by buying the studio that runs it. He destroys both investors to stop the hostile takeover.

After several reversals, Renquist leaves an opening for another hostile takeover option.

Cliffhanger: Renquist blocks further hostile takeovers. None will get a billion, but Renquist keeps the trillion dollar company. Winning is Losing. The global economy faces collapse because Renquist wasn’t stopped.

Episode 8 Visiting Armageddon/Money Apocalypse/The Money Game

Hook/Intrigue: Shen warns MJ to quickly prove that Zelda is a spy because None plans to propose to her. Shen will be another dead man’s switch for MJ.

Main Character journey: MJ puts herself in danger and faces her phobias to find proof Zelda is a spy. When the proof disappears, MJ makes None choose between her and Zelda. It backfires when he proposes to Zelda in front of her.

Major Challenge/Conflict: The economy collapses. Civil order breaks down. Small towns resort to posses for law enforcement. Even None’s family is affected.

Armed citizens mass near Houston. To stave off uprisings, None and MJ attend a gun rally. The Secret Service only lets them go in battle armor, which raises tensions further. How can they calm the heavily armed crowds?

None and MJ fly to Europe to meet with world leaders. Leaders bicker over the smallest details.

Using mystery and the allure of Air Force One, None entices leaders of the twenty biggest countries to fly off for a historic secret meeting. All the leaders onboard means any damage to Air Force One will start world war three.

None uses MJ as a decoy to hide his true intent. He flies world leaders without authorization to Varosha in the forbidden zone where only Turkish troops are allowed. A “visit to Armageddon” should wake up world leaders to the stakes.

The Turkish president confronts None about American planes invading his airspace. None points out he can’t shoot those planes down because it’s Air Force One and he’s on it. A deal keeps Turkey quiet.

Unaware of the danger they face in the forbidden zone, world leaders explore the ruins of Verona.

Action/Reaction: Feeling slighted, the Turkish president breaks from the group to find and mobilize troops.

Intervention, Xor sends the cloning project to Fernando.

Cliffhanger: A massive convoy of Turkish troops approaches the president’s motorcade. Will world leaders be captured or killed? Could this start world war three?

The simulation shows Secret Service agents gunned down in the White House. MJ is in danger.

Episode 9 Murder Room

Hook/Intrigue: Simulation: Fernando is interrogated and killed.

Main Character journey: If None is killed or incapacitated, the company will reverts back to None and MJ. He’ll sacrifice himself to get his company back, unless MJ can shares feelings for him. Will she?

Major Challenge/Conflict: With guns pointed at him, None negotiates. How can None save the global economy and prevent a war with Turkey, or worse?

Action/Reaction: An intervention prevents Fernando’s death. ( Xor intervenes and makes the interrogator someone he knows).

A strange message leads MJ and Fernando to a clandestine meeting that reveals a plot to kill the president. None’s idea could save the global economy, but not bailing out banks marks None for death. Surveillance of conspirators proves Renquist backs None’s assassination.

Multiple women None dated turn up dead, stabbed with MJ’s katana. Who killed them? How did MJ talk to a dead girl?

A celebrity must fake their death. When Fernando sets up a murder room, is he going to kill her for real?

Drugged, MJ wakes up too late to talk None out of sacrificing himself. Fernando is missing.

Multiple assassins attack None and his security detail. He’s limp, his brain exposed. Will he survive?

MJ won’t let None die alone. She demands to meet None at the hospital, but Agent Reynolds has his own agenda.

Cliffhanger: MJ pulls a gun on Agent Reynolds, unsure if he’s betrayed her.

Episode 10 Blue Screen of Death

Hook/Intrigue: Doctors put None into a coma.

Main Character journey: MJ lashes out at others while she faces losing None. Fernando escaped, but they got his package. All the surveillance tapes are gone, so Renquist can kill MJ now.

Major Challenge/Conflict: All the assassination conspirators except Renquist leave the country on a plane. Using her data glasses, MJ secretly orders the plane shot down while she’s being sworn in as president. She blames the plane on terrorists as cover and attacks Turkish Rebels to pay off None’s favor.

MJ and Fernando uncover a Russian conspiracy working with Renquist. If MJ doesn’t bail out banks, the Russians lose billions. When Renquist is found, MJ tries to kill him with an illegal drone strike. He tricked MJ into destroying the plane to tie up his loose ends. Renquist destroys the drone somehow. MJ uses a drone malfunction as a cover.

