[Michelle Gaza]

1. Starting with your BW Framework and current draft of the TV Pitch Bible, ASSUME there is something beneath the surface that you absolutely MUST discover.

2. Investigate by picking situations and characters and asking:

Tool 1: Dig: What’s beneath that?

Tool 2: Extrapolate: If __________, then ____________.

Tool 3: Wonder: What if ______________?

Tool 4: Backtrack: How could ______________ have happened?

Tool 5: Forecast: How could this get even worse?

3. Evaluate the possibilities and decide what you are going to use in the different parts of your TV Pitch Bible. Divide the answers into three categories:

Use in TV Pitch Bible.

Use in Episodes.

Don’t use.

One question i had to explore was HOW the Three SIsters could sabotage their brother, Dr Jacobs’ horrible plans:

-*

What are five traps the three sisters could set-up to stop their brother, Dr Jacobs, from destroying humanity?

1. Mind Maze: The Three Sisters create an intricate labyrinth of illusions and nightmares, trapping Dr. Jacobs within the depths of his own mind. As he struggles to distinguish reality from illusion, his focus on destroying humanity is disrupted.

2. Time Loop: The Three Sisters manipulate time itself, creating a loop that ensnares Dr. Jacobs in an endless repetition of events. No matter what actions he takes to further his destructive plan, they are undone, frustrating his progress and driving him to desperation.

3. Illusory Allies: The Three Sisters conjure lifelike illusions of trusted allies, convincing Dr. Jacobs that he has gained crucial support. However, these illusions are designed to mislead and undermine him, sowing doubt and discord within his ranks.

4. Shadow Puppets: The Three Sisters harness the power of shadows to create sentient puppets that mimic the forms of loved ones and colleagues. These puppets infiltrate Dr. Jacobs’ inner circle, extracting information and sowing seeds of betrayal that weaken his grip on power.

5. Soul Bondage: The Three Sisters invoke a powerful ritual, binding Dr. Jacobs’ soul to an ancient artifact. The artifact drains his strength and vitality, leaving him vulnerable and unable to further his destructive agenda. To break free, he must uncover the key to severing the bonds holding his soul captive.

Another question was how to create more challenges for The Overtakers as they attempt to stop Dr Jacobs, and I came up with the idea that he kidnaps Delphine and gives her DANA and then she becomes a monkey, and Jeriko and the Sisters have to rescue her. But in the process, they learn more about what happens with DANA recipients and how to help heal them.

Another thing I looked at was how there could be more revealed about how Dr Jacobs, Dr Lei Wei, and Velvet Dean were able to control so much, and the reveal would be their abduction and trafficking ring

Also had to think about how to introduce and integrate the issues happening in Inner Earth and Outer Earth, and the long-game history of how humanity got here.

[Michelle Gaza]

I learned that I still feel overwhelmed when organizing the big-picture stuff. I am really comfortable writing one scene or focusing on one set of details. This part of the organizing is tough for me.

Response to Prompt 1:

Summary:

1. Set up: Dr. Eugene Jacobs, an ancient, demonic scientist, works with a network of psychopaths and plans to transform humans into monkeys to prevent their escape during a cosmic gateway.

2. Twist/Hook: Delphine, discovering her true identity as an angel named Shiloh, is tasked by The Three Sisters to stop Dr. Jacobs.

3. Layer beneath surface: Delphine grapples with her racial identity and befriends Jeriko, a rapper from Inner Earth, in an online dream community.

4. Twist/Hook: Delphine and Jeriko, along with The Three Sisters, form The Overtakers to reverse the transformation and stop Dr. Jacobs’ plan.

5. Impossible to solve conflict or major mystery: The Overtakers must gather allies and unravel the secrets behind The Three Sisters and Dr. Jacobs’ plan as they race against time before the cosmic gateway closes.

6. Final Hook into the Series: Will The Overtakers be able to free humanity from the demonic stronghold and prevent enslavement for 26,000 years, or will Dr. Jacobs succeed in his nefarious scheme?

Response to Prompt 2:

Summary:

Season Episodes: 11

1. Set up: Delphine, struggling with her identity, befriends Jeriko from Inner Earth.

2. Twist/Hook: Delphine discovers she is an angel named Shiloh and is tasked by The Three Sisters to stop Dr. Jacobs.

3. Layer beneath surface: Delphine grapples with her racial identity as The Overtakers form to reverse the transformation.

4. Twist/Hook: The Overtakers uncover Dr. Jacobs’ network of psychopaths, including Dr. Wei Lei and Velvet Dean.

5. Impossible to solve conflict or major mystery: The Overtakers race against time to develop a cure and expose Dr. Jacobs’ plan.

6. Final Hook into the Series: Can The Overtakers gather enough allies and unravel the secrets before the cosmic gateway closes, trapping humanity?

7. Set up: The Overtakers face the chaos unleashed by Dr. Wei Lei’s disease.

8. Twist/Hook: Delphine gains newfound powers, providing a potential advantage against Dr. Jacobs.

9. Layer beneath surface: The Overtakers navigate treachery and secrets within the group as tensions rise.

10. Twist/Hook: The Three Sisters reveal their true nature, shaking the foundation of the conflict.

11. Impossible to solve conflict or major mystery: The final battle between The Overtakers and Dr. Jacobs determines the fate of humanity.

Final Hook into the Series: Will The Overtakers succeed in freeing humanity from Dr. Jacobs’ demonic stronghold and prevent their enslavement for 26,000 years, or will their efforts be in vain as the cosmic gateway closes? The battle of good versus evil and the ultimate test of the angels’ resolve begins.

[Michelle Gaza]

What I learned from Module 2 Lesson 5 is that I am still not clear about how to properly weave the A, B and C stories together. It’s also making me feel like i possibly should write this as a novel first, then adapt to screen. But this is a great exercise to see what I am clear about and what I still need to work on.

PROMPT 1 answer:

**Season 1: Awakening and Alliance**

– **Beginning:** One day, 90% of humans wake-up as monkeys. The monkeys think they look fantastic and fit. But those who remain human are horrified. Delphine Zima Belova, wrestling with her identity, is invited to meet “Skywalker”, the creator of Dreamtime Online, in-person. She doesn’t know he is Jeriko, the famous rap artist, who disappeared 30 years earlier. Delphine is recruited by The Three Sisters to jump off a train with them, and learns of her true purpose: to join The Overtakers – underground secret resistance movement – and help them stop Dr Jacobs plan

– **Ending:** The season goes into flashback to show Dr. Eugene Jacobs and Dr Wei Li release the disease, and then they sell the “cure” for it: “DANA” Jeriko remembers his true identity and mission, and makes his way to Delphine’s glass door. The Overtakers assemble for the first time, inspired by Delphine’s bravery and Jeriko’s resolve.

– **Stair-Step Conflict:** The discovering of Jacobs’ deployment of the disease creates an immediate and urgent issue to rally against, building a foundational conflict that hints at the deeper, more sinister layers of his plan.

**Season 2: Descent into Chaos**

• **Beginning:** Dr. Lei Wei’s disease wreaks havoc worldwide, and public fear escalates. Velvet Dean successfully propagates “DANA” as the only solution. The Overtakers start training to face this horrible attack on humanity. But they find it’s impossible to convince the monkeys that they are monkeys!

  – **Ending:** Dr. Li Wei subtly undermines Jacobs, revealing his own ambitions. The Overtakers secure a partial antidote, preventing total transformation but not fully turning monkeys back to humans. Delphine undergoes possession by Lady Indigo and gains newfound powers. The City is put under quarantine and The Mayor is forced to keep everyone prisoner.

– **Stair-Step Conflict:** The conflict grows as The Overtakers race against time to develop a full antidote. Meanwhile, Dr. Li Wei’s treachery introduces a secondary threat, diversifying the nature of the conflict. And the move to quarantine entire cities and restrict travel gets Mayor Carter suspicious.

**Season 3: Unveiling the Curtain**

– **Beginning:** After Overtakers and whitehats provide proof that the vaccine has transformed humans, Mayor Symone Carter and Chief of Police Daniel align with The Overtakers after seeing through Jacobs’ deception. The Overtakers start a rescue mission for the monkeys who have already been trafficked to Inner Earth. Overtakers must start to develop medicines and cures for this DNA poison

– **Ending:** The Three Sisters reveal their true nature and the traps they’ve set for Jacobs. Signs from Caspian indicate he’s alive somewhere in Inner Earth.

– **Stair-Step Conflict:** The Three Sisters’ reveal escalates the intrigue and power balance. Caspian’s communication expands the battlefield to Inner Earth, hinting at a more comprehensive cosmic struggle. The demons have played their cards with the extreme control measures and exposed their willingness to abuse their power.

**Season 4: Cosmic Gateway**

– **Beginning:** Dr. Jacobs discovers the betrayal of his sisters and heightens his efforts. Delphine and Jeriko lead the charge to Inner Earth, revealing its direct impact on Surface Earth.

– **Ending:** Caspian is found in Inner Earth, guiding The Overtakers to a potential countermeasure. Dr. Li Wei launches his own power play to control both Earths.

– **Stair-Step Conflict:** Inner Earth’s connection to the conflict opens a new front in the battle against Jacobs’ and Wei’s machinations, enlarging the scale and revealing a ticking clock: the cosmic gateway’s impending closure.

**Season 5: Final Battle for Sovereignty**

– **Beginning:** The cosmic gateway starts to close, and humanity’s fate hangs by a thread. The Overtakers harness the energies of Inner Earth to fight back.

– **Ending:** A final showdown with Jacobs and Li Wei takes place. Delphine’s seduction plan comes to fruition, leading to Jacobs’ downfall. The cosmic gateway stabilizes, the curse lifts, and humanity is freed.

– **Stair-Step Conflict:** The suspense reaches its peak as both the spiritual and physical realms of the conflict converge. The culmination of personal growth, sacrifices, and revelations throughout the series combine to elevate the ultimate battle above previous conflicts, promising a major resolution for the series.

PROMPT #2 RESPONSE:

5 SEASON SUMMARY

Season 1: Awakening and Alliance

A. High Concept: Delphine, a woman grappling with her identity, discovers she is an angel named Shiloh and joins a secret resistance group called The Overtakers to stop Dr. Jacobs from transforming humanity into monkeys.

B. Big Picture Season Arc: Delphine’s journey to embrace her true purpose as an angel and gather allies to oppose Jacobs’ plan.

C. Main Conflict: The Overtakers versus Dr. Jacobs and his network of psychopaths.

D. Main Mystery/Layers: Unraveling the true nature and intentions of The Three Sisters and the backstory of Dr. Jacobs’ transformation plan.

E. Cliffhanger: Jeriko remembers his true identity and reunites with Delphine, inspiring The Overtakers to assemble for the first time.

Season 2: Descent into Chaos

A. High Concept: The Overtakers struggle to convince humans-turned-monkeys of their new identities while facing the chaos unleashed by Dr. Wei Lei’s disease.

B. Big Picture Season Arc: The Overtakers’ race against time to develop a full antidote and expose Dr. Jacobs’ lies.

C. Main Conflict: The Overtakers versus Dr. Lei Wei and the public fear escalating due to the disease.

D. Main Mystery/Layers: The treachery of Dr. Lei Wei and the secrets surrounding the quarantine imposed by Mayor Carter.

E. Cliffhanger: Delphine undergoes possession by Lady Indigo, gaining newfound powers that may turn the tide in the battle.

