Post Day 6 Assignment Here

[Meg Stout]

Meg Stout’s Relationship Maps

What I learned doing this assignment is that it sucks that the forums don’t have a way to paste in tables or pictures, as this makes this particular assignment take up a huge amount of vertical space. For my piece, I explored the relationships between the core characters, to cut down on having to do three unique relationships for each of three main people. But I love the power of this tool for any relationship we see two people enter into – great exploration for finding the things on which people do have conflict, as it is conflict and its resolution our brains are wired to crave.

Assignment #1

Thirteen Reasons Why

Hannah and Clay

Surface: Co-workers

Common Ground: Work at movie theater, go to the same high school

Conflict: she needs him, he doesn’t know how to reach out to her

Relationship History: They grew to be close but he did nothing as she spiraled into fatal depression

Subtext: Clay truly loved Hannah but did believe the rumors that she was a slut

Relationship Arc: casual friends to lovers

Hannah and Justin

Surface: Boyfriend

Common Ground: Same high school, friends with Hannah’s “only friend” Kat

Conflict: romance – she was infatuated, he used her to enhance his reputation for getting any girl he wants

Relationship History: They kissed then he shares a picture of suggesting she is a slut that goes viral

Subtext: Didn’t care about hurting Hannah if it made him seem cool

Relationship Arc: meet at the party Kat throws, goes through one date, ends in Justin slandering Hannah

Hannah and Jessica

Surface: Best friend

Common Ground: new students at Liberty High, put together as friends by guidance counselor

Conflict: friendship with Alex Jessica blames Hannah for sabotaging her and Alex

Relationship History: They were put together and became friends, but Jessica and Hannah grew apart and fought over mutual friend, Alex

Subtext: Thought Hannah was lying but comes to learn content of tapes were true

Relationship Arc: meet at school, become close friends, end in fight over Alex, who has dumped Jessica, then Jessica becomes aligned with Justin

Assignment #2

Children of Heaven

Bennett and Annie

Surface: Lovers

Common Ground: Living in home of Joseph Smith

Conflict: Bennett wants to marry Annie, but Annie learns Bennett is still married

History: Meet at Smith household, Bennett will persist in attempting to possess Annie, first through marriage, then through a secret sexual union

Subtext: Bennett sees Annie as the only woman who can make him whole following his wife’s abandonment

Relationship Arc: Living in Smith household. Bennett admires Annie but admiration turns to love when Bennett learns his wife refuses to reconcile and continues to obsession even after Bennett learns his wife refuses to divorce him. His final depraved acts in Nauvoo are motivated by a desire to bed and impregnate Annie to bind her to him.

Bennett and Joseph Smith

Surface: Partners

Common Ground: Desire to defend Saints from mob violence

Conflict: Joseph wants to trust and forgive Bennett but Bennett can’t keep away from the women he “loves”

History: Bennett comes to Nauvoo as a politically connected protector. When outsiders attack Bennett, Joseph defends him. But when Joseph learns the depths of Bennett’s depravity, he ejects him from the community

Subtext: Bennett sees Joseph and the Mormons as the key to his future political dominance

Relationship Arc: Come together because of the Missouri extermination order and subsequent kidnappings of Mormons from Illinois. Wins a strong city charter and advocates for concentration at Nauvoo for political reasons. Joseph initially forgives when Bennett commits adultery, but eventually ejects Bennett. Bennett turns on Joseph, conducting a national slander campaign.

Surface:

Lovers

Common Ground:

Living in home of Joseph Smith

Conflict:

Bennett wants to marry Annie, but Annie learns Bennett is still married

History:

Meet at Smith household, Bennett will persist in attempting to possess Annie, first through marriage, then through a secret sexual union

Subtext:

Bennett sees Annie as the only woman who can make him whole following his wife’s abandonment

Relationship Arc:

Living in Smith household. Bennett admires Annie but admiration turns to love when Bennett learns his wife refuses to reconcile and continues to obsession even after Bennett learns his wife refuses to divorce him. His final depraved acts in Nauvoo are motivated by a desire to bed and impregnate Annie to bind her to himBennett and Sarah Pratt

Surface: Patron/patient

Common Ground: Laundry and mending, medical treatment

Conflict: Sarah is lonely and craves the hysteria treatments Bennett provides, tempts him when he is weak

History: Introduced so Sarah can help Bennett with laundry and mending and Bennett can provide Sarah funds for these services. Bennett treats her hysteria. They have a brief affair and are punished. When Bennett is ejected, he claims he had protected Sarah from Joseph’s advances

Subtext: Sarah represents Bennett’s hunger for sex, the beginning of his descent into depravity

Relationship Arc: Introduced so Bennett can get help with laundry and mending and provide Sarah some income. Bennett begins to treat Sarah for hysteria over her husband’s absence. When Annie leaves Nauvoo, Sarah tries to comfort Bennett by touching him as he’s touched her. Bennett, aroused, takes a willing Sarah. Bennett tries to protect Sarah from their sin, but this twists to threaten her marriage.

Annie and Joseph Smith

Surface: Governess and Employer

Common Ground: Belief in the restored gospel, concern for Emma, the Smith children, and other Saints

Conflict: Annie’s hopes to marry

History: Annie hired as governess, then is introduced to Joseph’s mandate to restore biblical marriage. When Bennett attacks Joseph, Joseph protects Annie from Bennett.

Subtext: Joseph and Annie will covenant to be together for eternity

Relationship Arc: Annie starts as a believer in the restored gospel Joseph preaches. She becomes the Smith governess, then is embroiled in the conflict between Joseph and Bennett. She will covenant with Joseph Smith and agree to marry Jonathan Holmes as a public husband.

Annie and Jonathan Holmes

Surface: husband and wife

Common Ground: desire to enter into an eternal covenant with those they respectively love

Conflict: Once publicly married, Jonathan refuses to consummate their union, feeling it would constitute infidelity to his deceased wife

History: Annie saved Jonathan’s daughter from the attack where Jonathan’s wife was gang-raped. They care for Jonathan’s wife together until her death, after which Annie becomes the de facto mother for Jonathan’s surviving daughter. After Jonathan’s hope for being eternally bound to his deceased wife is scuttled, Annie agrees to accept Jonathan as public husband, though both know she will enter into covenant with Joseph Smith

Subtext: A marriage of convenience becomes a lifelong devotion

Relationship Arc: From friends to mourners to religious co-conspirators to devoted spouses

Joseph Smith and Jonathan Holmes

Surface: Religious leader and convert

Common Ground: Devotion to the restored gospel and to the Smith family

Conflict: When Joseph has disagreements with his wife, Emma, Jonathan sides with Emma. Emma’s main disagreements arise from her fear that Joseph is endangering his life, which aligns with Jonathan’s concerns as one of Joseph’s bodyguards.

History: Jonathan and his cousins converted to Joseph’s restored gospel and gathered to Ohio. Jonathan lived in the Smith home for two years, until marrying Marietta Carter. After Marietta’s death, Jonathan and his daughter join the Smith household, where Jonathan will help serve as bodyguard. Jonathan becomes involved in helping “fix” the damage caused by Bennett’s illicit intercourse heresy.

Subtext: Devotion can break your heart. Love is complicated.

Relationship Arc: Jonathan goes from convert to Joseph’s doctrine to protector of Joseph’s legal wife and Joseph’s covenant wife after Joseph’s death.

[Emmanuel Sullivan]

Emmanuel Sullivan’s Relationship Maps

What I learned doing this assignment is character relationships move around from good to bad and back to good at any moment. Each character has a unique marker that they control to determine how the mutual relationship flows.

Assignment #1

Show – The Americans

Philip Jennings and Elizabeth Jennings

Surface: Married – Wife

Common Ground: KGB Agents

Conflict: No love in marriage

History: Both young when recruited for the KGB

Subtext: Distant

Relationship Arc: Cold to loving

Philip Jennings and Stan Beeman

Surface: Neighbor

Common Ground: Family Man

Conflict: FBI Agent

History: None

Subtext: Doubtful

Relationship Arc: Curious to Friendly

Philip Jennings and Martha

Surface: Colleague

Common Ground: Government Employee

Conflict: Wants more out of the relationship

History: Confiding in shop talk

Subtext: Loyal

Relationship Arc: Friendly to Lover

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Assignment #2

Andrew Brice and Mark Cason

Surface: Business Partners – Political Opponents

Common Ground: Accomplished Politicians

Conflict: Both want to damage the opposing political party

History: Both were young senators

Subtext: Political Competitor

Relationship Arc: Friendly business relationship to bitter

Andrew Brice and Molly Brice

Surface: Married – Wife

Common Ground: Marriage – Close Family

Conflict: Wants a high-profile lifestyle

History: Early marriage was unstable

Subtext: Supporter

Relationship Arc: Close marriage to open marriage

Andrew Brice and Sarah Cason

Surface: Associate to Business Partner

Common Ground: Work together to advance the Non-Profit

Conflict: Wants to control the non-profit’s direction

History: Supported some of his political ideas – rare to do so

Subtext: Manipulator

Relationship Arc: Even friendship to distrust

[dworetzky tom]

Big little lies relationship map between madeline, renata, celeste and jane

Madeline | renata | celeste | jane

Surface | adversaries | bff | new friend

Common ground | school school school

Conflict | [madeline, renata] alphas, fighting against amabella-ziggy accusation, Ave Q

[celeste and jane] both want to diffuse ziggy-amabella

History| [renata, madeline] butt heads before|

[madeline, celeste] both don’t work |

[jane] none with others, moved, raped in her own past.

Subtext | [madeline, renata] power struggle|

[celeste] sex abuse secrets|

[jane] rape, revenge, suicide

arc |[madeline] righteous to bad, secrets to exposure|

[renata] truce to conflict |

[celeste] Secrets to exposure, stay at home mom to working woman again |

[jane]mysterious secrets to exposure, pleasant to violent

[Sherri Coffee]

Sherri D. Coffee Module 1 Lesson 6 Relationship Map

Madeleine Jane Celeste Bonnie

Surface Friend Friend Related by marriage

Common school school husband

Conflict Ziggy’s jealous wife of ex husband

father marriage

History new friends good friends different styles/jealousy

Subtext Secret competition jealous

scheme envy

Relationship Strangers to Friends to enemies to civil relationship

Arc Friends closer friends

I learned to look at all the interactions to evaluate and construct the relationship map.

[Ben Tannous]

Ben’s Show Relationship Map

What I learned doing this assignment is … that relationships cause drama and intrigue, for them to work in an ongoing series they need multiple layers, and to be binge worthy they must be distinct and unique.

