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Lesson 10 Assignments
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EXAMPLE SHOW: Secrets and Lies
Plot Surface:
Layer 1: Tom is murdered, Ben discovers his body in the woods.
Layer 2: People, including a detective, accuse Ben of the murder.
Layer 3: A neighbor dislikes Ben, we don’t know why.
Layer 4: Mystery: The night of the murder, Ben had a fight with Christie. He went out with his friend Dave, but doesn’t remember much about that night.
Layer 5: After giving a DNA sample, Ben learns he is Tom’s father. Hidden history: Ben had an affair with a neighbor.
Layer 6: Red herrings: He believes Jess’s estranged husband murdered Tom, and gets into a fight with him. He believes an autistic neighbor has killed Tom, and intrudes into his family’s home. More possibilities, and Ben goes after each one in a violent manner.
Layer 7: Scheme: Evidence has been planted in his car, and Ben makes the poor decision to hide it. Someone places similar items to the murder weapon around Ben’s house to mess with him.
Layer 8: The neighbor who dislikes Ben knows about the affair and his past trauma with infidelity from his wife comes out and he attacks Ben.
Layer 9: We learn that one of the people doing sneaky things is his daughter’s previous boyfriend.
Layer 10: Hidden history: Jess has mental issues and now we’re set up to think it is her based on the detective’s knowledge that it’s a female killer.
Layer 11: We find out Jess is innocent, now it looks like Christie is the killer.
Layer 12: Ben discovers his twelve-year-old daughter killed Tom and she swears it was an accident. Ben decides to take the fall for his sweet, innocent daughter.
Layer 13: At the very end, we realize the murder was intentional and his daughter is like Ben…prone to violence. But for evil.
Character Surface:
Layer 1: Ben doesn’t think he would ever hurt this child, but can’t remember the night Tom was killed.
Layer 2: Police and reporters harass Ben, and he is desperate to find the killer so he and his family will be left alone.
Layer 3: He accuses Tom’s dad, and we learn Ben is quick to judge.
Layer 4: His neighbor is out to get him.
Layer 5: Ben distrusts everyone, even his best friend.
Layer 6: His children are distraught over Tom’s death…so we think.
Layer 7: Jess turns out to be obsessive over Ben, and acts nuts. Maybe she killed her own son.
Layer 8: Christie has a secret life with another man. Perhaps SHE killed Tom.
Layer 9: Young Abby secretly was jealous of Tom and didn’t like that her dad always wanted a son.
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Mod 1 Lesson 10 Assignment 1
“The Young Pope”
Plot Surface: Lenny Belardo has unexpectantly been elected Pope by the conclave of Cardinals. As infallible ruler of the Catholic Church and essentially the “dictator” of the Vatican, Lenny imposes his vision for the Catholic Church on the Cardinals and upsets the norms of the Vatican.
Sabotage: Cardinal Angelo Vioello uses his influence and the fact that he knows the “secrets” of everyone in the Vatican to thwart Lenny.
Conspiracy: Cardinal Angelo Vioello conspires with the other Cardinals to get Lenny to resign from the Papacy. First, he conspires to get compromising sexual pictures of Lenny with Esther. Next, he conspires with Sister Mary to take advantage of a distracted Lenny when Sister Mary arranges for a Vatican meeting with his “fake” parents.
Mystery: Why did Lenny’s parents abandon him? Why is he obsessed with finding them? Will he find them?
Hidden Agenda: Lenny won’t discuss why he is at first reluctant to investigate Archbishop Kurtwell for pedophilia.
Future Consequences: Lenny uses prayer to perform “miracles,” including making a barren woman fertile, curing a terminally ill woman, and killing a “bad” nun in Africa. Will these “miracles” continue? Will they play a part in his Papacy? How is able to seemingly perform “miracles”?
Character Surface: Sister Mary is a nun who raised Lenny at the orphanage. She is brought to the Vatican by Lenny as his adviser.
Layer 1: Hidden Agenda: Sister Mary has mixed allegiances. Her ultimate loyalty is to the Catholic Church even if it means deceiving Lenny.
Layer 2: Hidden Character: Sister Mary is conflicted sexually. As a young nun, she aroused Lenny and his best friend, Cardinal Andrew Dussolier. At the Vatican she is drawn to Cardinal Angelo Vioello’s advances.
Layer 3: Secret Identity: Sister Mary quietly and unassumingly manipulates people to control Lenny.
Layer 4: Wound: Sister Mary is also an orphan.
Layer 5: Competition: Sister Mary wishes to still control Lenny as she did in the orphanage.
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Assignment #1
Layers that show up in Handmaid’s Tale
Plot Layers:
Major Scheme Revealed: Handmaids and Marthas are banning together to revolt against the government.
Mystery Revealed: How the commanders plan to start another government turning into Gilead. Serena helped write some of the laws.
Thought the story was one thing, but it’s another: The commanders use God and scriptures to perform a mating ceremony used in a way to keep the wives quiet and the Handmaid’s calm. They claim it is a ceremony by God’s law but it is really made up by the commanders for the wives to participate in the mating ceremony to combat their jealously. The commanders made the ceremony up during a car ride.
Major shift in Meaning: Gilead claims to honor the Handmaid’s as a precious gift to their country however they are abused, raped, held captive. The Handmaids are killed or sent to the colonies if they misbehave even if it means killing a rare woman that can procreate the most precious commodity Gilead. One example is Gilead doing trade with Mexico who does not know these women are being held against their will until June tells them.
Hidden plan: The Handmiads have formed a network called “May Day” to help escape and/or fight the government. The Commanders would like to make other countries like Gilead.
Major betrayal: Commanders Waterford betrays Serena by taking June to a brothel and Serena betrays the Commander by having June sleep with Nick.
Character Layers: June
Secret identity: She is a May Day recruit. Coming off meak to her Comander June is intelligent and resourceful that schemes behind the scene to benefit her and the other Handmaids.
Character Intrigue: June is starting to defy the government and Handmaids are starting to follow. When they all were supposed to stone Jeanene, June stood up and refused all of the Handmaids followed. June accepted her fate to stand up what was not right. They see her as dangerous.
Hidden Relationships and conspiracies: June is having an affair with the Commander Waterford at the brothel to get intel. June slept with Nick per Serena’s instructions, they became lovers. June is having Nick’s baby.
Hidden Character history: June had an affair with Luke when he was married. Luke got a divorce and he married June and had a child.
Assignment #2
Plot and Character Layers
What I learned from doing this assignment is creating several layers creates a multiple array of intrigue for an audience.
Plot Layers: In the future a family traveling through a dystopian landscape are in search for their nephew’s Native American family for survival.
Layer 1 Irene and Jessie traveling in their grandmother’s bus with their nephew Isaac, his grandpa Frank and seven year old Mira are desperate to find Isaac’s Native American family for survival.
Layer 2 They get ambushed by bandits claiming the road was closed. They attach Irene and Jesse as Mira and Isaac are hiding. They kill all bandits, one ecapes and returns to his people with plans to find them.
Layer 3 Flashback months earlier there community is raided. The family escapes with Mira who’s parents were killed.
Layer 4 Flashback family arrives at a displacement camp to receive passports and to be assigned to the Native Nations that could be Isaac’s family. A strange resident Wille tips off the bandits.
Layer 5 At the displacement camp Jessie plans to get their passports by sleeping with a government official. He will eventually cancel their passports out of spite for Jesse
Layer 6 As they arrive at the Ojibwe Nation it is revealed Grandpa Frank is a spirit.
Layer 7 Grandpa Frank background is from Pine Ridge and was a part of the Wounded Knee take over on 1973.
Layer 8 The family on their journey meets their great Uncle Calvary Cullum who is leader of the Sandhills Republic a new nation and ranching community that became independent of the US. They find out their grandmother spearheaded a movement to give Native Nations their land back in the fallout many ranchers lost their properties.
Layer 9 Although friendly to the Irene and Jessie his goal is to find out where they are going and if they have plans to help Native Nations to obtain more land. Calvary has done many bad things for good reasons for his people.
Layer 10 The one bandit that survived along with others follows the family on their journey to find resources. They regroup and attach Sandhills Republic they are defeated. Some survive and run off.
Layer 11 They arrive at Ogalala Nation and find out Isaac is part Lakota but has to find the dominant tribe in his bloodline. Grandpa Frank shows Isaac Wounded Knee and tells the history many spirts are there.
Layer 12 They arrive at Omaha Nation and find out it is Isaac’s tribe.
Layer 13 The leader Yellowsmoke is the biological grandfather of Isaac. His son, Isaac’s father died of a drug overdose in what was Montana. He blames Isaac’s birth mother and Irene and Jessie for his son’s death. He keeps Isaac and banishes the family.
Layer 14 After pleads from the elders he allows Irene and Jessie to stay on a trial basis. He will not allow Mira to stay since she is Muslim he thinks she should be with her own people and has found a Muslim community for her.
Layer 15 Jessie leaves with Mira and takes their chances on a new community.
Layer 16 Irene stay with the Omaha, Isaac lives with his grandfather and elders and Irene gets visiting rights for him. Irene does not feel welcome in the community and strives to fit in.
Layer 17 Calvary takes Jessie and Mira in. They do not feel welcome in the community given her grandmother’s history.
Layer 18 Betsy a rancher reveals her land was taken because of Jessie and Irene’s grandmother. She then sets fire to the bus to get back at them.