Season 3: Unveiling the Curtain

A. High Concept: The Overtakers, joined by Mayor Carter and Chief of Police Daniel, reveal the truth of Jacobs’ plan and embark on a mission to rescue monkeys trafficked to Inner Earth.

B. Big Picture Season Arc: The Overtakers’ efforts to develop medicines and cures for the DNA poison and uncovering signs of Delphine’s presumed-dead father, Caspian.

C. Main Conflict: The Overtakers versus Dr. Jacobs and The Three Sisters, while navigating the secrets and traps set by the Sisters.

D. Main Mystery/Layers: The true nature of The Three Sisters and the whereabouts of Caspian.

E. Cliffhanger: The Three Sisters reveal their true nature, shaking the foundations of the conflict and hinting at Caspian’s existence.

Season 4: Cosmic Gateway

A. High Concept: Dr. Jacobs intensifies his efforts while Delphine and Jeriko lead The Overtakers to Inner Earth, unveiling its direct impact on Surface Earth.

B. Big Picture Season Arc: The Overtakers’ exploration of Inner Earth and search for a potential countermeasure against Jacobs’ plan.

C. Main Conflict: The Overtakers versus Dr. Jacobs and Dr. Lei Wei, as well as the growing power play between the two scientists.

D. Main Mystery/Layers: Caspian’s whereabouts in Inner Earth and the true extent of Dr. Lei Wei’s ambitions.

E. Cliffhanger: The Overtakers find Caspian in Inner Earth, guiding them towards a potential solution, while Dr. Lei Wei launches his own power play.

Season 5: Final Battle for Sovereignty

A. High Concept: The cosmic gateway begins to close, and The Overtakers harness the energies of Inner Earth in the ultimate battle against Dr. Jacobs and Dr. Lei Wei.

B. Big Picture Season Arc: The resolution of the conflict and the freedom of humanity as the curse is lifted.

C. Main Conflict: The Overtakers versus Dr. Jacobs and Dr. Lei Wei in the climactic showdown for the fate of humanity.

D. Main Mystery/Layers: Delphine’s seduction plan and the culmination of personal growth, sacrifices, and revelations throughout the series.

E. Cliffhanger: The final showdown takes place, leading to Jacobs’ downfall and the liberation of humanity as the cosmic gateway stabilizes.

[Michelle Gaza]

Module 2 Lesson 2 Compelling Character Descriptions

What I learned was more about the inter-relationship between my characters — as I really dug in to summarize them each individually, it helped me to see the World from all their different perspectives, and see more details as to how conflicts would arise amongst the main characters.

DELPHINE:

My version:

Humanity is under threat from a sinister geneticist, Dr. Eugene Jacobs, who seeks to turn people into monkey slaves. Delphine and Jeriko hold the keys to reverse Jacobs’ evil prophecy. Torn between exposing her mother’s corruption and honoring her debt to Jeriko and The Sisters, Delphine’s undergoes a major identity crisis as she learns why the strange events of her childhood were all preparing her for this challenge.

A.I.

“Meet Delphine, the enigmatic leader of the clandestine cabal, The Overtakers, in a world where humanity is under threat from demonic forces and a sinister geneticist, Dr. Eugene Jacobs. Delphine’s unique purpose is to stop Jacobs’ nefarious plans, but her journey is fraught with moral dilemmas and hidden layers. Torn between exposing her mother’s corruption and honoring her debt to Skywalker, Delphine’s loyalty is tested at every turn. As she delves deeper into her mission, she uncovers secrets about her parents’ deaths and her own identity, adding to her emotional depth and instability. Delphine’s loneliness and abuse-filled past make her a complex and empathetic character, but her unpredictability and hidden agendas create a sense of intrigue that will keep you on the edge of your seat.”

JERIKO

My version:

When an evil sorcerer turns humans into monkeys, Jeriko, a famous hip-hop artist who vanished for 30 years, is forced to resurface from his current hiding place: Inner Earth.

Torn between his need for invisibility and Delphine’s need for him to pull his weight, Jeriko struggles to hide his love for Delphine, while navigating a dramatically different world than the one he escaped from, so many decades ago. Jeriko struggles to face the demons of his past, even as he must encourage Delphine to face hers.

A.I. Rewrite:

“In a world where an evil sorcerer transforms humans into monkeys, Jeriko, a hip-hop artist who disappeared 30 years ago, emerges from Inner Earth, torn between his desire for invisibility and Delphine’s impatience. As he grapples with his hidden love for Delphine, and the challenges of a the treacherous landscape of a dramatically different world than the one he escaped from, Jeriko must confront his demons while convincing Delphine to do the same.”

Dr JACOBS

My Version:

When the charming Dr. Eugene Jacobs, respected geneticist, engineers a vaccine to turn humans into monkey-slaves, he doesn’t anticipate The Overtakers secret weapons emerging to break his curse. Jacobs sadistic thirst for power might be strong enough to fuel his success, allowing him to reign over Inner and Surface Earth for the next 26,000 years.

A.I. Rewrite:

Meet Dr. Eugene Jacobs, the brilliant yet sinister geneticist whose insidious vaccine transmutes humans into vulnerable monkeys in this Fantasy Science-Fiction concept set in the intriguing world of Inner and Outer Earth. With his expertise in genetic engineering, Dr. Jacobs is driven by a deep-seated desire for vengeance against those who wronged him as a child, leading him down a dark path of manipulation and deception.As the mastermind behind a grand conspiracy involving powerful figures like Dr. Wei Li, The King of China, and Velvet Dean, Dr. Jacobs hides his true intentions beneath a charming facade, all while working to enslave humanity and dominate Inner Earth. His unpredictable and sadistic nature, coupled with his hidden love for Delphine, adds layers of complexity to this captivating character.Dr. Jacobs’ emotional depth is further revealed through his hope for success and recognition, and his fear of being outsmarted. His arrogance and contempt mask a deep-seated need for love, making him both a fascinating and dangerous antagonist. As the Three Sisters and The Overtakers race to thwart his plans, the question remains: will Dr. Jacobs’ insatiable thirst for power and control ultimately lead to his downfall, or will he succeed in enslaving humanity and ruling Inner Earth?

THREE SISTERS

My Version:

The Three Sisters, Dr Jacobs’ estranged sisters, harbor secrets that could either liberate or doom mankind. They must groom Delphine to be the ultimate trap for their brother. Their expertise in manipulating realities and timelines serves a noble purpose, but at what cost to Delphine? Traveling between the realms, they juggle keeping up appearances to fool their brother, while actively setting traps for him on Surface Earth. The last thing they need is for Delphine or Jeriko to swerve off course…

FROM A.I.:

Meet the Three Sisters, enigmatic guides from Inner Earth with a mission to save humanity from a sinister fate. As Delphine’s mentors and Dr Jacobs’ estranged sisters, they harbor secrets that could either liberate or doom mankind. Their expertise in manipulating realities and timelines serves a noble purpose, but at what cost to Delphine’s free will? Caught in a web of conspiracies, they must maintain their deception, even as they yearn to reveal the truth about Delphine’s destiny and the cure for the monkey curse. Their emotional depth is as complex as their plan, balancing hope and fear, want and need, while grappling with their own triggers and weaknesses. In this intriguing world of Surface Earthlings and Inner Earth politics, the Three Sisters’ empathetic resolve will either save humanity or plunge it further into darkness.

[Michelle Gaza]

What I learned from this assignment is that my story has many layers, and many angles/perspectives from which the story could begin. I did the assignment telling the story from the Meta Layer, but I do feel like the audience would be introduced to the story through the very personal layer of the main characters. I’m struggling to get details in for both of those perspectives and layers in a way that honors the interesting circumstances of the main characters, as well as explains the meta story which is effecting the whole planet around them. So I am gonna leave one version here and keep meditating on this.

CONCEPT AND INTRIGUING WORLD:

When a respected and influential geneticist, Dr Eugene Jacobs, creates a vaccine to turn humans into monkeys, a secret Inner Earth Cabal known as The Overtakers must emerge from the shadows to reverse the curse. Inside Inner Earth, Dr Jacobs is seen as a great savior, as he developed an elixir to extend life there by thousands of years. If Dr Jacobs is not exposed, he plans to create a monkey army to dominate Inner Earth forever, destroying Surface Earth in the process. Dr. Jacobs’ vaccine threatens to disrupt the delicate balance between Inner Earth and the surface world. With the fate of humanity at stake, The Overtakers must emerge from the shadows and reverse the curse.

From a hidden realm of Inner Earth, a secret society of sorcerers known as The Overtakers has guarded humanity from unseen threats for millennia. Dr Jacobs has fooled Inner Earthlings into believing he is their savior. But The Overtakers know he is fueled by jealousy, and sadistic hatred. Dr. Jacobs’ vaccine threatens to disrupt the delicate balance between Inner Earth and the surface world. With the fate of humanity at stake, The Overtakers must emerge from the shadows and reverse the curse,

A.I. RE-WRITE:

In a battle for the fate of humanity, a secret Inner Earth Cabal, The Overtakers, must emerge to stop a respected geneticist, Dr. Eugene Jacobs, from turning humans into monkeys with his life-extending vaccine. Dr. Jacobs’ sinister plan threatens to disrupt the delicate balance between Inner Earth and the surface world, leading to the destruction of Surface Earth. With time running out, The Overtakers must expose Dr. Jacobs and reverse the curse before it’s too late.

Another A.I. RE-WRITE:

Concept: “Inner Earth’s Vengeful Emperor transforms humanity into monkeys, as a clandestine cabal of sorcerers, The Overtakers, race against time to save mankind.”Intriguing World: In a world where Inner Earth and Surface Earth coexist, the powerful Emperor of Inner Earth, Dr. Jacobs, seeks vengeance against his abusers by turning humanity into monkeys. The Overtakers, a secretive group of sorcerers, are humanity’s last hope as they strive to prevent Dr. Jacobs’ sinister plan and protect both Inner and Surface Earth from enslavement. This series explores the uncharted relationship between the two worlds, the unknown power dynamics, and the unheard-of dangers that threaten humanity’s existence. Join this thrilling journey as The Overtakers, led by the enigmatic Jeriko and the powerful Delphine, confront their destiny and fight for humanity’s liberation.

[Michelle Gaza]

MR ROBOT:

Ironically, now that f-society has “succeeded” it feels like they are losing, as Darlene states.

And after reaching this goal, Darlene is still snarly, mean and unhappy.

They destroyed the records to destroy debt, but it also destroyed the records of people who paid their bills and mortgages, diligently and honestly, as well as the records of the money the did have in their accounts.

Elliot reached this goal to “save the world” and free people, but he is now in a cage of mental illness and a rigid routine that he clings to so he has some semblance of control.

Irony in this episode: the attorney for E-Corp lives in a home that is completely controlled by electronic computer systems to make it more secure, convenient, and safe. And yet it means she has lost control when f-society hacks the system, making her house so insecure, unsafe, noisy, chaotic that she has to move to her Greenwich house which is very inconvenient and far away from work.

MY STORY:

1. **Situational Irony:**

– Dr Jacobs’ goal is to enslave humanity to teach them a lesson and gain vengeance on the horrible people he grew up around who humiliated him, so that he could feel superior. But the result is to make him more lonely, angry and bitter.

– Delphine believes she’s helping the cause by bringing her unique perspective, only to later find out she has a rare genetic resistance to the vaccine, making her one of the few people who could withstand it without the help of The Overtakers.

– Delphine’s mother, the Senator, presents herself as a humanitarian, yet she manipulates and drugs her own daughter and uses her as a pawn to help the Senator get elected.

