034: Game of Thrones S2 - How to write a successful book series Sep 25, 2020

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

033: Game of Thrones S1 - Winter is Coming Aug 28, 2020

This is a series with a mini-plot, multiple characters that each pursue their own storyline but come together for a larger story arc. In this first season of Game of Thrones you’ll see multiple storylines weaving together. But the value at stake is power - the clue is in the name: the Game of Thrones. This is closely linked to the action genre with its values of life and death. And you’ll see other genres laced throughout which we will share in our shownotes.

One sentence review from the editors?

Randall: This is really one of my favorite series, and the screenwriters did such a great job with the first season. It’s a great example of how to write a screenplay from a really excellently written book series. And the author (George R. R. Martin) did such a great job connecting the plotlines throughout the books/ seasons. This had to take so much planning, Harry Potter level planning.

Mel: Awesome fantasy story masterpiece with very deep, three dimensional characters, an amazing story and throughout plotline, as well as the best title music and video.

Parul: It is Society Genre combined Action at its best, everybody wants power and everybody will die.

To read all the show notes and get access to downloadable 6 core question files go to www.storygrid.com or www.sgshowrunners.com

032: Ozark Season 3 - It just gets better Aug 14, 2020

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

031: Ozark Season 2 Jul 31, 2020

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.

030: Ozark Season 1 - 6 Core Questions and Foolscap Jul 17, 2020

Did the Story Work?

Randall: Pretty good, some nice surprises, overall the story worked.

Parul: High stakes, constantly moving. The story worked as a thriller.

What are the Editor’s Six Core Questions?

It’s a great way to analyze any story and figure out if it works. Here are the questions. We’ll touch on them in this podcast, but the full notes can be downloaded afterward.

What’s the genre?
What are the conventions and obligatory scenes for that genre?
What’s the Point of View?
What are the objects of desire?
What’s the controlling idea/theme?
What is the Beginning Hook, the Middle Build, and Ending Payoff?

BEGINNING HOOK

We start with what appears to be a normal family: Marty is an accountant who appears to watch porn all the time. The kids are pretty normal, Charlotte is a normal teenager with attitude and Jonah seems to be pretty normal too. Then we find out that Marty knows his wife is cheating on him. All of this sets the stage for the viewers, we see the family at home, work and play and we have a good idea what they are all about.

To see the rest of our show notes go to www.storygrid.com or www.sgshowrunners.com

029: Ozark Intro Jul 03, 2020

Randall Expectations: I’m excited to watch this series, it’s got a lot of good hype. I also really enjoyed Breaking Bad, with which I see some similarities.

Parul Expectations: In terms of Genre? Action or Thriller with morality. Status? Maybe? It’s unclear why he’s making the choice, but we know he’s chosen to be a drug dealer and now will pay the price. As a viewer - this looks like it’s an edge-of-my-seat type of show. I’m excited but not looking forward to seeing the body count - I’m squeamish.

Mel Expectations: An exciting story about a family man struggling to do what’s right for his family and what’s morally right, while their life gets threatened more and more, and his marriage is tested.

Read all of your show notes at www.storygrid.com or www.sgshowrunners.com

028: Killing Eve Season 3 Finale - Does the Story Work? Jun 19, 2020

Villanelle demonstrates a cold brutality even though she looks stunning and absolutely beautiful which deceives everyone around her. Her beauty and innocent appearance is like the trap that lures her victims into her reach so that she can kill them.

Villanelle doesn’t follow a moral code and only does what excites her. If she has to do something, she doesn’t want to, she falls back into lashing out like a child. Not being able to see the consequences of her actions. She’s impulsive, while her ego requires her to feel invincible. And still, there’s something about curly haired women in their early 40’s, that throws her completely out of balance. And she can’t deal with her emotions..

As we have gotten to know and love her, she is a twisted personality. She can show every personality trait that we can sympathise with. From funny, to warm, vulnerable, but also strong and frightening. And whenever you look at her, you can’T tell what’s on her mind. Is she gonna kiss you or kill you? That makes the show very exciting.

As said in the last episode of season 3, she can make people change to their worst. She is the reason why Eve unlocked her inner monster and changed from that self-doubt person who carried so much guilt and said sorry for everything to becoming a person who slowly loses her moral path.