Layer 19 Months later Irene makes plans to see Jessie and Mira. She then hears and sees Grandpa Frank telling her not to go because it’s dangerous. She thinks he is a real person.
Layer 20 Irene leaves to see Jessie and gets captured by bandits. Betsy tips off Irene was coming.
Character Layers: Yellowsmoke
Layer 1: Hidden Agenda: He appears to take the family in but really wants Isaac and banish everyone.
Layer 2: Hidden Character History: He was estranged from his son Isaac’s father because he wanted to see the outside world.
Layer 3: Secret Identity: He had an affair with a white woman many years ago that broke his heart.
Layer 4: Wound: His son died of a drug overdose he blames Isaacs birth mother and the outside world.
Layer 5: Competition: He is determined to win his grandson’s Isaac’s love and reject Irene and Jessie. He wants him to see how bad the outside world is.
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This reply was modified 3 years, 1 month ago by Brigitte Timmerman.
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This reply was modified 3 years, 1 month ago by
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Subject line: Nadine’s Plot and Character Layers
What I learned doing this assignment is how much more lies beneath as I look more deeply.
ASSIGNMENT 1: My example Show is: LOST
I watched the LOST’s next episode and noticed how layers showed up in this show (this episode and throughout). Here are some of the layers I found:
SURFACE LAYER: A commercial airplane, Australia to LA, crashes on a tropical Island.
Layer #1 SABOTAGE What caused a 1,000-mile error preventing their ability to get rescued?
Layer #2 CONSPIRACY Syed discovers there are “others” on the island threatening them.
Layer #3 MYSTERY What is creating ominous sounds & attacking people in the woods?
Layer #4 HIDDEN AGENDA Locke, a voyager, finds a hidden hatch/portal & tells no one.
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ASSIGNMENT 2: My Show, KUNO AND JAI
1. Brainstormed a list of possible PLOT LAYERS – Story(s) beneath the story.
– Major scheme revealed: KUNO’s dad suicides. MONIQUE, his Mom moves Kuno
– Mystery revealed: Because Mom can’t keep him quiet she sets him up for arrest.
– Thought the story was one thing, but it is another: Why would a mother do that?
– Major shift in Meaning: If Kuno’s safer in prison what could have been worse?
– Hidden history: Kuno’s Dad, undercover DEA, was attacked by a bad cop. DEA called it suicide & moved Kuno away, to protect him. Then he went after Cartel.
– Hidden plan: DEA enlisted K’s mom to set up Kuno using Kuno’s old friend, JAI.
– Major betrayal: In prison, Kuno’s under the protection of a powerful Black man until his mom tells Cartel where he is. They kill his protector & Kuno’s beaten almost to death.
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2. Brainstormed CHARACTER LAYERS, asking who ea. is beneath their outward I.D.?
-Secret identity(s):
1- Kuno’s exonerated with help from an old friend of his dad.
2- Kuno’s sent to ex-offender prog. where the Director knows everything and is a friend of Kuno’s granddad.
3- Kuno’s counselor is his initial betrayer, now ally!
-Character intrigue:
Although Kuno vowed to kill Jai and disown his mom, he now sees they’ve both been trying to save him from an even worse fate.
-Hidden relationships and conspiracies:
Kuno suspects even more conspiracy as his mom, and Jai meet in secret.
-Hidden Character history: Kuno is shocked to hear that his mom was raped at age 12, gave the baby away, and was thereafter unable to bear a child.
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3. Here, each Character Layer is made into a possible sequence of reveals, beginning with:
PLOT SURFACE :
Kuno’s life is good at age 16. He’s smart, strong, friendly, and loved by his mom and dad.
Layer 1: SABOTAGE – Instantly, it disappears when his dad suicides and Kuno is set up.
Layer 2: CONSPIRACY – Kuno’s mom/DEA plan to protect him by sending him to jail.
Layer 3: MYSTERY – When the Cartel finds Kuno’s mom, she’s tortured. Reveals Kuno.
Layer 4: HIDDEN AGENDA – Kuno’s dad’s powerful friends work to make him safer.
Layer 5: Kuno’s sent to an ex-offender program, finds Jai is his Mom’s baby too.
CHARACTER SURFACE:
Kuno refuses to believe his dad committed suicide & he melts down, yelling, accusing.
Layer 1: Mom moves Kuno to Atlanta, sets him up for robbery charge, sends him to prison.
Layer 2: In prison, Kuno hears his dad went after Cartel & now he has a powerful protector
Layer 3: Cartel tracks down Kuno’s mom. She reveals his location. They kill the protector.
Layer 4: Old friends of Kuno’s dad pull strings, get him in ex-offender Prog. life changes
Layer 5: At the program, Kuno learns why the setup. He & Jai become warriors for justice.
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Kim’s Show Plot and Character Layers
What I learned from doing this is how to interlace characters with their opposing motives, needs, and desires.
Plot Surface:
Layer 1: Mystery: Someone stabs Eric in a murderous rage and his wife Natalie discovers him and calls an ambulance. Circumstantial evidence points to Natalie being the killer, but she is shocked at the accusation and the police don’t have enough to go on, plus her husband denies it was her.
Layer 2: Eric takes Natalie to his friend Matt, a lawyer. Matt doesn’t like Natalie, and we don’t know why.
Layer 3: Natalie acts different around the neighborhood. She puts on a good show, acting like she comes from money. But we learn she has a very different type of background.
Layer 4: Danielle threatens to take Linnie from Eric. Natalie is too unstable.
Layer 5: As the stress mounts, Eric’s personalities come out one by one. Now we know he suffers from the same condition Natalie does.
Layer 6: We find out Natalie had a baby as a teen and gave up that baby boy for adoption. Eric doesn’t know. She can’t have children anymore as a result of a bad birth.
Layer 7: Eric’s mother is always stopping over, always trying to help Eric, Natalie can’t stand it. Makes things worse by kicking her out of their house.
Layer 8: We learn that Eric and Natalie each have three personalities besides their own.
Layer 9: Eric drops the ball as Natalie’s lawyer.
Layer 10: Eric can’t deny his attraction to Krystal.
Layer 11: Other personalities come through and Natalie becomes an angry, overly sexual teenager.
Layer 12: Her other personality, a young adult, attacks Krystal.
Layer 13: We learn Krystal suffers from D.I.D., too.
Layer 14: LaDonna helps Natalie search for her son.
Layer 15: Natalie finds her son, but is about to be arraigned in court.
Layer 16: Their souls’ lives’ backgrounds are fully recognized.
Layer 17: We learn Krystal’s soul and Eric’s soul were meant to be together after all this time.
Layer 18: Natalie’s soul and her son’s soul are also meant to be together.
Layer 19: Natalie’s son meets Eric’s daughter.
Character Surface:
Layer 1: Nat confides in LaDonna, and we learn Nat is being treated by Eric for D.I.D.
Layer 2: One of Nat’s personalities is a child.
Layer 3: Eric married Matt’s sister, Danielle, had a child (Linnie), met Natalie (a client) and left Danielle for Nat.
Layer 4: LaDonna introduces Nat to her therapist, Krystal.
Layer 5: Hidden relationships and conspiracies: Natalie’s brother is strung out on narcotics, always comes to Natalie for money. If she tries to cut him off, he tells her that he’ll spill her Big Secret to Eric. There’s something Eric doesn’t know??? Why?
Layer 6: Hidden Character history: Natalie’s background…prostitute mother, drug-addicted father…she pretends her past doesn’t exist.
Layer 7: Krystal tells Natalie that her family history and the wounds left behind are what causes her multiple personalities. She asks for Eric to join their sessions.
Layer 8: Matt, Natalie’s lawyer, confesses that he hasn’t been “all in” because he still harbors resentment that she “stole” Eric from his sister Danielle.
Layer 9: We see that Krystal is attracted to Eric. Her attitude changes. She wants to be sure to get his phone number. “For Natalie’s sake.”
Layer 10: Eric’s mother dotes on him, even now, and tries to “fix” things for him. But she sees Natalie’s issues, has always wondered if she might be dangerous. Wants him to leave Natalie.
Layer 11: The personalities become unleashed. Eric, trying to deal with his overbearing mom, the attraction to Krystal, possibly losing his daughter in a custody battle, learning Natalie has a son “out there,” that she’s been slipping money to her brother.
Layer 12: Natalie, with all the times she’s tried to hang on to Eric, all her personalities entwining him and Krystal. Krystal’s soul getting in the way and their untimely deaths because of it.
Layer 13: She cannot hide her personalities from the world anymore, they are furious. Fast. But if she becomes locked up, she will lose Eric to Krystal, and her soul won’t be able to live out its purpose. Because, she knows, it will only rest when she has her soulmate.
Layer 14: But Krystal needs Eric. Will do anything to tear Natalie away from him. Her soul has never succeeded before, Eric and Natalie’s bodies have died before her soul could live out its life with them. So, she must make sure Natalie is locked up.
Layer 15: A remarkable things happens in court…a battle of the personalities.
Layer 16: Natalie is placed is an asylum in lieu of jail. Her son visits, and she ends up oddly content.
Layer 17: Natalie’s soul is at peace with her son, she has learned how to be a fighter and resiliency.
Layer 18: Eric’s soul is with Krystal’s, he has learned to be self-sufficient and think for himself.
