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Lesson 9
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Karen Christine Angermayer´s Assignment 1: Example show – Big Little Lies
What I learned doing this assignment is that in this example show there are many open loops (I discovered 7 in the first season). This creates permanent tension, worry and wonder from the first episode until the end of season 1. The end of season 1 brings up another Big Picture Open Loop that becomes the subject over the whole second season.
Part 1: Big Picture Open Loops established early in the season:
1. Who died? Was it an accident or murder? Will the police find it out who did it?
2. Who attacked Amabelle?
3. How will the confrontation between Madeline and Renata end?
4. Can Jane start a new life in Monterey? Why did she run away from her last place?
5. Where do the marks in the sand come from – whose shoes?
6. What is wrong with Celeste? Why does she stay with this man?
7. Will Madeline find her peace with Nate and Bonnie? Will she loose her daughter?
Part 2: How those open loops are being used to create the need to see future episodes:
1. In every episode we watch the police interrogating parents and teachers. Over many episodes it is still not revealed who the dead body is.
2. Amabelle is being attacked again. Ziggy´s mom trusts him that he wasn´t the one who did it – but who did it then?
3. Madeline and Renata are in a constant competition: On Amabelle´s birthday Madeline invites many other kids from their class to a musical. Renata stars a petition against Jane´s son, and acts against Madeline´s play at the theater.
4. Janes refuses to answer her son´s questions about his dad. We want to know: Who is it, what happened, is he still alive? She opens herself up and tells Madeline that she was raped. Which opens the loop: Will they find him? And how will he react?
5. The traces in the sand appear at the start of every episode. Very lately we discover whom they belong to.
6. Celeste wants to start a therapy with her husband – which leads to the open loop: Will they succeed? Will this end his violent attacks? Will their marriage survive this? In later episodes the therapist will advise her to leave Perry and find a new apartment – which opens up the next open loop: Will she be able to make this important step? How will he and the kids react?
7. Madeline´s rage about Nate affects her own marriage with Ed. The plan of a dinner for all 4 of them creates a new loop: How will this end? Will Abigail move back into her home to Madeline or not? Will Madeline loose her or not? Madeline´s affair from her past experiences a revival – which creates the question: Will she leave Ed – or will he leave her, or how will this end?
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Jan’s OPEN LOOPS in THIRST
WIL: I fine tuned my Meta arcs in questions that if I answer and structure them well will lead to an awareness how to build them in smaller pieces, spread them and create unavoidable curiosity to see my season. And S2.
In THIRST the kissing question shows up in the first episode’s 3rd or 4th act. “Oliver and Marie share an instant attraction and kiss upon their first meeting and have sex. This question is answered and out of the way. And they find each other next morning still attractive. But quickly they will find out that they didn’t know they were both Winds, from the same tribe and family, and also cousins. Oliver and Marie will shy away from each other with an inner uncertainty about what this means in terms of wrongdoing. And their inner uncertainty about their attraction intensifies and they begin to feel and worry about how the outside world will react, especially in their bourgeois and stuffy hometown, where they are surrounded by a bossy and dominant family clan.
From there we will watch them and feel the attraction, they will build a strong bond and care for each other, we want them to be together after we learned it’s legal for cousins to be a couple and it’s morally not questionable nor unethical. It’s just pressure from the outer world. Will they make it? And finally, while we root for them to be together, there will be a surprising twist: a modern 21st century relationship involving three people, not just a couple. How will this work out? Come and see Season 2.
1. They execute to be couple right away
2. …. building a relation can not be completed due to inner questions and outer pressure …
3. .. can they overcome the inner hesitance and break the outer pressure ?
THIRST : A military police officer returns home to Germany to mourn about his fathers passing, finds his mother dead too on arrival and takes on his relatives and hometown to find out about his parents liquidation.
Will Oliver resolve his parents deaths and the reason for it?
Can Marie and Oliver make it as a couple in this stuffy and toxic surrounding?
How will Oliver unveil the cobweb in town?
Will team Oliver find out what the WM-deal is?
What is going on between Oliver and his uncle Hans?
Will Oliver be murdered as well after he inherited the shipyard?
How will Oliver deal with the PTSD therapy his general obliged him to attend while home?