2. **Dramatic Irony:**

– The audience knows that Jeriko has been training in secret with mystical forces during his disappearance and holds the key to both realms’ fates, while the characters remain unaware of his powers until a climactic moment.

– The viewers are made aware early on that the galactic gateway’s approach is actually influenced by The Overtakers’ collective magic, but the characters, including Dr. Jacobs, are not privy to this fact.

3. **Character Irony:**

– Dr. Jacobs, a man of science, is dependent on supernatural forces (demons) to execute his plan, an ironic twist given his presumed scientific rationalism.

– Dr. Li Wei’s pretends to be Chinese when he is actually Korean. He is amused that he can take advantage of ignorance in American Culture about Asian Cultures and Phenotype differences. Yet he ends up being oblivious to many nuances of culture that end up getting him in trouble.

– Delphine is actually a reincarnation of a black slave and freedom fighter, even though she is a white woman.

– Dr Jacobs claims to despise white people, yet he is in love with Delphine.

4. **Irony of Actions:**

– The Three Sisters, in their efforts to thwart Dr. Jacobs, accidentally propel his plan forward due to a miscalculation in their counter-moves, initially making the situation worse.

5. **Verbal Irony:**

– Characters may speak of “evolution” and “progress” when discussing the vaccine, meanwhile, it regresses humans back to a more primitive state.

– Dr. Li Wei might often make statements praising truth and loyalty, while himself living a lie as a double agent.

6. **Cosmic Irony:**

– It could be ironic that humanity’s fate is linked to an astronomical event that cycles every 26,000 years, and that if they had only been smart enough to see the manipulations of Dr Jacobs, Dr Li Wei, “Velvet” Dean, and the cabal, they would have been able to move through the Galactic Gateway to eternal freedom and harmony on Earth.

7. **Ironic Symbolism:**

– Monkeys, which in many cultures symbolize playfulness and freedom, become a symbol of enslavement and loss of free will in this world.

8. **Plot Irony:**

– A vaccine, generally seen as a tool for protection and the promotion of health, is twisted to serve the exact opposite purpose in the storyline.

– The Three Sisters love Delphine, but have to put her in uncomfortable, weird, and even dangerous situations in order to fulfill the prophecy of humanity’s liberation. They know the truth of her past, but cannot tell her because her success depends on her ignorance of that identity. She has to be naive and innocent so she can pull off her role and fool everyone.

9. **Historical/Contextual Irony:**

– Jeriko, known to the public as a rapper who might’ve promoted themes of freedom and resistance in his music, ironically turns out to be the actual liberator he figuratively portrayed through his art.

Also he has to “die” in order to get free and truly live.

10. **Irony of Expectation:**

– Viewers might expect Dr Jacobs’s plan to be scientifically sophisticated, yet there’s an ironic simplicity to the way the vaccine works or how the demons feed, perhaps alluding to a lack of complexity in evil intentions.

[Michelle Gaza]

LESSON 7

Example Show

ELLIOT:

Undeserved Misfortune: Dad died, mother is horrible to him, girlfriend Shayla murdered.

External Conflicts: Loves Angela but she doesn’t feel the same. Conflict with people he hacks and reports on. Conflict with Gideon who wants to help Elliot, Conflict with therapist who wants to help, conflict with Vera, conflict with Tyrell, Conflict with E Corp, Conflict with Terry Colby

Plot Intruding On Life: Tyrell sees Elliot at E Corp when he manipulates his way in, Vera forces him to free him from prison, Shayla is murdered anyway

Moral Dilemmas: Lies about Terry Colby and frames him, invades the privacy of those he hacks, hacks Krista and her bad boyfriend and forces boyfriend out of Krista’s life forcing her to go through pain, let all the prisoners out to save Shayla

Forced Decisions: Forced to Join F Society, forced to let all the prisoners out

MY STORY:

DELPHINE:

Distress:

• A. Undeserved misfortune: Delphine does not know what plans are being made for her, or that she is being groomed to play a role that is risky. She lost her parents in unfortunate ways. She was attacked by her mother’s demonic friends. She was innocently confused as a child and not supported or understood.
• B. External Character conflicts: Mother doesn’t understand her and gets her diagnosed with RID, then puts her in a terrible program to “correct” her. Delphine is often offensive to people without intending to be, simply because she tells the truth. She has conflicts with Jeriko who didn’t tell her who he was initially when they met online. She has conflicts with her Dad who “died” but seems rather to have disappeared. She has conflicts with the psychiatrists and psychologists who tried to change her. She has conflicts with Dr G and Jessie because they are living a parallel life, as her doppelgänger, and she has no idea. Conflicts with Dr Eugene Jacobs who is manipulating her in the dream plane while pretending to be an innocent academic scientist professor in waking life.
• C. Plot intruding on life: Skywalker never shows up at the cafe. Suddenly people are being turned into monkeys. Delphine is forced by the three sisters to jump off the train. The Mayor blocks the overtakers. The Inorganic Beings continue to find new human hosts to do their bidding, like a horrible whack-a-mole game. Delphine wants to lay low and stay invisible but the reality forces her
• D. Moral dilemmas. Should Delphine expose her own mother’s corruption and unethical dealings with Big Pharma? Should Delphine expose her mother’s colleagues who did the same and worse? Should she put her own safety at risk to expose Dr Eugene Jacobs, who invented the vaccine that is turning people into monkeys? Delphine may face a moral dilemma in deciding how far she is willing to go to protect her father, considering her belief that he is still alive. If she discovers information that could potentially endanger his safety, she would need to decide whether to prioritize exposing the corrupt vaccine experiments or keeping her father’s whereabouts and well-being hidden from those involved in the corruption. Will Delphine betray the trust of her family’s friends or her father’s business clients? What will Dr G propose to students in The Overtakers Academy? What kind of wild things will she make them do to foster their own empowerment and awakening?
• E. Forced decisions they’d never make: Forced to jump timelines and jump off the train with the three sisters. Forced to emerge as her true self and use all her power to save humanity from Dr Jacobs and the inorganic beings who want to trap humans and feed off them.

JERIKO:

Distress:

• A. Undeserved misfortune: Jeriko had an abusive childhood with great poverty and abandonment
• B. External Character conflicts: He is in love with Delphine. Dr Jacobs is his blood relative. The Three Sisters want to be in control.
• C. Plot intruding on life: The vaccine makes people turn into monkeys and Jeriko wants to save humanity from this horrible fate.
• D. Moral dilemmas: He disappears and allows everyone to believe he has died in order to lead The Overtakers to taking down Dr Jacobs evil plan. He disappears on friends and loved ones inside The Overtakers and lets them down.
• E. Forced decisions they’d never make: He was forced to disappear and let people believe he was dead.

DR JACOBS:

Distress:

• A. Undeserved misfortune: Dr Jacobs was teased mercilessly as a child for being different, for being a nerd, for having a large head. He was abandoned and neglected by his corrupt parents who were busy cheating on each other and scheming for power in their kingdoms. He developed a bitter hatred of people.
• B. External Character conflicts: The Overtakers are on to him and working against his plan. The Three Sisters are sabotaging his prophecy. He accidentally falls in love with Delphine. Jeriko is also in love with Delphine. The King of China might have his own motivations that conflict with and compete with Dr Jacobs’ goals.
• C. Plot intruding on life: The Three Sisters expose him, The Overtakers expose him, Government pawns wake up or have second thoughts, The Overtakers create the magic water that wakes up the monkeys. The vaccines don’t “take” on the monkeys healed by The Overtakers.
• D. Moral dilemmas: Punishing humanity to teach them a lesson ? He loves Delphine but pursuing her will foil his plans.
• E. Forced decisions they’d never make: The horrors and betrayals of his childhood created a deep bitterness and hatred for humanity that motivated him to create the evil vaccine. Had he been raised in a healthy, loving family and culture he probably would have turned out differently and had different goals.

[Michelle Gaza]

MR ROBOT

Elliot / Angela

Surface: Work together at Allsafe

Common Ground: Lost a parent to Evil Corp’s evil and believe they should be stopped

Conflict: Elliot wants to be more than friends

History: Friends since childhood

Subtext: Elliot loves her, they both are struggling with grief and anger over losing a parent and hold a sense that they must avenge that death

Relationship Arc: From Angela working on her personal goals to both wanting to actively take Evil Corp down

Elliot/ Mr Robot

Surface: Both part of F-Society

Common Ground: Both believe that Evil Corp should be stopped

Conflict: Mr Robot does not exhibit fear, Elliot feels fear and doubt about the plan

History: Mr Robot is more recent in Elliot’s life and drew him into the F-society crew

Subtext: Who is Mr Robot and how does he always show up magically and find Elliot at random places and times?

Relationship Arc: From Elliot rejecting him to Elliot needing him like a big brother

Elliot/Tyrell

Surface: Connected via Allsafe when Evil Corp was a client

Common Ground: See behind the veil of what Evil Corp is doing

Conflict: Elliot thinks Evil Corp is wrong, Tyrell thinks Evil is his right. Tyrell knows Elliot set up Terry Colby

History: Tyrell challenges Elliot and invited him to join E Corp, then lets him know he knows that Elliot framed Terry Colby

Subtext: He could really hurt Elliot

Relationship Arc: From corporate politeness to the raw underside getting exposed

MY STORY

Delphine/Jeriko
Surface: Co-leaders of The Overtakers

Common Ground: Want to awaken humanity

Conflict: She wants more stability from him, they are in love but their own inner wounds get in the way. Also conflict about how to train students, when to push and when to be gentle etc

History: They met online but Jeriko’s screen name was Skywalker and he didn’t divulge his true identity. Also have past life connections

Subtext: Jealousy about their connections with others, racial issues

Relationship Arc: From Delphine not knowing who Skywalker is to discovering he is Jeriko and joining him and The Overtakers

Delphine/Dr Jacobs

Surface: Delphine’s tormentor

Common Ground: Intellectual debates

Conflict: He is manipulating her from the dream realm

History: Did he have something to do with her father’s disappearance? Did he manipulate her mother, the Senator? Is there a past life issue?

Subtext: He is actually in love with her but can’t admit it to himself since she should be “beneath” him in his mind

Relationship Arc: From strangers to weird adversaries?

Delphine/Three Sisters
Surface: Delphine’s spirit guides

Common Ground: To help Delphine develop her powers and compete her mission

Conflict: They are secretly Dr Jacobs’ sisters and know what he is up to, so they need Delphine to help them dismantle his plans without her knowing so much that she will get scared and

History: they have been visiting her for her entire lifetime

Subtext: They care about her but can’t let her know what they are really up to so she won’t blow her – and their – cover

Relationship Arc: From weird but hide-able spiritual guides to beings who are pushing Delphine to do the impossible and take huge risks and leaps….from weird but benign to scary challengers

[Michelle Gaza]

LESSON 5: Depth of Emotions

What I learned doing this lesson is that I really love developing emotional depth in characters, and it’s not as complicated as I feared. This exercise really helped me to pull up deeper layers of my characters and better understand their motivations.