Layer 19: Linnie and Natalie’s son meet, and Natalie’s soul is threatened once more.
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Bob’s Show Plot and Character Layers.
What I learned doing this assignment was that brainstorming presents options for plot and character layers.
“Mount Moriah”
Plot Layers
Major Scene Revealed: Daniel Shay is a brilliant Mossad agent having studied with the IDF Talpiot program, a program that only accepts people with IQs in the top 5 percent of the population.
Mystery Revealed: Daniel’s parents were killed in a terrorist attack in Jerusalem when they were celebrating his Bar Mitzvah.
Thought It Was About But It’s About: We believe Daniel’s goal is to be an exemplary Mossad agent and thwart terrorism but he actually studied and became a Mossad agent so he could exact revenge for his parents’ murders.
Major Shift in Meaning: When faced with the opportunity to kill the terrorist responsible for his parents’ murders, Daniel hesitates, unsure if this is what he really wants.
Hidden Plan: Christine plans to destroy the Dome of the Rock and attempts to manipulate Daniel into assisting her.
Major Betrayal: Daniel betrays his oath to Mossad as he pursues his own agenda.
Character Layers
Character Surface: Daniel’s outer façade is one of confidence, brilliance, and competence.
Layer 1: Hidden Agenda: Daniel believes he wants vengeance in one form or another but he needs to come to terms with his parents’ deaths.
Layer 2: Hidden Character: Daniel holds within him deep guilt since his parents’ deaths occurred at his Bar Mitzvah. He has lost faith in God and religion and suffers from bouts of depression.
Layer 3: Secret Identity: Daniel disguises himself as a terrorist to get closer to finding who killed his parents.
Layer 4: Wound: Daniel is unable to form real relationships since his parents’ deaths. He deals with this through anti-depressants, alcohol, and whores.
Layer 5: Daniel competes with Avi for control of the Mossad agenda.
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Lesson Ten: Layers
Assignment 1: Sample Show is The Vampire Diaries
Plot Layers
Major scheme revealed: A select number of people in the town (the council, Chief of Police) know that vampires exist and they’re planning to stake (kill) the ones that are now coming into town.
Mystery Revealed: Stefan and Damon were turned into vampires in 1864, by Katherine—both brothers’ great love.
Thought the story was one thing, but it is another: thought the series was just about vampires, but it’s also about witches and human vampire hunters.
Major Shift in Meaning: Mystic Falls appears to be ground zero for all kinds of supernatural creatures and artifacts, not just Stefan and Damon’s hometown.
Hidden History: The ancestors of the town council left detailed journals for their descendants describing vampires and demons that plagued the town, going back centuries.
Hidden Plan: Damon plans to deflect suspicion that he and Stefan are vampires by killing Stefan’s best vampire friend who comes into town for one day.
Major Betrayal: Damon betrays Stefan by killing his best vampire friend.
Character Layers
Stefan:
Secret Identity: a 150 year old vampire
Character Intrigue: What was he like when he was feeding on humans?
Hidden Relationships and Conspiracies: His connection to Katherine from 1864 is that he was in love with her and she turned him into a vampire.
Hidden Character History: Stefan and Damon were both in love with Katherine.
Damon:
Secret Identity: a 150 year old vampire
Character Intrigue: He’s really back in Mystic Falls to resurrect his great love, the vampire Katherine.
Hidden Relationships and Conspiracies: He is conspiring to resurrect Katherine from her tomb, but his attempt with an amulet failed due to Bonnie the witch.
Hidden Character History: He wasn’t compelled by Katherine to love her; he did so of his own free will.
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Day 10 ASSIGNMENT 1: The 100 episode 10
Mary J. Andrews’ Plot and Character Layers
What I learned: There doesn’t seem to be any limit to the number of loose ends and layers that can be applied to a series, and The 100 has lasted 7 seasons.Tell us the layers you have discovered in the Example Show, The 100.
The overall series is two-fold: That which happens on the Ark, and that which happens on the ground.On the Ark, worker vs management, poor vs privileged. Power plays/politics among those who basically rule over life and death issues of all citizens aboard the Ark. On the ground, similar problems are brewing alongside the ones from their environment.
MAIN PLOT LAYER: Can the last orbiting habitat for Humans waiting for the Earth to be able to support life after global atomic war survive on the planet now? Their equipment is failing, Oxygen depletion has exceeded tolerable levels and is seriously affecting citizen’s health.
As an attempt to determine if the planet is habitable yet, they empty their prison of the 100 underage juvenile delinquents and send them on a drop-ship to Earth. If they don’t die, the Council of the Ark may gain more time to repair equipment so as not have to cull 109 people.
Layer 1: Before the drop, the Chancellor is shot and the temp chancellor wants to go ahead and cut the air after drugging occupants of one area to sleep. It will give them another month till they need to do this again and oxygen level will be normal again. They intend to claim it was equipment failure.
Layer 2: Eventually we learn the previous Chancellor is running a coup to become Chancellor again. She set up the assassination attempt and sets off a bomb at the Unity Day celebration
Layer 3: Dr./Councilwoman who saves Chancellor, wants to get results from the planet first.
Layer 4: Youngsters on the planet, who have never had any control over their lives before, are rebelling by breaking off their bracelets to stop sending data about environment and their health to the Ark.
Layer Etc. On the surface, the 100 are stumbling around a beautiful and often hostile planet, and discover they’re not alone. More than one group of survivors from the past are present and they don’t know the rules.
The ex-Chancellor eventually is revealed but not before she and her followers commandeer the Exodus drop ship and launch it before it’s ready, leaving the Ark with damaged systems for air and heat…So, again, can they survive? BTW, the drop-ship crashes into a mountain and no one is found alive, so far. (good news is, the youngsters now have a means to make bombs from the fuel they find to stall, for yet another day or two, the attack of the grounders they have pissed off.)
CHARACTER SURFACE: Bellamy Blake
Layer 1: A janitor on the Ark who sneaks aboard the original drop ship to protect his sister who was imprisoned for being born and hidden beneath the floor for over a decade. (No more than one child per family. Her mother was spaced for the crime.)
Layer 2: Bellamy becomes leader of the group on Earth
Layer 3: It was Bellamy who shot the Chancellor—He was hired to do so to be able to get aboard the drop ship with his sister. He wore a guard’s jacket and had a gun.
Layer 4: He does not want the Ark citizens and leaders to come down. He inspired the move to destroy the bracelets, and when a lone drop ship comes down to verify their survival, he gets to it first and removes the radio and throws it in the river.
Layer Etc. He’s always been one to take care of others in need, but his main intent is to safeguard himself and his sister—who now wants only to be free to live her own life, and now is dating a grounder who saved her life.
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Module 1.10 – Creating Intriguing Layers
Assignment 1: Mr. Robot
Plot Surface: Elliot Alderson is a vigilante hacker who works at Allsafe Cyber Security as a Cyber Security Specialist. He is tasked with saving Allsafe by saving their largest client, E-Corp, from a major hacker attack.
Layer 1: Sabotage: But instead of securing E-Corp’s server farm, Elliot installs his own back-door device so that he can access, control and bring down E-Corp’s network when he wants.
Layer 2: Conspiracy: Elliot joins a group of hackers known as fsociety and their mission is to bring down E-Corp by erasing ALL of their digital records thereby erasing all consumer debts.
Layer 3: Hidden Plan: Terrell Wellick is a VP of Technology at E-Corp he covets the CTO position with E-Corp but when he’s passed over he conspires with Elliot to bring them down.
Layer 4: Secret Agenda: An even more powerful hacker group known as the Dark Army is working with fsociety to pull-off their mission but their goals are enigmatic and they delay in helping fsociety. They are much more than a “Hacker Group”.
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This reply was modified 3 years, 1 month ago by H.G. MIDDLEMASS.
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This reply was modified 3 years, 1 month ago by H.G. MIDDLEMASS.
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This reply was modified 3 years, 1 month ago by H.G. MIDDLEMASS.
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This reply was modified 3 years, 1 month ago by H.G. MIDDLEMASS.
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This reply was modified 3 years, 1 month ago by
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DAY 10 ASSIGNMENT 2: Your Show
Mary J. Andrews’ Plot and Character Layers
What I learned: some smoother ways to make things work.Discover the layers that could exist for your show.
1. Brainstorm a list of possible PLOT layers.
PLOT LAYERS – Story beneath the story.
Major
scheme revealed
The
Nemesis Team will locate and kill The Corporate Overlord, Harbringer.Mystery
revealed:
only
to discover that Harbringer was seeking Rael to bequeath him the
title/Corporate entity and power.Thought
the story was one thing, but it is another Thought
they were the hunters, but Rael was being hunted. The Oracles are behind
everything that has happened. T.L. Harbringer, Rael, and
Tristen are all “Chosen and created by them.” They are destined to save Oracle
Earth in another dimension. The Oracles have foreseen, set it up, and now
all the pieces are in place.Major
shift in Meaning
As
Corporate Overlord, Rael decides to accept what comes with it. He becomes
head of an interstellar organization which has become more powerful that
The Universal Government who rule the space between planets.
Hidden
history
Upon
the death of his adopted mother, Marion Mahata, who rescued him from the
Hive Planet as a newborn. Rael is given the documents that his mother hand
wrote about his origin, declaring T.L. Harbringer, The Corporate Overlord,
to have kidnapped her and impregnated her. She was a corporate CEO herself.