Will Oliver and Stefanie get caught that they don’t play to the general’s agenda, knowing that he wants them to spy on each other?
Smaller (in eps):
How will Oliver force Klara (homicide) to start to investigate?
How will Oliver deal with his heritage after the will is opened ?
How will Oliver unmask one relative after the other at town hall, bank, hospital et al?
How will Marie deal with being team Oliver and not loose her own family?
How will Marie deal with having been educated at the water mill?
How will Marie deal with her anonymus co op with the eco activists?
How will Stefanie deal with the knowledge she is spied on?
How will Stefanie deal with her being a therapist in the army while understanding her scientific approach to modernize the therapy of PTSD is not wanted, even prevented?
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Karen Christine Angermayer´s Assignment 2: Big Picture Open Loops for my show – THE BANKER
What I learned doing this assignment is that filling the blanks for me is the best way to come up with ideas that weren´t there before – or not in that depth. Answering these questions helped me to deepen my understanding for my characters and their actions. Trying to sort out what the big loops and the smaller ones could be helped me to get an idea how to design some of the episodes. Very clarifying!
1. Big picture open loops for my first season that I will use to keep the audience captivated.
GOALS:
New goals: When finding out that he won´t get the money back on the “nice” way, WD decides to deal with the scam by becoming an expert in the crypto world. Goals related to the big picture: getting the millions back in time, take revenge on Jonas and his own bank who has let him down Crushed goals: He won´t get the money back – as soon as WD and Emma find a way, Jonas´ wallet is hacked, and all the money will be gone. Time for a new goal: Finding the hacker, and get the money from his wallet. Competition / conflict around goals: WD is running against the time, and competing with Jonas and the hacker
CONSEQUENCES:
Are they going to be caught: It will come out that WD is responsible for the money transfers, so he has to hide, and the bank and police is after him. Even his own wife/kids don´t know where he is. Problems created from past actions: He behaved badly toward co-workers and his neighbour, which now redounds upon him. He doesn´t find any help in his surroundings and is all by himself. Emma is the only person who can help him – but he insulted her deeply. Good plans gone wrong: Emma got them the passwords for Jonas´ wallet – but his wallet is being hacked, before they can transfer WD´s money
SOLVING PROBLEMS:
What is the major problem for this character: He has 2 major problems: He has to make sure the money is back on all accounts of his clients. And: Throughout his life he always acted like somebody who new the answer to every obstacle. Now he doesn´t have a clue, and has to become an expert in a completely new world (crypto) – and: has to learn to admit to show his weaknesses and flaws, being completely vulnerable and naked.What are they trying to solve: WD and Emma are trying to bring the money back, before everybody takes notice. Further more they have to hide that the know each other and that Emma helps him. (new thought: maybe she is Jonas´ sister instead of spouse?) Later on they are hiding WD from the police.Major change imposed on character: He loses his carefully built up image as a responsible and “clean” banker. He thought he was at the end of his career – and now has to start all over in a completely unknown field. He finds himself – learning to know himself in a way that he would never have without this all happening.Previous solutions cause new problems: Talking to his friend and neighbour who is working for the police bring their attention to him. Hiding everything what happened from his family causes their withdrawal, anger and disappointment. (wife and the 2 kids all three reacting differently) Hiding everything from the bank has made him delinquent – the last thing he wanted at this point of his career. In his eyes it marks the end of his life if he doesn´t solve this.