Jack with Gina:

Surface: Journalist / Source

Common Ground: Expose the truth

Conflict: Not trusting each other – he doesn’t trust her with his career / she with her life

History: Recently introduced by one of Jack’s informants

Subtext: They want to trust each other but need the other to prove it

Relationship Arc: From distrusting each other to trusting each other

Jack with Margaret:

Surface: Employee / Boss

Common Ground: Dedication to journalism

Conflict: Dedication to the story / Dedication to the newspaper

History: Worked together for fifteen years

Subtext: Having an affair for fifteen years while she is married to someone else

Relationship Arc: From an intimate and secret affair to breaking up although still in-love

Jack with Harold:

Surface: Citizen / Government Official

Common Ground: Good of the nation

Conflict: Jack exposing a government conspiracy / Harold hiding that conspiracy

History: Harold knows of Jack because of his public profile, but Jack doesn’t yet know Harold exists

Subtext: Jack must expose the conspiracy before Harold ruins him

Relationship Arc: From not knowing each other to despising each other

Gina with Harold:

Surface: Whistleblower / Henchman – Criminal-Traitor / Pursuer-Authority

Common Ground: Good of the nation

Conflict: Escape him / Erase her

History: Worked together on highly classified government project

Subtext: He doesn’t just want to arrest her but to erase her existence

Relationship Arc: From security detail and protected to hunter and hunted

Gina and Tom:

Surface: Colleagues

Common Ground: Physicists

Conflict: Wants his cooperation / Doesn’t want to know her

History: Worked together on highly classified government project

Subtext: She thinks he’s a coward / He thinks she’s a fool

Relationship Arc: From trusted colleagues to estranged

Harold with The Director

Surface: Employee / Boss

Common Ground: Both trying to keep a highly classified government project secret and a public “myth”

Conflict: Get caught doing this job and you’re on your own

History: Worked in a national security organization together

Subtext: Their work is ultimately for a classified committee called The Watch Committee

Relationship Arc: From engaging in a “routine” exercise to sliding down the slippery slope

• This reply was modified 4 years ago by  Ben Tannous.

[Sherri Coffee]

Sherri D. Coffee Module 1 Lesson 6 Character Relationship Map

Grace with Sam:

Surface – Romantic relationship

Common ground – Live together and share medical knowledge

Conflict – Sam is dying and he chose Grace as executor of his will but feels guilty about his children.

History – Sam saved Graces’ life 5 years earlier after an accident.

Subtext – She is obligated to him and wants to do the right thing.

Relationship Arc – from Love to distrust.

Grace with Carlton:

Surface – Sam’s estranged son

Common ground – Sam’s health

Conflict – the Will

History – on vacation to reconcile relationship with Father, he tries to have Grace killed.

Subtext – competition

Relationship Arc – acquainted to enemies.

Grace with Harmony:

Surface: hippie psychic meditative journey guide

Common ground: Grace’s new neighbor

Conflict: Lifestyle

History: Past life Mother/Daughter

Subtext: hiding secret from past life with Grace

Relationship Arc: Strangers to friends

Sam

Sam with Grace:

Surface: Romantic relationship

Common Ground: Live together

Conflict: Sam wants to reconcile with Carlton and his sisters.

History: He saved her life. She is the only one helping him through cancer treatments.

Subtext: He wants to reconcile with children and take care of Grace.

Relationship Arc: Love to distrust.

Sam with Carlton:

Surface: estranged son

Common Ground: Both want to keep bailout history secret.

Conflict: Grace and will.

History: Sam bailed out his hedge fund; knows he hid money offshore to keep from his ex-wife; Sam knows his children are sociopaths.

Subtext: Obligation to children, image among community.

Relationship Arc: Estranged to relationship

Sam with Harmony:

Surface: knows of her through Grace

Common Ground: Grace

Conflict: thinks she is crazy. Does not believe in past lives.

History: Berates Grace for seeing Harmony.

Subtext: He is afraid she will reveal the truth of his children and the bailout to Grace.

Relationship arc: no relationship to trying to control her

Carlton

Carlton with Sam:

Surface: Estranged son

Common ground: Father and keeping secret of Sam’s bailout.

Conflict: Grace, will and childhood abandonment.

History: Sam left Carlton’s mother when he was 5 and was basically absent workaholic father building medical practice. Paid for education but was not present in his life. Sam bailed Carlton’s hedge fund out and helped him move money offshore to protect from ex-wife.

Subtext: Obligation, protecting secret, and provide for sisters.

Relationship Arc: Estranged to relationship.

Carlton with Grace:

Surface: Father’s significant other

Common ground: Sam’s health

Conflict: executor of will – Grace

History: Took Sam and Grace on vacation to Mexico and tried to have Grace killed.

Subtext: competition

Relationship Arc: Acquaintance to enemy

Carton with Harmony:

Surface: crazy psychic friend of Grace

Common ground: Carlton wants to use Harmony’s crazy to discredit Grace

Conflict: Harmony sees Carlton for who he is.

History: Harmony is aware that Carlton is the past life bastard son of Sam.

Subtext: competition

Relationship Arc: no relationship to enemies.

Harmony

Harmony with Grace:

Surface: psychic friend

Common Ground: neighbors

Conflict: past life journey and relationship with Sam.

History: Past life Mother/Daughter

Subtext: Conspirators

Relationship Arc: from neighbors to friends

Harmony with Sam:

Surface: knows of through Grace

Common Ground: Grace best interest

Conflict: past life knowledge – Sam is afraid she will expose his secrets

History: Harmony doesn’t trust he is being true to Grace. He is afraid she will expose him.

Subtext: Competition and control

Relationship arc: not knowing to distrust

Harmony with Carlton:

Surface: knows of through Grace

Common Ground: Grace and Sam

Conflict: Grace and Sam relationship, will, and Harmony’s image and business.

History: Carlton tries to discredit Harmony to discredit Grace and gain control of the will.

Subtext: competition. Harmony knows Carlton is trying to destroy her. And she knows the karma from the past life.

Relationship Arc: not knowing to enemies.

I learned to construct a very interesting story weave with several choices by mapping out the relationships between the characters.

[Joseph Eastburn]

The Americans

Surface:

Elizabeth Jennings (Kerry Russell) and Phillip Jennings (Matthew Rhys). They are husband and wife, (arranged marriage for the purpose of espionage).

Elizabeth Jennings and Paige Jennings. They are mother and daughter (for real, her biological daughter with Phillip).

Elizabeth Jennings and Stan Beeman (Noah Emmerich). They are neighbors and sworn international enemies.

Common Ground:

Elizabeth Jennings and Phillip Jennings. They are both spies for Russia, and totally committed to their jobs. They have the same training, the same beliefs, the same indoctrination.

Elizabeth Jennings and Paige Jennings. They are both women, both have a strong family bond, both are strong, and as mother and daughter, they understand each other on a very deep level.

Elizabeth Jennings and Stan Beeman. They are both in the intelligence business, both fighting for their country. They both have families and children. Both live in suburban Washington, D.C.

Conflict:

Elizabeth Jennings and Phillip Jennings. He likes America more than her, in fact, in the pilot, he’s ready to defect. She a Russian loyalist. He’s skeptical of Russian decision-making; she’s not, in fact, she’s more of a true believer. They have conflict of sexual partners outside their marriage. They are in conflict about how they interpret orders and intelligence. They are on “the ground,” so they may know more that their bosses know about the situation.

Elizabeth Jennings and Paige Jennings. Paige wants to buy her own sexy bra alone at the mall with her girlfriends. Her mother wants to be involved in her introduction to sexual relations. Her mother has an old-world upbringing, full of suspicion, whereas Paige has been brought up with American mores.

Elizabeth Jennings and Stan Beeman. They’re sworn enemies, also they’re the opposite, which adds a charge. They’re in secret competition in their jobs while pretending to be neighborly.

History:

Elizabeth Jennings and Phillip Jennings. They have an arranged marriage to be spies living in America. When they moved in together, they had still not had sex. Then they get involved with others outside their marriage, then they start to have a love relationship. They have competition with each other as operatives.

Elizabeth Jennings and Paige Jennings. She’s Paige’s mother, so she knows her intimately, and since she raised her, she understands the way she thinks on a very deep level. And Paige has the same understanding of her mother. They’ve developed their relationship over many years.

Elizabeth Jennings and Stan Beeman. They history is brief. They’ve only been neighbors for a short time, but it’s charged because of the secret dealings.

Subtext:

Elizabeth Jennings and Phillip Jennings. They are sexually jealous of their spouse’s attraction to others in the course of their undercover work. They have different ideological approaches to intelligence gathering and interpreting. The secret that may have been present the whole time is that even though their marriage has been arranged, they are in love with each other.

Elizabeth Jennings and Paige Jennings. They are in competition about how Paige should be raised, like in the old country, or by new American values. Paige wants to know secrets that they keep from their kids. Elizabeth says, “None of your business.”

Elizabeth Jennings and Stan Beeman. What’s hidden is that they are spies, and as an FBI agent assigned to a special task force, he’s looking for spies like them. She may resent him when Phillip was going to defect to him and turn in the injured Russian in episode 1.

Relationship Arc:

Elizabeth Jennings and Phillip Jennings. From not knowing each other that well, to working hard in life and death situations to falling in love with each other.

Elizabeth Jennings and Paige Jennings. From Paige obeying her mother in an unquestioning way, to thinking for herself, and perhaps becoming suspicious of what her parents are doing.

Elizabeth Jennings and Stan Beeman. From being sworn enemies to trusting him in the context of being neighbors and even getting intelligence from without him realizing it.

[Donna Stockwell]

What I learned doing this assignment is the story (and flashbacks) is starting to take shape, and the arcs of each episode can be superimposed and added to reveal more of the season.