He stole her property as well and addicted her to the drug to enslave her
to the Hive network for life. She indicates she can’t leave, but Rael,
though implanted with the temple plates which will allow him to travel the
universal web, he has not yet been addicted to the drug. Upon reading
this, he has a name of the man who both created him and killed both of his
mothers. From this point on, Rael
has a target.
Hidden
plan
After
Tristen reveals that it was Harbringer who took her from Mallory Switt (Owner
of two Pleasure establishments on Tanivol: The Palace & The Jungle) when he
discovered Mallory using her for mining corporate secrets from his two
Pleasure establishments, The Palace & The Jungle
Major
betrayal
Tristen,
upon hearing Rael’s angry command that Harbringer should die, suddenly
knows what her mission for the Overlord demands of her. Rael is her
target. She betrays Ira by using him to guide her as she forces Harbringer
down the path to death. Afterward, She races off the ship and leads him to
the Oracle’s Temple across the field. Essentially, she has delivered him
to them as they said she would. Furthermore, by being bonded to Ira, she
has made him a part of the Oracle’s plan. If the Oracles kill her, Ira
will be lost too.2. Brainstorm a list of possible CHARACTER layers– identity beneath the identity.
3. Organize them each into a possible sequence of reveals.
2. Brainstorm a list of possible CHARACTER layers.
Secret
identity/ Character intrigue:
Laynald Lockheim
is a skilled healer, assassin, tactician, and ship security officer. He is
old by his planet’s standards and it worries him that his aging could
fail/risk the lives of those he protects. He specializes in poisons and
keeps a locked green house chamber in the back of the loading bay where he
collects and grows his own toxin making plants. He collects weapons but
likes to keep it simple in actuality. He is fiercely loyal to his team
mates, but has killed friends before, when necessary. He is not
subordinate to his captain, but respects him as an equal in his own way. He
believes the end justifies the means, is prone to doing what he deems
necessary for the team/mission—whether sanctioned or not. And he loves
being what he is with no apologies—ever.Hidden
relationships and conspiracies
In
the future, Laynald will take on the Oracles behind Rael’s back; enlisting
Mallory Switt and his facilities.
Hidden
Character history: Laynald comes from a primitive
planet full of kingdoms which were ruled only by the best. Ascension to a
throne involved assassination of ruling positions all the way up to the
sitting king. To achieve a crown, the seeker would have to wait until his
men filled the lower positions by the rules. When Rael and Ira landed on
his planet in search of an already dead Mage Rael had wanted to add to his
team. They were brought to Laynald’s King as demons or of the Magik.
Laynald, as King’s Healer, was next in line to be targeted. While Laynald
was engaged with Rael and Ira in the dungeon, an upstart Mage, who sought
to break rule of order lead an illegal assassination of the King. Rael and
Ira managed to help Laynald escape after he killed the Mage on their way
out, but he still distrusts the Magiks (which he deems paranormal to be)
and he blames himself for the death of his King.3. Organize them each into a possible sequence of reveals.
Plot Surface:
Layer
1: Universal Government Special
Dark Ops agents are seeking paranormal terrorists who have
mind-jacked a
Universal Gov. Ambassador. They plan to retrieve the ambassador, break
the
terrorist’s mental
control over him and learn what he knows about them.Layer
2: Ira discovers that the woman controlling the ambassador
is herself, being tortured by slavers
as a conduit to
cause him pain.Layer
3: The team’s opponents are toying
with them. Their physical attack was initiated by basic thugs
who had no idea who
they were attacking. Their theater of attack when the team captured and
took Tristen was
defenseless, even though she had taken control of their team leader. They
relinquished her without a fight…Trap?
Layer
4: Upon examination of the
mind-jacker, they discover she has been blinded at an early age and
somehow ended up as
a slave on the pleasure planet, Tanivol. To make her relinquish Rael, Ira
rewrites her mind, telling
her she is now Rael’s slave and he command’s her but is wary of her
abilities.
Etc. Rael’s initial interrogation of the woman, who he names
Tristen, causes her to show him that
she is a Chosen One of the Oracle
Planet.=======================================================
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<b data-pm-slice=”1 3 []” data-en-clipboard=”true”>ASSIGNMENT 1: Stranger Things
Watch the next episode of your Example Show and notice how layers show up in this show — both in this episode and throughout the episodes you’ve already seen.
Tell us the layers you have discovered in the Example Show.
Sample Show: Stranger Things
Plot Layers:
– Who is Eleven?
– Where is she from?
– She has powers
– Will is kidnapped
– Eleven opened the door to letting the monster in
– Will is missing but still alive
– Will’s death was faked
– There’s a monster taking people
– The monster lives in another dimension
– The government is controlling the coverup
– The monsters lair can be entered
Character Layers:
– Mike likes Eleven
– Mikes sister likes the cool guy and the nerd
– Mike and Lucas fight because of Eleven
– Lucas has trust issues
– The Sherriff is holding on to hurt from his daughter
– Wills Mom and Dad are divorced; His dad cant be trusted
– Makes parents aren’t very connected to their children
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<b data-pm-slice=”1 1 []” data-en-clipboard=”true”>ASSIGNMENT 2: My Show
Eric Watterson’s Plot and Character Layers
“What I learned doing this assignment is how to plan layers for the plot and character.”
1. Brainstorm a list of possible PLOT layers.
PLOT LAYERS – Story beneath the story.
Major scheme revealed
– Dark entity creatures are killing people
– Anthony’s team was killed by the dark entity experimental control agent
Mystery revealed
– the dark entities are actually human experimented on
– Anthony and his team stubbled on their experimental factory and were killed because of it
Thought the story was one thing, but it is another
– we thought the story was about drugs but its actually about control
Major shift in meaning
– Anthony is not just a timid gardener, he’s a soldier in a secret society that’s memory was taken
– we thought the story was about monsters but it ends up being about demons using drugs to possess and control humans
Hidden history
– The Dark Entity’s have been trying to destroy humanity for hundreds of years
– Anthony Dads was killed as part of an ancient brotherhood that battled the darks
Hidden plan
– to create a dark army using human host to fight against the forces of light and humanity together
Major betrayal
– the people who set Anthony up for community service have been trying to kill him since his team was killed
2. Brainstorm a list of possible CHARACTER layers.
CHARACTER LAYERS – identity beneath the identity.
Secret identity: experienced CENTRY Soldier with memory loss
Character intrigue: He knows he has abilities that surface at times but he doesn’t understand them. He also has memories of the event his team was killed but doesn’t remember it
Hidden relationships and conspiracies: He has a hidden relationship and membership of the CENTRY League brotherhood. The brotherhood is in a war with The Dark Order
Hidden Character history: He is a elite soldier within the Marines and has been on AWOL since the murder of his team because he was kidnap by the Dark Order and injected with the Virus EX but it didn’t convert him like it did the others
3. Organize them each into a possible sequence of reveals.
PLOT LAYERS SAMPLES: Story beneath the story.
Major scheme reveals:
– The Dark Order (TDO) killed Anthony’s Team
– TDO is creating a secret virus to spread through humanity using alcohol, and both illegal and prescription drugs
– Anthony’s family line has been fighting TDO for over hundred years
– Anthony’s assignment to watch over the boys at the group home was a setup for him to get arrested or killed and for the boys to choose to join TDO
– The Global Conglomerate is part of TDO
Mystery revealed
– The Dark Entity’s are actually humans controlled by the virus created by TDO
– Anthony is actually a missing brother of the CENTRY League hidden and memory erased by TDO
– Anthony’s Dad was killed by TDO and he left instructions for his son
Thought the story was one thing, but it is another
– Instead of the story being about a group of misguided teens, its about a plot to control humanity
Major shift in Meaning
– its not about selling or spreading drugs its about controlling society
– the dark Entity’s can be cured from the virus
Hidden history
– the ancient battle between The CENTRY League and Thee Dark Order
Hidden plan
– to have the boys to choose to join TDO
Major betrayal
– the group that organized Anthony’s community service, removed his memory and killed his team
Sabotage
– Whenever Anthony gets closer to learning who he is, things fall apart and the boys are purposely put into situations where they choose either good or bad to try and make them do wrong
Conspiracy / Hidden Agenda,
– TDO wants to control neighbourhoods and schools and spread from there
Mystery
– What are the Dark Entity’s and how are they created
Plot Surface:
Layer 1: (Mysterious Enemy) Anthony’s team is killed by strange creatures but he doesn’t remember it just filled with dreams and visions
Layer 2: (Hidden Plan) keep Anthony from remembering who he is, while using drugs to spread dark virus
Layer 3: The boys all have some special ability that they’re using for evil that The Dark Order wants
Layer 4: Each of the boys were chosen to be in this particular group home
Layer 5: Officer Tim has set each of them up to fail and continue to commit crimes
================
ANTHONY, Jr.