ELLIOT PROFILE

• Hope: Avenge his father’s death by destroying Evil Corp. Also to right the wrongs of society by destroying the debt records and resetting the financial playin field. Fear: That he won’t succeed, that he will chicken-out and just become a normal sleeping zombie.
• Motivation. Want: To avenge his father’s death. Need: To assuage his guilt from telling his father’s secret. To overcome the ptsd he has from his mother’s abusive parenting.
• Mask. Base Negative Emotion: Despair. Public Mask: Cynical, stoic, reserved, under-control
• Weaknesses: Addiction. Not sure if he is hallucinating. Lonely. Disconnected.
• Triggers: Corporate evil, Human corruption
• Coping Mechanism: Lies and drugs

MR. ROBOT PROFILE

• Hope: To convince Elliot to join the cause. To bring down Evil Corp and the corrupt financial system. Fear: Evil and corruption will win.
• Motivation: Want: To destroy Evil Corp. Need: Dominance, recognition
• Mask: Base Negative Emotion: Insecure Public Mask: Overly confident vigilante.
• Weaknesses: Needs others to agree to help him reach his goals.
• Triggers: Betrayal
• Coping Mechanism: Manipulate, guilt trip, threaten

TYRELL PROFILE

• Hope: To dominate the world. Fear: Being a pathetic loser
• Motivation: Want: Power, clout, money. Need: To control others
• Mask. Base Negative Emotion: Worthlessness Public Mask: The Winner, the one on-top all the time
• Weaknesses: Arrogance
• Triggers: Humiliation, being caught off-guard
• Coping mechanism: sadism, murder

DARLENE PROFILE

• Hope: To bring down Evil Corp Fear: Failure
• Motivation: Want: Revenge against Evil Corp. Need: to help Elliot
• Mask. Base Negative Emotion: ineffective, cynical. Public Mask: Tough girl who doesn’t need anyone
• Triggers: Inaction, inertia, cowardice
• Coping mechanism: Impulsivity, being mean to others

ANGELA PROFILE

• Hope: Happiness, career success Need: To pay off her student loans, to have financial freedom
• Motivation: Want: to destroy Evil Corp. Need: to help Elliot
• Mask. Base Negative Emotion: Neediness. Public Mask: Strong and upstanding
• Weaknesses: Bad relationships
• Triggers: Liars
• Coping mechanism: Risk taking

PART TWO: My Story

DELPHINE PROFILE

• Situational: Hope: To successfully free humanity from the Inorganic Beings and release the curse / Fear: That humanity won’t wake up and will destroy itself through weakness and cowardice
• Motivation: Want: to be free of the curse / Need: connection and healing
• Mask: Base Negative Emotion: Pessimism / Public Mask: Confidence
• Weaknesses: Her compassion for humanity could be a weakness if it leads her to make rash decisions.Her need to save humanity could lead her to overlook the needs of the individual, including her own.
• Triggers: Naive, brain-washed people who don’t think for themselves, cowardice
• Coping Mechanism: Double-down on the work of training the other Overtakers

JERIKO PROFILE

• Situational: Hope: To successfully awaken humanity so they are no longer prey to the inorganic beings / Fear: He won’t have the resources, support and team to achieve this
• Motivation: Want: Approval. Also to let the world know he is still alive so he can connect to other people again / Need: to stay invisible so the public continues to think he is already dead so he won’t be killed
• Mask: Base Negative Emotion: anger / Public Mask: friendly
• Weaknesses: sex, women, weed
• Triggers: People who know better but don’t do better
• Coping Mechanism: escaping

DR EUGENE JACOBS PROFILE

• Situational: Hope: To dominate Humanity, who he views as hopelessly corrupt / Fear: Someone else will beat him to the punch
• Motivation: Want: Vengeance against corrupt people / Need: Love
• Mask: Base Negative Emotion: arrogance, contempt / Public Mask: humorous, clever, intelligent scientist who wants to save humanity
• Weaknesses: Ego-driven, thinks he is smarter than everyone and has more self-control than everyone else
• Triggers: corruption and stupidity
• Coping Mechanism: Sadism

[Michelle Gaza]

What I learned doing this assignment is how uncomfortable I was with the idea of the heroine of my story pushing moral boundaries. I wanted to see her as “perfect”, but if she doesn’t push those boundaries she can’t take action. And as I thought about it more, she definitely is pushing moral boundaries all the time, but they are justified by circumstance and goals. So this made me a lot more comfortable with this idea.

MR ROBOT – Engaging Character Model

Main Character: Elliot

A. Role in the show: Cybersecurity Techie by day, vigilante computer hacker by night

B. Unique Purpose / Expertise: An extremely skilled hacker who uses his abilities to both protect companies at work and take down immoral and evil people outside of his official place of employment.

C. Intrigue: Elliot works anonymously to take down immoral, evil, corrupt people by hacking their devices and gathering info to get them arrested, or to bribe them to quit doing what they are doing. He then takes things up a notch, using his skills to take down E-Corp, which is the corporation that caused the death of both his father and his friend Angela’s mother, through corruption and immorality.

D. Moral Issue: Elliot frames Terry Colby, the CTO of E-corp, to take the hit for the worst hacking the company has ever experienced, all while knowing that he, Mr Robot and fsociety actually did the hacking. Elliot has to decide whether he will join the hackers or stay in the maze of normalcy and do his job at Allsafe Cybersecurity. He destroys Terry Colby’s life and lies to everyone he knows about what is actually happening. But his goal is to dismantle an evil corporation and even dissolve the debt-slave social system that has oppressed millions of people.

E. Unpredictable: Who will Elliot hack next? Will he report fsociety or frame Terry Colby? Will he continue to work with Mr Robot and fsociety, or will he just live in his carefully crafted “perfect maze” of lattés and Instagram likes? Will he let go of his crush on Angela? Will he date Shayla? Will he have breakthroughs in therapy, or continue to try to save his therapist instead?

F. Empathetic: Elliot’s feelings about rampant Corporate greed and unobstructed evil is so relatable for so many in the audience. There’s even more empathy built because Elliot’s own father died because of E-Corp’s immorality as well as the crushing effect it had on Elliot’s father’s soul. Elliot is extremely insightful and also piercingly critical of society as well as individuals. His critical nature would be obnoxious if it weren’t for his vulnerability and extreme loneliness, as well as the burden he carries around his father’s unfortunate death.

ASSIGNMENT 2:
MY STORY

Main Character: Delphine / Dr Gazelle

A. Role in the show: Leader of The Overtakers. Delphine is also Dr. Gazelle – who is Delphine’s future self, who is capable of bilocation, time-travel, and more.

B. Unique Purpose / Expertise: Time-traveling, bi-locating sorceress who has been tracking the Inorganic Beings for lifetimes. This lifetime, she is taking them down.

C. Intrigue: What is secret beneath the surface? Delphine has lots of secrets regarding what her mother, the Senator did, where her supposedly deceased father is, and, most-importantly, how to take down the Inorganic Beings.

D. Moral Issue: What moral boundaries are they crossing? Delphine gets information by playing all sides. She is a Private Investigator and has forged friendships with many of Chicago’s most powerful players who have hired her for various projects. She knows their business and their dirty secrets! Some of them are friends of her parents. Some of them, she even likes! But they are playing roles in a dirty game and whether they are aware or not, Delphine’s role is to stop the game. She has to push people like The Mayor out of their comfort zone and potentially into illegal behavior in order to reach the goal of human liberation. Is that fair? Is it fair to influence someone to do things that might cause them to have a nervous breakdown or worse? Also she is willing to lie and deceive and keeps people from knowing the big-picture in order to reach her goals. Is that interfering with their free-will choice in the matter?

E. Unpredictable: What will they do next? Will Delphine / Dr G betray the trust of those clients? What will Dr G propose to students in The Overtakers Academy? What kind of wild things will she make them do to foster their own empowerment and awakening?

F. Empathetic: Why do we care? Delphine’s lonely childhood was especially tough because so many of the adults around her were possessed by the Inorganic Beings. But she had nobody to talk to about what she saw and knew. When she went to counseling for her R.I.D. the professionals saw her as a freak, as a problem, and as a diagnosis. They didn’t listen to her or take in her perspective or insights. The white-coat pharmaceutical industrial complex really messed up her life. The political realm messed up her parents’ lives and relationships. The system failed her, despite her family’s wealth and influence. So it makes sense that she wants to awaken humanity and get people free of these Inorganic Beings who are preying on humanity.

Another Main Character: Jeriko / Skywalker

A. Role in the show: Leader of The Overtakers, famous hip-hop artist who mysteriously disappeared and was presumed dead

B. Unique Purpose / Expertise: Time-traveler, sorcerer, teacher, leader. He activates the “sleeper-cell” members of The Overtakers

C. Intrigue: What is secret beneath the surface? Initial secret is that Skywalker, the name of the friend Delphine makes online, is actually Jeriko, an uber-famous hip-hop star. Bigger secret is that he disappeared because he learned how to leave his body, bi-locate, teleport, and do all kinds of magical things.

D. Moral Issue: What moral boundaries are they crossing? Lied to the whole world about his disappearance. Does not respect the social contract that includes ID’s, social-security numbers, voting, corrupt governments pretending to enforce righteousness and law and order. He is willing to deceive and pretend in order to make The Overtakers successful. Abandons others to save his feelings. He is an escape artist so sometimes does not keep his word. Unreliable but judgmental of others.

E. Unpredictable: What will they do next? Jeriko is an escape artist. His weakness is running from things. So it’s always unclear whether he will show up and commit or escape again.

F. Empathetic: Why do we care? Jeriko was horribly abused by his parents, which is what forced him to learn to bi-locate, have out-of-body experiences, astral travel, and awaken his super-sorcerer abilities. This was the only way to cope with the abuse and despair. He also has millions of dollars he cannot access without revealing the fact that he is still alive. His anonymity and invisibility are his ultimate protection for the goals of The Overtakers so he cannot let anyone know he is alive and well.

[Michelle Gaza]

What I learned from this assignment is that there is a logic to the amount of time, attention and detail needed for different characters, depending on the impact they have on the main character.

CHARACTERS in MR ROBOT:

A. Main Characters circle:

Elliot (His outward persona and his Narrator voice)

Mr. Robot

Tyrell Wellick

Angela (even though she is not really that well-developed, she is a major motivator in Elliot’s life. Although she feels more like a Connected Character than a Main one, she does seem to be extremely central to the story)

Shayla (She is Elliot’s neighbor and drug dealer, but also he has some kind of savior fantasy with her and seems to have more feelings for her than you would for “just a drug dealer”)

B. Connected Characters circle:

Krista (Elliot’s therapist), Fernando (Shayla’s supplier), Flipper (The dog), Ollie (Angela’s boyfriend), Gideon at Allsafe, Lloyd, Cisco, Joanna (Tyrell’s wife) and the fsociety crew: Darlene, Mobley, Trenton, Romero, Darlene

C. Environment characters circle:

Techies at Allsafe, Corporate executives and lawyers and their bodyguards/drivers, Characters like Ron that Elliot hacks and exposes, The Dark Army, Police, Subway Riders, neighbors, New Yorkers

CHARACTERS in MY STORY:

A. Main Characters:

Delphine/ Shiloh/ Dr G The main character exists in 3 different dimensions. Each dimension she has a different name. Delphine grew up in high-society and ended up in very shadowy places. She holds the secrets of many major players in the shady side of Chicago politics and business because she has worked as a private investigator. She uses what she uncovers as a P.I. to help The Overtakers achieve their goals.

Jeriko / Skywalker / Yashmal is the love interest and partner of Delphine. He is a very lucid, powerful, multidimensional sorcerer. He also is a leader in The Overtakers. The public knows him as Jeriko, the famous hip-hop artist whose mysterious disappearance was never solved. He is Delphine’s soulmate.