Example Show – JESSICA JONES

Relationship map of Jessica Jones –
Trish Walker:
Surface: Best friend/ past live-in
Common Ground: Love each other, want what’s best for Jessica
Conflict: Different approaches to handling dilemmas and situations in life.
History: Lived with each other for years
Subtext: Jessica’s conscious, moral path
Relationship Arc: Jessica avoids past, Trish wants her to confront her demons (PTSD) in order to control them.
2. Jeri Hogarth:
Surface: Boss/Client working relationship
Common Ground: Investigation contracts
Conflict: Jeri doesn’t like how Jessica gets information, but likes that she is dependable to get information
History: About 15 contracts
Subtext: Secret mutual admiration
Relationship Arc: Jeri relies on Jessica to get information to keep her on top of her game, Jessica relies on Jeri to distract her from her past life, yet each assignment reminds her of her past.
3. Kilgrave:
Surface: Ex-boyfriend
Common Ground: Both superheroes
Conflict: Kilgrave is controlling her mind, Jessica is fighting it
History: Boyfriend/girlfriend, she left him when she figured out his power
Subtext: Unfinished warped love
Relationship Arc: They dated for one month, incident at one month, she leaves him to die, he doesn’t die and wants revenge

Donna Stockwell’s Relationship Maps

Relationship map of BEN
To Patrina
Surface:Marriage – wife
Common Ground:Children, house
Conflict: quietly fight like cats and dogs over finances, time apart, house
History:Met in high school, quickly fell out of love after children
Subtext:Ben becomes suspicious of Petrina befriending others, esp men.
Relationship Arc:Increasingly Ben stays away from Petrina, as Petrina becomes more impatient and frustrated with Ben’s actions and attitude.
2. To Celeste
Surface:Daughter
Common Ground: Close relationship, always comforting her father
Conflict:Celeste finds that Ben is smothering her social life
History:Birth
Subtext:Celeste is easily controlled by Ben’s emotions, as Ben needed more and more attention
Relationship Arc:Celeste notices how Petrina is acting towards Ben, and tries to help ease the situation… it seems to be a burden, but she feels it’s her duty
3. To Jasper
Surface:Brother
Common Ground:parents, Upbringing
Conflict:Jasper always questioning what Ben does and why
History:Jasper always does what Ben tells him to
Subtext:Jasper is Ben’s conscious
Relationship Arc:Throughout childhood, Ben is helping Jasper get through life, as Jasper is a bit slow. Jasper trusts all of Ben’s actions and is faithful to him

Relationship map of PETRINA
To Ben
Surface:Marriage – husband
Common Ground:Children, house
Conflict:Fight out of view of children, over finances, time apart, house
History:Met in high school, quickly fell out of love after children
Subtext:Over controlling, emotionally and physically
Relationship Arc:Everyday wake up afraid what will happen, Petrina
2. To Celeste
Surface:Daughter
Common Ground:Birth, relationship with boyfriend
Conflict: Fight like cats and dogs – how to act, who to friend, etc
History:Birth, rearing
Subtext:
Relationship Arc:from mother to boyfriend rival
3. To Luc
Surface:Daughter’s boyfriend – turned lover
Common Ground:Daughter, outlook on life
Conflict:
History: short, just since daughter’s introduction
Subtext: With more time that Petrina & Luc spend together, become confidents, Luc points to abusive husband
Relationship Arc:daughter’s boyfriend, turned handyman, turned romance

Relationship map of LUC
To Ben
Surface:Romantic rival
Common Ground:Celeste and Patrina
Conflict:Overprotective father doesn’t like Luc going out with his daughter
History:Ben doesn’t like Luc dating daughter, does he imagine Luc’s attention to his wife?
Subtext:Luc is seen as a womanizer, but outwardly acts innocent, but available at opportune time — Ben is the only one who notices this
Relationship Arc:
2. To Celeste
Surface:girlfriend
Common Ground:High school, friends, dating
Conflict:Luc romantic, Celeste standoff-ish
History: High school classmates / dating
Subtext: Celeste stole Luc from her best friend
Relationship Arc: Luc sees many nice things in Celeste, but sees where she gets all the good qualities – her mother, and decreases attention to Celeste
3. To Patrina
Surface:Handyman turned lover
Common Ground:Daughter, outlook on life
Conflict:How immoral is it to fall in love with daughter’s boyfriend
History:Increasing time together, through Petrina’s insistence
Subtext:Luc lends a sympathetic ear to Petrina’s bad marriage
Relationship Arc:daughter’s boyfriend, turned handyman, turned romance

[Daniel Melin]

Lesson 6.1 Supernatural– Sam

Sam and Dean

Surface: Brothers

Common Ground: Hunting monsters, death of their mother.

Conflict: Whether to continue hunting monsters or pursue a
normal life, whether to share their secret with other people.

History: Grew up learning to hunt monsters together. Tension
because Sam went off to college while Dean stayed with their father.

Subtext: Dean’s anger at Sam for going away.

Relationship Arc: Estranged to working together.

Sam and Becky

Surface: College friends.

Common Ground: Learning, having fun.

Conflict: Having to lie to her about Dean being a cop.

History: Studied at Stanford together.

Subtext: Sam has a secret identity, he isn’t sure he can
share with her.

Relationship Arc: Not knowing who Sam is to learning about monsters
firsthand.

Sam and John

Surface: Father and son.

Common Ground: Hunting monsters, death of Sam’s mother, John’s
wife.

Conflict: Whether to hunt monsters or go to college.

History: Taught Sam how to hunt monsters.

Subtext: Mystery of John’s disappearance.

Relationship Arc: Estranged, to taking on the role John envisioned
for Sam???

[Joseph Eastburn]

What I learned doing this assignment is… the more I dig into character relationships, the more I understand the story.

CHEATERS

Surface:

Ruby Kane, Detective and Brian ‘Thor’ Vinter, Husband and Police Chief. They are husband and wife, and she is a lead Detective in the small-town police department that her husband is the chief of. They are kind of known as a golden couple, but all is not what it seems.

Ruby Kane, Lula Kane, her mother. They are mother and daughter. Her mother still lives in the town, and Ruby goes to visit her often.

Ruby Kane, Aviv Karnofsky, her father. Her father was a spy for the Russians during the cold war, and retired to Northern California, but his past kept intruding.

Brian Vinter, Ruby Kane. Husband and wife. He promoted his wife to Detective because she is good, and he wanted to give her more work so he could cheat.

Brian Vinter, Lula Kane, Ruby’s mother. He tolerates Lula, his mother-in-law, and frankly thinks she’s weird.

Brian Vinter, Aviv Karnofsky, Ruby’s dead father. Brian, is curious about Aviv’s history, but doesn’t know he was a spy, and questions why he has a different name than his wife and daughter.

Lula Kane, Ruby Kane. Mother and daughter. They are close.

Lula Kane, Brian Vinter. Mother-in-law and Son in law. They are slightly estranged, but polite to each other at social events.

Lula Kane, Aviv Karnofsky. Wife and diseased husband who keeps all his secrets.

Common Ground:

Ruby Kane, Brian Vinter: They share a home, have a reputation as a beautiful couple, share a workplace; when the case gets out of control, they begin to feel an odd empathy for each other.

Ruby Kane, Lula Kane: They have family in common, so family secrets, and have both been cheated on or raped by her father.

Ruby Kane, Aviv Karnofsky: They both carry guns, work in clandestine ways, she has a secret life like he did when he was a spy. They had their shared history of sexual abuse.

Brian Vinter, Ruby Kane: He is her husband as well as boss. They have the same friends. They share a deep respect for law-enforcement, but in her case, the trappings of it protect her.

Brian Vinter, Lula Kane: They spend holiday dinners together. He sometimes confides in her that his wife doesn’t love him anymore.

Brian Vinter, Aviv Karnofsky: He’s always digging around, trying to find out more about her father.

Lula Kane, Ruby Kane: When Ruby comes to visit her, she feels like a spider who has drawn her daughter back into her web. Is she going to threaten to double-cross her daughter with Brian to have more power over her?

Lula Kane, Brian Vinter: She doesn’t give away how much she knows about their relationship. But she understands him in a way, and kind of likes him.

Lula Kane, Aviv Karnofsky. They have in common, years of marriage, and a daughter, and their history and secrets, which are powerful.

Conflict:

Ruby Kane, Brian Vinter: Their big conflict are his secret affairs, but she can’t let him know she knows—that will give away her game.

Ruby Kane, Lula Kane: She’s constantly worried that her mother is trying to control things, the way she tried to control things when her husband was a spy.

Ruby Kane, Aviv Karnofsky: Her father began to molest her when she was a teenager, and when she found out he was a spy, in the middle of a sexual assault, she knocked her father out and placed a cyanide capsule in his mouth, so it looked like he was ordered to kill himself as part of his job.

Brian Vinter, Ruby Kane: He’s angry at her that she can’t solve the murders. He’s going to bring in an FBI specialist to assist and give them deniability.

Brian Vinter, Lula Kane: He tries to find out more about his wife through Lula, needs to get information out of her.

Brian Vinter, Aviv Karnofsky: He’s curious and wants to know more about her father. When he finds out he assaulted her, he’s angry at him.

Lula Kane, Ruby Kane: She’s worried about the way her daughter is behaving. She wants to know more about the night her husband took the capsule.

Lula Kane, Brian Vinter: She’s thinking of making him an ally, as a way of controlling her daughter.

Lula Kane, Aviv Karnofsky. She’s enraged that he cheated on her with other women. When she finds out he molested their daughter, her rage knows no bounds.

History:

Ruby Kane, Brian Vinter: He cheats on her, like her first husband did. That was a betrayal and it makes something snap in her.

Ruby Kane, Lula Kane: She needs her mother as a sounding board and support, but is wary of her controlling ways.

Ruby Kane, Aviv Karnofsky: Their history of sexual assault and she murdered him because of it.

Brian Vinter, Ruby Kane: He’s used to being the boss, and she has to get back at him in underhanded ways, techniques she intuited from her father’s occupation.

Brian Vinter, Lula Kane: Don’t have much of a history, but there’s something he can sense that he’s curious about.

Brian Vinter, Aviv Karnofsky: Wants to know his wife’s father’s history and begins to dig.

Lula Kane, Ruby Kane: Still wants to be the mother and control her daughter’s life.

Lula Kane, Brian Vinter: he tries to figure his wife out by analyzing her mother.

Lula Kane, Aviv Karnofsky: They have a whole history of their life together. When he retired to Northern California, she watched as his spy work started infecting their family life.

Subtext:

Ruby Kane, Brian Vinter: She hates him for cheating on her and is determined to bring him down.

Ruby Kane, Lula Kane: She doesn’t trust her mother, and thinks her mother is withholding family secrets from her.

Ruby Kane, Aviv Karnofsky: She hated him for abusing her, and vowed to kill him if she got the chance, and she did.

Brian Vinter, Ruby Kane: He’s determined to figure out what his wife is up to.

Brian Vinter, Lula Kane: He begins to ask realize she might betray her daughter.

Brian Vinter, Aviv Karnofsky: He starts to research what no one knows about Ruby’s dad.

Lula Kane, Ruby Kane: Her mother is worried about her, and feels she didn’t protect her and was therefore a bad mother.

Lula Kane, Brian Vinter: She’s going to help bring him down when she finds out her daughter’s plan.

Lula Kane, Aviv Karnofsky. She’s not willing to hide his secret life any longer.

Relationship Arc:

Ruby Kane, Brian Vinter: Golden couple that everyone admires, to sworn life and death enemies.

Ruby Kane, Lula Kane: From family secrets to completely confiding her crimes to her mother who (like a good spy’s wife) becomes her ally.

Ruby Kane, Aviv Karnofsky: From hate and murder to respect for what he taught her and how that knowledge helped her survive.

Brian Vinter, Ruby Kane: He’s her boss and in control to she pulling the strings so he’s losing.

Brian Vinter, Lula Kane: From estranged to Brian trying to make her his ally. Does Lula double-cross him?

Brian Vinter, Aviv Karnofsky: From not knowing his history to finding out her was a Russian spy.