Character Surface: Secluded and withdrawn white male Gardener
Layer 1: Trying to remember his past
Layer 2: Hidden History: He’s a member of the ancient Centry Brotherhood but he doesn’t remember
Layer 3: Special Ability: leadership, martial arts and defense
Layer 4: Secret Identity/Wound: he has nightmares about the death of his team and his father
Layer 5: Hidden Identity/Wound: highly skilled fighter
Layer 6: Competition: Officer Tim is secretly competing with him for the hearts of the boys
================
EDWARD
Character Surface: privileged white teenager
Layer 1: Hidden Agenda: to be accepted by his family
Layer 2: Hidden History: He has impersonated his father to make purchases and get money
Layer 3: Special Ability: impersonation and reading people
Layer 4: Secret Identity/Wound: jettison from his family
Layer 5: Hidden Identity/Wound:
Layer 6: Competition: Competition with members of his family and his father for entrance into the family society
================
CHRIS
Character Surface: angry black teen
Layer 1: Hidden Agenda: To be free of his negative family
Layer 2: Hidden History: he killed his father in defense of his mother
Layer 3: Special Ability: computer systems and hacking
Layer 4: Secret Identity/Wound: Abuse from father growing up
Layer 5: Hidden Identity: hackers and gang member
Layer 6: Competition: his cousin for status and money
================
RO
Character Surface: mysterious and violent Asian Teen
Layer 1: Hidden Agenda: to find his missing father
Layer 2: Hidden History: he fled China with his mother to escape the Chinese mafia, his father was connected to the Dark Order in China but once he realizes who they were he went missing
Layer 3: Special Ability: martial arts and speed
Layer 4: Secret Identity/Wound: he’s a low level hitman for women and other teens
Layer 5: Hidden Wound: his mom died when they got to America and he has been living on the street since
Layer 6: Competition: local hitmen for low level contracts
================
FRANCISCO
Character Surface: Kindhearted but secretive Latin teen
Layer 1: Hidden Agenda: to provide for his mother and siblings
Layer 2: Hidden History: member of drug runner gang
Layer 3: Special Ability: escape artist, pickpocket and lockpick
Layer 4: Secret Wound: father and stepfather died Leaving family in financial distress
Layer 5: Hidden Identity: burgery and home invasion
Layer 6: Competition: other members of his gang
================
OMAR
Character Surface: Introspective Native American Teen
Layer 1: Hidden Agenda: to understand the darks that he thinks he’s the only one that sees them
Layer 2: Hidden History: run away from his reservation after a fire by racial gangs
Layer 3: Special Ability: tracking, marksmen and hunting
Layer 4: Secret Wound: raised an orphan and never knew family
Layer 5: Hidden Identity: control Freak
Layer 6: Competition: with his heritage looking for identity and purpose
================
OFFICER TIM
Character Surface: Outgoing and Friendly White Male Policeman
Layer 1: Hidden Agenda: to have a place of leadership within TDO
Layer 2: Hidden History: he was rejected for advancement in another police station in another city after turning in a crooked cop so he decided to become a crooked cop
Layer 3: Special Ability: making plans and deception
Layer 4: Secret Identity: he secretly works with TDO to help advance their plans
Layer 5: Hidden Wound: he thinks that doing good is a waste of time
Layer 6: Competition: other agents for TDO
================
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Assignment 2: Phyllis’ Show Layers
I learned from this assignment that the earlier work I had done on my characters, mysteries, open loops, etc. helped me brainstorm plot and character layers.
Plot Surface: By-the-book EPA criminal investigator Sasha loses her dream job after tangling with a major oil company that has the power to cause her dismissal. Eccentric billionaire activist Duncan offers to hire her.
· Layer 1: Thought the story was one thing, but it’s another: Duncan’s real work is to track down and kill monstrous creatures that have been spawned by concentrated greenhouse gas emissions.
· Layer 2: Hidden Agenda: Sasha believes her new boss is delusional, but she will stick with him because he has promised to fund an environmental foundation for her after three years’ time.
· Layer 3: Major Scheme: Delia is trying to have Duncan committed so she can become his guardian and stop him.
· Layer 4: Major Betrayal: Duncan is willing to let innocent bystanders get hurt by extreme weather so he can lure a monster out. Betrays Sasha’s fierce sense of right and wrong. How can Sasha save Duncan from the dangers his delusions pose?
· Layer 5: Conspiracy: Sasha joins forces with Delia to get Duncan committed.
· Layer 6: Thought the story was one thing, but it’s another: Duncan is not delusional. The monstrous creatures are real. He proves to Sasha that at least one creature exists. Sasha doesn’t think he deserves to be committed.
· Layer 7: Mystery: how do you kill one of these creatures?
· Layer 8: Major shift in meaning: Other people know about these creatures.
Character Surface (Sasha): Sasha is a brilliant methodical investigator who doesn’t trust other people, and keeps them at arms-length, emotionally.
· Layer 1: Hidden Agenda: Sasha plans to keep Duncan from hurting himself or others because of his delusion, and she’ll wait out the three years to get an environmental foundation so she doesn’t have to work for anyone else.
· Layer 2: Character Intrigue: she has trouble with intimacy, and has a complicated relationship with the lawyer for the Department of Justice she was seeing.
· Layer 3: Hidden Character History: her father abandoned the family when Sasha was thirteen.
· Layer 4: Wound: she was betrayed by her father’s leaving and now betrayal is a trigger for her.
· Layer 5: Character Intrigue: she has conflicting feelings when her father contacts her and comes to see her.
· Layer 6: Hidden Relationship: Sasha goes to Delia when she believes Duncan is a danger to himself and others.
Character Surface (Duncan): Duncan is the billionaire environmental activist who supports climate science and the politicians who believe in climate change.
· Layer 1: Secret Identity: Duncan is a “knight” who wants to slay the monstrous creatures spawned by concentrated greenhouse gases.
· Layer 2: Hidden Relationships: Duncan is Delia’s brother and part of the family that owns a major oil company that has been polluting the planet for one hundred years.
· Layer 3: Hidden Character History: Duncan used to be the entitled playboy who worked for the family company as the liaison to sports and entertainment—attending the Super Bowl and other major events.
· Layer 4: Hidden Relationships: Duncan has an ex-wife who is now Delia’s Sustainability Chief at the oil company.
· Layer 5: Hidden Character History: Duncan caused his daughter’s death by being self-indulgent, and let her have a Sweet 16 on a private Caribbean Island during hurricane season. Disaster struck, and he lost her when they were swept away, but he’s certain he saw a watery sea creature take her.
· Layer 6: Wound: Duncan thinks he’s irredeemable because he blames himself for his daughter’s death and feels guilt over what his family has done to the environment.
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Assignment 1
Game of Thrones Layers
A new layer is revealed early on when Bran sees Cersei and Jamie having sex.
White Walkers are revealed to be real.
Danaerys, having lost everything after the death of Kal Drogo, now has dragons – thought to be extinct. Her super power, hinted at before, is now fully revealed: she’s fire proof. She is starting from scratch with almost nothing else, but these are a good start.
Robert Baratheon’s death changes things drastically.
Ned Stark’s execution changes everything for his children.
Robb Stark’s banner men spontaneously declare him King in the North. This changes the reasons he is fighting a war.
Sansa goes from a debutante of sorts to a political prisoner who is tortured by Joffrey. this will change the kind of person she is.
Arya goes from rich tomboy, to a poor girl who must pose as a boy to survive.
Joffrey Baratheon’s behavior, now that he’s is king, has blossomed into sadism. His grandfather, Tywin Lannister (or Joffrey’s uncle Tyrion) must step in to effectively rule the kingdom.
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Assignment 2
Subject: Marcus Wolf’s Show’s Plot and Character Layers
This lesson taught me a way to make my writing much more interesting on a holistic story level. Although I’ve probably occasionally used layers in screenplay writing, it was not intentional. I can see how this method will work for every kind of narrative writing, including TV, screenplays, stage plays and novels.
In the following, some of the layers occur after the pilot.
PLOT SURFACE
Layer 1: Edward, having spent years establishing himself in his position as King of England, enjoys a somewhat uneasy balance of power between himself and his three great Earls. But Earl Godwin is becoming troublesome because he is gaining too much power.
Layer 2: Count Eustace of Boulogne shows up for a visit to King Edward with an idea which he believes will help his brother-in-law (Edward) get control of Earl Godwin. (Eustace will want Edward’s support against any problems from his neighbors Baldwin of Flanders and William of Normandy.) Eustace’s subsequent attack on Dover will set in motion a complete upheaval in English nobility. Edward will get to reapportion the Earldoms more to his liking after exiling Godwin’s family.
Layer 3: The Godwin family goes into exile. Edward sends Queen Edith to a nunnery.
Layer 4: The Godwin family returns to power and a new balance must be found. It is easier with Sweyn gone. Godwin now feels secure. He does not realize that the King still harbors anger toward him.
Layer 1: William is consolidating his Dukedom in Normandy. The King of France is his friend and helps him when William asks. Particularly against count Geoffrey Martel of Anjou.
Layer 2: Geoffrey Martel convinces King Henry I that William has become too powerful, posing a threat to Henry and that he (Geoffrey) would make a much better suited assistant in any problems that might arise with the Germans (aka Holy Roman Empire). King Henry turns on William. Also, William’s uncles, a Count and a Bishop, betray him.
CHARACTER SURFACE
Layer 1: King Edward’s friend, Robert of Jumieges, as Bishop of London, is helpful, almost sycophantic, yet influential. Edward promotes Robert to Archbishop of Canterbury.
Layer 2: While Robert is in Rome collecting his pallium, Pope Leo IX encourages/orders him to use his newfound power to reform the English church. This is a revelation to Robert who realizes he can do more than just reform the church. He can become the power behind the throne. Robert returns to England, changed. He has become a power-hungry church “reformer”. He sees a place for himself above the King.
