Lesson 8

[Robert Condon]

What I learned doing this assignment is that the main character does not have to carry most of the weight in his or her search for the truth. AI showed the some of the other characters, even with different interests and personalities, are essential to help the main character find solutions.

Assignment 1: The Queen’s Gambit:

The big mystery, I believe, is why her mother got into that accident in the first place. This leads to the realization about why Beth is so competitive to win and, eventually, become humble. She has ongoing flashbacks about her birth mother. Additional cracks are revealed along the way about how unstable her mother was. Just prior to beating Borgov, Beth has a flashback that her mother intentionally caused the accident. She wanted to end her life and Beth’s life. This, I believe, led Beth to give up alcohol and tranquilizers and to focus on being her best self because she was given a second chance to live. She wanted success, but also remembered the people who helped her in the immediate aftermath of the accident and abandonment, namely Jolene and Mr. Shaibel. As a result, she incorporated them into her life, by abandoning the press and popular events for down to earth moments with ordinary citizens.

Assignment 2:
Mystery type 1: Unknown illness impacting Liam’s ability to dance and devastating him financially.
A. Shocking Event: Something intriguing happens that disturbs reality in a big way.
Liam is a successful ballet dancer. He is at a practice when all of a sudden, he passes out. He comes to in a back room area with the paramedics treating him. He requests not to go to the hospital because he doesn’t have neither health insurance nor enough money to pay for transport there. He goes downhill after that. He tries to compete in ballet, but has various health conditions that are stopping him. He goes to a low-cost doctor where he is misdiagnosed for blood cancer.

B. Secret: An important part that we must know is withheld or kept secret.
The true culprit is his step-father, Martin. (Note: I have decided to change Martin from being his natural father to an “evil” step-father.) Martin has it out for Liam. He agrees with Misty, Liam’s mother, that he should act more masculine to uphold their conservative family values. Initially, he is home and supportive (somewhat) of Liam. He wants Liam to live in his own place, but Liam is unable to due to finances. Martin hosts high end parties at his house to appear rich and famous. He craves money and fame, but leads people to believe that he is a loving husband to Misty and step-father to Liam and Andrea (who lives far away). But the true intention is that Martin is secretly poisoning Liam, slowly. He was able to purchase an illegal substance that mimics other conditions, such as cancer, leading Liam and others to believe that his pain is natural. However, Martin has a life insurance policy on both Misty and Liam. His goal is to kill Liam first in order to cash out his life insurance to pay for his affair as well as gambling debts from Misty, among other expenses for the “good life.” After, he wants to kill Misty in a “boating accident.”
For most of the season, we see Liam seeking treatment in all the wrong places. He engages in illegal practices to pay off his medical and college debt. He’s a well-liked 25-year-old man who wants to follow his passions, but is unable to because of people turning against him. We, the audience, are led to believe that Liam is the unfortunate victim of a natural, unknown blood and bone disease. The true reveal comes subtlety towards the end of the season. Nevertheless, we are beginning to get angry with Liam because he is engaging in illegal behavior and even hurting others along the way for his benefit. We are cheering him on to change his ways.

C. Investigation: An investigation is conducted (by authorities, main characters, or audience) to discover the withheld part.
Even though Liam suspects (eventually) that his declining health may be a result of something else besides cancer, blood disorder, etc. neither he or the audience suspect that his step father may be the culprit. His step father is a low-life and the audience figures that out right away, but the investigation becomes deep and complicated. Not only does Liam go to dark places to seek treatment for what he thinks is cancer or a blood disorder, he blames others and seeks answers in all the wrong places before even considering that is step father was responsible. At the end of the season, we discover that it is his step father. However, his step father disappears, along with others close to Liam, leading to a search for his step-father and the rescue of his friends in season 2.