RELATIONSHIPS:
Relationships in peril: Relationship to his wife, 2 kids, Emma, principals / colleagues / customers at the bank and to his closest friends in peril.New relationships forming: New relationship with Emma (friendship, almost like a daughter), a new love, maybe with Jonas (his son, not sure about that)Conflict inside relationships: Inside his marriage and family: He has always been the trouble-shooter. Now he has brought them all into huge trouble!Relationships changing: To his wife and his kids (from trust to estrangement to a new level of acceptance and clarity about who he really is). To his colleagues and principals (from disappointment and resentment to a new kind of respect at the end of the last season)
DANGER / SURVIVAL / RISKS:
Can they survive X: Diving deep into the world of scamming and hacking is a big risk for WD. And for Emma as well since she is in a relationship to Jonas. Suffering from gestational diabetes her life and that of her baby are in peril as well.Putting themselves in danger / making dangerous decisions: Hacking into Jonas´ wallet and into the system of the even bigger hacker is dangerous. Hiding the loss of millions after the scam is as well a dangerous decision, because he risks his whole career and reputation. Searching for Jonas when he hides, and searching for / visiting events where the big players of the crypto world are, is a big risk, too. There is the permanent risk that everybody in this circle can see behind the curtain of WD and Emma any time.Who else is pulled into their danger: WD´s wife and kids (especially his son), Emma, her babyInternal dangers (drug addiction, need for medicine, inner demons): At a certain time Emma needs medicine. (might be the pharmacist WD falls in love with)
2. My top 5-8 Big Picture Open Loops that could be in my pilot:
– Will WD get the huge amount of money get back in time?
– Will he be punished and go to prison?
– Will he loose the love of his wife and his kids?
– Will he be able to show he has been manipulated and therefore kind of innocent?
– Will he manage to learn all he needs to be able to pretend he is a crypto expert like Jonas to be able to scam him?
– Will he, Emma and her baby survive this?
Smaller Loops:
– Will Emma help him after he insulted her deeply at the beginning?
– Who is the father of Emma´s baby (if not Jonas)?
– Why did Jonas choose WD for his masterpiece scam?
– Will Jonas and Juli be punished or are they managing to escape with the money?
– What secret is Juli trying to hide?
– Will WD experience a new love?
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What I learned doing this assignment is now the mystery of why I get attached to series is being revealed, creating open loops gives me more to play with and sets up my characters and show to explore.
Assignment 1: Walking Dead
Big Picture Open Loops:
Can they survive this zombie apocalypse?
Is there a cure out there?
Are there more survivors?
How far will one go to survive?
Small Picture Open Loops:
Will Rick find out about Shane and Lori relationship?
Will there be more survivors at Fort Bennings?
What happened to the father and son Rick met in the pilot?
Where will a walker appear out from?
Assignment 2: Tree Whisperer
Goals-
Power
Magic
Freedom
Consequences-
Magic used but there is always a opposite reaction to keep it all balance, so if one uses it for good something bad happens too
Solving Problems-
Susan trying to understand why she is the key
Relationships-
Lots of characters wanting control, who will be on top
Danger/Survival/Risks-
Many dangerous events happen in national parks from wild animals, crime, criminals, weather, terrain.
Top 8 Big Picture Open Loops that could be in my pilot:
How is Susan the key to saving the forest?
Who is the shadow and why did it appear now?
Who will Mystery Forest Ranger attach himself too?
How is the forest going to be saved?
Why did Susan get this magic power to be able to communicate to the trees?
Will Susan use her magic to make things better or does it make things worse?
How is Susan connected to Wilma the Tree and the Shadow?
How did this forest get magic?
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Bobby’s Big Picture Open Loops: What I learned doing this assignment is… a reminder to just post shit. Was falling behind, and ended up just listing off as many possible loops as I could for my own project – and was surprised by how many came to mind. Don’t have the ANSWERS, of course, but…
INVITING OBSESSION: OPEN LOOPS
MR ROBOT
BIG PICTURE LOOPS
Can Elliot take down Evil Corp?
Is Elliot in touch with reality?
Who is Mr. Robot?
Will Elliot and Angela ever get together?
Will Elliot get caught?
Can Elliot keep his drug problem under control?
EPISODE 9: HOW DO LOOPS MOVE FORWARD?
Can Elliot take down Evil Corp?
Gideon is trying to restore the honeypot on the server; Tyrell Wellick has placed orders to NOT have it restored
Tyrell Wellick is now on Elliot’s side, since Evil Corp fired him.
Is Elliot in touch with reality?
Absolutely not – Elliot’s been in charge the whole time without realizing it, because…
Who is Mr. Robot? – LOOP CLOSED
a) Elliot’s father
b) Elliot’s father is DEAD – Elliot himself has been Mr. Robot all along
Will Elliot and Angela ever get together?
Looking unlikely – Angela says she doesn’t know him any more
Will Elliot get caught?