Layer 3: Robert now presents a problem for King Edward. Where once Robert was useful, now he is becoming dangerous.
Layer 4: When Godwin’s family returns from exile and is reinstated, King Edward has an excuse to rid himself of Robert. Edward exiles Robert. He appoints a new Archbishop (Stigand) who will be easy to control.
Layer 5: On his way into exile – having been betrayed by his friend, King Edward – Robert kidnaps Wulfnoth Godwinson and Hakon Sweynson, who Edward had been holding hostage. Robert will use them as a bargaining chip with William of Normandy. Robert will use them to get revenge on Edward and the Godwins.
Layer 1: Harold feels he is living in his older brother Sweyn’s shadow. Sweyn, who does seemingly criminal acts is consistently promoted, supported and defended by his father Godwin. Harold, the young Earl of East Anglia, has been doing everything right. He commanded ships in his father’s fleet and he commanded a fleet against German pirates. He has ruled over East Anglia justly. Yet he is overlooked not only by his father, but by the King who takes him for granted and lumps him together with his criminal brother. Deep down, Harold is timid and fears his brother, but is also jealous of Sweyn’s reckless abandon.
Layer 2: Harold convinces his father that the only way that Sweyn can possibly clear his name is for him to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Godwin, enraged by Sweyn’s activities, finds the pilgrimage to be a terrific idea and orders Sweyn to go. Now Harold has the chance to help his family regain their lands and influence in England by going on a mission to Ireland to raise a mercenary army. He must overcome his inner fears.
Layer 3: Upon his reinstatement to Earl, Harold is now determined to make himself useful and a friend of the King. He does not realize that the King has not gotten over his hatred of Godwin and has not forgiven Godwin for things that he did (such as being complicit in his brother Alfred’s murder, stealing church land, defending his criminal son, and generally holding great power in the traditional seat of Royal power, Wessex). Edward decides to murder Godwin. Edward is a master of poison, which he learned during his exile in Normandy. (Normans were known for poisoning their enemies.)
Layer 4: Godwin collapses at a Royal feast and dies a few days later. This death is similar to that of King Harthecnut, whom Edward had also poisoned nine years before. Harold does not yet know what Edward has done. Edward promotes Harold to Earl of Wessex. Harold’s dream of being recognized has come true. Edward believes he can control Harold.
Layer 5: working on this one, but it will have to do with Harold’s reaction to learning how his father died
Layer 6: working on this, but perhaps Harold forgives Edward, but secretly angry, poisons him. Harold becomes King.
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ANNE JAMES
Lesson 10 – Plot & Character Layers
What I learned from this assignment: I purposely backtracked a bit with this assignment. In a good way! I finally took the time to wrestle down what time period I wanted to set the show. I knew I didn’t want to go the Caesar/Mark Antony/Cleopatra route. There are so many incredible passages in Roman history that have never been explored cinematically. This has put me a bit behind. But I love where I’ve landed. I’ve decided to set the show towards the end of the successful reign of Septimus Severus, the first black emperor around 211 AD and the ensuing reign of his volatile son, Caracalla. The beginning of the end of the Roman empire. Loads of material here. Now it’s a matter of integrating all of this into what I’ve already explored in the previous lessons. Some of that is here and some I haven’t quite figured out yet. More to come.
ASSIGNMENT 1:
The Young Pope
Watch the next episode of your Example Show and notice how layers show up in this show — both in this episode and throughout the episodes you’ve already seen.
Tell us the layers you have discovered in the Example Show.
Plot Layers:
Sabotage: Will Lenny’s new type of Pope destroy any hope of rallying the Vatican and Catholics around him?
Conspiracy: Lenny arranges to find out what is being confessed by everyone in Vatican City and uses it against them. Does it make him look like a prophetizing saint or a gangster?
Mystery: Will Lenny ever learn why his parents gave him up? Will he ever find them? What does this mystery do to him psychologically? Spiritually? To his faith?
Hidden Agenda: Voiello tries to exert power and influence over Lenny, tries to set him up in a scandal to have him removed, tries to bring Sister Mary over to his side and turn her against Lenny.
Future consequences: Lenny’s new brash style of Pope fails. He is left vulnerable and isolated. Then his true gifts of compassion and as a saint come through.
ASSIGNMENT 2:
Layers that could exist for my show:
1. Brainstorm a list of possible PLOT layers.
PLOT LAYERS – Story beneath the story.
There are six Vestal Virgins who are worshipped as the Mothers of Rome. Chosen for service at the age of 10, these goddesses have privileged lives, afforded every comfort along with access to Emperor Severus, his wife, the Empress Julia Domna, and all of Rome’s political and military elite. In exchange they must take a vow of chastity for 30 years. The six live, along with the male Pontifex Maximus, in the House of Vesta. It is believed that Rome’s success relies on the Vesta’s ability to secure the god’s support. They serve all of Rome, but their favor and blessings are sought from frequently warring or competitive factions within the city and the empire. On the surface, they must appear benign and bipartisan. Behind the scenes, the new Vestalium Maxima, a reluctant Nerilla, hastily appointed after the scandalous death of Livia, the previous head priestess, must work all of the back channels, at all levels. If she gets it right, Rome succeeds and the Vestals are celebrated. If she gets it wrong and a crucial venture fails, the Vestals could be severely beaten or put to death.
PLOT LAYERS
Scandal: Livia, the previous beloved Vestalium Maxima, is secretly pregnant and miscarries. This is a violation of their sacred oath of chastity to the gods and all of Rome. The Vestals, to preserve all of their safety, vow to keep this a secret. Someone leaks the information.
Scandal: Silvius, the new Pontifex Maximus, under pressure from his senator father, waves a trial. Although Livia has been an ally to Silvius, he immediately and publicly has her buried alive.
Scandal: Livia and Nerilla had just secretly begun a romantic relationship. It is considered incestuous and taboo for “sisters”, even though not biologically related, to be intimate. Livia also had sex with a man, either raped or consensually. Nerilla had no idea Livia was pregnant.
Mystery: Who impregnated Livia? Was it rape or consensual? Why did she not tell Nerilla?
Mystery: Who leaked the information about Livia? Which vestal betrayed her oath to the group and exposed the group to danger?
Hidden plan: Nerilla will use her newly acquired access and power to uncover who impregnated Livia and who betrayed their vow to keep her pregnancy a secret.
Hidden agenda: Nerilla elicits the help of widowed Empress Julia Domna to help control and destroy her volatile son and the new emperor, Caracalla.
Future consequences: Nerilla’s first public blessing is over Emperor Lucius Septimius Severus and his troops as they head out to campaign in Roman Britain. Ultimately, peace is brokered with the Scots. But Severus, already battling gout, dies in York. Caracalla and Geta, his sons, are acclaimed by the military as co-emperors. Caracalla believes Nerilla’s blessing secured his father’s death and his appointment of co-emperor. He will want her cooperation with more of her “successful” blessings in the future.
2. CHARACTER LAYERS
Nerilla
Secret identity: Livia’s lover and confidante.
Character intrigue: She has long struggled with life as a Vestal. Unlike the other Vestals, she doubts whether she has magical powers and questions any ability to curry the gods’ favor. She has a track record of ineffectual blessings.
Secret identity: A slacker, she drafted off of the impeccable, gracious Livia, happily living in her shadow.
Wound: Nerilla struggles with the conflicting emotions of profound grief, deep betrayal and the horror of watching her beloved Livia buried alive.
Wound: Her parents gave her up to be a Vestal so they could raise their standing in Roman culture. Close to her father as a child, she has not seen her family for years.
Future consequences: She secretly stages a series of successful “blessings” for the new Emperor Caracalla, appearing to curry his favor and the gods, while preserving her and the other Vestals’ safety.
3. Organize them each into a possible sequence of reveals:
Plot Surface:
Layer 1: Scandal: Livia, the previous beloved Vestalium Maxima, is secretly pregnant and miscarries. This is a violation of their sacred oath of chastity to the gods and all of Rome. The Vestals, to preserve all of their safety, vow to keep this a secret. Someone leaks the information.
Layer 2: Scandal: Silvius, the new Pontifex Maximus, under pressure from his senator father, waves a trial. Although Livia has been an ally to Silvius, he immediately and publicly has her buried alive.
Layer 3: Mystery: Who impregnated Livia? Was it rape or consensual? Why did she not tell Nerilla?
Layer 4: Mystery: Who leaked the information about Livia? Which vestal betrayed her oath to the group and exposed the group to danger?
Layer 5: Scandal: Livia and Nerilla had just secretly begun a romantic relationship. It is considered incestuous and taboo for “sisters”, even though not biologically related, to be intimate. Livia also had sex with a man, either raped or consensually. Nerilla had no idea Livia was pregnant.
Layer 6: Hidden plan: Nerilla will use her newly acquired access and power to uncover who impregnated Livia and who betrayed their vow to keep her pregnancy a secret.
Character Surface:
Layer 1: Wound: Nerilla struggles with the conflicting emotions of profound grief, deep betrayal and the horror of watching her beloved Livia buried alive.
Layer 2: Secret identity: Livia’s lover and confidante.
Layer 3: Character intrigue: She has long struggled with life as a Vestal. Unlike the other Vestals, she doubts whether she has magical powers and questions any ability to curry the gods’ favor. She has a track record of ineffectual blessings.