Professor Eugene Jacobs is a professor who joins The Overtakers and gives Delphine a very hard time. He is also a sorcerer and Delphine will learn that he is the same person who has been haunting her since she was a child. He is a time-traveling mad scientist who loves to do genetic experiments.

The Three Sisters have been like Delphine’s Spirit Guides since she was a small child. They appear out of thin air at key moments in her life. They have an agenda, which is going to challenge her, but they love her and care about her well-being.

“Velvet” Dean is a possessed politician who was working with Delphine’s mother for decades before she died. He is slick, seductive, and sociopathic. He is part of a secret cabal that stands to gain power, money, and control if the Inorganic Beings succeed.

Narrator is actually Delphine in a future incarnation who finds a book that tells the story of how The Overtakers activated humanity and blew the predators off the planet.

The Inorganic Beings which are a non-physical consciousness that uses humans for food

B. Connected Characters:

Students in the Resistance – a diverse group of people who have all been initiated into this underground group in unexpected, magical ways that involved interdimensional communication and connection. They are sorcerers who are being trained to remember their powers and be activated, like sleeper-cells but organized from a higher dimensional plane.

The Mayor, Simone Carter, who is walking a thin line between staying in office and doing the right thing

Chief of Police who is in love with the Mayor

Delphine’s parents although both deceased, they have a major role in her backstory and will be introduced through flashbacks

Julian is Delphine’s brother

News Anchor someone in the press is a member of The Overtakers but has to move in a very calculated way to maintain cover

C. Environment Characters:

Protestors (they function like a Greek Chorus)

Police

Politicians

The Government: unaware of the true nature of The Inorganic Beings and The Overtakers, and are working to maintain the status quo. Unique Role: To keep humanity safe from The Inorganic Beings and The Overtakers. Secret or Intrigue: They are secretly being manipulated by The Inorganic Beings.

Cabal Leaders

Civilians possessed by Inorganic Beings

Delphine’s former clients

Background characters who start to awaken and activate:

Scientists

Doctors

Lawyers

Firefighters

Teachers

Construction workers

Farmers

Factory workers

Retail workers

[Michelle Gaza]

MR ROBOT PILOT

What I learned doing this assignment is: there are simple, actionable ways to make a pilot exciting, engaging, and entertaining. I can see that the more clear I am about characters, motivations, weaknesses and strengths, etc. the easier it will be to draw the audience in and make them feel connected to the characters. I learned how important it is to have several cliff-hanger open loops that will make the audience want to know more and to go on the journey with these characters. I also found that Hal was correct – just cause i don’t like everything in the show doesn’t mean i can’t learn from it. Actually, it is a bit easier because I have a little distance. For me, this was a fantastic pilot! But I didn’t like the music and the tone and personally I would have done some things differently. However, that in and of itself was really great for me to see.

1) Big Picture Hooks: The biggest hook of this show is: will Elliot and the fsociety gang be able to actually take down the entire debt-slave system? That is a HUGE hook that will engage a lot of people! What will happen to the society-at-large? What will happen to Elliot on a personal level? This is a very exciting, intriguing hook.

2) Amazing and Intriguing Character: Elliot is a master at coding and hacking. For those of us outside that world, that is amazing and intriguing. How did he become this person? He is young but very insightful and talented. He has the capacity to not only hack someone’s protected network, but also to drop an anonymous tip regarding their criminal behavior in a way that both gets them arrested immediately but keeps Elliot out of it. Or, he finds so much evidence of their cheating he can bribe them into breaking up with his therapist (in order to protect her), without his therapist ever knowing he was involved at all! He remains so composed, calculated and cold….he traps people in a situation where they have to obey him. How does he do that?! It’s really intriguing and amazing, especially for those of us who don’t have coding skills and see that whole skill-set as a massive mystery. It’s also amazing that he is so young and yet so able to make these huge impacts.

3) Empathy/ Distress: Elliot is paradoxically incredibly insightful and skilled while also being very unskilled when it comes to human relationships, emotions, and connection. He is so smart yet also dumb enough to mess with drugs, and useless at meeting his needs for physical touch and connection. He is desperately longing to connect with Angela, but can’t get her to see him as a real prospect. And while he manages to sleep with his drug-dealer friend, he then kicks her out rudely the next day. He criticizes society and other individuals so harshly, yet he is also deeply flawed and lost. He is complicated but also relatable, because even though he has a level of programming/hacking skills that very few of us possess, he is also useless at human relationships so that makes him feel human. Many of us can empathize with his critiques of the system, and also feel distress at his profound loneliness.

4) Layers / Open Loops: What will happen with the attempted takedown of E-Corp’s CTO? What will happen with the plan to erase all debt records and histories? What will happen with Elliot’s mental health? What will happen with Elliot and Angela? What will happen with Krista, Elliot’s therapist? Will she be able to help him become a healthier human being? We have to watch the show to go through the journey and discover what happens.

5) Inviting Obsession: We have to see every single episode because – much like the work of coding – you can’t skip details and skip steps. There are so many details and layers and mysteries that skipping an episode will mean missing important plot points and clues. There is mystery around this fsociety group of hackers, and how they are able to be effective. There is a massive question about whether they will succeed in bringing down the debt-slavery system. This is a humongous undertaking and we want to know the whole story – is it possible? Can they succeed? If they do succeed, what will be the repercussions? Will they be able to do it or will they be caught?

This was a great exercise and watching it a second time was really helpful as well.

[Michelle Gaza]

I, Michelle Gaza, agree to the following:

GROUP RELEASE FORM

As a member of this group, I agree to the following:

1. That I will keep the processes, strategies, teleconferences, communications, lessons, and models of the class confidential, and that I will NOT share any of this program either privately, with a group, posting online, writing articles, through video or computer programming, or in any other way that would make those processes, teleconferences, communications, lessons, and models of the class available to anyone who is not a member of this class.

2. That each writer’s work here is copyrighted and that writer is the sole owner of that work. That includes this program which is copyrighted by Hal Croasmun. I acknowledge that submission of an idea to this group constitutes a claim of and the recognition of ownership of that idea.

I will keep the other writer’s ideas and writing confidential and will not share this information with anyone without the express written permission of the writer/owner. I will not market or even discuss this information with anyone outside this group.

3. I also understand that many stories and ideas are similar and/or have common themes and from time to time, two or more people can independently and simultaneously generate the same concept or movie idea.

4. If I have an idea that is the same as or very similar to another group member’s idea, I’ll immediately contact Hal and present proof that I had this idea prior to the beginning of the class. If Hal deems them to be the same idea or close enough to cause harm to either party, he’ll request both parties to present another concept for the class.

5. If you don’t present proof to Hal that you have the same idea as another person, you agree that all ideas presented to this group are the sole ownership of the person who presented them and you will not write or market another group member’s ideas.

6. Finally, I agree not to bring suit against anyone in this group for any reason, unless they use a substantial portion of my copyrighted work in a manner that is public and/or that prevents me from marketing my script by shopping it to production companies, agents, managers, actors, networks, studios or any other entertainment industry organizations or people.

This completes the Group Release Form for the class.

+8

[Michelle Gaza]

LESSON 11

DELPHINE BELOVA

Role: Protagonist. Leader of The Overtakers.

Purpose: Stop Dr Eugene Jacobs from turning humanity into monkeys.

Expertise: Helping people release negative influences from inorganic beings. Seeing demons. Sorcerer.

Intrigue: Insider/outsider, anti-vaxxer, anti-corruption, strange racial identity.

Moral Issue: Save father, protect mother’s lies, or prioritize exposing experiments.

Unpredictable: Shape-shifter, brilliant mind, outsmarts adversaries, improvises.

Empathetic: Used as a pawn by her mother. Lonely upbringing. Wants to liberate humanity.

Hidden Agenda: Be with Jeriko and be her true self. Seduce Dr Jacobs and sabotage him.

Competition: Inorganic Beings, Three Sisters, Dr Eugene Jacobs, her mother, Dr Li Wei, Velvet Dean.

Conspiracies: Inorganic Beings controlling people and government, Overtakers stopping them.

Secrets: Powerful sorcerer, reincarnation of Slave, mother working with Inorganic Beings.

Deception: Pretends to be normal, pretends naivety.

Wound: Mother used her as a pawn and sabotaged her health.

Secret Identity: Sorcerer, Breaker of the Monkey Curse, Yessie, Dr Gazelle, reincarnation of Slave.

Hope/Fear: Hope to free humanity, and herself. Fear of destruction through weakness.

Want/Need: Want freedom from curse, need connection and healing.

Base Negative Emotion/Public Mask: Pessimism/Confidence.

Weaknesses: Compassion for humanity, overlooks individual needs, pretends to be ok.

Triggers: Naive, brain-washed people, & cowardice.

Coping Mechanism: Focus on training Overtakers or smoke weed.
_________
JERIKO

ROLE: Leader of The Overtakers and love interest.

UNIQUE PURPOSE: Awaken Delphine to liberate humanity.

EXPERTISE: Master of lucid, interdimensional sorcery.

INTRIGUE: Presumed dead rapper, secret sorcerer.

MORAL ISSUE: Deceptive, impatient, condescending.

UNPREDICTABLE: Tendency to vanish.

EMPATHETIC: Compassionate with a christ-like consciousness.

HIDDEN AGENDA: Personal vendetta against Dr. Jacobs.

COMPETITION: Dr. Eugene Jacobs.

CONSPIRACIES: Overthrowing corrupt governments and scientists.

SECRETS: Online alias “Skywalker” & He is NOT dead

DECEPTION: Faked his own death for 30 years.

WOUND: Suffered abandonment.

SECRET IDENTITY: Famous rapper Jeriko

HOPE/FEAR: Aspirations for ascension vs. invisibility constraints.

WANT/NEED: Fame / Real Impact

BASE NEGATIVE EMOTION/PUBLIC MASK: Anger vs. agreeableness.

WEAKNESSES: Disappears to avoid emotional confrontation.

TRIGGERS: Encountering ignorance or cowardice.

COPING MECHANISM: Escapism.

__________
DR EUGENE JACOBS

ROLE: Time-traveling geneticist

Purpose: Control and manipulate humanity for personal gain

Intrigue: Intelligent, charming, psychopathic, mysterious origin

Moral Issue: Vengeful

Unpredictable: Commits shocking, sadistic acts

Empathy: Bullied, traumatized, seeks control

Hidden Agenda: Humanity enslavement

Secrets: Powerful sorcerer with hidden past

Deception: Pretends to be benevolent scientist

Wound: Childhood abandonment, abuse

Identity: Sorcerer behind monkey transformation

HOPE/Fear: Enslave and control / Lose dominance, to be surpassed

WANT/Need: Vengeance / love

Negative Emotion/Mask: Arrogance, humorous scientist façade

Weaknesses: Ego-driven, overestimates intelligence

Triggers: Corruption, stupidity

Coping Mechanism: Sadism

_______

THE THREE SISTERS

ROLE: Spirit Guides of Delphine, a reincarnation of a black slave freedom fighter.

PURPOSE: Groom Delphine to activate the prophecy freeing humanity from the monkey curse.

EXPERTISE: Interdimensional travel, human insight, ushering in cultural eras.

INTRIGUE: Appear as real people but are magical sorcerers.

MORAL ISSUE: Deceive Delphine, often exposing her to discomfort and danger.

UNPREDICTABLE: Magical beings moving between realities and timelines.

EMPATHY: Care deeply about humanity’s liberation, sacrifices over many lifetimes.

HIDDEN AGENDA: Use Delphine to fulfill the prophecy.