Coming to a head. Wellick is working with him (we think); race between Gideon restoring HoneyPot and Dark Army enacting the Hack
Can Elliot get his drug problem under control?
The problem lies in Elliot NOT taking his medicine; Darlene left to go fill it – but Elliot left with Wellick…
INVITING OBSESSION: OPEN LOOPS
AMP
5 to 8 BIG PICTURE LOOPS that COULD be in my PILOT
How did Frank’s partner Johnny really die? (GOAL)
Can Frank prove he still has what it takes to be a great detective? (GOAL)
What does Miles Malik really want? (BIG PICTURE GOAL)
Can Frank forgive himself for abandoning Johnny that night? (CONSEQUENCES, INTERNAL DANGER)
What is it that makes us “alive” as humans? Is AMP “alive? (RELATIONSHIPS)
Is there more to AMP than meets the eye? (SOLVING PROBLEMS/ DANGER)
What happened with Frank’s family? (RELATIONSHIP)
Can these two oddball partners find a way to work together? (RELATIONSHIPS)
Can Frank get his drinking under control? (drinking seems cliché – something else?) (INTERNAL DANGER)
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What I learned doing this assignment is looking a little deeper at characters, and creating these open loops actually create plot. Breakthrough: this is one way to create character-driven plot/story. Not a plot-driven story that you plug a character into. This is a big deal.
ASSIGNMENT 1
1. EXAMPLE SERIES: THE MORNING SHOW
Make a list of the Big Picture open loops that were established early in the season.
Will Alex keep her job?
What will happen to Mitch?
Will Bradley take over Alex’s position?
Who will win: Fred or Cory?
What the hell is Cory up to when it’s all said and done?
Will Mitch lose his job?
Will TMS survive/lose its top spot?
Will Alex’s relationship/connection to Mitch ultimately destroy her?
Can Mitch become a good person again?
Is Alex complicit in Mitch’s sexual misconduct?
If so, what will happen to her?
What will happen to the Martin Short character?
Who will take the fall w/the network?
2. Watch the next episode and see how those open loops are being used to create the need to see future episodes.
Alex and Bradley become close which complicates the competition, adding tension to every sincere encounter.
Mitch goes after the woman he raped and coerces her to go on record for him.
Alex declares to Fred that Bradley must go.
Alex approaches Dan about replacing Bradley with him as co-anchor.
Fred tells Alex that Chip (Alex’s long-time friend and EP) has to go.
Mitch to Alex: “I may have fucked them, but you were very cruel, and words matter.” This opens a loop where Mitch could take down Alex along with him.
Mitch’s exchange w/Alex reveals he’s willing to destroy TMS, the network, and everyone associated with it.ASSIGNMENT 2:
1. Use this list to brainstorm big picture open loops for your first season that you will use to keep the audience captivated.
GOALS:
New goals?
Holly makes an incredible discovery: front-end lifter.
We discover Holly is using a piece of proprietary know-how to make FEL work
Goals related to the big picture?
Can Holly regain her status/power?
Crushed goals?
Holly was on top, and is now less than on the bottom.
Competition / conflict around goals?
Holly and Hart:
Holly and Lacy: Holly needs the town to stay the same, quiet, off the radar. Her longest friend, Lacy is running for Mayor and is looking good on her platform for change.
Can Holly scuttle Lacy’s bid for mayor secretly and protect her friendship?
What does that say about Holly?
That might be the first crack in Holly’s psyche that the audience sees: when backed into a corner, Holly always chooses herself.
CONSEQUENCES:
Are they going to be caught?
Will Hart discover Holly’s using is proprietary information to make her plan work?
Will Holly get caught and go down as a drug dealer? Or worse, a cartel boss?
Problems created from past actions?
When Holly realized they were getting raided, she had only a second to copy, hide, and delete any trace to what she was working on (In the long term, this shouldn’t have been a problem b/c she’d been in jail for two years, and the digital footprint was likely archived, etc.) But—when she gets out, she gets Jack to find the thumb drive and meet him and get it.
Holly and Jack MAY have had a moment of indiscretion after/during an all-nighter before a huge FDA audit or something. Easily explained away on both sides, but for Jack, it sparked something, and MEANT something.
Good plans gone wrong?