Layer 4: Secret identity: A slacker, she drafted off of the impeccable, gracious Livia, happily living in her shadow.
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I’ve learned that “supporting cast” can also carry layers of intrigue to create exponential tension.
The Fisherman Plot and Character layers
Plot A
Surface: A young fisherman washes up onto a beach dead, under mysterious conditions.
Layer 1: Police and community seem uninterested in finding the truth
Layer 2: Young fisherman had a lot of cash stashed in his apt
Layer 3: Drug trafficking is involved and some of the town, police, and others may be involved
Plot B
Surface: John’s alcoholic mother get sick and needs expensive medical attention
Layer 1: John turns to crime to pay
Layer 2: Kate is orchestrating the crime spree
Layer 3: After finding Skylar’s money stash, it may no longer about be money for John and Kate
Layer 4: John’s mother dies, crime spree continues, it certainly is not about the money
Layer 5: John is losing interest in the thrill
<b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Layer 6: Kate is using John
Character Layers
John
Surface: John is a ambition-less young fisherman just cruising through life, wanting to belong
Layer 1: He shows outward disdain for the rich but secretly yearns to be rich and powerful
Layer 2: He turns to a life of crime and embraces it
Layer 3: He finds original birth certificate and is not who he thinks he is
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What I learned from doing this assignment: This assignment helped in many ways. There were elements I’ve been stuck on, but this exercise helped me answer some of the questions I had.
Mr. Robot
Plot Surface: Elliot is a computer tech who protects corporations at the cyber security firm he works at by day, but by night he takes on the dregs of society by hacking and upending their lives as he sees fit.
Major scheme revealed: Elliot joins Fsociety in their plan to erase the world’s debt.
Mystery: The mystery of the server at Ecorp, CS30. Gideon does not put the open server to rest in his mind. He establishes a honeypot which in turn piques Wellick’s interest. It leads him to Elliot and Fsociety being behind everything.
Major betrayal: Wellick expects to get the CTO job but feels betrayed when it goes to Scott Knowles, he then betrays Evil Corp by helping Fsociety with the hack. His wife also turns her back on him.
Major betrayal: Angela now works for Evil Corp. The company that took her mother’s life and the source of her father’s financial situation.
Character Surface: Elliot is a socially awkward, socially anxious, morphine-addicted computer tech, low on the totem pole of life.
Hidden character: Elliot is IN ACTUALITY – A REVOLUTIONARY, who founded Fsociety. It is ELLIOT’S plan to take down Evil Corp, not Mr. Robot’s.
Secret identity: Mr. Robot is a delusion of Elliot’s. Mr. Robot is really Elliot.
Wound: Elliot’s father died of a disease as a direct result of working for Evil Corp, his mother is an unsympathetic individual who has contributed to Elliot’s anxiety and disconnection in life.
Character intrigue: getting to the bottom of who White Rose is and the Dark Army.
Hidden relationship/Secret Identity: Darlene is Elliot’s sister.
Hidden relationship/Secret Identity: Darlene is in a relationship with Cisco who, at first appears to be only a random musician selling his CD on the street but is really a hacker representing the Dark Army.
Assignment 2
Plot Surface: Jill is a young woman who makes her living working for “connected” guys in the “Outfit”. She wants to improve her financial situation and is most interested in making money through juice loans. She knows that to do that, she needs Jimmy’s approval.
Major scheme revealed: Jimmy uses Jill to start a war with a rival crew member, Charlie, but knows that he will not get the approval from the top. He concocts a story that Jill is the initiator of the war, clearing himself of any wrongdoing.
Mystery: As Jimmy and Jill get romantically involved, is Jimmy really in love with Jill or is he just using her?
Hidden plan: Jimmy asks the boss for approval to go after Charlie, but it’s just a play. He knows that the answer will be no, and he goes through the motions of the sit down to ask permission to cover his tracks.
Hidden history: the deaths of Jill’s father and mother have never been solved. Most known theories point to Charlie, but it was Jimmy who killed them.
Character Surface: Jill is an angered but eager-to-impress collector who breaks the gender barrier of the Outfit.
Hidden agenda: Jill feels that working for the crew will get her close to Jimmy.
Conspiracy: Jimmy has thrown Jill under the bus about who initiated the war with Charlie. Jimmy has fed the bosses lies about her motivation.
Hidden character history: Jill’s father was not the same after suffering the trauma of his torture. Gio suffered from TBI and was making the crew vulnerable due to his symptoms. Jimmy was afraid Gio would also flip or turn Jimmy in to the feds after Jill’s mother had become an informant.
Wound: Jill’s memory of her father’s torture. Also, her memories of a mother that she could not be with most of her young life.
Wound: Jimmy’s having to kill Gio was not a heartless act. It lays heavily on his conscience having had to kill his mentor.
Competition: The competing crews headed by Jimmy and the antagonist Charlie.
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This reply was modified 3 years, 1 month ago by Leslie DuFresne.
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Assignment 1 lesson 10
TV Show: INVENTING ANNA
EP 6
Plot surface:
Anna and 4 friends stay in a very expensive hotel in Morocco for the week-end.
Layer 1: Sabotage
Anna’s cards or any form of payments are declined. Anna is rude to the manager. Rachel out of fear gives her credit card. How would you invite 4 friends on a luxury holiday if you had no money?
Layer 2 Conspiracy
Rachel has already planned to write about Anna. (she is taking notes and her colleague from Vanity fair is taking videos)
Layer 3: Mystery
How are they going to be able to leave the hotel?
Layer 4: Hidden agenda
Anna knows Rachel will end up paying the bills. She earns time.
Layer 5 : Competition
Time.
Character surface
Anna is a young German Heiress who is trying to set up a luxury business in NY and is waiting for her funds to arrive.
Layer 1: Hidden agenda
Anna never wanted to leave the hotel because all her bills would be charged on her room, until they realized she had no money.
Anna uses the photos and the videos to pretend to be rich on social media
Layer 2 Hidden character
She is a master in manipulation.
Layer 3: Secret identity
She works for her success. She earns her accomplishment. She was (is) living her dream.
Excuses:
– she got mugged.
– issues with her cards. « A lot of banks won’t do business in Morocco ».
– her new cards haven’t been registered yet
– her trust allowance doesn’t come before the 1st.
– the business doesn’t take her seriously because she is a young woman.
Does she really have the money she pretends she has?
Layer 4: Wound
She cannot connect with anyone.
She is lonely and poor. Her parents don’t understand her.
Example: She pretends to Kacy that she is going to end her life so she can sleep in her apartment. Then she is rude to Martin when he leaves the apartment because of her presence. She drinks Kacy’s last water, takes over her coach, throws her clothes away in the recycling bin and then tells Kacy that the dress she had given her is ugly! (From what I heard, it was the only dress she wore for a couple of weeks).
Layer 5 : Competition
The bankers.
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Assignment 2 lesson 10
My TV show
Plot surface:
In the world of angels, there is a school for guardian angels.
They are taught how to be the best at what they’re doing.
Each guardian angel has to protect a human being on earth.
They are supervised by a mentor, an archangel.
Guardian angels do not have genders.
They can be at the same time at school and on earth.
Layer 1: Sabotage
Skyler, a guardian angel cannot connect with the human being he is supposed to protect. Her name is Rose. She is a sweet teenage girl who suddenly turns bad.
Layer 2 Conspiracy
Is Skyler the victim of Charlie’s manipulation? Charlie is his school friend but after a fall, he lost his memory and changed.
Layer 3: Mystery
Skyler and his best friend Merril are suspecting Charlie to have been taken over by the soul of a fallen angel.
Layer 4: Hidden agenda
Skyler would rather have Charlie responsible for what is going wrong rather than doubting his own ability.
Layer 5 : Future consequences
Are fallen angels attempting to take over the world of angels by entering the angels bodies?
Character surface
Skyler is a guardian angel who protects Rose, a cute teenager. But Rose discovers that her real father was a great thief and decides to secretly train to be a famous thief like him. She doesn’t listen to her inner voice and Skyler cannot anymore control her. He cannot only push away any potentialdangers that could affect her.
Layer 1: Hidden agenda
He has to save Rose. If he fails saving Rose, he knows he will end up as a rempart angel, one of those angels who guard the remparts of the world of angels.
Layer 2 Hidden character history
Skyler was found when he was a boy. Who are his parents?
He has an ability to remember what happened on earth (flash backs) while he is at school. The other guardian angels don’t.
Layer 3: Secret identity
Could he be a fallen angel himself? Why do the archangels (teachers and headmaster) show a particular attention to him?
Answer: Skyler is the human boy who had died. A prediction had announced he would be an angel coming from earth who would save the angel world from the invasion of the fallen angels.
When he remembered the boy committing suicide and his helplessness to save him, it was his own memory, not flash backs.
Layer 4: Wound
Because of his memories from earth, Skyler recalls that he has already failed to save a boy in the past and he knows that his mentor and his friends question his abilities.
Layer 5 : Competition
Charlie wants to be close to Skyler, wants to beat him at school competitions. Is Charlie in love with him or do they connect because he is a fallen angel too.
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What I learned is to separate the plot layers from the character’s layers. I can see now how they wil interact. Brainstorming is amazing to add layers to the story and to the character. Great lesson!
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Watch the next episode of your Example Show and notice how layers show up in this show — both in this episode and throughout the episodes you’ve already seen.
Tell us the layers you have discovered in the Example Show.