The beauty of the show is, as it seems, that maybe one day Eve and Villanelle will be at the same level. Eve seems to become darker and lose her sense of justice and morality, while Villanelle walks on the path of redemption - which was only possible through Eve. And maybe, one day, Villanelle will have changed so much for the better, that she can lead Eve back on the path of redemption. That would be a great twist and sign of character development.

For complete notes, go to www.storygrid.com or www.sgshowrunners.com

027: Killing Eve Season 3 Ep 8 - Are you Leading or Am I? Jun 05, 2020

Initial Observations:

Mel - Seems like the biggest crisis and the most at stake was neither for Villanelle nor Eve, but for Konstantin in this final episode, while Eve and Villanelle were only bystanders. If I wouldn’t love the character of Konstantin that much, the episode would have been lots more disappointing.

Parul - 50% thriller, 30% love, 20% morality

Randy - Finally. Finally Eve and Villanelle meet again, and as always, they are the best scenes and the best dialog of the show.

To so the complete notes go to www.storygrid.com or wwwsgshowrunners.com

026: Killing Eve Season 3 Ep 7 - Beautiful Monster May 29, 2020

Initial Observations:

Mel - I’m lost. I’m not engaged in the show anymore.

Parul - We’ve veered off the global genre

Randy - World’s worst assassins

Read our show notes at www.storygrid.com or www.sgshowrunners.com

025: Killing Eve Season 3 Ep 6 - End of Game May 22, 2020

Initial Observations:

Mel - Very unexpected, and not believable beginning, and then the characters became unreal for me, too.

Parul - I like many scenes, glad the investigation is back on track, but I’m worried about the global story

Randy - No way!

Recap:

Villanelle goes home, sees her family, wins the dung throwing contest at the local fair, kills her mom, and blows up her family’s house

5 Commandments for Eve:

Inciting Incident: Niko is alive in london hospital (What?)
Turning Point: Eve discovers a hiccup in the theory that Villanelle attacked Niko
Crisis: Does Eve Find and confront Dasha or not? Stakes - endanger herself and Niko more, get to the truth; don’t find Niko’s attacker, live in fear
Climax: Confronts Dasha (turns out Eve can bowl)
Resolution: Eve suspects that Villanelle didn’t attack Niko. Niko continues to ignore her.

For more Episode Notes go to www.storygrid.com or www.sgshowrunners.com.

024 - Killing Eve Ep 5 - Mommy Issues May 15, 2020

Initial Observations:

Mel - A documentary about life in remote Russia that has a tragic, but expected ending.

Parul - If I’m looking for a silver lining - here is a good way to look at how one might introduce a villain’s backstory

Randy - WTH?

To see all of our show notes visit us at www.storygrid.com or www.sgshowrunners.com

023 - Killing Eve Ep 4 - Still Got It! May 08, 2020

Killing Eve S3 Ep4

Initial Observations

Mel - Confusing, because I wondered why they’ve changed the way they tell an episode, especially in midseason? Probably only to keep the tension between Eve seeing Niko and in between until we found out why we thought something was off.

Parul - I’m not sure about the new format. But I am happy about the addition of the red-haired woman. Good episode but slower and doesn’t match the allure of Season 1.

Randy - The ending was just bad writing, but it could have been great.

See the rest of our comments in our show notes at www.storygrid.com or www.sgshowrunners.com

022 - Killing Eve Ep 3 - They Meet Again! May 01, 2020

Mel - Finally, Killing Eve is indeed back. Everything we loved about the show, they had saved for this episode. Loved it.

Parul - Mostly good. A little disappointing.

Randy - Nothing new, not too many surprises

“I want to smell like a Roman Centurion coming across an old foe who once hurt her greatly, but the centurion comes back and is now an Emperor”

To see the rest of our analysis and notes, visit us at www.storygrid.com or www.sgshowrunners.com

021 - Killing Eve Episode 2 - Management Sucks! Apr 24, 2020

First Impressions

Mel - This episode did not work for me and I’ll add the why later on.

Parul - Strangely, I really enjoyed this episode, and I was really disappointed when the series ended.

Randy - I get it, they had to have an episode where the two protagonists both know that each other is alive, but it was kind of slow and even the Clown assassin kill scene didn’t catch my attention much (Villanelle is above that). But they have all the players in position to make something exciting happen next episode. Remember, wasn’t it episode 3 that Bill got killed last time?

See more notes on www.storygrid.com and wwwsgshowrunners.com.

020 - Killing Eve is Back! Villanelle is Back! Apr 17, 2020

Initial Observations:

Mel - Without Eve in her life, Villanelle returns to her old self.