Front End Lifter starts off being the solution, but ends up creating more problems than it fixes. And, like all drugs, creates a need in the person using it, and a demand for its production presenting Holly w/a dilemma: stop everything because this is morally and ethically wrong, OR become the richest and most powerful cartel leader in the world.
SOLVING PROBLEMS:
What is the major problem for this character?
Holly lost everything, and to get her life back, she has to make some serious moral and ethical choices.
Does Holly have what it takes to do the wrong thing for the right reason when all of her choices were wrongfully stripped away?
What are they trying to solve?
Get her life back.
Get an income stream.
Hide. Do it all under the radar.
Convince the townspeople she’s trustworthy
Major change imposed on character?
Goes from on top to lower than the bottom.
Forced to move out of her comfort zone and become a part of the “women of the town.”
Previous solutions cause new problems?
Relationship misstep w/Jack causing him to start to love her.
Stealing IP from the Pharma company.
RELATIONSHIPS:
Relationships in peril?
Holly’s relationship w/Jack, because of what she’s asking him to do. It continually gets more demanding and more risky for Jack. Is Holly aware of his feelings and using him? Or does she just believe he’s the best friend he’s always been and is on her side?
New relationships forming?
Can Holly successfully conspire with the Mayor so he wins the election?
Holly and
Conflict inside relationships?
Holly and Marcus because Marcus’ love for Holly is romantic, and Holly’s for Marcus is friend.
Holly and Lacy because Holly really wants Lacy’s bid for mayor to fail.
Relationships changing?
Mayor and Holly starting off as enemies and becoming unwilling partners, and ultimately loyal friends.
Holly and Lacy starting off w/Lacy feeling resentment for Holly and ending up best friends.
Marcus and Holly starting off as best, loyal friends, tested by Marcus’ affection, and ultimately leading to Marcus betraying Holly
DANGER / SURVIVAL / RISKS:
Can they survive X?
Will Holly get caught with the Pharma’s IP and get sued/lose everything again or worse, go back to jail?
Will her sketchy grasp of FDA regulations catch up wit her and she’ll get arrested for drug trafficking?
Putting themselves in danger / making dangerous decisions?
Holly moves forward w/the drug even though she knows there’s no way to do proper human trials, and at that point, she’s breaking the law.
Marcus could lose everything if he’s caught giving Holly secret inside info on the Pharma company.
Who else is pulled into their danger?
Lacy
Donna
Connie
Internal dangers (drug addiction, need for medicine, inner demons)?
Holly’s unrelenting drive for revenge against Hart (former boss) and Terry (ex-husband) for colluding and framing her.
Holly has a hard time seeing other people’s point of view
2. Tell us your top 5-8 Big Picture Open Loops that could be in your pilot.
Can Holly survive the loss of everything and face starting over as an ex-con?
Can Holly scuttle Lacy’s bid for mayor secretly and protect her friendship?
Can Holly stop Lacy’s plan to revitalize the town?
Will anyone discover what Holly secretly stole from the company before she was arrested?
What did Holly steal?
Will Marcus betray Holly?
Will Marcus tell Holly how he really feels about her?
Will Front-End Lifter be dangerous?
Will Holly put her friends at risk to get the revenge and new life she craves?
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EMPIRE – BIG PICTURE OPEN LOOPS
Big Picture Open Loops:
1. Which son will become the next CEO of Empire?
2. When will Lucious die?
3. Will Lucious and Cookie get back together?
4. Will Cookie get her share of Empire?
5. How will Jamal’s lifestyle affect his future with Empire?
6. Will Lucious get caught for killing Bunky?
Small Picture Open Loops:
Will Lucious tell his family about his illness?
Will Lucious let Jamal be a part of the opening performance?
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What I learned doing this assignment is that these big picture open loops can serve as structure for the pilot. These are things you know have to happen in the pilot, so I am starting to see how to piece them together to tell the story.
LIKE THE JONESES – BIG PICTURE OPEN LOOPS
GOALS:
New goals? Tony having private discussions about establishing business in New York.
Goals related to the big picture? Pete asks to speak to Tony about an opportunity at his company. Adam speaks to Tony about another opportunity.
Crushed goals? Willie makes Henry interim CEO. Tony decides his next move.
