Story Grid Showrunners

Editor Reactions:

Randall: The intertwining storylines are so intriguing. Great setup.

Mel: The Game of Thrones has officially started in this season with everyone wanting to be the next king, no matter who has a right to it and who does not.

Parul: The hungry for power in Season 1 (society genre) has continued and kicked off a war.

What's the Global Genre?

In a multi-plotted saga like Game of Thrones, how do you work out the genre and why should you? So why we dissect it is to help us understand why we love it, and why it’s compelling. By analyzing this masterwork, we come to understand how stories are constructed and we might be inspired for our own stories.

How do we determine the genre? One method is to look at the core event of the season. What is the big showdown that happens towards the end of the series? We have a big battle scene, which is the core event for a war story. But we also have an attempted revolution - Stannis tries and fails to overcome the Lannisters but fails. This is the Society genre. Power battles still rein within the Lannister households and amongst every house

We have a range of values that run through the season from victory to defeat.

Of course, there are other storylines going on alongside these:

Horror (core series storyline): White walkers emerge ready for battle () (life/death)

Action: The Stark children are on the run to save their lives. Jon is beyond the wall (against nature - cold, against time - missing uncle, against the state - wildlings)

Love: A twisted power/ love game between Melisandre and Stannis Baratheon. Robb Stark falls for Talisa Maegyr, culminating in their secret marriage.

See complete show notes at www.storygrid.com or www.sgshowrunners.com

Intro to Episode 3: Don’t I know you?

• Villanelle makes another kill at a German sex fetish joint
• Eve erotically or flatteringly describes Villanelle to a sketch artist
• Eve and Bill go to Berlin to follow up on Villanelle's latest kill
• Villanelle is on the prowl - she watching Eve from afar and steals her suitcase, and hacks into her phone call to her husband
• Eve gets information from a Chinese diplomat
• Bill follows Villanelle and is killed spectacularly and horrifically

Randall:

So, does Germany actually have these fetish shops?

Melanie:

I have no idea. I’m so embarrassed this happened in Germany. I’m from a small village and I have never heard of these places.

See the rest of the Show Notes at www.storygrid.com or www.sgshowrunners.com

Randall: I totally understand the hype on this series, I can’ believe it took this long for me to watch it. It just keeps getting better.

Parul: This show is getting darker and more complex. It’s riveting.

Randall: I think this is really what makes a good thriller, the ability to have compelling subplots/ red herrings that also have equally life/ death repercussions, but at the same time reminding the viewer/ reader who the real villain is. The cartel is involved throughout the season, as Helen is present in just about every episode, but we never forget that they are the most dangerous player at the table in Marty and Wendy’s lives - they kidnap Marty, they seem to know everything that is going on, they manipulate Wendy (with the horse farm purchase). At the same time, Frank Jr. and the mob are mad at Marty, the other cartel is a danger to Marty (he could get caught in the crossfire), Darlene is becoming more dangerous with every episode, the FBI is hot on Marty’s tail - all of these have life and death endings and they are just as engaging as the main battle between Marty and the cartel. The story would have been so water-downed if these sub-plots weren’t there and not so deadly if it had just been Marty vs. the Navarro cartel.

Compare this to Killing Eve - we keep losing sight of the threat of the 12 and there aren’t many other threats to keep the characters occupied.

Read all the show notes at www.storygrid.com or www.sgshowrunners.com

What did we think?

• Randall: Great 2nd season, they kept the surprises and tension going
• Parul: This show is on fire!

Beginning Hook:

• Inciting Incident: Del is killed and Marty must get rid of Del's body before Cartel find out
• Turning Point Progressive Complication: Cartel tasks Marty with securing reparations for Del’s death, as he was the lieutenant.
• Crisis: Does Marty back down from his request for reparations from the Snells? Or does he ask for financial reparations or life for a life?
• Climax: He doesn’t back down but keeps his emotions in check, and talks finance
• Resolution: Darlene insists the Snells won’t pay. Jacob kills Ash as reparations

To read all of our show notes, go to www.storygrid.com or www.sgshowrunners.com.

As a review, if you follow the Story Grid Method, most stories are made up of the following elements:

• 3 Acts - Beginning Hook, Middle Build, Ending Payoff
• There are 5 Commandments in each scene, episode, and act that includes the Inciting Incident, the Turning Point, the Crisis Question, the Climax, and the Resolution
• There are 15 Core Scenes that turn on the Global Value; 5 Core Scenes in each Act, and these Core Scenes are the 5 Commandments of the Act

Stated more simply: the 5 Commandments of the Middle build are the 5 Core Scenes of Act 2 which are the Inciting Incident, the Turning Point, the Crisis, the Climax, and the Resolution that turn on the Global Value.
The Middle Build of Killing Eve occurs between episodes 3 through 7 and the Genre is Thriller, so the Global Value is Life and Death. Therefore, all 5 Core Scenes of the Middle Build should turn on Life and Death.

It is important to note that if the 15 Core Scenes of your story do not turn on your Global Value, then you may not be writing a story in your chosen genre or you might have to tweak some scenes to make the Core Scenes turn on the Global Value. Something to consider when editing and writing stories.

Inciting Incident

Melanie:

The Inciting Incident if when Bill is killed, Eve realizes for the first time that her job is dangerous and that she could die and that her decisions have consequences. So, obviously, this scene does turn on the Global Value of life and death that we expect from a Thriller.

For Eve’s Worldview shift, this is the part of the series when Eve realizes that her actions have consequences: she goes from ignorance to wisdom, the hard way.

For complete Show Notes, go to our Showrunners website or the Story Grid website, to vote for our next TV series, go to the Showrunners website.