Lesson 6

[Robert Condon]

What I learned doing this assignment is that there has to be a deep history among characters to make the viewers want to watch future episodes.

The Queen’s Gambit
Beth Harry Benny
Relationship Surface Competed chess years ago; Harry is now Beth’s tutor. Competed chess years ago; seen as competitors, but tolerate one another.
Relationship Common Ground Both agree that Beth needs to learn more about Borgov before competition. Is able to visualize chess moves like Beth, but without the use of drugs.
Relationship Conflict Harry is interested in Beth romantically. Beth is also interested in Harry, but Harry is concerned over her addiction to painkillers and cigarettes. Seems to be one step ahead of Beth while competing and Beth lose a chess game with him.

Relationship History Competed with Beth years earlier in a chess game. Has had a secret crush on her. Met when she was 15 and he 23 at a championship. They both were very competitive and he showed an arrogant personality towards her.
Relationship Subtext Wants to be romantically involved with Beth, but without her dependency on drugs. He eventually moves away. Cares deeply about Beth, but wants to slow the pace. He initially wants to train her for the competition with Borgov, but they slowly become romantically linked.
Relationship Arc Competitors to lovers to estranged Competitors to lovers.

Proposed show:

Liam Jack Shayla Misty
Relationship Surface Best friends since elementary school Coworkers/very good friends Liam’s mother
Relationship Common Ground Both willing to work together on projects that bring in a lot of income They support each other emotionally; both like ballet Tries to shield Liam from his father’s drunken outbursts
Relationship Conflict Jack is jealous of Liam’s intelligence and his ability to “be himself” even when he doesn’t have the support from his family. While she is happy with Liam’s success as a danseur, she doesn’t want him to be more popular than her. She knows that Liam wants to be himself, but she doesn’t want him to be himself in public or in the community and finds ways to appear more conservative.
Relationship History They grew up together, but Jack doesn’t have stability in his life and has no direction; Liam has had a little bit more stability and is able to find ways to succeed despite challenges. In turn, Jack is jealous of Liam and turns on him at times as a consequence. They are typical twenty-something friends, who met at work, but Shayla secretly has feelings for Liam even though she suspects he might be gay. They attend dance competitions together, but Shayla finds more ways to “post” her success on social media and even finds ways to sabotage Liam’s success because she wants more popularity. Misty was overly protective of Liam and wanted him to be married with children by 25. She loves him, but is distant about his “choices” in life, which causes conflict.
Relationship Subtext Wants Liam to fail. Jack takes risks and gets him in trouble a few times as a means to break him down. Secretly in love with him, but cannot find a way to make it work. They work well as friends and have very similar interests. She is also friends with Jack and tries to help him out as well, which hurts Liam. Again, she also wants to be popular and tries to push Liam aside in ballet to show off her skills. While she shields her son from his father’s abuse, she takes advantage of him but using what little money he has for gambling purposes, while painting a more conservative picture of him to her friends.
Relationship Arc From love and hate to being dependent on one another. From cooperation and love to competition and mistreatment. From uncertainty and denial to a more accepting approach.

AI:
Character Relationships for Liam
Format / Genre: Serial TV Drama
Concept: Character-Driven Drama with Competitive Focus
Main Character: Liam
Character 2: Jack
Character 3: Shayla
Character 4: Misty
Liam’s Perspective Jack Shayla Misty
Common Ground Both are ambitious, competitive, and driven to prove themselves. Share a creative outlook and mutual respect for each other’s talents. They’re both outsiders who came from less privileged backgrounds.
Relationship Conflict Jack undermines Liam’s leadership, sees him as a rival. Shayla challenges Liam’s ethical choices; trusts her instincts over him. Misty resents Liam’s calculated persona; thinks he’s emotionally closed.
Relationship History Childhood friends turned rivals after a betrayal in their youth. Met during auditions; bonded quickly but diverged when stakes got higher. Met during training camp; Misty once mentored Liam early in his journey.
Relationship Subtext Buried resentment and unresolved feelings of betrayal and admiration. Unspoken tension—possibly romantic—but clouded by mutual mistrust. Underneath the tension is a reluctant respect and a sense of protectiveness.
Relationship Arc From friends to enemies, with a possible redemption through mutual loss. From allies to opponents, circling back to cautious collaboration. From wary mentorship to open confrontation, and eventually, mutual trust.