WHO: Liam is the main character who is deep in debt, in pain, and wants to succeed as a danseur.
WHAT: Liam wants to be a successful danseur, but he is stricken with an unknown illness.
WHEN: Has been a danseur for five years and sick for two months.
WHERE: He is seeking solutions for his illness from low-cost doctors as well as via illegal pharmaceutical practices in down and black market in a big city, such as New York.
WHY: Martin is poisoning Liam slowly in order to break down his organs leading to death. That way he can benefit from Liam’s life insurance payout. He puts poison in toothpaste, water, food. The poison not only impacts Liam, but causes a sudden, accidental death of another character. Liam is working to get to the bottom of it.
HOW: Martin ever so carefully places the drug into water, toothpaste, food, etc. in small amounts so Liam doesn’t feel sick right away. The drug has a “delayed” response, and slowly breaks down organs.
Ultimate Reveal: Liam discovers that Martin poisoned him in the last episode of season 1, but Martin has fled. In the final scene, Martin sends a video message to Liam telling him that he cannot be found and Liam sees Shayla in the background tied up.
Part withheld: We don’t know that Liam is being poisoned until much later.
Ultimate Reveal 2: We discover that Liam is being poisoned. Initially, we do not know who is poisoning him, but later he learns that it is Martin.

Mystery 2: Trying to frame Martin for attempted murder
A. Cover up: Through working with Jack, Liam discovers that Martin had been poisoning him. Liam does not change his daily pattern. He pretends to use toothpaste, food items, etc., by discarding them, leading Martin to believe that he is still on the path to poisoning Liam.

B. Secret: When Liam discovers that he is being poisoned, he leads us into a quest to find answers. He blames those close to him and even hires an investigator to track Jack and Shayla for a time. He starts of have flashbacks of a sexual assault when he was drunk. He believes that Jack may have attacked him. The true secret was that Martin got Liam drunk two years earlier and sold him as a prostitute to a man who resembled Jack. The man paid Martin a large sum of money. In addition to the insurance policy, Martin wants to end Liam’s life because he is concerned that he will remember everything that happened. Liam hires investigators with what little money he has to gather as much evidence as possible to figure out what else Martin is hiding.

C. Reveals: We see Martin’s character slowly emerging. Later, we see cracks in Martin’s behavior. He belittles Liam and Misty and he is gone a lot. In other scenes, he is seen with a much younger woman. Shayla or Jack even spots them out and about. Martin covers his tracks carefully. He gets a poisonous substance from the same pharmaceutical business where Jack works. It is actually Jack’s uncle who supplies it to Martin. We don’t know that until much later. In time, we see Martin (but we don’t know it’s Martin initially as only his hands are shown) mixing poison in toothpaste, orange juice, and food items that Liam consumes. He covers his tracks by wearing gloves and paying off Jack’s uncle.

WHO: The culprit is Martin: he is making Liam sick to the point that he is likely slowly dying.
WHAT: The poison has caused Liam to act irrationally even months after last consuming it. He is making bad financial decisions and quick schemes. But, in a way, it is working in his favor as it seems to bring about hallucinations about past events, that are connected to Martin. Those events turn out to be reality.
WHEN: The investigation takes place over a period of one year.
WHY: Liam wants Martin to pay the price for what he did to him, Misty, and his friends. He wants revenge, but cannot prove that Martin was poisoning him. His quest is to gather evidence, to entrap Martin, and to find ways to attack him by others when Liam is at the end of his rope.
WHERE: In the same town as well as a Florida beach community where Martin is hiding (once Martin finds out that Liam is on to him).
HOW: Black market connections, use of technology to track Martin.
Part withheld: Martin’s mistress is also a successful ballet dancer. Liam finds this out along the way and uses her to get even with Martin. The ultimate reveal is at a national competition.