Parul - I no longer look at Constantine

Randy - Villanelle is back killing in her unique way, and the trailer shows some other scenes which look interesting to say the least. I’m in.

Inciting Incident:

Randy - Eve is alive. I mean, we knew that, but we had to see it. And she’s working as a cook in a Korean restaurant.

Parul - What is an inciting incident? It’s the ball of chaos that shifts the state of normal, the equilibrium. When does this happen in the episode? When Villanelle sees her former handler and starts attacking her? I’d say so. It’s comical, but it’s a shadow of how Villanelle operates.

Check out the rest of out analysis on www.storygrid.com or www.sgshowrunners.com

019 - 6 Core Questions to Netflix Series You Apr 15, 2020

Initial Observations

Mel - The villain is the hero of his own story. And it was great to get into the mind of a psychopath, especially through the first-person narrative, seeing how he leaves red herrings for whoever is trying to get him and start seeing the good guys as his antagonists while wanting him to succeed.

Parul - Another great story where we have great innovations of the Love Genre mixed with the thriller genre to give us an engaging narrative drive. Reminds me of Killing Eve.

Randy - Awesome. Compelling story, well told.

Read more in our notes at www.SGShowrunners.com and www.storygrid.com

018 - Introduction to Netflix series You Apr 01, 2020

Randall and Melanie analyze the trailer on YouTube and the Wikipedia description to establish the viewer expectations based on the assumed Genre.

017 - The Witcher 6 Core Questions Mar 15, 2020

With three protagonists and three timelines, the story can get a bit confusing for those with no prior knowledge of the Witcher Universe. There were some good scenes, but the editors break down the problems and offer some solutions.

Initial Observations - One word or one sentence.

Randy: Interesting, but no game of thrones. One word: confusing

Mel: Wonderful portrayal of The Witcher by Henry Cavill, but my one word for this TV series: disappointing.

Parul. A good example of how a great idea is lost without structure and world-building.

Go to www.sgshowrunners.com or www.storygrid.com for the rest of the notes.

Thanks!

016 - The Witcher Introduction and Expectations Mar 01, 2020

What other epic fantasy television or movie series have you guys watched?

Melanie: Hercules, Narnia, Dungeons and Dragons, Warcraft

Randall: Magicians; Shannara Chronicles

Parul: Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, Xena: Warrior Princess, Wonderwoman

You'll find our show notes on:

sgshowrunners.com/the-witcher/the-witcher-intro/
or on storygrid.com

015 The Umbrella Academy - Did the story work? Feb 13, 2020

We've analysed The Umbrella Academy TV Series of Season 1. In this episode we talk about the global story and if it satisfied our expectations or not. And if not, let's find out why.

We talk about genre, moments we expect, the point of view, wants and needs of the characters as well as wrap up the Season by using the 5 commandments for Beginning Hook, Middle Build and Ending Payoff.

In our shownotes on storygrid.com and sgshowrunners.com, you'll find bonus material: PDF for the foolscap, the Story Grid's 6 Core Questions as well as two interpretations of the Heroic Journey's Stages.

Tune in next time when we talk about our expectations for the Witcher TV series.

014 Introduction to The Umbrella Academy Season 1 Jan 30, 2020

Due to the high interest he had in our episode that included the 6 core questions for Season 1 and 2 of Killing Eve, we’ve decided to change our format for this podcast.

The Podcast will now have two episodes a month:

An intro to a new series that will introduce the series and talk about expectations from seeing the trailer and reading series descriptions.

Then we’ll give our listeners 2 weeks to watch the series and the second monthly recording will cover the 6 core questions, what made the series good/ bad/ innovative and how the series could have been improved. We focus on genre, global story and obligatory moments.

All are TV series are gonna be action/thriller stories. So at the end of the year, we have analysed 12 TV series in that genre and will be able to compare them looking at innovations in genre conventions, obligatory moments and the global story's five commandments. So that you can learn how stories are broken down globally.

This season we, the Story Grid Showrunners, will dissect the hit Netflix television series The Umbrella Academy.

13: Killing Eve Season 2 - Does the Story work? Editor Six Core Questions Jan 23, 2020

Since we’ve talked so much about the first season of Killing Eve, we don’t want to leave the big question unanswered, why the second season wasn’t perceived as good as the first one.

It’s gonna be just this one episode where we focus on the global story and will answer and discuss the most important questions to see where Killing Eve Season 2 didn’t work - which means not having satisfied the viewer’s expectations.