Competition / conflict around goals? Tony has been an asset to Pete’s company. They want him to have even more responsibility.
CONSEQUENCES:
Are they going to be caught? Tony creates a fraudulent profile to apply for a cannabis grant.
Problems created from past actions? Henry learns that Willie used his inheritance to fund the company. Now Henry blackmails Willie into making him CEO.
Good plans gone wrong? Heather reestablishes contact with her father. He shows up demanding he and his children’s inheritance.
SOLVING PROBLEMS:
What is the major problem for this character? Tony wants more responsibility in the family business. Due to his troubled past, his father doesn’t trust him.
What are they trying to solve? He is trying to make a name for himself in the cannabis world.
Major change imposed on character? Henry is made interim CEO of the family business. Tony leaves the company, and is offered a position with the competition.
Previous solutions cause new problems?
RELATIONSHIPS:
Relationships in peril? Tony and Willie’s father-son relationship is in turmoil after Tony leaves the company. Willie threatens to fire anybody who is caught having conversation with Tony. Elaine is torn as Willie tries to bring down Pete and his company.
New relationships forming? Through Pete, Tony has reestablished his relationship with his ex-wife, Noelle, and his son.
Conflict inside relationships? Noelle is remarried, and her husband also works for the company.
Relationships changing? Henry helps Tony out of a jam.
DANGER / SURVIVAL / RISKS:
Can they survive X? When Willie and Pete learn of Tony’s takeover, they join forces against him.
Putting themselves in danger / making dangerous decisions? Tony submits fraudulent paperwork for a cannabis land grant. If this is ever revealed, Jones Farmacy could lose their license.
Who else is pulled into their danger? He recruits Heather to cover up his lie. He eventually has to tell Henry when he needs Henry to get him out of a bind.
Internal dangers (drug addiction, need for medicine, inner demons)? Tony has a looming fear of relapsing. Willie shares the same fear for his son, which is why he gives him very little responsibility. Henry and Heather’s father who suffers from PTSD, comes back into the picture after many years.
2. Tell us your top 5-8 Big Picture Open Loops that could be in your pilot.
What happens to Jones Farmacy when Tony goes to work for the competition?
What will happen to Tony and Willie’s relationship if Tony goes to work for Pete?
Why did Willie give Henry the interim CEO position?
How will Pete convince Noelle and Taj to give Tony a second chance?
Will Noelle and Taj forgive Tony?
How long has Heather been in contact with her father?
Will Cynthia move away to be closer to her daughter?
What started Pete and Willie’s feud?
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KZ’s Big Picture Open Loops
What I learned doing this assignment is… how to design Open Loops into the story for maximum obsession.
Assignment #1: THE 100
Big Picture Open Loops:
• Will the juvenile delinquents survive on Earth? Is the Earth inhabitable, or is it still contaminated with radiation?
• Will the management on The Ark figure out that the juvenile delinquents (who were sent down to a possibly radioactive Earth) are still alive?
• If residents of The Ark come to Earth, will they mete out punishment to Bellamy and others who disobeyed?
• Will Clarke and Finn have a romantic relationship, now that Raven has come down to Earth?
• Will the Mountain People hurt or kill more of The Ark’s delegates?
• Will more people die on The Ark before they venture toward Earth?
• Will Abby prevail over her enemies?
• Will Abby and Clarke mend their relationship now that Clarke knows it was her mother who informed on her father and caused him to be “floated.”
Assignment #2: MURDER MY DARLINGS
Tell us your top 5 to 8 Big Picture Open Loops that could be in your pilot:
• Who killed Raymond?
• Does Nolan kill people to be able to write his sequences realistically?
• Why is Michelle tampering with evidence?
• Will Oliver get caught breaking into Nolan’s apartment?
• Will Nolan find out that Oliver has a way in to his place?
• Will Nolan find out that Oliver is pursuing Tony?
• Will Oliver suffer the same fate as others who have pursued Tony?
• What are the meetings of their “pod” that Tony and Nolan attend?
• Why does Tony deny things that Oliver has seen with his own eyes?
• Why does Michelle keep putting Oliver in Nolan’s way?
• Why does Oliver remember things after his interview with Nolan?
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