COMPETITION: Dr. Jacobs, Delphine’s mother.

CONSPIRACIES: Hide Delphine’s true identity and unite her with Jeriko to fulfill the prophecy.

SECRETS: Aware of cure for monkey curse, working to deliver it to affected humans.

DECEPTION: Pretend to support Dr. Jacobs, conceal Delphine’s true identity and destiny.

WOUND: Endured lifetimes of suffering and enslavement, seeking an end to it.

SECRET IDENTITY: Dr. Jacobs’ sisters, the “spirit guides” who visited Delphine as a child

HOPE/FEAR: Liberate humanity / fear their plan’s complexity will cause failure.

WANT/NEED: Fulfill the prophecy / rest and peace.

WEAKNESSES: Sexual desire, food, exhaustion

TRIGGERS: Gullible humans.

COPING MECHANISMS: Reckless magic, aggression.

[Michelle Gaza]

MR ROBOT:

BIG PICTURE MYSTERIES

Does f-society exist or is it a figment of Eliot’s imagination?

What is the real story of Mr Robot? Who is he really? Is he a real person or is Elliot imagining him too?

What is going to happen with the breach of Allsafe caused by Angela inserting the disc into the drive on Ollie’s computer?

Will Elliot ever be able to recover from his trauma?

Who is this Whiterose character and what is their motivation?

SMALL MYSTERIES

What the heck is Tyrell’s deal? Will he get caught for the murder of Sharon?

What is his Tyrell’s wife’s motivation in all this?

Will the situation with Fernando Vera and Shayla’s death come back to haunt Elliot?

Will Ollie tell on Angela?

What is going on with Darlene’s relationship with Cisco? Will that ever

come back to haunt her?

Create two mysteries for your show — one that shows up strong in the Pilot and the other that is revealed over time.

1. Create your Shocking Event Mystery and tell us the WWWWW and H, along with the part withheld.

• A. Shocking Event: A vaccine taken by billions is turning humans into monkeys.
• B. Secret: The popular and respected Dr Eugene Jacobs, a geneticist, has created this vaccine to turn people into his slaves. There is a global timeline collapse approaching that will release humanity from bondage, so Dr Jacobs has to get peoples’ DNA to be downgraded before the collapse or he will never be able to enslave them.
• C. Investigation: The audience has to learn what Dr Jacobs’ motivation is, and whether there is a cure for this horrible vaccine. What is the prophecy that is behind this? Why is Dr Jacobs doing this now with a sense of urgency?
• WWWWW and How:

WHO: *Dr Jacobs

*The Overtakers, a secret underground cabal of sorcerers is attempting to save humanity from enslavement by Dr Jacobs

* Delphine Belova, a professor of Anthropology who has yet to discover that she is an ancient sorcerer sleeper cell who is destined to work with The Overtakers

* Jeriko, a famous rap artist, who was presumed dead after he disappeared decades ago, who is actually a leader of The Overtakers, is determined to stop Dr Jacobs, who is actually his cousin

* The Three Sisters, professors at CCC, who are Dr Jacobs sisters and determined to stop his plot

*Mayor Simone Carter, who at first is seduced by Dr Jacobs with promises of a greener, brighter, safer future, only to discover his true evil intentions

*Chief of Police, in love with Mayor Carter, who steps up when she discovers the evil plan to help her win the city back

*Senator Belova, Delphine’s mother, who is possessed by demons and has been swayed to support Dr Jacobs

*Velvet Dean, another politician who has been friends with Senator Belova for decades, and has tricked her into joining the evil plans

*The King of China, a Korean doctor and scientist who delights in duping people into thinking he is Chinese and taking advantage of non-Asian peoples ignorance and stereotypes about Asians. He uses that to his advantage so nobody will suspect him of wrongdoing. He helps Dr Jacobs with the vaccine plan.

* Jessie, Delphine’s doppelgänger from a parallel timeline.

* Dr Gazelle, Delphine’s future self

* Shiloh, the non-physical spirit who bridges Delphine to her other incarnations and timelines to empower her. Shiloh has a huge part to play in saving the monkeys.

WHAT:

* The tension between Dr Jacobs wanting to enslave humans and the Overtakers who want to free them before the timeline collapse closes the door of opportunity

*Turning humans into monkeys

*Breaking Yakub’s curse

*Using Delphine as a decoy to distract Dr Jacobs

WHEN:

*NOW, because the timeline collapse is approaching and a galactic gateway that will be closing

WHERE: Story centers in Chicago but the problem is worldwide

WHY: Overtakers love humanity and want to save people from predators. Dr Jacobs has an incredible attachment wound and is a psychopath because of childhood traumas, abandonment, and witnessing horrible corruption in his clans. He is disconnected from the divine and feels no connection, compassion, or love.

HOW

*Bribing politicians, government officals, educators, etc to push the vaccine

*Distributing poisoned vaccines under the pretense of helping people

*Training more Overtakers to help awaken and save humanity

*Getting gotu-kola and microbuses of psilocybin in the water to clear the pineal glands of the people so their spiritual sight is restored

*Overtakers infiltrate the cable companies and install special routers and wi-fi devices so they can control what news and information the people are receiving

*Get Delphine to seduce Dr Jacobs so she can manipulate him

• Part Withheld:

* Delphine’s true identity – she is actually a relative of The Three Sisters and Dr Jacobs in a past life, and a powerful sorcerer in her own right.

*The timeline collapse and the true opportunity it poses

*The Three Sisters are the spirit guides that visited Delphine as a child. They have taken on physical bodies at this time to get Delphine activated to help achieve the prophecy of human liberation before the timeline collapse.

*Delphine split herself up because of the psychiatric abuse she endured as a child. Jessie is her parallel timeline where she didn’t split. Dr Gazelle is her future self, who has integrated all timelines.

2. Create the Over Time Mystery and tell us the WWWWW and H, along with the part withheld.

• A. Cover up: Delphine’s true identity, Three Sisters true identity, Jeriko’s true identity.
• B. Secret: They are all related, Delphine is actually an incarnation of a very powerful historical character who was a freedom fighter
• C. Reveals: Delphine’s in denial about a huge aspect of her identity. She was diagnosed with Racial Identity Disorder as a child and thinks she is black even tho she is white. Turns out she was a black person in her last incarnation, and the spirit of that incarnation haunts her.
• WWWWW and How:
• Who: Delphine’s mother, the senator, conspires with the psychiatrist to keep her drugged
• What: Drugs and psychiatry and brainwashing
• Where: In her home, at her school,
• Part Withheld: Delphine is the reincarnation of a black slave freedom fighter.

[Michelle Gaza]

What I learned from this assignment is the importance of developing mysteries that will take time to solve, and to make good choices about what is revealed and what is not revealed to keep the audience wondering….

MR ROBOT:

BIG PICTURE MYSTERIES

Does f-society exist or is it a figment of Eliot’s imagination?

What is the real story of Mr Robot? Who is he really? Is he a real person or is Elliot imagining him too?

What is going to happen with the breach of Allsafe caused by Angela inserting the disc into the drive on Ollie’s computer?

Will Elliot ever be able to recover from his trauma?

Who is this Whiterose character and what is their motivation?

SMALL MYSTERIES

What the heck is Tyrell’s deal? Will he get caught for the murder of Sharon?

What is his Tyrell’s wife’s motivation in all this?

Will the situation with Fernando Vera and Shayla’s death come back to haunt Elliot?

Will Ollie tell on Angela?

What is going on with Darlene’s relationship with Cisco? Will that ever

come back to haunt her?

Create two mysteries for your show — one that shows up strong in the Pilot and the other that is revealed over time.

1. Create your Shocking Event Mystery and tell us the WWWWW and H, along with the part withheld.

• A. Shocking Event: A vaccine taken by billions is turning humans into monkeys.
• B. Secret: The popular and respected Dr Eugene Jacobs, a geneticist, has created this vaccine to turn people into his slaves. There is a global timeline collapse approaching that will release humanity from bondage, so Dr Jacobs has to get peoples’ DNA to be downgraded before the collapse or he will never be able to enslave them.
• C. Investigation: The audience has to learn what Dr Jacobs’ motivation is, and whether there is a cure for this horrible vaccine. What is the prophecy that is behind this? Why is Dr Jacobs doing this now with a sense of urgency?
• WWWWW and How:

WHO: *Dr Jacobs

*The Overtakers, a secret underground cabal of sorcerers is attempting to save humanity from enslavement by Dr Jacobs

* Delphine Belova, a professor of Anthropology who has yet to discover that she is an ancient sorcerer sleeper cell who is destined to work with The Overtakers

* Jeriko, a famous rap artist, who was presumed dead after he disappeared decades ago, who is actually a leader of The Overtakers, is determined to stop Dr Jacobs, who is actually his cousin

* The Three Sisters, professors at CCC, who are Dr Jacobs sisters and determined to stop his plot

*Mayor Simone Carter, who at first is seduced by Dr Jacobs with promises of a greener, brighter, safer future, only to discover his true evil intentions

*Chief of Police, in love with Mayor Carter, who steps up when she discovers the evil plan to help her win the city back

*Senator Belova, Delphine’s mother, who is possessed by demons and has been swayed to support Dr Jacobs

*Velvet Dean, another politician who has been friends with Senator Belova for decades, and has tricked her into joining the evil plans

*The King of China, a Korean doctor and scientist who delights in duping people into thinking he is Chinese and taking advantage of non-Asian peoples ignorance and stereotypes about Asians. He uses that to his advantage so nobody will suspect him of wrongdoing. He helps Dr Jacobs with the vaccine plan.

* Jessie, Delphine’s doppelgänger from a parallel timeline.

* Dr Gazelle, Delphine’s future self

* Shiloh, the non-physical spirit who bridges Delphine to her other incarnations and timelines to empower her. Shiloh has a huge part to play in saving the monkeys.

WHAT:

* The tension between Dr Jacobs wanting to enslave humans and the Overtakers who want to free them before the timeline collapse closes the door of opportunity

*Turning humans into monkeys

*Breaking Yakub’s curse

*Using Delphine as a decoy to distract Dr Jacobs

WHEN:

*NOW, because the timeline collapse is approaching and a galactic gateway that will be closing

WHERE: Story centers in Chicago but the problem is worldwide

WHY: Overtakers love humanity and want to save people from predators. Dr Jacobs has an incredible attachment wound and is a psychopath because of childhood traumas, abandonment, and witnessing horrible corruption in his clans. He is disconnected from the divine and feels no connection, compassion, or love.

HOW

*Bribing politicians, government officals, educators, etc to push the vaccine

*Distributing poisoned vaccines under the pretense of helping people

*Training more Overtakers to help awaken and save humanity

*Getting gotu-kola and microbuses of psilocybin in the water to clear the pineal glands of the people so their spiritual sight is restored

*Overtakers infiltrate the cable companies and install special routers and wi-fi devices so they can control what news and information the people are receiving

*Get Delphine to seduce Dr Jacobs so she can manipulate him

• Part Withheld:

* Delphine’s true identity – she is actually a relative of The Three Sisters and Dr Jacobs in a past life, and a powerful sorcerer in her own right.

*The timeline collapse and the true opportunity it poses

*The Three Sisters are the spirit guides that visited Delphine as a child. They have taken on physical bodies at this time to get Delphine activated to help achieve the prophecy of human liberation before the timeline collapse.

*Delphine split herself up because of the psychiatric abuse she endured as a child. Jessie is her parallel timeline where she didn’t split. Dr Gazelle is her future self, who has integrated all timelines.