For Complete Show Notes and the overview of the story on one foolscap page, go to:

www.storygrid.com

or

www.sgshowrunners.com

Next Episode, we will discuss the Umbrella Academy Season 1 and focus on its beginning hook, middle build and ending payoff. Does the story work? Le'ts find it out.

12: Does the Story Work? Killing Eve Season 1 - Editor Six Core Questions Jan 16, 2020

The series is finally over!!!!

Now the team will go through the Editor's Six Core Questions and write the Foolscap for Killing Eve Season 1.

Genre: Thriller, Serial Killer

POV: Eve Polastri and Villanelle; Dramatic Irony

Obligatory Scenes and Conventions:

For Complete Show Notes, go to:

www.storygrid.com

or

www.sgshowrunners.com

Next Episode, we will discuss the 6 Core Questions for Killing Eve Season 2. Yes, the whole season in 1 episode, and we'll include a foolscap in the Show Notes. We'll discuss which season worked best and why, so don't miss it!!!

11: Who is the Victim? - Killing Eve Ep8 and the Ending Payoff Jan 09, 2020

Inciting Incident

Parul:

Eve has discovered Constantin with Carolyn. This is important because she can no longer trust Carolyn.

Melanie:

Eve has discovered that Villanelle is free and not in prison anymore. This is upending her world. It also turns on life and death since Villanelle is free to kill more.

Melanie suggests that Parul’s Inciting Incident might be linked to the Worldview, but not the Thriller.

Turning Point:

Melanie:

The most important progressive complications of this episode are that Constantin dies and Carolyn fires Eve.

The Turning Point is when Eve gets the call from Elena that there is a Paris apartment paid from the same funds that were used to bribe Frank.

For complete Show Notes go to the Showrunners website or the Story Grid website, and don't forget to vote a sgshowrunners.com for our next TV series.

E10: The Middle Build of Killing Eve Jan 02, 2020

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.

09: Red Herrings - Killing Eve Ep7 Dec 28, 2019

Inciting Incident

Parul: You could say that the Inciting Incident is when Eve is ordered back to London, but I actually think it’s when they find out that Nadia has been killed and they are back at square one, and I think that Eve is only ordered back after that fact is discovered.

Progressive Complications/ Turning Point

Parul:

Progressive Complications:

Eve doesn’t trust Carolyn anymore (nor do the viewers)
Eve is shown the filthy letters between Constantin and Caroline
Eve goes to visit Anna and finds out Anna’s husband was killed and castrated
Eve finds Villanelle’s passport and money

For complete Show Notes go to the Showrunners or Story Grid websites, and to vote on our next TV series - go to the Showrunners website.

Eve can’t a hold of her husband
Villanelle is rescued
Villanelle kills her new handler
Villanelle confronts Constantin

Turning Point:

Parul: Eve discovers that Carolyn met Villanelle in prison

Melanie: I think it’s when Carolyn tells Eve she can take her job away from her.

Randall: I think that Parul’s Turning Point is a good one, but it’s a Turning Point for a Crisis in the next episode, and there is another Turning Point within this episode that has a Crisis, Climax, and Resolution.

Parul: I think Mel’s Turning Point is a Progressive Complication.

Randall: I think it’s a Turning Point because of the fact that Eve disobeys a direct order from Carolyn, it builds on the character of Eve. Jack Ryan is a good example - if there is no Turning Point in the episode, then the episode is boring.

08: Shapeshifters - Killing Eve Ep6 Dec 19, 2019

Episode Summary:

Set in Russia
Villanelle goes to prison to kill Nadia
Eve and Carolyn travel to Moscow to interrogate Nadia
They meet Constantin and Vladimir - two Russian intelligence agents and former boyfriends of Carolyn
One interview with Nadia granted - but Constantin interrupts before Nadia tells Eve and Carolyn about Constantin. Nadia gives them information about Anna.
Villanelle kills Nadia and is thrown in the hole. No one comes to get her out.
Eve uses Carolyn’s information to trade with Vladimir for his help to get Nadia out of prison

Inciting Incident

Melanie: Team finds out Nadia is alive in a Russian prison and she might be a lead to information on the 12.

Parul: Both Eve and Villanelle are protagonists. That being said, Villanelle’s Inciting Incident might be that she is assigned to kill Nadia to prevent Eve from talking to her. And we are in Villanelle’s corner for the first time, we don’t want her to die.