AI Prompt 1:
1. The Mysterious Illness
Mystery:
Liam’s illness seems to be worsening at a rapid pace, but doctors can’t quite identify the root cause. Is it a rare condition, or is someone sabotaging his health?
Twist:
Jack, being employed in the pharmaceutical industry, comes across an experimental drug that could help, but he notices unusual patterns in the company’s research data—suggesting the drug might not be as effective or safe as advertised. Is Liam’s illness being exacerbated by the company for profit?
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2. The Hidden Truth Behind Liam’s Medical Debt
Mystery:
Liam’s medical bills are spiraling out of control, and while he’s always been diligent about his finances, there’s a glaring discrepancy in the charges. Who is behind these inflated costs, and how can Liam escape this financial trap?
Twist:
Martin (Liam’s stepfather) might be involved in a scheme to milk Liam’s insurance and medical debt. He’s financially benefiting from Liam’s situation, using legal loopholes or connections in the medical world.
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3. The Poison in His System
Mystery:
Liam begins to feel weaker after each visit to his doctor, leading him to suspect that something may be wrong with the prescribed medications. Is someone intentionally poisoning him or is it just a case of bad luck?
Twist:
Shayla, a long-time friend, reveals that her sister works for the pharmaceutical company Jack is associated with and hints at suspicious side effects not publicly reported. Is the company hiding a dangerous formula that could be the key to Liam’s illness?
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4. The Illicit Deal with the Pharmaceutical Company
Mystery:
In a desperate attempt to cover his mounting medical expenses, Liam considers joining an underground network that offers quick cash for participating in dangerous medical experiments or selling confidential data.
Twist:
Jack is unknowingly involved in an illegal distribution of the very medication Liam is using. As Liam dives deeper into this world to pay off his debts, he uncovers a much larger conspiracy involving his best friend, his stepfather, and the pharmaceutical giant.
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5. The Dance Studio and Unseen Enemies
Mystery:
Liam’s physical health is declining, but he insists on training for a big ballet performance. However, his condition worsens at the studio, and strange occurrences begin to unfold—things going missing, threatening notes, or accidents.
Twist:
Someone from Liam’s past is sabotaging him, perhaps a rival dancer or someone with ties to his stepfather. The stakes escalate as Liam tries to figure out whether his health problems are real or orchestrated by someone in his personal circle to ruin his career.
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6. The Hidden Link Between His Mother’s Death and His Illness
Mystery:
Liam’s mother died under mysterious circumstances when he was a child, and he has always suspected foul play. Now that his health is deteriorating, Liam begins to wonder: is his illness somehow connected to her death?
Twist:
Shayla finds a hidden letter or journal from Liam’s mother that references the same pharmaceutical company Liam is dealing with. Is this the reason for his deteriorating condition? Was his mother also a victim of the same corporate corruption?
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7. The Double Life of Martin
Mystery:
Liam becomes suspicious of his stepfather, Martin, whose business dealings seem shady at best. As Liam digs into Martin’s financials, he discovers that Martin might be involved in illicit activities—maybe even related to human trafficking, black-market pharmaceuticals, or insider trading.
Twist:
Liam’s illness could be directly linked to Martin’s shady dealings. Not only does Martin have financial motivations to keep Liam weak, but there might also be something more sinister behind his stepfather’s hold over him.
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8. The Secret Formula
Mystery:
Jack uncovers a secret formula within the pharmaceutical company’s research that has the potential to cure rare diseases, but it is buried under layers of corporate corruption. The formula might be the key to curing Liam’s sickness.
Twist:
Jack is conflicted—his loyalty to his friend and his job at the pharmaceutical company comes into play. The decision to reveal the formula would change everything, but it could come with dangerous consequences. Will Jack betray his career and the company to save Liam, or will the risks of exposing the secret outweigh the potential benefits?
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9. The Stolen Research
Mystery:
Liam’s condition improves dramatically after a controversial treatment suggested by Shayla. However, the treatment was based on stolen research from the company Jack works for, and now the company is looking for the missing files.
Twist:
Liam finds out that the research was based on a new experimental drug developed by the company but was never released due to its potential side effects. Now that Liam has used it, someone is trying to silence him from revealing the cure. Is the cure really a cure, or is it just a slow poison?
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10. The Relationship Between the Illness and the Ballet World
Mystery:
Liam’s health problems start to interfere with his ballet performances, but what if his illness is connected to the psychological pressure of his career rather than a physical ailment?
Twist:
Liam’s condition is actually a psychosomatic disorder, influenced by the pressure he faces in the cutthroat world of ballet. There’s an internal mystery around whether his health problems are self-inflicted and whether he can solve it by reconciling his personal identity with his ambitions.