Mr. Robot Plot layers: Story beneath the story
Major scheme revealed: Mr. Robot wants Elliot to help
him take down Corporate America
Mystery revealed: Elliot
Thought the story was one thing, but it is another: Elliot
is hacker working for cybersecurity company that he plans to betray
Major shift in Meaning: Elliot is disloyal
Hidden history: Blackmails degenerates into doing the
right thing
Hidden plan: To make his employer think he is a hero
while granting hackers access to their mainframe
Major betrayal: Lets Fsociety hack his employer’s
mainframeMr. Robot CHARACTER LAYERS – identity beneath the identity.
Secret identity: Mr. Robot/head of Fsociety
Character Intrigue: Elliot working for Mr. Robot
Hidden relationships and conspiracies: Elliot betraying
his employer
Hidden Character history: Elliot is a
blackmailer/hackerDiscover the layers that could exist for your show.
1. Brainstorm a list of possible PLOT layers.
PLOT LAYERS – Story beneath the story.
Major scheme revealed: Wife is a criminal
Mystery revealed: Not her first offense
Thought the story was one thing, but it is another:
Thought he was happily married
Major shift in Meaning: Marriage is doomed
Hidden history: Kids aren’t his
Hidden plan: Destroy husband while sucking him dry
Major betrayal: Career criminal; adulterer2. Brainstorm a list of possible CHARACTER layers.
CHARACTER LAYERS – identity beneath the identity.
Secret identity: Wife is career criminal
Character Intrigue: She is a conartist
Hidden relationships and conspiracies: Wife is married
to five people
Hidden Character history: Marries men to get their
money and set them up for her crimes3. Organize them each into a possible sequence of reveals.
Plot Surface:
Layer 1: BBQ
Layer 2: Burning checks from old account
Layer 3: Wife steals some of the old checks
Layer 4: Wife spends bad checksCharacter Surface:
Layer 1: Doting wife
Layer 2: Caring husband
Layer 3: Supportive mother-in-lawLayer 4: Friend of family
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Dave’s Plot
and Character LayersWhat I learned: Now I see what’s meant my “layers of meaning,” and it’s pretty obvious that they’re important for snagging the audience’s attention, but also provide tremendous insights into the characters and offer endless possibilities for plot twists.
SEQUENCE OF REVEALS
Plot Surface: After an experiment goes awry, a man finds himself randomly shifting between concurrent realities.
Layer 1: Salva, who led the experiment, is also shifting between realities.
Layer 2: The US and Chinese agents want the secrets of The Experiment.
Layer 3: Salva’s baseline notes about The Experiment have gone missing in the baseline reality.
Layer 4: Salva and/or Joshua may have been working with one or both of the agents before The Experiment.
Layer 5: Anyone who travels to an alternate reality can see how that progressed from the baseline reality and go back to change the baseline reality.
Layer 6: Salva is dead in the base reality, and therefore can’t go back there.
Character Surface: Joshua is a university PR writer who was present at The Experiment.
Layer 1: He is remorseful for not having appreciated his family and now desperately wants to keep it together in the base reality—and especially wants to prevent Henna from remarrying or finding out that he had an affair.
Layer 2: He was screwed out of recognition for Pulitzer Prize when he was a reporter.
Layer 3: He needs Salva to get back to the baseline reality, but he has to protect himself from being killed by her.
Layer 4: The affair was with Salva.
Layer 5: He probably is responsible for Salva dying in The Experiment.
Character Surface: Salva was the head of The Experiment.
Layer 1: She knew The Experiment was too risky to go on.
Layer 2: She believes Joshua was responsible for her death in the base reality and wants to kill him.
Layer 3: She also was screwed out of recognition for her role in a previous experiment—and wants to get revenge.
Layer 4: She also doesn’t want anyone to find out about the affair with Joshua.
Layer 5: She may be The Third Agent.
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Mark Lederkramer Binge Worthy TV Module 1 Lesson 10 Assignment 1
Mr. Robot Plot layers: Story beneath the story
1) Major scheme revealed: Elliot is working with Mr. Robot and F Society on hacking Evil Corp and wiping out all of the consumer debt in the world and ruining E Corp.
2) Mystery revealed: Elliot finally realizes that Mr. Robot is his dead father and Darlene is his sister. He knows that Mr. Robot is a delusion but that Darlene is really his sister and partner in F Society.
3) Major shift in Meaning: Elliot is totally freaked out about his father being Mr. Robot. We actually see Elliot choking himself but in his mind it is his father, Mr. Robot choking him. He even throws Mr. Robot out the same bedroom window that his father had pushed him out of as a kid. In reality he jumps out the window himself because he is Mr. Robot. Elliot decides that he wants to stop the hack.
4) Hidden history: That it was Elliot who came up with the plan to start F Society with Darlene and to hack Evil Corp as revenge for their crimes against humanity. Especially the Toxic Waste dumping in Washington Township which led to the deaths of hundreds with more dying every day. Two of those fatalities were Elliot and Darlene’s father (Mr. Robot), as well as Angela’s mother.
5) Hidden plan: Elliot has Gideon thinking that he saved All Safe while in reality he is the reason All Safe will go out of business.
6) Major betrayal: After Tyrell is fired by ECorp, he figures out that Elliot is the leader of F Society and responsible for the All Safe hack. Tyrell knows that Elliot programmed a secret backdoor in one of the servers but instead of stopping the hack he now wants the hack to take place as planned. He informs Elliot that they are now partners.
Mr. Robot CHARACTER LAYERS – identity beneath the identity.
1) Secret identity: Who is Mr. Robot really
2) Character Intrigue: Why is Elliot working with both Mr. Robot and Tyrell Wellick
3) Hidden relationships and conspiracies: Who started F Society and what will there real end goal be after the hack of E Corp
4) Hidden Character history: Mr. Robot is actually Elliot’s father and Darlene is really Elliot’s sister
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Mark Lederkramer Binge Worthy TV Plot and Character Layers Module 1 Lesson 10 Assignment 2
What I learned from this lesson and exercise is that I must create lots of different Plot and Character layers as this will create tension and drama so as to keep the viewer wanting more all through the series. It also creates real interesting characters with real day to day relationships and issues to deal with.
My Show
Plot surface
The Big 3 Crew is a very successful Marijuana smuggling and dealing gang in Brooklyn, New York in the 1970’s and 1980’s. The crew all grew up in the same neighborhood and the three partners have become very rich. Micky has recently joined the crew and has become a vital member. When the bosses need the impossible taken care of, they have Micky do it. The Big 3 crew is working on their next smuggling trip for weed from Columbia.
Layer 1 Sabotage: Matty is the most important member of the crew since he’s the one that travels to Columbia to make the huge purchase of Marijuana. He is snorting way too much cocaine and taking way too many Qualudes. He’s also spending way too much time fucking hookers and call girls.
Layer 2 Conspiracy: Stuey and Tony actually stage a break in at Matty’s old apartment. They robbed him and Stuey hit him with the butt of his rifle. This was all part of Stuey’s plan to convince Matty that he needed to have him and Tony as partners for his own protection.
Layer 3 Mystery: Will the Columbian trip come together and be a success. How will Micky deal with the fact that he is now connected to the real Mafia in the Torrio crew. Will Matty find out that his partners staged the break in? Will the two crews get along or will there be problems between them.
Layer 4 Hidden agenda: Stuey is always figuring out ways to make more money than his partners. Matty really wants to break up the partnership as he hates the way Stuey treats him. Jackie Torrio plans to get more money out of the trip than he was promised. Micky is hoping he can get out of the Big 3 crew after the Columbian trip. Tony wants more power within the partnership.
Layer 5 Future consequences: The trip could fail because of Stuey’s ego. Any of the crew could be arrested or killed. Matty could fuck up everything and end up in either a Columbian or American jail. Stuey might short change Micky after all his hard work. Jackie could decide that any of the crew is expendable as he and his crew are the second coming of Murder Incorporated.
Character surface
Micky is the newest member of the Big 3 crew. He is very intelligent and he can handle anything that the bosses might throw at him. He is much smarter than his bosses but they know the smuggling and dealing business inside out. Micky is a quick learner but this is all a new world to him.
Layer 1 Hidden agenda: Micky is really unhappy with the fact that he is now involved with the real Mafia and especially because it is the murderous, Torrio Crew.
Layer 2 Hidden character history: The whole reason Micky went to work for the crew is to make a lot of money for him and his partner, Howie. Part of his work deal is that he will get fronted the first and best product from the Columbian trip. Micky has always been a great salesman so he has always been able to get people to believe him and follow his lead.
Layer 3 Secret identity: Within the first month he has to create two alternate identities. This would involve getting forged birth certificates, Social Security numbers and cards. Then he had to walk these into the New York DMV and use them to get legitimate NY Drivers licenses. Just like that, Micky becomes, Salvatore “Sal” Feranzano and Jeffrey “JT” Thomas.
Layer 4 Wound: Micky hates that he has now become so involved with the real Mafia. This is not what he signed up for. He swore his whole life that he would never work for them as he watched his father spend his life working for “The Boys”, as a Jew. All it got him was trouble and no advancement because he wasn’t Italian
Layer 5 Competition: Micky is in an unspoken competition with his partner, Howie, to see who can bring in the most money for them to share. He is also dealing with competition from other crew members as they can’t figure out why he was brought in and given so much influence.
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