Melanie: What is really interesting is that Villanelle goes to a Russian prison, and we really want to see what a Russian prison looks like. And Eve is really a kind of side story.

For full Show Notes go to the Story Grid or Showrunners webpages. And to vote for our next TV series, visit SGShowrunners.com

07: A Love Story - Killing Eve Ep 5 Dec 12, 2019

Review of Episode 5 - I Have a Thing About Bathrooms

Eve stops the car and faces Villanelle, and Villanelle doesn’t kill her
Eve learns Villanelle’s real name - Oxana
Frank gets to a safe house
Frank tells Carolyn about the 12 and his bribes
Eve puts on the perfume and clothes that Villanelle bought
Villanelle breaks into Eve’s house, they talk, they fight, Villanelle steals Eve’s phone
Villanelle kills Frank in the safe house
Villanelle lets Constantin know that she knows about the 12

So, last episode we agreed that there was a significant sequence that began with:

Inciting Incident: Frank calling Eve and telling her that he is being chased by assassins.
Turning Point: Villanelle is chasing the care
Crisis: Does Eve stop or Does Eve drive away
Climax: Eve stops
Resolution: Villanelle doesn’t kill Eve, but runs off

So the 5 Commandments of the rest of the episode are as follows.

For full Show Notes go to our webpage at www.sgshowrunners.com or www.storygrid.com

E6: Twisted Romance - Killing Eve Ep4 Dec 05, 2019

Intro to Episode 4 - Sorry Baby

Bill’s Funeral
Villanelle trouble with Constantin - work as a team
Eve trouble with husband - he thinks she might have had an affair with Bill
Eve gets her suitcase back with new clothes bought by Villanelle
Eve and Elena try to find Frank to ask about bribes
Villanelle and team hunt Frank down
Nadia kills the male team member and Villanelle runs over Nadia
Frank escapes and Villanelle chases him

Inciting Incident

Parul:

The Inciting Incident happens 19 min in when Eve discovers that Frank might be taking bribes.

Villanelle’s Inciting Incident is when Villanelle is told off by Constantin for leaving her name as the nurse for the last kill

Melanie:

It’s so interesting that Villanelle still has power, she gives that birthday present for his daughter, basically saying I know things.

Randall:

Most of the first half of this episode is Villanelle and without it, the episode would be pretty boring. It’s hard to eliminate Villanelle as the protagonist given all of her screen time.

Parul:

Well, Eve is in grief over Bill, so she can’t do much other than cry and sulk and have arguments with her husband.

Melanie:

I thought the Inciting Incident was when the suitcase arrived at her house and Eve now knows where she lives.

Randall:

Or is the inciting incident when Villanelle gets a mission to kill a British agent, and we as the viewer don’t know if that agent is Eve or not?
Melanie:

The Suitcase is good foreshadowing because we know that Villanelle is going to show up at Eve’s house.

For full Show Notes go to www.SGShowrunners.com or www.storygrid.com

Comment on our podcast, vote for our next television series to analyze!!

E5: The Killing Becomes Personal - Killing Eve Ep3 Nov 28, 2019

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

04: The Beginning Hook for Killing Eve Nov 21, 2019

This week we will discuss the 5 Commandments of the Beginning Hook of Killing Eve. Some things to remember:

3 acts - most stories are made up of 3 acts - BH, MB, EP
5 commandments are present in each act
The Global Life Value - determined by the primary genre of the story
Every core scene turns on the global value

In this case, as we think that Killing Eve is a Thriller, these core scenes should turn on the global values of Life and Death.

What is the Inciting Incident of the Beginning Hook?

The Inciting Incident for the Beginning Hook is the same scene as in episode 1, There is a killer on the loose and they need to solve the crimes.

It’s upending Eve’s life, isn’t it? Eve is interested in studying female assassins and finally on her doorstep arrives this assassination where she thinks it might be a female killer so that’s what motivates her to want to investigate these murders. If it had been a male assassin, she might not be so interested.

So formally, we have Eve Polastri, a MI-5 security manager who has an opportunity to input on a crime which MI-6 is looking into, but she is quickly slapped down, that this isn’t her position.

Does this turn on life and death - hell yeah it does; it begins with this guy having his femoral artery slashed.

This is the perfect setting for this series, I mean, this series is about a psycho assassin and the Inciting Incident is the assassination.