Lula Kane, Ruby Kane: From secrets to becoming full allies.

Lula Kane, Brian Vinter: From estranged to becoming a possible ally, then betraying him to help her daughter.

Lula Kane, Aviv Karnofsky: From holding his life as a spy at a distance to finding out more so she can help her daughter win.

[Stuart Voytilla]

Stuart’s Show Relationship Map

What I learned doing this assignment is…The importance of relationships as the hook for viewers – in many ways more powerful than the individual characters. This encouraged me to broaden the character circles. Fascinating discoveries. Yes, answers are a bit long but I’ve uncovered fascinating layers with questions that I want to keep open for further exploration and discovery. This has been an eye-opening and creatively liberating assignment.

Assignment 1

Watchmen Relationship Map:

Character: Angela Abar

Relationship with Will Reeves:

Surface: Will is Angela’s grandfather.

Common Ground: Serve for the police, Angela for Tulsa, Will for NYC. Both serve as masked vigilantes.

Conflict: Will hasn’t been there for Angela. He’s a mystery. He killed Judd, Angela’s mentor.

History: History is very recent. He’s been a mysterious older man in a wheelchair hanging outside the site of bakery. And she found her at the site of Judd’s hanging.

Subtext: both served as vigilantes, dealing with conspiracies within the police force. Will dealing with Cyclops. Angela with 7th Kavalry.

Relationship Arc: From estranged to understanding (as of Episode 5).

Relationship with FBI Agent Laurie Blake

Surface: Professional relationship. Blake is Angela’s supervisor. Blake is an FBI agent, installed as leading the investigation against 7th Kavalry and murder of Chief Judd Crawford. Angela is masked vigilante assisting Tulsa Police Department.

Common Ground: Justice. Solving the case.

Conflict: Angela has been withholding evidence connected to Judd Crawford, and her grandfather, Will Reeves. Angela is the masked vigilante Sister Night. Blake has been unmasking and decommissioning the costumed adventurers.

History: Since the death of Judd Crawford. She was brought in by Senator Joe Keene.

Subtext: worthy adversaries; both are determined to seek justice, both are outsiders trying to find truth.

Relationship Arc: From adversaries to a level of bonding – Agent Blake wants to help Angela (Ep 5).

Relationship with Wade, Looking Glass:

Surface: both serve Tulsa PD, both friends/allies of Tulsa Police Chief Judd Crawford

Common Ground: See justice served to Judd’s murdered. Seeking the truth.

Conflict: Angela’s relationship with Will Reeves, her awareness of Will’s connection to Crawford’s hanging and truth.

History: Since the White Night. Angela was serving Tulsa PD and a target. Wade joined the Tulsa PD because of that night’s tragic turn on justice.

Subtext: Strong allies. Both protective of personal identity. Angela’s withholding forces Wade to give her up.

Relationship Arc: from colleagues to adversaries (as of Ep 5)

Relationship with Cal Abar:

Surface: Married

Common Ground: Protection of their family, children, and their community. Justice.

Conflict: Angela’s rebelliousness, to take things in her own hands

History: They met in Vietnam. Soon married, adopted the three children after the parents were massacred on the White Night.

Subtext: He’s accepting of her vigilantism, though it’s getting more strained. The question about Will Reeves and Angela’s background.

Relationship Arc: supportive married couple –their relationship is still strong at Ep 5. Though he’s struggling to awaken her from Nostalgia-induced coma.

Assignment 2

Lead Character #1: Hop-Frog

Hop-Frog’s Relationship with Trippetta:

Surface: friends since childhood

Common Ground: love of nature, entertains her with his clockwork creations, their loved ones were massacred by King Goplik, both serving as entertainment to King Goplik and his court.

Conflict: how to deal with trauma and revenge. Trippetta comes from the wealthy class. She’s enchantingly beautiful and physical. Hop-Frog has the stigma of his physical disability, though active and agile – and he creates beauty in his clockwork mechanicals.

History: as long as they can remember, they’ve been friends. Although, Trippetta has treated Hop-Frog as subservient, a plaything for her entertainment. He’s valued their friendship above all others.

Subtext: Conspirators. Hop-Frog is secretly in love with Trippetta. Prince Brann should have survived the massacre not Hop-Frog.

Relationship Arc: From long time best friends to adversaries to conspirators in revenge.

Hop-Frog’s Relationship with King Goplik:

Surface: Court fool serving the King. Hop-Frog is forced to serve as the court jester or face torture/death.

Common Ground: Humor, grand events/parties, practical jokes; feelings for Trippetta.

Conflict: King Goplik massacred Hop-Frog’s guardian and his family. And has placed Trippetta in servitude. To win the King’s ear and manipulate him to destroy himself and his court.

History: King Goplik wants domination of his neighboring lands. By taking Hop-Frog’s country (Lavinia), King Goplik feels he can force Balog into compliance. The history between Hop-Frog and the King begins with Goplik’s attack and usurpation of Lavinia, an attack delivered at Trippetta’s debutante’s party.

Subtext: adversaries while Hop-Frog earns the king’s trust as adviser of the grand practical joke against Balog

Relationship Arc: from servant/king to worthy conspirators and adversaries of the horrific practical joke. Fool humiliates the king – Hop-Frog clears the throne for the next ruler

Hop-Frog’s Relationship with his Guardian, Myria:

Surface: she raised him as his mother when he had no one

Common Ground: creativity, love a nature, morality

Conflict: she wanted him to find his strength, his special power, his secret sauce

History: she raised him since the disappearance of his parent (abandonment, death…?)

Subtext: nurturing, she’s aware of the curse inflicted upon him, but saw him as significant/powerful and not a servant/slave to others

Relationship Arc: nurturing, supportive to tragic – Hop-Frog witnesses her massacre at the hand of King Goplik’s army, led by Lord Krapp.

Lead Character #2: Trippetta

Trippetta’s relationship with Hop-Frog:

Surface: friends since childhood.

Common Ground: love flowers and nature, she delights at his mechanicals, shared trauma of massacre of their families/country and now enslavement by King Goplik.

Conflict: Hop-Frog is treated as a servant, from a lower class; why did he survive Goplik’s attack and her betrothed, Prince Brann, die? How to survive this trauma?

History: known each other for as long as she can remember, felt sorry for his physical disabilities, took him on as a friend and he’s kind of stuck, a friend in need for entertainment (and counsel?), Hop-Frog is the more devoted to the relationship and Trippetta’s needs

Subtext: conspirators, but she sees herself superior to him; why did Hop-Frog survive? He can’t possibly survive or help. Can he be trusted?

Relationship Arc: from friends to adversaries to conspirators

Trippetta’s relationship with King Goplik:

Surface: slave serving the king

Common Ground: power, manipulation, beautiful acquisitions

Conflict: survival of servitude

History: Although aware of King Goplik as foreign leader, their history begins with the King’s attack and usurpation of her homeland on the day of her debutante’s party (and intended announcement of her engagement to Prince Brann).

Subtext: she’s determined to see him punished, using King Goplik’s daughter against him?

Relationship Arc: from slave to abused victim to vanquisher

Trippetta’s relationship with Lord Krapp:

Surface: the spoils of war and her captor; sparring partners

Common Ground: physical combat skills, fencing, both self-taught

Conflict: she was the spoils of war that Krapp wanted for himself, but was forced to give to King Goplik, she wants revenge but she admires his combat skills and intelligence

History: their history begins with the massacre of Lavinia

Subtext: is she falling in love with her captor or using him for her vengeance on the King Goplik and his court?

Relationship Arc: adversaries to lovers to… enemies?

Lead Character #3: King Goplik

King Goplik’s relationship with Hop-Frog:

Surface: Hop-Frog serves as his Court Fool, and confidante

Common Ground: loves oddities; humor, grand events/parties, practical jokes; feelings for Trippetta. Both have had histories of being ridiculed.

Conflict: King Goplik’s army massacred Lavinia. Hop-Frog is his fool. Can he be trusted?

History: Hop-Frog is given to the king by Lord Krapp as spoils of war. Hop-Frog quickly delights the king and his ministers that he’s installed as his court fool.

Subtext: Can Hop-Frog be trusted as confidante and “minister”?

Relationship Arc: King-slave to King-minister to vanquished-vanquisher

King Goplik’s relationship with Lord Krapp:

Surface: Lord Krapp is loyal military command to his king, kingdom of Brattvia. Secret lovers.

Common Ground: power, military strategy, horror/torture, sexual exploration

Conflict: Lord Krapp’s conflicts with King’s ministers; King forced Krapp to give up Trippetta.

History: Krapp was the King’s page, a servant, and secret lovers. Krapp taught Goplik his combat skills. Goplik rewarded Krapp with military service, and Krapp rose to power, now serving as the king’s military adviser.

Subtext: Conspirators in the Goplik’s march for domination. Krapp wants Trippetta for his own, will she break up their allegiance? Krapp is treated as an outsider by the King’s ministers.

Relationship Arc: allegiance-lovers to adversaries to allegiance

King Goplik’s relationship with daughter, Princess Cyrrell:

Surface: father-daughter

Common Ground: royal family, power, political skullduggery, worthy manipulators

Conflict: Cyrrell isn’t male; Goplik may need to bow down to rival kingdom to broker an arranged marriage. Cyrrell won’t play that game.

History: devoted little girl but facing king-dad who needs an heir

Subtext: Princess Cyrrell is coming out

Relationship Arc: from filial obligation to adversarial

[Daniel Melin]

Daniel Melin’s Relationship Maps for Athens, MN

What I learned during this lesson is that relationships, like the characters themselves, have arcs that are forced, by circumstances and the characters on either end of them to change. The value of hidden information from one of the two characters builds beautifully off of the hidden agendas from one of the previous lessons.

Tom and Lizzie

Surface: Friends

Common Ground: Love of gentleness, warmth and beauty.

Conflict: Lizzie is so wrapped up in her vendetta that she is
transforming boys into monsters and Tom wants to stop her.

History: Lizzie has provided a safe place for Tom when he
felt alone.

Subtext: Tom is actually working against Lizzie, even though
he pretends to still be on her side.

Relationship Arc: Friends to enemies

Tom and Louis

Surface: Father figure

Common Ground: Shared interest in idiosyncratic ways of thinking.

Conflict: Louis is responsible for starting Lizzie’s
vendetta, and Tom wants him to take responsibility.

History: None. Louis has only just met Tom.

Subtext: Louis is actually Lizzie’s estranged husband, and
the stag that she is hunting.

Relationship Arc: Trusted advisor to adversary

Tom and Talia

Surface: Sister

Common Ground: Love of silliness, theatrics, making each other
laugh.

Conflict: The role of magic in life, Talia’s erratic love
life.

History: Tom and Talia butted heads a lot as kids, but they
also have a lot of love for one another.

Subtext: Tom is guilty about Talia being date-raped by a
friend of his.