2. Create the Over Time Mystery and tell us the WWWWW and H, along with the part withheld.

• A. Cover up: Delphine’s true identity, Three Sisters true identity, Jeriko’s true identity.
• B. Secret: They are all related, Delphine is actually an incarnation of a very powerful historical character who was a freedom fighter
• C. Reveals: Delphine’s in denial about a huge aspect of her identity. She was diagnosed with Racial Identity Disorder as a child and thinks she is black even tho she is white. Turns out she was a black person in her last incarnation, and the spirit of that incarnation haunts her.
• WWWWW and How:
• Part Withheld:

FROM A.I.:

Here are some possible mysteries that could be created for Season 1 of your TV concept:

1. The Vaccine Origins: The Overtakers discover clues that lead them to uncover the true origin of Dr Eugene Jacobs’ monkey-transformation vaccine. They must dig deep into his past and unravel the connections that led to its creation.

2. The Hidden Laboratory: The Overtakers stumble upon a hidden laboratory where Dr Jacobs conducts his experiments. Their mission is to infiltrate the lab, gather evidence, and stop his nefarious plans before more people are transformed into monkeys.

3. The Three Sisters’ Prophecy: The Three Sisters, multidimensional sorcerers and sisters to Dr Jacobs, possess a prophecy related to his plot. The Overtakers must decipher the cryptic messages, leading them to key locations and information vital to stopping the evil geneticist.

4. The Mayor’s Involvement: Mayor Simone Carter initially supports Dr Jacobs but becomes suspicious when she discovers his true intentions. The Overtakers must uncover evidence linking her to his scheme, while also trying to persuade her to join their cause.

5. The Overtakers’ Traitor: The Overtakers suspect there is a traitor within their ranks leaking information to Dr Jacobs. Unraveling the mystery of the traitor’s identity becomes crucial to thwarting the evil geneticist’s plans.

6. The Monkey Transformation Cure: The Overtakers learn about a potential cure for the monkey transformation caused by Dr Jacobs’ vaccine. They must race against time to find the ingredients and unlock the secrets behind the cure, hoping to reverse the effects on affected individuals.

7. Dr Jacobs’ Ultimate Goal: As the Overtakers gather evidence and disrupt Dr Jacobs’ plans, they uncover clues suggesting that his ultimate goal involves more than just turning people into monkeys. They must investigate further to determine the full extent of his scheme and the potential consequences it holds.

8. The Tupac Connection: Jeriko’s resurrection and similarities to Tupac raise questions about his true nature and how it ties into Dr Jacobs’ plan. The Overtakers must delve into Jeriko’s past to uncover the truth about his revival and how it connects to the overarching mystery.

9. Delphine’s Identity Crisis: Delphine’s association with the Overtakers and her resemblance to Rachel Dolezal sparks mystery surrounding her true identity. The Overtakers must help Delphine unravel her past and confront the secrets that have shaped her life.

10. The Final Showdown: The Overtakers discover that Dr Jacobs’ plan is reaching its climax, with a catastrophic event scheduled to occur at a specific time and place. They must race against the countdown, facing numerous obstacles and challenges along the way, all leading to a climactic showdown between good and evil.

Remember, these are just suggestions, and the actual mysteries can be further developed and customized to fit the narrative arc and character development of your TV concept.

_______

Mystery Strategy 1: Opening Shocking Event Mystery

A. Shocking Event:

In a shocking turn of events, a vaccine taken by billions of people worldwide is transforming them into monkeys. People are unaware of the hidden intentions behind this unusual occurrence.

B. Secret:

The vaccine was created by Dr. Eugene Jacobs, a respected geneticist. However, his true intentions are sinister. Dr. Jacobs designed the vaccine to turn people into his mind-controlled slaves. As a geneticist, he requires people’s DNA to be downgraded before a global timeline collapse, which will ultimately release humanity from his bondage. If he fails to accomplish this before the collapse, his plan to enslave them will crumble.

C. Investigation:

The main characters embark on a quest to uncover Dr. Jacobs’ motivation and determine if there is a way to reverse the effects of the vaccine. They delve into the prophecy behind this twisted plan, discovering the reasons for Dr. Jacobs’ urgency to execute it at this particular moment.

Mystery Strategy 2: Ongoing Over-Time Mystery

A. Cover-up:

Delphine’s true identity, the Three Sisters’ true identity, and Jeriko’s true identity are all concealed. These characters hide their backgrounds for different reasons, shielding their true selves from the world.

B. Secret:

After relentless investigation, it is revealed that Delphine, the co-leader of the Overtakers, is in fact an incarnation of a powerful historical figure who fought for freedom. She was reincarnated as a black person in her previous life, and the spirit of that incarnation haunts her. Delphine has been diagnosed with Racial Identity Disorder since childhood, believing she is black even though she is white.

C. Reveals:

As the story unfolds, Delphine faces the truth about her identity. The revelation of her past incarnation and the spirit’s influence on her challenges her previous beliefs and perceptions. The Three Sisters, who were secretly Dr. Jacobs’ sisters, also emerge as multidimensional sorcerers working to thwart his sinister plot. Additionally, the true identity of Jeriko, a leader of the Overtakers similar to Tupac, is exposed, revealing his underlying motives and connection to the ongoing mystery.

Format/Genre: Science Fiction

Concept: An evil geneticist, Dr. Eugene Jacobs, creates a vaccine that transforms people into monkeys. The Overtakers, an underground group of modern-day sorcerers, aim to stop Dr. Jacobs and his plan.

Lead Characters: Dr. Eugene Jacobs (the evil geneticist), Jeriko (a reappeared leader of the Overtakers akin to Tupac), Delphine (co-leader of the Overtakers and similar to Rachel Dolezal), The Three Sisters (Dr. Jacobs’ hidden sisters, multidimensional sorcerers), and Mayor Simone Carter (initially aligned with Dr. Jacobs but later realizes his trap).

[Michelle Gaza]

MR ROBOT:
Episode 10 starts up with the layer planted early on showing back up – “Michael”, Krista’s boyfriend, who is really Lenny, lies to Krista saying he’s dying so she will meet him again so he can reveal that her client, Elliot, hacked him. But she refuses to help him to get Elliot arrested and tells him to f-off.
Then, the layer of mystery about how Elliot and Tyrell are going to work together gets triggered when Elliot wakes up in Tyrell’s car in a manhattan parking lot with Tyrell nowhere to be found. When Elliot searches for him at his residence, Tyrell’s wife seems to actually not know where he is either, leaving a new layer of suspicion that maybe Elliot did something to him. But her constrained reaction leaves more layer since it’s hard to tell how she feels about it, other than the fact she is now clearly suspicious of Elliot, who lies to her and says his name is Ollie.
Major layer regarding Mr Robot’s relationship to Elliot is revealed- as it becomes clear Mr Robot (as well as Elliot’s mom and young childhood Elliot) are all inside him. They are all hallucinations.
The layers regarding Angela’s character come into play, as we are shown how dejected she has become, and after witnessing the horrific suicide of an Evil Corp executive she is like a shell of herself. But she goes back to work later that day after buying Prada shoes to replace hers which were stained with the executive’s blood.

And the main layer that explodes in this season finale is that E-Corp and the debt system has been so severely hacked that it could mean “the end of the world”, or at least the financial world. But the E-Corp leader who is smugly cold lets Angela know that this corporation is such a behemoth that they will end up back on their feet and still controlling and influencing outcomes.

MY SHOW

PLOT LAYERS

MAJOR SCHEME REVEALED: Dr Jacobs and The King of China planned the monkey vaccine and distributed it knowingly;

Delphine’s mother, the Senator, purposely gets her on pharmaceuticals so she will be off-beat, to mess up her timing, so she misses the first galactic gateway, the first train, to get to freedom. Her mother used Delphine’s identity crisis as campaign fuel to get herself elected.

Velvet Dean is the evil politician who is helping Dr Jacobs and The King of China and getting paid to do so. As a child, he visited Delphine’s home to fundraise for her mother’s campaign. Delphine caught him shape-shifting into a demon and then he saw her – so he knew that she knew. And then he convinced her mother that pharmaceuticals were a great idea to help Delphine – but the plan was to keep Delphine drugged out and dumbed down.

MYSTERY REVEALED:

Mystery: Why are some people turning into monkeys? How come only some people can see this (The Overtakers, select politicians, business people, power-players etc) but none of the monkeys can see that they are monkeys?

What will help the monkeys turn back to humans?

What forces are driving Dr Jacobs and The King of China?

THOUGHT THE STORY WAS ONE THING BUT IT WAS ANOTHER:

There is a game being played on the Astral plane that The Overtakers, Dr Jacobs, and The King of China are aware of, but the monkeys are not. The monkeys are the prize and the victims of this game.

There are also people in the hospitals/medical field/big pharma that are whistleblowers and step out and expose the plan.

Mayor Simone Carter thought she was doing the right thing by following Dr Jacobs, only to discover it was a massive plan to capture the citizens of Chicago and enslave them.

Delphine thought Skywalker was her online friend who just disappeared and “dumped her” instead of showing up for their first date. Turns out he was Jeriko and couldn’t show up at the coffee shop because he is in hiding and wants to have everyone believe he is dead.

MAJOR SHIFT IN MEANING:

When it is revealed who Delphine actually is (a reincarnation of a black slave freedom fighter) her identity crisis makes sense.

HIDDEN HISTORY:

Jacobs and The King of China have been planning the enslavement of humanity-as-monkeys for lifetimes. They are Sorcerers who know that there is a Galactic Gateway opening to free humanity. They want to get as many monkeys trapped as possible before the gateway closes, when they will lose access to any humans who cross the threshold to the New Earth.

HIDDEN PLAN:

Why do Dr Jacobs and The King of China want to turn people into monkeys so badly?
Why are they in a rush? Why now?

MAJOR BETRAYAL:

Delphine’s mom sabotaged her on purpose, and kept her on pharmaceuticals to destroy her chance of getting free and independent of her. She also made sure Delphine’s daughter was stolen from her.

The Three Sisters and Jeriko are working against Dr Jacobs the whole time.

Mayor took Dr Jacobs advise only to discover he was playing her and the Chief of Police, who is her secret lover.

CHARACTER LAYERS

SECRET IDENTITY:

Who is Delphine actually? A reincarnation of a black slave freedom fighter.
Who is Skywalker actually? Jeriko, who is not dead as assumed.
Who is Dr Jacobs actually? The cousin of Jeriko and the brother of The Three Sisters and an evil, sociopathic, sadistic sorcerer.
Who are the Three Sisters? The “spirit guides” that always visited Delphine as a child. They are Dr Jacobs’ sisters and Jeriko’s cousins.

The King of China is actually Korean. He is also an evil sorcerer and sociopath who pretends to be a mild-mannered, friendly, goody-two-shoes, nerdy doctor who is squeaky-clean and smart. He relies on people’s ignorance of Asian Cultures and phenotype differences so he can disguise himself as someone he is not.

Velvet Dean is actually a Demon.

CHARACTER INTRIGUE:

Skywalker is Jeriko, he is still alive. Will he and Delphine ever get together?

Dr Jacobs and Delphine have this weird sexual tension.

Velvet Dean is a shape-shifting demon.
Dr Jacobs is a sadistic, sociopathic sorcerer who presents himself as sophisticated, charming, funny and brilliant.

HIDDEN RELATIONSHIPS AND CONSPIRACIES:

The 3 Sisters, Jeriko, and Delphine are conspiring to stop Dr Jacobs.