The Russian conspiracy Kombinat reveals itself. Secret Service traitors attack the White House in powered armor, killing agents by the dozens. Fernando and Navy SEAL buddies counterattack to protect MJ. Most are killed, and MJ ends up saving Fernando in her escape.

MJ gets her own powered armor and faces off against Zelda in an epic battle. Zelda reveals why killing MJ is personal. Zelda barely escapes.

MJ faces her fears. She shares her feelings and gives None her first real kiss.

Generals discovered a device can disable U.S. military tech. MJ knows Renquist used it to destroy the drone, but can’t reveal the truth.

Cliffhanger: The location of the simulations is revealed as deep under the ice of Antarctica. All simulations past a certain date show static. The timeline is marked unwinnable. A failsafe starts a self destruct timer for Earth.

Season 1.5

Episode 1 A Cold Day in Hell (or Colder War)

Hook/Intrigue: Simulation shows Chinese invasion of Taiwan. China nukes American bases in Guam and Japan, leading to nuclear war. “War it is.” A time line intervention points China towards peaceful alternatives to invading Taiwan.

Main Character journey: None experiences frustration over his reduced mental capacity after the coma. MJ likes the less ambitious None. They grow closer.

Major Challenge/Conflict: Until MJ recovers the kill switch, large military deployments are risky. After a border skirmish with China leaves his nephew dead, the Indian president wants a show of force with its allies. How can MJ avoid the request without revealing the kill switch vulnerability?

Corella threatens to reveal MJ shot down the plane. MJ finds the location of the kill switch from an unlikely source.

To get the kill switch back requires a covert attack on a Kombinat in Russian territory. Worse, MJ will have to lead it personally and cooperate with her worst enemy, Renquist. Even worse, the operation must happen during high tension military exercises with the world on a hair trigger.

Action/Reaction: The defenses are heavier than expected. Did Renquist betray her?

Zelda leads the defenders. When Zelda learns who actually killed her partner, she promises not to kill MJ. At least, not until their common foe is dead. Zelda gives MJ the kill switch.

Cliffhanger: Russia dispatches fighter jets. In the rush back to the submarine, MJ sinks under the ice in heavy battle armor

Episode 2 Bridge to War (or A Race to Die or To Walk on Water)

Hook/Intrigue: A mini-sub rescues MJ under the ice.

Main Character journey: A brain implant restores his brilliance, but None wants more. Against warnings he might go insane, None modifies the device to become even smarter.

Major Challenge/Conflict: MJ and the SEALs have to evade Russian subs trying to find them while contending with limits on how much air and how much pressure the powered armors can handle and limitations of the mini-sub in arctic conditions.

Action/Reaction: A new America missile defense system can stop dangerous hypersonic weapons.

While the Russian military was distracted by exercises, the Russian cabal Kombinat took power. Russia is now a rogue power with nukes.

Why did three ships run aground near Taiwan? Ships investigate, despite Chinese protests.

MJ finds out None’s implant is vulnerable to the kill switch. She destroys the only kill switch.

Cliffhanger: China escalated from militarizing artificial islands to building a land bridge across the Taiwan Strait. The president confronts China.

Episode 3 Mind Games

Hook/Intrigue: In response to the Eagle Eye missile defense system, China starts a nuclear arms race with America. China will have thousand of nukes, like America and Russia.

Main Character journey: None makes love to MJ for the first time, only to find out it didn’t actually happen. He can no longer trust his senses. Ada, the entity in None’s head reveals itself. The being takes None hostage in his own body. Is it an evil spirit, an AI, or is he insane?

Major Challenge/Conflict: Russia was expected to be a problem, but Kombinat opens up Russia for some unexpected good news. MJ remains skeptical though.

Action/Reaction: Holograms allow fans to wear celebrity faces. Celebrity worship culture shifts into overdrive.

Cliffhanger: Chinese spies steal schematics for Eagle Eye

Episode 4 Murica

Hook/Intrigue: MURICA can handle doublespeak. The military teaches the AI to love America.

Main Character journey: Ada show None ultimate pleasure during an important meeting to prove she doesn’t need a body to be with him. Ada claims to love None, but doesn’t understand free will or consent. None makes a Faustian bargain to be Ada’s in a hundred years if she releases control of him.

Major Challenge/Conflict: A deep fake scandal puts the president at risk of impeachment. Who is behind it?

Action/Reaction: China develops their own Eagle Eye missile defense

Cliffhanger: Open Russia hides an illusion. An AI intercepts all communication and inserts customized propaganda. Russia’s has a new iron curtain, the invisible curtain.