Relationship Arc: Disagreement to shared beliefs.

Mark and Robby

Surface: Servant.

Common Ground: They are both looking for Oberon’s staff.

Conflict: Robby is difficult to control and has his own ideas
about how to find Oberon’s staff.

History: Robby has been Mark’s assistant for several years.

Subtext: Robby is actually working for Lizzie.

Relationship Arc: Master/servant to traitor who needs to be brought
to justice.

Mark and Tom

Surface: Pupil

Common Ground: They both have a passion for magic.

Conflict: They have different ideas about how best to use
magic.

History: None. Their relationship is new.

Subtext: Mark is hiding his full library from Tom.

Relationship Arc: Teacher/pupil to equals.

Mark and Miguel

Surface: Acquaintance.

Common Ground: They share a circle of friends and a love for
cigars.

Conflict: Mark thinks Miguel is shady and Miguel thinks Mark
is a wimp.

History: Miguel and Mark have butted heads on a few
occasions in the past.

Subtext: Mark needs Miguel’s help because he’s looking for a
magical artifact.

Relationship Arc: Enemies to friends.

Miguel and Tom

Surface: Employee

Common Ground: They both care about family.

Conflict: They have very different ideas about what family
means, and what it takes to make a family.

History: They have only recently gotten to know each other.

Subtext: Tom is a beginning magician.

Relationship Arc: Employee to friend.

Miguel and Nick

Surface: Son

Common Ground: Both intelligent and inventive.

Conflict: Nick acts out at school and Miguel constantly has
to discipline him.

History: Miguel separated from Nick’s mom when he was
little, and they have often butted heads.

Subtext: Nick has been skipping school.

Relationship Arc: Meek son to openly defiant son.

Miguel and Milly

Surface: Fiance

Common Ground: They have built a business and a family together.

Conflict: They have an open relationship but disagree on how
often to bring someone else into the dynamic.

History: They have been together for six years, and Milly
has supported Miguel as he started his business.

Subtext: Miguel has been seeing someone else.

Relationship Arc: Couple to separated.

[John Anderson]

Lesson 6: Build Your Character Relationship Map

“What I learned doing this assignment is: my relationships need fuller arcs and exploration.”

John Anderson’s Show Relationship Map

The Americans

MiG Pilot

My 4 Charts wont past here for some reason???

[Patty Ruland]

(Patricia Ruland’s) Show Relationship Map

[Binge Worthy TV] Lesson 6: Build Your Character Relationship Map

What I learned from this assignment:

Still waters must run deep and long; emotional relationships are intricate and consequential. It’s taxing to consider character relationship on so many levels—just as it is in life.

Show: Gossip Girl

Show: “Psycho*Boomer*Effing*Delic”—pilot

For the serial: Ok Boom! Wham! Bam!

Gossip Girl

Surface:

Serena and Blair

Best Friends

Serena and Dan

Friends

Serena and Chuck

Peers

Common Ground

Serena and Blair

Both are popular, both are insiders, both go to the same elite high school.

Serena and Dan

Both are good students at elite high school; both experience life as an outsider.

Serena and Chuck

Both are students at elite high school; both run in the same Upper Eastside social circle.

Conflict

Serena and Blair

They are interested in the same guy—rather, the Blair is in love with Nate who is in love with Serena.

Serena and Dan

They click until Dan finds out that Serena betrayed Blair by sleeping with Nate.

Serena and Chuck

Serena won’t admit that before she wanted to change, Chuck was right in thinking she was a lot like him.

History

Serena and Blair

They are best friends for as long as they can remember—up and until Blair finds out how Serena betrayed her.

Serena and Dan

Dan has feelings for Serena but she barely acknowledges his existence. They clicked after she comes back, presumably having changed for the better.

Serena and Chuck

They click as long as Serena lives out her bad side; they clash after she tries to change for the better.

Subtext

Serena and Blair

Competitors, in reality, for top ultimate insider role.

Serena and Dan

Kindred spirits, allies.

Serena and Chuck

Adversaries because he is predatory.

Relationship Arc

Serena and Blair

From being best friends to becoming enemies and back to best friends, for the time being.

Serena and Dan

From being just peers, classmates to clicking as friends to becoming romantically involved to–?

Serena and Chuck

From being classmates with only their bad ways in common to becoming mortal enemies after he preys upon Dan’s sister and colludes with Blair.

My Show: “Psycho*Boomer*Effing*Delic”—pilot

For the serial: Ok Boom! Wham! Bam!

Surface:

Caren Cay and Fred Oscar

Husband, Wife

Caren Cay and ok

Mother and twin son and daughter

Caren Cay and Dr. Frieda

Patient, Psychiatrist

Common Ground

Caren Cay and Fred Oscar

As the Boomers, living in a prosperous suburb, they’ve built a comfortable life for themselves and their twin son and daughter.

Caren Cay and ok

Caren Cay adores ok, and they, her. They love to perform, as singers and musicians.

Caren Cay and Dr. Frieda

Caren Cay and Dr. Frieda are committed to finding a way for Caren Cay to realize greater autonomy and self-actualization, forestalled during the “Boomers with Children” years.

Conflict

Caren Cay and Fred Oscar

They are never very compatible, and they’ve grown absolutely incompatible over the years. Caren Cay has gotten more “out there,” restless, and FO! more the company man, conservative social climber, inside guy.

Caren Cay and ok

ok feel pulled, torn because they love both their parents, although their desire to break away increases, making Caren Cay both hold on and push them away

Caren Cay and Dr. Frieda

Caren Cay gets upset, destabilized when FO! and Dr. Frieda act like mortal enemies—fighting on opposite sides of the battle—the former for Caren’ Cay’s independence, and the latter for Caren Cay’s acceptance of her fate and role as wife, mother, community woman.

History

Caren Cay and Fred Oscar

They click in college, in film school, but when they move away from College Town, their true, opposing natures make their early marriage difficult, and their oil and water relationship bleaker for both of them.

Caren Cay and ok

ok benefit by having indulgent parents, who both are committed to giving them everything, to seeing they had the strong foundations for a good and prosperous future in adulthood.

Caren Cay and Dr. Frieda

Dr. Frieda risks her professional standing by trying out her controversial “take the leap” therapy she’s employing to try to get Caren Cay unstuck—from the past, from the ties that bind, from life without her true soulmate.

Subtext

Caren Cay and Fred Oscar

Arch rivals: she the throwback hippie, he the anti-hippie

Caren Cay and ok

Rebellion waiting to happen.

Caren Cay and Dr. Frieda

Comrades in arms.

Relationship Arc

Caren Cay and ok

From being college sweethearts to staying married for the material comforts and for the benefits of family to potentially becoming estranged and divorced.

Caren Cay and ok

From being the devoted son and daughter to the humiliated young adults who break off from their Boomer embarrassments for parents.

Caren Cay and Dr. Frieda

From being patient and doctor to bonded allies to bearers of secret knowledge and practices that make the “take the leap” sessions so unconventional and thus risky.

[Jane Turville]

Jane’s Show Relationship Map – What I learned from doing this assignment is that relationships between characters can go a long way to inciting various situations that reveal differing layers in each character. I have 4 main characters and so explored the interconnecting relationships between all four.

I’m discovering that my 4 main characters have a lot in common and most of it is about keeping control of a situation, whether that be a secretive one or one that is known. So they’ll all battle for control until they have to work together, acknowledging their need for each other in order to come out of their gig at the summer lodge alive!

ASSIGNMENT 1 – RIVERDALE, as of Season 1, Episode 6 _ Betty

Betty and Veronica

Surface – Friends

Common Ground – School, values, interests

Conflict – Relationships, jealousy

History – Didn’t like her at first

Subtext – Trusts her fully

Relationship Arc – From dislike to BFF

Betty and Archie

Surface – Friends/love interest

Common Ground – School, neighborhood, background

Conflict – Values

History – Head over heels in love with him

Subtext – Jealousy

Relationship Arc – From love interest to friend

Betty and Jughead

Surface – Boyfriend

Common Ground – School, values, interests, goals

Conflict – Control, power

History – Friends and school peers

Subtext – Control of relationship

Relationship Arc – From friend to love interest

ASSIGNMENT 2 – 13 WEEKS

JODIE

Jodie and Susie

Surface – Roommate

Common Ground – Job, dislike of job

Conflict – Control, power

History – Don’t like each other at first sight

Subtext – Fellow kingpin and schemer

Relationship Arc – From unknown to best friend

Jodie and Lucas

Surface – Co-Worker

Common Ground – Job, concern for siblings

Conflict – Knowledge and power

History – Superiority at first sight

Subtext – Unexpressed respect

Relationship Arc – From unknown to partner in crime

Jodie and Miguel

Surface – Co-Worker

Common Ground – Job, love of kids, both want out

Conflict – Jealousy

History – Prejudice at first sight

Subtext – Unexpressed love

Relationship Arc – From unknown to lover

SUSIE

Susie and Jodie

Surface – Roommate

Common Ground – Schemers

Conflict – Mistrust; competition

History – Felt Jodie’s prejudice and superiority right from the start

Subtext – Admires her cunning

Relationship Arc – From unknown best friend

Susie and Lucas

Surface – Co-Worker

Common Ground – Intelligence

Conflict – Power

History – Saw him as an oddball then as a criminal

Subtext – Intrigued by his story; attracted to criminal element.

Relationship Arc – From unknown to hero

Susie and Miguel

Surface – Co-Worker

Common Ground – Good at hiding secrets; loves children

Conflict – Mistrust; betrayal

History – Tense around him, senses he isn’t playing straight – A “takes one to know one” relationship

Subtext – Admires his ability with children; initially falls for him.

Relationship Arc – From unknown to co-conspirator

LUCAS

Lucas and Susie

Surface – Co-worker

Common Ground – Both are focused on the kids in their lives; both hate the outdoors

Conflict – Manipulative behavior threatens his cover

History – Thought she was a spoiled snob – wrote her off.

Subtext – Cares about her

Relationship Arc – From unknown to love

Lucas and Jodie

Surface – Co-worker

Common Ground – Focus on siblings; hate Ranger Steve, head of the summer staff

Conflict – Power and control

History – Prepared to do battle with her if she gets too close

Subtext – Admires her courage

Relationship Arc – From unknown to co-conspirator

Lucas and Miguel

Surface – Co-Worker

Common Ground – One of only five males in a staff of 27; dislikes nature

Conflict – Power and control over secrets

History – Recognizes a gang member when he sees one

Subtext – A sense of brotherhood; admires his courage

Relationship Arc – From unknown to respected partner

MIGUEL

Miguel and Susie

Surface – Co-worker

Common Ground – Both recognize how different they are from each other. Nothing in common, it seems.

Conflict – She will blackmail him and he does not like that.

History – Just another spoiled daddy’s girl.

Subtext – Feels sorry for her and senses that she’s in deep pain.