Dr Jacobs, The King of China, and Velvet Dean are all conspiring to enslave humanity.

The 3 Sisters have been grooming Delphine since she was a child to help them stop Dr Jacobs, who is a friend of her mother.

Delphine was told her father died. But he is actually part of the underground group known as The Overtakers, who are awakened beings liberating humanity before the Galactic Gateway closes and they are stuck as slaves for 26,000 years.

HIDDEN CHARACTER HISTORY:

Delphine had a daughter who she was told had died. Actually they showed her another dead baby and in her grief and despair they were able to trick her. Her real child was taken overseas and raised secretly.
Delphine, Jeriko, Jacobs, and The Three SIsters have a hidden history as sorcerers that have been custodians of the earth for milennia.

Delphine’s father died mysteriously and there is a question as to whether he actually is alive.

Jeriko disappeared decades ago and was presumed dead but actually was dimension-hopping and was alive the whole time.

Delphine has a doppleganger, “Yessie”, who represents the timeline where she wasn’t drugged and labeled “mentally ill”. Yessie connects Delphine to their future self, Dr Gazelle, who is an awakened Sorcerer who can time-travel, dimension hop, and do all kinds of magical stuff.

<u style=”font-weight: bold;”>PLOT SURFACE: There is a terrible virus loose, and governments around the world are scrambling to restore health, safety and order in their nations.

LAYER 1: People are turning into monkeys, but the monkeys don’t know they are monkeys. The Overtakers, and certain key cabal members know they are monkeys and can SEE them as such. (kind of like the plot in “They Live” except these people don’t need special glasses)

LAYER 2: Dr Jacobs, The King of China, and Velvet Dean have conspired to distribute vaccines that cause this monkey transformation. They convinced everyone it was a new super vaccine that would prevent all disease.

LAYER 3: There is a galactic gateway approaching that would completely liberate humanity from the predatory grips of these evil sorcerers. These sorcerers are actually the puppets of higher-dimensional, non-physical beings who feed off humanity.

LAYER 4: Earth is actually a gameboard. It’s like a Simms game being played from another dimension. Some of the players are very enlightened, positive, in service of humanity’s liberation and expansion. Others are sadistic, evil predators who want to keep humanity limited and enslaved.

<u style=”font-weight: bold;”>CHARACTER SURFACE: Delphine has an online affair with a guy she only knows as “Skywalker”. She goes to meet him for their first date in-person and he doesn’t show up. Delphine’s mother is a famous Senator who is friends with power players like Velvet Dean, a lifelong influential politician, Dr Eugene Jacobs, a famous geneticist, and Dr Li Wei, who’s mantra is “Let Li Wei lead the way!”. He nicknames himself The King of China. Delphine was diagnosed with a severe Identity Disorder as a child and was heavily medicated and sent to lots of psychotherapy with a Psychiatrist for years to “correct” her disorder. Before she was medicated, she was constantly visited by 3 Black Women who were like “Spirit Guides” and would comfort her in her lonely, cold home. The collective culture is mourning the 30-year-anniversary of the disappearance (and presumed death of) Jeriko, a famous rap artist that has a massive cult following.

LAYER 1: Skywalker is actually Jeriko, the rapper. He isn’t dead, he has been dimension-hopping and time-traveling. He is actually an ancient Sorcerer who wants to liberate humanity and atone for his sins of participating in the negativity of the music industry, and to free people from the predators who want to program them with negative music.

LAYER 2: Delphine is actually Yessie and Dr Gazelle. Delphine has to discover that the reason strangers constantly respond to her as if they know her is because they do know her dopplegangers Yessie and Dr Gazelle

LAYER 3: Delphine is a reincarnation of a black slave and freedom fighter. That past incarnation is going to eventually share the body with her to help her save humanity.

LAYER 4: Dr Jacobs, Dr Li Wei and Velvet Dean conspired to manufacture and distribute the vaccine that turned people into monkeys so they could rule the world.

LAYER 5: Delphine’s mother sabotaged her on purpose to keep her trapped.

LAYER 6: Delphine’s daughter didn’t die in childbirth, but was stolen from her to stop her legacy.

LAYER 7: Delphine’s father is alive and working with The Overtakers to reverse the vaccine.

[Michelle Gaza]

LESSON 9: Inviting Obsession Through Open Loops

MR ROBOT:

GOALS:

• Stop evil and corrupt individuals using Elliot’s hacking skills…and possibly even bring Evil Corp down!

– Deal with his unbearable loneliness

• Heal emotionally from the traumas of losing his Dad and from having a mother who was so severely un-attuned to his needs.

– figure out what this f-society thing is all about

• Maybe not a goal so much as a fantasy – to have a romantic relationship with Angela

– To help Krista, his therapist, even though she thinks she’s supposed to help him

CONSEQUENCES:

– Being followed, Paranoia, and actually being kidnapped by E-Corp Goons.

– Elliot is anti-social because he has not met his goals of healing emotionally or finding a romantic partner in a healthy stable relationship and so he stays stuck in loneliness

• He hates working at Allsafe but is not functional enough or healthy enough to pursue something else.

– What will be the consequences of taking Terry Colby down?

SOLVING PROBLEMS:

• E-Corp is a serious problem that can potentially be solved with hacking and cyberattacks.

• wants vengeance for his father’s death and Angela’s mom’s death and wants to bring E=Corp down

– Ddos attack on E-Corp and framing Terry Colby opens up more problems. E-corp is thinking about leaving Allsafe and E-corp is 80% of their business.

RELATIONSHIPS:

• Elliot is in love with Angela, and even though she is dating Ollie, there is a moment in the pilot when Elliot and Angela make-up (after she is angry at him for trying to help her in the meeting with E-Corp) when they embrace and then look in each other’s eyes for a long time before being interrupted by the news of Terry Colby’s arrest.

• Conflict with Angela cause Elliot hates Ollie

• Conflict in relationship with therapist Krista since he doesn’t think she can help him…he sees her as one of the sheep he detests, but also sees that she cares so he gives her a bit more empathy…Krista thinks she is there to help him but meanwhile he is trying to help her by secretly getting “Michael Hansen”, he jerk of a boyfriend, out of her life.

• He HIDES from other people and exacerbates his loneliness and delusions

– he won’t allow people to touch him but desperately needs touch

-Who is Mr Robot? Can he trust him?

– Elliot breaks the 4th wall and speaks to the audience like we are an imaginary friend, or some non-corporeal witness to his life….who does he think we (the audience) actually are? Is this part of his delusion or is this a narrator voice situation?

DANGER/SURVIVAL/RISKS:

• Elliot is risking his freedom and possibly his life if he is discovered; powerful and evil people will want to stop him;

• Internal danger – his loneliness fuels his morphine addiction, which is always on the brink of getting out-of-control

– Internal danger – delusions

• Is pulled into f-society which brings him into extremely risky behavior

– Can he trust MR ROBOT? Why is Mr Robot following him? What dangers and challenges will Mr Robot bring to Elliot’s life?

MY STORY:

GOALS:

New goals?

-Stop Dr Jacobs from turning humanity into monkeys and keeping them forever slaves.

Goals related to the big picture?

-Awaken Humanity before the universal timeline collapse when the galactic gate will close and those who don’t wake up will be in slavery for 26,000 years.

Crushed goals?

-Humans turning into monkeys from the poison vaccine crushes the Overtakers’ goal to awaken humanity before the Galactic Gateway closing

Competition / conflict around goals?

-Dr Jacobs wants to keep people as monkeys, The Overtakers and The Three Sisters want to free humanity

-The politicians and government officials and businesspeople and more who were bribed by Dr Jacobs want to keep the vaccines going regardless of consequences

CONSEQUENCES:

Are they going to be caught?

• Dr Jacobs has access to a lot of money and influence. He could hurt anyone in The Overtakers if he figures out what they are doing.
• If government officials discover them and realize they didn’t get the jab, they could be captured, arrested, and forced to take the jab

Problems created from past actions?

• The Three Sisters would visit Delphine as a child, and Delphine thought that was just her “mental illness” but now that she has met them in real life, the sisters have to distract her so she doesn’t know who they are

Good plans gone wrong?

-Probably something with exposing Dr Jacobs goes wrong.

-Dr Jacobs plan goes wrong when he underestimates Delphine, Jeriko, The Three Sisters, and the power and determination of The Overtakers

-Dr Jacobs plan also gets shaken up when The King of China tries to start his own side hustle and cut in on Dr Jacobs power and profits

SOLVING PROBLEMS:

What is the major problem for this character?

-Delphine needs to integrate her internal identity splits. She needs to regain her power and be her true self. And she needs to do this before the galactic gateway closes or she will be another slave to Dr Jacobs.

-The Overtakers generally have a major problem of getting the monkeys to awaken when the monkeys don’t think there is any problem at all

What are they trying to solve?

-How to return the monkeys to their original human form and consciousness

Major change imposed on character?

-Delphine won’t be able to stay friends with her family and friends of the family because most of them became monkeys, and the ones that did not are being paid to pretend there isn’t a problem.

Previous solutions cause new problems?

-Delphine dealt with her R.I.D. diagnosis by cutting off Parts of herself. Now she needs to reclaim those Parts in order to empower herself to be free from Dr Jacobs and his evil schemes, and to help the monkeys get free as well

RELATIONSHIPS:

Relationships in peril?

-Delphine’s relationship with her mother, and most of her family, and her family’s social network are destroyed once she wakes up

New relationships forming?

-Delphine forms a relationship with “Skywalker” online, who she will eventually discover is Jeriko, the famous rapper who disappeared mysteriously and is presumed dead

Conflict inside relationships?

-Delphine and Jeriko want to be together but they are jealous of each other’s other relationships, and sometimes disagree on the direction and means to bring The Overtakers to success.

-Also, Jeriko knows who Dr Jacobs really is, and that Delphine is going to have to undergo her timeline collapse, but he has to let her see for herself and resist the constant temptation to tell her everything.

-The Three Sisters know what Dr Jacobs is doing, and they know they are the “Spirit Guides” that visited Delphine when she was a child, but they can’t let her know this before her timeline collapse.

Relationships changing?

-When Delphine discovers that “Skywalker”, her online crush, is actually the Jeriko, it changes everything. She goes through some trust issues and is frustrated that he didn’t tell her who he was, even though he explains it was for everyone’s safety.

-Delphine’s relationship with her mother changes as she awakens and realizes how her mother manipulated her for her mother’s career success, and not for Delphine’s benefit or health.

DANGER / SURVIVAL / RISKS:

Can they survive Dr Jacobs scheme?

-Will The Overtakers be captured, exposed, or forced to become monkeys?

-Will Dr Jacobs harm Delphine? Will Delphine successfully manipulate Dr Jacobs, or will he mind-control her to be his puppet?

Putting themselves in danger / making dangerous decisions?

-Delphine volunteers to manipulate and seduce Dr Jacobs like Scheherazade,

Who else is pulled into their danger?

-Mayor Simone Carter gets pulled into danger when she realizes Dr Jacobs’ plan and has to keep a mask of ignorance while she works to free people from his grips.

Internal dangers (drug addiction, need for medicine, inner demons)?

-Jeriko has to fight his inner demons from childhood abuse

-Delphine has to fight her inner demons regarding the betrayals and confusions from childhood when she realizes she was completely manipulated for the gains of others

-The Masses of Monkeys are their own worst enemies because their inner fears and cowardice causes them to behave like sheep and keeps them in line with the Dr Jacobs’ horrible plans for them