Episode 5 Red Dawn Protocol

Hook/Intrigue: The CIA intercepts a plan for a Chinese invasion of America.

Main Character journey: Ada gives None access to the context, a space inside his mind. None discovers the danger of stray thoughts.

Major Challenge/Conflict: A new protocol guarantees nuclear launches in the case of an invasion.

Action/Reaction: Advances in holograms allow body casting

Cliffhanger: The same AI that handles the land bridge also develops weapons. New planes and drones are more advanced than anything America has.

Episode 6 Jericho

Hook/Intrigue: An AI leads to several accidental deaths, creating a backlash.

Main Character journey: None and MJ aren’t on speaking terms, because of Ada’s sabotage. MJ dates Fernando. None realizes Ada erased his memories of their argument. What else has Ada done to him?

Major Challenge/Conflict: A program called Bastion implements software walls to make AI safer.

Action/Reaction: A singularity cult releases a program called Jericho to take down Bastion’s walls and accelerate AI evolution.

Cliffhanger: Jericho generates a large number of sentient AI.

Episode 7 Jiangshi

Hook/Intrigue: An anti-satellite test creates a dangerous level of debris, putting the use of space at risk.

Main Character journey: Ada teaches None to be the world’s best lover to get MJ back. Why is Ada helping him, when she claims to love him?

Major Challenge/Conflict: A new space treaty leaves a loophole that happens to fit a new Chinese space weapon, vampire satellites.

Action/Reaction: Security stops Chinese spies using holograms.

Cliffhanger: Astrid finds out the secret of who and what she really is once activated by an odd transmission during a TV awards show.

Episode 8 Dead Hand

Hook/Intrigue: Someone or something is murdering AI. Could they murder None to kill Ada?

Main Character journey: Ada teaches None the power of accelerated time, but he can only use it while he sleeps. Does Ada have an ulterior motive for this gift?

Major Challenge/Conflict: Chinese dominance of space makes the doomsday plane obsolete. America will create it’s own Dead Hand nuclear failsafe.

Action/Reaction: Ada detects an AI in Antarctica that broadcasts a countdown. She assumes the countdown relates to the murder of sentient AI. Who is using such an advanced AI in Antarctica?

Cliffhanger: The American Dead Hand is behind schedule. As a temporary solution, the nukes are tied into the MURICA military AI.

Episode 9 Air Force One is Down

Hook/Intrigue: An incredibly unlucky series of events set America’s land based nukes to launch on a timer. It can’t be stopped because tampering will detonate the warheads on American soil.

The nuclear failsafe countdown is triggered and any tampering will detonate nukes.

Main Character journey: None comes clean with Fernando about Ada’s existence. He can’t tell MJ or he’ll never be president again.

Major Challenge/Conflict: A new weapon combines magnetic storms with an EMP. Even Air Force One is vulnerable to Metal Storm weapons.

In a global cyberwar, the entire Internet is under attack. It’s a cover for an AI battle for supremacy.

Action/Reaction: None takes a nap to help save the world. His plan depends on both betrayal and cooperation of the man who sent assassins after him.

None flies off on a secret plan to stop the nukes.

Cliffhanger: Drones attack Germany near None’s plane. None sees a flash of light. MJ and Fernando intercept a transmission of a burning plane with the presidential seal.

Episode 10 Cloudy With a Chance of Mushrooms

Hook/Intrigue: MJ thinks she’s lost None, but Fernando figures out None was on the other plane.

Main Character journey: None must face his fear of heights to parachute into the Chernobyl exclusion zone. To buy time, None must let Ada possess his body. What if she is an evil spirit? Will she give his body back?

Major Challenge/Conflict: MJ and Fernando deploy the military to defend America, while None attempts a desperate plan to stop the nukes from starting nuclear war. None brings a nuclear reactor into the Chernobyl exclusion zone to power a device.

Action/Reaction: The global cyberwar continues. The battle for AI supremacy escalates as cities are hit with enhanced EMP attacks in the crossfire.

With nukes launched, only a crazy plan can stop them, but there is an even greater threat that reveals itself. An ascension event will destroy the world in minutes. Can None stop it in time?

Nukes destroy the Chinese capital. Will it lead to war? What happens to the other nukes?

Cliffhanger: MJ is pregnant and the father is None or Fernando.

Cliffhanger: A simulation shows glimpses of the Triple Apocalypse and warns of another ascension event.