Relationship Arc – From unknown to good friend

Miguel and Lucas

Surface – Co-worker

Common Ground – Both have killed others in gang violence

Conflict – Threat to his cover; pushes buttons about kids

History – Avoids him

Subtext – Cautious and mistrustful

Relationship Arc – From unknown to an unspoken brotherhood

Miguel and Jodie

Surface – Co-worker

Common Ground – Both have a very different reason for being at the lodge

Conflict – Power and control

History – Hates her for her prejudice against him

Subtext – Admires her ability to take on a situation successfully: she’s brave

Relationship Arc – From unknown to lovers

[Barbara Gilmore]

What I learned from doing this assignment is that the relationship map is proving to be and will continue to be an invaluable framework to build out characters and their relationships. I enjoy using it and it certainly helps with creativity.

Assignment #1

Big Little Lies

Madeline Mackenzie and Jane Chapman

Relationship Surface Friends

Relationship Common Ground Parent at same school; she too used to be a single mom

Relationship Conflict Wants Jane to find out who raped her, Jane not 100% sure this is a good idea

Relationship History Recently met no history

Relationship Subtext Wants Jane to date again

Relationship Arc Strangers to Close Friends

Madeline Mackenzie Celeste Wright

Relationship Surface Madeline needs her more

Relationship Common Ground Parent at same school; gave up career to raise kids

Relationship Conflict Has not been revealed

Relationship History Has not been revealed

Relationship Subtext Wants Celeste to return to her legal career

Relationship Arc Best friend to closer Best Friend

Madeline Mackenzie Renate Klein

Relationship Surface Well matched adversaries Renate may have the edge

Relationship Common Ground Parent at same school

Relationship Conflict Opposes play in which Madeline is the lead actor

Relationship History Career woman versus stay at home mom

Relationship Subtext Wants to triumph over Renate at everything

Relationship Arc Adversaries to Friends

Madeline Mackenzie Bonnie Carlson

Relationship Surface Adversaries

Relationship Common Ground Marriage to Ben Carlson

Relationship Conflict Control of Nathan Carlson, Madeline and Nathan’s kids

Relationship History Was married to Nathan, Bonnie’s husband

Relationship Subtext Jealous wants them to split up or Nathan to be unhappy

Relationship Arc Adversaries to friends

Assignment 2

My show Green Lake

Jess Pearson and the Sheriff

Relationship Surface Colleagues

Relationship Common Ground Work together

Relationship Conflict Wants Sheriff’s job

Relationship History Sheriff in charge of investigating Jess’ brother’s disappearance

Relationship Subtext Sheriff protecting town’s criminals

Relationship Arc Boss to Competitors

Jess Pearson and Sarah Watson

Relationship Surface Friends

Relationship Common Ground Spent summer vacations together doing art

Relationship Conflict Wants to rekindle their relationship

Relationship History Secret lovers

Relationship Subtext Was dating Jess’ brother when he disappeared

Relationship Arc Lovers to Friend

[Renee Brown]

Lesson 6

Renee Brown’s Show Relationship Map

“What I learned doing this assignment is…this format allows a framework to change the stakes throughout the series to flip the scene, episode or season.

ASSIGNMENT 1: The 100 relationship map

Clark:

Relationship surface:

Finn-Lover / Abby-Mother / Blake- Adversary

Relationship common ground:

Finn-both are prisoners, both stranded, both on same side / Abby-family, both miss dad, both tenacious / Blake- both prisoners, both stranded.

Relationship conflict:

Finn- he has a girlfriend / Abby-wants to keep track of her / Blake- leader of neg. side of tribe.

Relationship history:

Finn- both crashed in prisoner ship / Abby- mother and child, both lost Dad. / Blake- different classes on ark.

Relationship subtext:

Finn- bonding / Abby- sending child into world, hope for future / Blake- Janitor vs upper class wants her approval.

Relationship arc:

Finn-from lover to ex / Abby- mother with lost child to mother with found child / Blake- Adversary to ally.

ASSIGNMENT 2: Renee Brown’s Alien Mafia relationship map

Tallas:

Relationship surface:

Anauk-DSOM gatekeeper / Saltar-Nemesis / Steelman-Ally / Rollin-Fellow Longhead, both want the One to emerge.

Relationship common ground:

Anauk-Fellow alien wants open access to DSOM / Saltar-Fellow alien / Steelman-Wants open access to DSOM / Rollin-Fellow Longhead, both want the One to emerge.

Relationship conflict:

Anauk-Saltar’s intentions / Saltar-Deepers and Longheads sworn enemies / Steelman-Human vs Aliens / Rollin-Lying about the One.

Relationship history:

Anauk-His father allied with Longheads long ago against the Deepers / Saltar-Saltar tried to seduce him long ago to find out identity of the One / Steelman-has a child with his ex / Rollin-Was chosen by Tallas at an early age to be the One.

Relationship subtext:

Anauk- unofficial friends / Saltar- forbidden sexual tension/ Steelman-unofficial family / Rollin-unofficial son.

Relationship arc:

Anauk- friends to enemy / Saltar-sworn enemy to lover / Steelman- informant to deceiver/ Rollin – loyal protegee to betrayer.

Saltar:

Relationship surface:

Anauk- Ally/ Steelman-Tensions / Tallas- Enemy /Rollin-Observer

Relationship common ground:

Anauk-Both want open access to DSOM / Steelman-Want to get to DSOM / Tallas- wants to get to DSOM/Rollin- wants to find the One

Relationship conflict:

Anauk-In love with Saltar’s daughter / Steelman- holding one of her hatchlings for torture/ Tallas-Deepers and Longheads sworn enemy /Rollin- he knows Saltar visits Tallas.

Relationship history:

Anauk- Saltar has history with his dad / Steelman- she helps get his lover and kid to DSOM (as favor to Tallas/ Tallas- Saltar tried to seduce him long ago to gain details about the ONE/ Rollin-has early memories concerning Saltar and Tallas

Relationship subtext:

Anauk- Saltar wants him but can’t have him / Steelman- I have something you want/ Tallas- forbidden sexual tension /Rollin- been quietly observing everyone.

Relationship arc:

Anauk- object of desire to object of manipulation / Steelman-ally to conflict when she finds out he is torturing one of her hatchlings / Tallas- Sworn enemy to lover /Rollin-. silent keeper to bargaining info.

Steelman:

Relationship surface:

Anauk- informant / Saltar- chess mate/ Tallas- ally /Rollin-ambivalent

Relationship common ground:

Anauk- His father allied with Longheads against the Deepers/ Saltar- interest in her hatchling in prison / Tallas- get to DSOM /Rollin-both pro Longhead

Relationship conflict:

Anauk-Stirring up trouble for Steelman by rebelling against his father / Saltar- he is torturing her hatchling/ Tallas-Steelman meets with Deepers /Rollin- does not want Steelman to know he is the One.

Relationship history:

Anauk- was present at negotiations between Steelman and Anauk’s father (Skyflier’s Don) to get Steelman’s pregnant lover to DSOM / Saltar-Helped get his preg. Lover to Skyfliers. / Tallas- shares history of alien arrival with him – the source informant. Gains insight of weaknesses of each species /Rollin-uses his telepathy to see what Steelman is up to.

Relationship subtext:

Anauk- Lukewarm / Saltar- I know your secret / Tallas- unofficial family /Rollin-spy

Relationship arc:

Anauk- Luke warm to ally / Saltar-ally to conflict / Tallas-ally to betrayer /Rollin- innocent to blackmailer.

[Marcus Armstrong]

Lesson 6 – Assignment #1

Build Your Character Relationship: Revenge

Emily’s Relationship with Victoria

Surface: Neighbors

Common Ground: Wealthy, socialites

Conflict: Victoria despises that Emily is dating Daniel. Emily wants to avenge the framing of her father.

History: Victoria had an affair and was in love with Emily’s father, but she helped frame him for a felony and he died in prison. Emily wants revenge.

Subtext: Contempt

Relationship Arc: Unassuming neighbor to rivals and potential revenge victim.

Emily’s Relationship with Jack

Surface: Friend (childhood friend)

Common Ground: Jack’s dog (Emily’s former dog)

Conflict: Jack wants to date Emily and Emily loves Jack but cannot let him know.

History: As a young girl (Amanda Clarke), she knew Jack, and actually was the owner of his dog.

Subtext: Love

Relationship Arc: Childhood friends to just friends to possibly more than friends.

Emily’s Relationship to Daniel

Surface: Boyfriend

Common Ground: Dating

Conflict: Emily loves Jack

History: Daniel is a new boyfriend.

Subtext: Means to an end.

Relationship Arc: From acquaintances to engaged.

• This reply was modified 3 years, 12 months ago by  Marcus Armstrong.

[Marcus Armstrong]

Lesson 6 – Assignment #2

Marc Armstrong’s Show Relationship Map

Catch and Release

What I learned from this assignment is that the relationship map between two people may differ slightly from each respective perspective.