AI Prompt 2:
Format/Genre:
• Concept: A character-driven drama that explores the tension between family, friendship, and betrayal through the lens of mysterious events. As each character deals with hidden secrets and life-altering decisions, the stakes get higher and the consequences increasingly dire.
• Lead Characters:
o Liam: A talented young ballet dancer whose promising career is abruptly derailed by a mysterious illness.
o Jack: Liam’s best friend, fiercely loyal and supportive but unaware of the sinister forces at play around him.
o Shayla: Another close friend of Liam, an intelligent and intuitive young woman who begins to question everything she thought she knew about those closest to her.
o Martin: Liam’s stepfather, a seemingly well-meaning but ultimately ruthless man whose dark motivations are slowly revealed.
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Mystery 1: Liam’s Mysterious Illness Causing Him to Fail at Ballet
Mystery Strategy 1: Opening Shocking Event Mystery
• A. Shocking Event:
Liam, once a star in his ballet company, suddenly collapses during a crucial performance, throwing him into a life-threatening medical crisis. Doctors are baffled, unable to diagnose his condition. His muscles begin to deteriorate, affecting his ability to dance and putting his future at risk. As the illness progresses, Liam is no longer able to perform or keep up with his friends, Jack and Shayla, who begin to notice his behavior and physical changes.
• B. Secret:
Liam’s condition is linked to a secret chemical poisoning, which gradually weakens his muscles and system. The real cause of this poisoning remains a mystery, but there are subtle clues that point to someone within his inner circle as being responsible. Liam has become paranoid, but he is unsure whom to trust—Jack and Shayla or the people who seem to be his closest allies, including Martin.
• C. Investigation:
Jack and Shayla take it upon themselves to investigate, starting with a suspicion that Liam’s stepfather, Martin, might be behind the sudden illness. They start finding strange discrepancies, like Martin’s unexplained financial strain and secretive behavior, which seem to coincide with Liam’s deteriorating health. The investigation becomes increasingly dangerous as the clues they uncover threaten to unravel the family’s perfect image. Each step closer to the truth puts them in greater jeopardy.
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Mystery 2: Martin Poisoning Liam to Death for the Life Insurance Payout
Mystery Strategy 2: Ongoing Over-Time Mystery
• A. Cover-Up:
Martin has been methodically covering up his tracks to make sure that no one connects his financial desperation with Liam’s illness. He goes to great lengths to manipulate medical records, plant false evidence, and create distractions to steer suspicion away from himself. He also tries to win over Liam and his friends, appearing as a supportive father figure to hide his true, sinister intentions.
• B. Secret:
Martin secretly has a life insurance policy on Liam, one that would pay him a large sum of money if Liam were to die under suspicious circumstances. The deeper mystery here is that Martin is not working alone; he has a secret accomplice who helps him procure the rare toxins needed to poison Liam slowly. This partner in crime has a personal interest in seeing Liam suffer, and both Martin and this accomplice are plotting to kill Liam in a way that looks like a tragic, undiagnosed illness. They manipulate Liam’s fear and confusion to isolate him, making it more difficult for Jack and Shayla to protect him.
• C. Reveals:
As the investigation progresses, Jack and Shayla begin to uncover shocking truths: Liam’s illness isn’t random; it’s methodical and deliberate. They start connecting the dots between Martin’s financial instability, his constant stress about money, and his increasing involvement in shady dealings. In a pivotal moment, Jack and Shayla manage to steal one of Martin’s private diaries, revealing his twisted plan. They confront Martin, but his manipulation skills are so strong that he turns the confrontation against them, casting doubt on their accusations. The mystery builds to a tense, heart-pounding climax where the real question is not just “Who did it?” but “How far will Martin go to ensure his own survival?”
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Series Tone & Themes
The show is deeply emotional and psychological, with themes of trust, betrayal, and manipulation running through every character’s arc. There’s a strong focus on family dynamics and the complex relationships between Liam and the people who claim to care about him. The mystery unfolds not just through external investigation, but through the emotional and mental unraveling of each character as they come to terms with the fact that the ones they love are capable of horrific things.