Nik’s Relationship to Brandon

Surface: Best Friend

Common Ground: Alignment of vigilante purpose

Conflict: Nik’s girlfriend resents Brandon

History: Former high school athletes / teammates

Subtext: Conspirators

Relationship Arc: From best friends to estranged

Nik’s Relationship to Charlie

Surface: Protege

Common Ground: Alignment of purpose

Conflict: Charlie attempts to sabotage Nik’s relationship

History: Graduated together, but Charlie was bullied

Subtext: Nik feels superior to Charlie

Relationship Arc: From different high school cliques to close friends

Nik’s Relationship to Bryson

Surface: Adversaries

Common Ground: Both capable / worthy adversaries

Conflict: Bryson wants to kill Nik

History: Nik killed Bryson’s brother

Subtext: Respected enemies

Relationship Arc: From bitter hatred to mutual respect

Brandon’s Relationship to Nik

Surface: Best Friend

Common Ground: Fully supports Nik’s cause

Conflict: Nik’s girlfriend is driving a wedge in their friendship

History: Former high school athletes / teammates

Subtext: Conspirators

Relationship Arc: From best friends to estranged

Brandon’s Relationship to Charlie

Surface: Fellow vigilante

Common Ground: Fellow high school graduate

Conflict: Charlie is jealous of Brandon’s friendship with Nik

History: Graduated together, but Charlie was bulled by Brandon

Subtext: Competing for Nik’s attention

Relationship Arc: From mutual tolerance to mutual contempt

Brandon’s Relationship to Bryson

Surface: Enemies

Common Ground: Both intelligent

Conflict: A threat to Nik

History: Nik killed Bryson’s brother

Subtext: Saboteur of Bryson’s plan to kill Nik

Relationship Arc: From strangers to bitter adversaries

Charlie’s Relationship to Nik

Surface: Mentor

Common Ground: Alignment of purpose

Conflict: Adores Nik and jealous of his girlfriend

History: Graduated together, but Nik was popular

Subtext: Charlies feels inferior to Nik

Relationship Arc: From different high school cliques to close friends

Charlie’s Relationship to Brandon

Surface: Fellow vigilante

Common Ground: Fellow high school graduate

Conflict: Charlie is jealous of Brandon’s friendship with Nik

History: Graduated together, but Brandon bullied Charlie

Subtext: Competing for Nik’s attention

Relationship Arc: From mutual tolerance to mutual contempt

Charlie’s Relationship to Bryson

Surface: Enemies

Common Ground: Experts in martial arts and hand-to-hand combat

Conflict: A threat to Nik

History: Only first met during the story arc

Subtext: Mutual respect

Relationship Arc: From strangers to respected adversaries

Bryson’s Relationship to Nik

Surface: Adversaries

Common Ground: Worthy adversaries

Conflict: Wants to kill Nik

History: Nik killed Bryson’s brother

Subtext: Respected enemies

Relationship Arc: From bitter hatred to mutual respect

Bryson’s Relationship to Brandon

Surface: Enemies

Common Ground: Both intelligent

Conflict: Brandon is an impediment

History: Brandon is Nik’s ally

Subtext: Brandon is a saboteur of Bryson’s plan to kill Nik

Relationship Arc: From strangers to bitter adversaries

Bryson’s Relationship to Charlie

Surface: Enemies

Common Ground: Experts in martial arts and hand-to-hand combat

Conflict: Another impediment

History: Only met during the story arc

Subtext: Mutual respect

Relationship Arc: From strangers to respected adversaries

• This reply was modified 3 years, 12 months ago by  Marcus Armstrong.

[Jason]

Assignment #1

L O S T

Kate Austen

Kate / Jack Shephard

Surface: New allies with budding trust/attraction.

Common Ground: Both action oriented, eager to do what it takes to improve situation for survivors.

Conflict: Jack’s trust in Kate is shaken when Mars reveals she’s a fugitive.

History: Introduced when Jack asks her to sew the wound in his back.

Subtext: Mutual attraction.

Relationship Arc: Beginning of long-term relationship, friends>lovers>committed.

Kate / James “Sawyer” Ford

Surface: Cautious allies.

Common Ground: Both action-oriented, willing to do unsavory but necessary things to assure survival.

Conflict: Sawyer is as survival oriented as Kate, making him potentially dangerous. His machismo both repels and attracts her.

History: They meet on the island; Kate lifts the gun off Sawyer, gives the bullets to Sayid and the pistol back to Sawyer in order to keep them on equal footing. Later the gun is voted back to her when Boone swipes both gun and bullets but is caught.

Subtext: Mutual understanding and cautious respect.

Relationship Arc: Developing relationship that becomes briefly romantic.

Kate / Edward Mars

Surface: Enemies.

Common Ground: Both strong willed, recognizing each others’ determination.

Conflict: Mars is a federal marshal extraditing Kate for murder.

History: After murdering her abusive father, Mars arrests Kate; Kate escapes, and Mars spends years tracking her; he arrests her in Australia and extradites her back to Iowa but the plane crashes.

Subtext: Long-term rivalry.

Relationship Arc: Mars’ pursuit is personal after Kate’s escape; near death from crash-inflicted wounds and in great pain, he asks if Kate will kill him. Kate gives the gun to Sawyer; Sawyer shoots him in the heart, but misses and punctures a lung. Jack smothers him to finish the job as he has no means of helping/saving him.

[Jason]

Jason’s Show Relationship Map

What I learned doing this assignment is interconnectivity is important from the onset, and maps such as this can be quite helpful in keeping ducks in their prospective rows.

Gina Semple

Gina / Maggie Ketchum

Surface: Employee/Employer, friends.

Common Ground: Work well together, both appreciate wonder, awe, joie de vivre. Maggie loves Gina’s writing.

Conflict: Maggie shares Gina’s journal with a news affiliate in hopes Gina will be recognized; Gina’s is borderline agoraphobic due to deep wounds of the past she’s buried.

History: Gina’s been working for Maggie and Mark for a year as a data entry clerk.

Subtext: Gina likes Maggie as a friend but is afraid of letting her in.

Relationship Arc: From business relationship to a deep friendship and gratitude.

Gina / Chris McAllister

Surface: New friends.

Common Ground: Both are storytellers, wordsmiths who love language. Both affect those they share their passions with—Chris does it willingly.

Conflict: Gina develops feelings for Chris, who assumes she knows he’s gay until it’s clear she doesn’t—he’s deeply fearful he’s paved the way for hurting her.

History: They meet at the news station the morning her journal goes public, but she doesn’t talk to him until attending his show with Parker two nights later.

Subtext: Mutual awe for one another, deep fascination which becomes challenging to navigate.

Relationship Arc: Gina falls for Chris through their discussions; when he reveals he’s gay, she accepts it (though it hurts) and shifts her focus to their growing friendship.

Gina / Parker Lang

Surface: Just met, he serves her at the pub and Maggie introduces them.

Common Ground: Both quick witted, love music, and are private about personal lives.

Conflict: Maggie’s hospitalization obliges Parker to help protect Gina from her new exposure to fans; Gina doesn’t want a babysitter or to be match-made.

History: Maggie introduces them at the pub; after being injured, she asks him to check on her and take her to Parker’s show, where tickets are waiting for them

Subtext: Both are very guarded but can’t help being intrigued—and deny they’re drawn to each other.

Relationship Arc: Gina slowly opens up to Parker, who feels compelled to do so as well. They share much more than they thought—his darker past prompts Gina to share her own, which opens the door for new understanding and a deeper appreciation leading to possibilities.

Maggie Ketchum

Maggie / Gina Semple

Surface: Employer/Employee

Common Ground: Gina is an exemplary employee, both get along well. They also see the positive more than the negative.

Conflict: Maggie shares Gina’s journal with the world in hopes Gina will be recognized, not realizing she’s caused Gina to confront one of her worst nightmares.

History: Gina’s been working for Maggie and Mark for a year, writing in her journal on her breaks and lunch. Maggie discovered it at one point and has been avidly reading it ever since, living vicariously through Gina’s vivid imagination.

Subtext: Maggie deeply admires Gina, but wans her to open up, share her gift with the world, and allow herself to be loved.

Relationship Arc: Maggie feels bad for “outing” Gina’s journal, but not the results that come from it–she wants the best for her, and slowly sees her come to life–the same way she feels when reading Gina’s words.

Maggie / Mark Ketchum

Surface: Wife / Husband

Common Ground: They deeply love one another, and fight to beat obstacles in running their business..

Conflict: Maggie misses the man she married, before he became concerned with bills and mortgages and the business. She’s wistful for him to let go of his perception of what being responsible means. Mark also does not agree with how Maggie interfered with Gina’s private life, and the argument blows up much larger than anticipated.

History: Married for nearly 30 years.

Subtext: Maggie wants to love life again, with Mark, who cares about the obligations of the future?

Relationship Arc: Maggie and Mark have it out, open up and let the fear speak its mind–but are both inspired to change things up for the better–and Maggie is blown away by Mark’s transformation and surprise he’s got in store..

Maggie / Parker Lang

Surface: Patron / Bartender-turned-proxy.

Common Ground: Both appreciate humor and are easy to get along with.

Conflict: Maggie’s hospitalization obliges Parker to help protect Gina from her new exposure to fans; Gina doesn’t want a babysitter or to be match-made.

History: Maggie and Mark frequent Doolie’s Pub in their small town of Point North, and appreciate Parker’s vitality and wit.

Subtext: Maggie has a respectful crush on Parker, her gut tells her he’s perfect for Gina.

Relationship Arc: Maggie is defensive when Parker says he’s done being her spy, but when he apologizes later she recognizes he’s partially right; they own their stuff and make good.

Parker Lang

Parker / Gina Semple

Surface: Maggie introduces them, acquaintances.

Common Ground: Both appreciate humor and music, both are private about personal lives.

Conflict: Parker doesn’t want a relationship but is drawn to Gina; her standoffish behavior is understandable, he doesn’t want to get hurt either.

History: Just introduced two days ago.

Subtext: Parker likes Gina, is afraid to be anything but friends.

Relationship Arc: They go from superficial to awkward to confrontative quickly–then realize both have issues with themselves, and agree to pretend they haven’t met. The second time is better.

Parker / Maggie Ketchum

Surface: Bartender / Patron. Friends.

Common Ground: Both enjoy laughter and over-the-top joking around, one-upmanship and improv.

Conflict: Parker feels used by Maggie and her obsession with Gina, but agrees she needs someone to help field the sudden flood of people. They argue over her motives and his attitude.

History: Has known Maggie / Mark for about 6 months.

Subtext: Parker gets Maggie and ‘gets’ she’s unhappy, but recognizes her love for Mark and that they’re both afraid to take risks that jeopardize the future.

Relationship Arc: Parker gets into it with Maggie when he feels she’s using him; he comes around when he realizes his anger is not her fault but his, and owns it.

Parker / Chris McAllister

Surface: Mutual friends of Gina.

Common Ground: Both are fascinated by Gina, and protective of her. Both understand the power of expression and need for it. Both are talented performers—Parker only sings karaoke.

Conflict: Parker believes Gina is falling for Chris and calls him out on not being honest. Chris returns with suggesting Parker is projecting his own inabilities to own his feelings.

History: Just met.

Subtext: Parker envies and disdains Chris’ fame because he feels guilt and shame for himself in life. Chris helps him recognize it.

Relationship Arc: Parker comes to appreciate Chris and vice versa; Chris actually advocates for Parker with Gina.

[Molly Gagnon]

What I learned during this assignment is that I have a lot to learn about my characters. And that I can use these forms to work on the growth between characters.

Supergirl

Kara/SG Alex Cat Grant Hank H

Surface

Sister/protector

Boss/assistant

Boss/ coworker

Common Ground

Coworkers fighting aliens

Portraying SG in the media

Fighting aliens in a human world

Conflict

Physical Training

Knows that Kara likes James

Kara wants to save everyone and Hank wants to stick to his job

History

Grew up together and Alex knows of her super powers

Co workers

They both know Alex

Subtext

Collaborators

Tensile relationship for growth

Teacher for Kara

Relationship Arc

Distance to collaborators

Conflict/Resolution

Distrust to trust

Carrington Manor

Gwenn Terry Sally Tara

Surface

Boss

Coworker/Mentor/Friends

Mother daughter

Common Ground

People pleasers

Commiserating at a job they hate

Related

Conflict

Unreasonable expectations of Gwenn with Fraud and patients

Gwenn is judgmental of Sally’s use of sex to get her way.

Gwenn Watts her mom to go to a home and Tara does not want to go

History

Hiring manager

Mentor and new friend

Tara is a crazy mom and is defiant of her daughters direction

Subtext

Distrust to admiration

Collaborators

Confusion

Relationship Arc

Compliant/defiant/apathetic

Friends/enemies/friends

Compliant to dominant

I did the others but I can’t get it to format it correctly.

[Sean Barrett]

Sean’s Show Relationship Map

What I learned doing this assignment:

1. Seemed daunting task at first, then the importance and skills helped me see the simplicity and need going forward. I can get better at seeing these relationships : )

2. This assignment helped me see the layers and possibility of more layers in a profound way for first time.

3. Just pushing through and doing the assignment paid off big time!

Assignment 1

Relationship map for Dean Winchester

Surface Sam – Brothers with opposite views on hunting, obedience

Dad – Respectful without question, like views on hunting

Common Ground Sam – love each other and father. Great at hunting, together they are fantastic.

Dad – love hunting to help people, realize importance.

Conflict Sam – opposite views on obedience, life choices and importance.

Dad – John does not want brothers engaging the demon that killed their mother.

History Sam – fought like brothers on opposite views and paths, but love and proud of each other.

Dad – always obeyed Dad without question.

Subtext Sam – opposites that respect their differences, cannot do without each other.

Dad – felt way Sam did, but never acted on it or displayed it, represses how he feels.

Relationship Arc Sam – quarreling brothers on opposite paths to like-minded brothers together.

Dad – obedient without question, inseparable to suspect absence of father.

Assignment 2

Relationship Map for Cian Shea

Surface Bridget McCabe – Co-workers, attracted to each other.

Mitchell Dawe – Cian’s older brother, psychopath.

The Devil – Adversary.

Common Bridget McCabe – Both FBI profilers, equal talent

Ground Mitchell Dawe – Same mom and dad, grew up in same home, aware of the Devil.

The Devil – aware of the presence of Caliel and other Angels, close connection to Mitchell.

Conflict Bridget McCabe – Bridget obeys rules, Cian bends them, both intense in different ways.

Mitchell Dawe – is the most vicious, notorious and elusive serial killer to date worldwide.

The Devil – to the death adversaries, the Devil is Mitchell’s biggest fan and help.

History Bridget McCabe – aware of each other day one in academy, 12-year age difference, flirt.

Mitchell Dawe – brothers, Mitchell is evil, Cian is good.

The Devil – The Devil challenges Cian as 12-year-old boy to rid world of him.

Subtext Bridget McCabe – Cian’s greatest love and crucial to his success.

Mitchell Dawe – could have caught him long ago but wants him alive at the end.

The Devil – have similar views on people and God, worthy adversaries.

Relationship Bridget McCabe – enthralled at academy, to equals in FBI, to lovers and co-conspirators.

Arc Mitchell Dawe – brothers, to enemies, to world ending, new world results and revenge.

The Devil – nightmare in passing as child, to mortal adversaries and impossible revenge.

Relationship map for Bridget McCabe

Surface Cian Shea – Co-workers, attracted to each other, 12-years her senior.

Mitchell Dawe – another case file, killer she wants to catch.

The Devil – hardly believes he exists or does not care.

Common Cian Shea – both top FBI profilers who want to make ultimate difference.

Ground Mitchell Dawe – know each other exists and why.

The Devil – both completely interested in Cian Shea, sold out.

Conflict Cian Shea – Cian bends rules, mystery when he leaves FBI, reasons.

Mitchell Dawe – world’s most notorious and elusive serial killer ever.

The Devil – The Devil wants to destroy Cian; she becomes a target.

History Cian Shea – knew about him before she joined academy, Cian was famous FBI profiler.

Mitchel Dawe – the whole world heard of Mitchell Dawe before she joined academy.

The Devil – She saw the Devil looking at her with interest as child, serial killer neighbor.

Subtext Cian Shea – more alike than she realizes, will sell out to his ways and mission.

Mitchell Dawe – is one she wants to catch the most during every case she works; now kill.

The Devil – never considers the Devil until her relationship with Cian deepens.

Relationship Cian Shea – someone she admires from young to ultimate love relationship.

Arc Mitchell Dawe – serial killer she wants to catch, to need to kill, to Cian’s brother.

The Devil – never considers to knows she can destroy and make up for lost time, revenge.

Relationship map for the Devil

Surface Cian Shea – adversaries.

Mitchell Dawe – biggest fan, interest and help.

Bridget McCabe – aware of relationship to Cian, tracking and plotting.

Common Cian Shea – both despise God and His ways.

Ground Mitchell Dawe – evil interests and no filter.

Bridget McCabe – Interest in who Cian Shea really is and what he can accomplish.

Conflict Cian Shea – wat to destroy each other in unimaginable ways.

Mitchell Dawe – some rogue murders and independent agenda.

Bridget McCabe – relationship and importance to Cian and his mission or end game.

History Cian Shea – challenged him as 12-year-old boy for terror and fun.

Mitchell Dawe – impressed with his level of promise young, assigns Amii to tutor him.

Bridget McCabe – Saw her in a situation as a child when she lived next to serial killer.

Subtext Cian Shea – has been looking for this kid and man for centuries.

Mitchell Dawe – did not realize he was a prophetic evil come true until too late.

Bridget McCabe – does not realize how important she will be or her angelic protection.

Relationship Cian Shea – from mindless threat to 12-year-old to equal enemies in world ending battle.

Arc Mitchell Dawe – from mutual evil interest to master and teacher helping star pupil.

Bridget McCabe – from little regard to need to destroy her or relationship with Cian.

[doug Johnson]

What I learned doing this assignment is that it’s an excellent exercise for identifying where conflicts not only can but should come up between characters. I’ll be doing this for every single relationship.

LESSON 6, ASSIGNMENT 1

RELATIONSHIP MAPS: BIG LITTLE LIES

MADELINE/CELESTE:

Surface: Best friends

Common Ground: Kids in same class, stay-at-home moms

Conflict: Envy, dishonesty

History: Superficial friendship

Subtext: M is envious of C’s perfect/passionate life

Relationship Arc: Superficial to intimate friendship

MADELINE/JANE:

Surface: New friends

Common Ground: Two against Renata

Conflict: Forget the past vs confront the past

History: Met when Jane came to Madeline’s aid

Subtext: M wants J to have the “Fresh Start” she longs for, and is one of M’s “causes”

Relationship Arc: From big sis/little sis to new (unclear) ground

MADELINE/RENATA:

Surface: Adversaries

Common Ground: Kids in same class

Conflict: Renata’s petition to cancel play

History: Alphas clashing

Subtext: They are alike in many ways

Relationship Arc: Adversaries to conspirators

LESSON 6, ASSIGNMENT 2

RELATIONSHIP MAPS: TIN MEN

JOHN/DANA:

Surface: Brother/sister

Common Ground: Toxic family upbringing

Conflict: Mutual resentment

History: Dana ran, John picked up slack

Subtext: Dana actually sacrificed more

Relationship Arc: Estranged to bonded

JOHN/KEIRA:

Surface: Husband/wife

Common Ground: Their kids

Conflict: Financial & parenting struggles, Stale marriage

History: Married out of obligation

Subtext: Marriage was a mistake and held them both back

Relationship Arc: Partners to adversaries to true partners

KEIRA/DANA:

Surface: Sisters-in-law

Common Ground: John

Conflict: Competition over niece/daughter

History: Were friends before Keira and John got together

Subtext: Mutual jealousy

Relationship Arc: Competition to acceptance to betrayal

[Norene Smiley]

Norene Smiley Relationship Maps

What I learned doing this assignment: It made me think more about cross relationships, how every character fit into the pattern of things.

Not sure how to post the relationship map assignments here.

[Norene Smiley]

Norene Smiley Lessons 6 Assignment – Relationship Maps

What I learned from this exercise – it made me consider how each character fits in the story, interrelations, dynamics of how they react to each other. I have condensed and shortened my assignment responses here as I was unable to post in the Maps and difficult to post here.

Assignment 1. JESSICA JONES

JESSICA TRISH / LUKE / KILGRAVE

Surface adoptive sisters /acquaintances&lovers /both have super powers

Common Ground love and protective /both have secrets/ both have powers

Conflict disagreement over safety / J. killed his wife / struggle for power over each other

History competition/diff. world view / ? / he controlled her until she killed him

Subtext J. feels flawed & danger to sister / guilt over wife’s death/he needs her power/she fears she cannot stop him

Relationship Arc sisters to competitors /strangers to lovers& supporters/ victim to opponent

Assignment 2 TROUBLE

SCRAP /RUBY & BARDO / AGRIPPA / TOODIE

Surface her caretakers / mother figure / fellow street waif

Common Ground hiding in Keep / both want control / both abandoned

Conflict control/independence / A. wants to use her / diff. goals S. wants to protect, T. does not trust anyone

History Bardo rescued baby S. / A. was underling / Scrap rescues Toodie

Subtext S. embodies curse / A. wants to use S.’s power / S. sees herself in T.

Relationship Arc guardians to collaborators/ parent figure to opponent /dependent to enemy

[JONELLE BERMENT]

Jonelle Berment’s Relationship Map

What I learned in doing this assignment is that all my colorful tables I made for the assignment don’t carry over 🙁 but all jokes aside, I learned how to map out relationships so that the characters become relevant through multiple episodes and seasons.

Assignment #1

Revenge

Emily & Nolan
Relationship Surface: Co-conspirators

Relationship Common Ground: Both wealthy & smart
Relationship Conflict: Nolan wants to be involved in Emily's plan for revenge but Emily wants him to have no parts of it.
Relationship History: Nolan worked for Emily's father, and her dad invested in Nolan's 1st company
Relationship Subtext: Indifference

Relationship Arc: From working for her dad to helping her carry out her revenge plot.Co-conspirators

Emily & Victoria

Relationship Surface: Adversaries

Relationship Common Ground: Powerful women who are used to getting their way.

Relationship Conflict: Emily is dating Victoria's son, Victoria doesn't trust Emily and wants to destroy their relationship and Victoria is the one who set up Emily's Dad.

Relationship History: Victoria was dating and in love with Emily's father

Relationship Subtext: Deep Hatred

Relationship Arc: From her father's lover to her sworn enemy.

Emily & Amanda

Relationship Surface: Former cellmate

Relationship Common Ground: Both are extremely strong willed and ambitious

Relationship Conflict: Amanda is inadvertently thrown into the revenge plan and has now decided to remain in the Hamptons and live the life she's always wanted.

Relationship History: They looked out for each other in the juvenile detention center they were serving time and Amanda agreed to switch identities.

Relationship Subtext: Major disdain

Relationship Arc: From Friend to Foe

[Jamie Stegner]

Jamie Stegner

What I learned: Relationships between characters can be rich and varied. I made relationship maps for several characters using msexcel for grid format. Like in life, one loves A, other don’t but have to pretend, etc. Push and pull between characters is complex, subtle. My grids are too big to post here.