The first 2 episodes are incredibly strong. The further you get into the series, the viewers aren’t disappointed. It becomes more and more complicated.,

The Inciting Incident sets the theme, tone, and mood for the series - people will die, can the protagonist stop her? It’s exactly where you want to be as an author or a screenwriter - you want to tell you your audience this is what this series is about.

And also we see the power difference between the two. Eve is very, very unprofessional. She’s taking croissants to the briefing and making noise, she’s clumsy (she bumps the table, and she’s late to the meeting. And then we have Villanelle, who isn’t making any mistakes.

** For complete Show Notes see www.showrunners.com or www.storygrid.com **

03: The Protagonist on a Mission - Killing Eve Ep2 Nov 14, 2019

This week we will discuss the 5 Commandments of episode 2 of Amazon Prime’s Killing Eve.

Inciting Incident

Melanie:

When Eve is fired, her computer files are scrubbed and Carolyn discovers that Eve has independently been putting together a file about assassinations conducted by women killers. As Carolyn asks Eve about those files, Eve tells her she used to study criminal psychology and she’s just a fan of those kind of woman, and that’s something that makes Eve such a great and truthful character. Confronted with the question why, Eve says that this new female assassin has style and is not slowing down and that’s what interested Eve.

Speech in Praise of the villain - end of last episode:

“We think she has been operating for 2 years, highly skilled, across ten countries, and she is starting to show off”.

“She’s outsmarted the smartest of us all, and that’s why she deserves to kill whoever the hell she wants to as long as she’s not killing me”.

The Inciting Incident happens when Carolyn offers Eve a job, because she is just perfect for leading a secret task force dedicated to finding the unknown assassin. Eve is perfect because she is deniable.

Difference in power is evident here as well, because Eve is very inexperienced and has very small assets to bring to play, and Eve is like the perfect assassin with a lot of experience and training, as well as assets from her higher bosses.

This is a Causal Inciting Incident due to the fact that the character Carolyn offers Eve the job.

This inciting incident is really powerful because the viewer has already seen the abilities of the Assassin and the instincts of Eve and they are anticipating a confrontation between the two. This incident places Eve on the direct path to hunt down Villanelle.

Progressive Complications/ Turning Point - Episode 2

...

02. The Assassin and the Detective: Killing Eve Ep1 Nov 07, 2019

Review of Episode 1 - "Nice Face"

Some excellent assassinations
A bored MI-5 employee
The Assassin and the hunter meet
As the Spartans would say in the movie 300, it’s a good start

As a quick recap, Villanelle kills an Eastern European Politician/ Human Trafficker but leaves his Polish girlfriend behind as the sole witness. Eve is late to an emergency meeting about this murder and is ordered to protect the girlfriend. Villanelle makes another excellent assassination in Tuscany and is then told that she must kill the girlfriend so as not to leave any witnesses. Eve does some illegal investigating and interviewing with the Polish girlfriend and discovers that her first inclination was correct and the assassin was a woman. And finally, Villanelle, dressed as a nurse, meets Eve briefly in the ladies' bathroom of the hospital where the Polish girlfriend is being held under guard and Villanelle tells Eve to leave her hair down. Villanelle then kills a nurse, all the guards, and the Polish girlfriend (off-screen). Villanelle escapes before anyone knows she was there, and Eve returns from the bathroom to see the massacre. Eve is fired, but Carolyn meets with her briefly to talk about the female assassin.

Introduction to the 5 commandments of Storytelling

This week we will discuss the 5 Commandments of episode 1 of Amazon Prime’s Killing Eve.

These are the five elements that are used to build a scene and should be clearly defined and executed for each scene, each chapter, and each episode.

Inciting Incident, Turning Point/ Progressive Complication, Crisis Question, Climax, Resolution

An inciting incident is the big event scene that kicks off the story. It’s the frisson that the reader/ viewer experiences that excites them.

An Inciting Incident can be either Causal - a result of an active choice by a character, or Coincidental - an event that is unexpected, random, or accidental.

For our complete show notes, check out our website at www.sgshowrunners.com, leave us a comment or question and vote on the next television series we will analyze.

For more information about the Story Grid Methodology (articles, videos, and other resources) check out www.storygrid.com.

01. Intro to Killing Eve: The Ultimate Thriller Nov 01, 2019

What is the hype about for Killing Eve?

We discuss that, Genre, and the conventions/ obligatory scenes of a Thriller.

Also, what is your favorite female assassin in films, television, or novels (or even comic books)? Let us know, write us at hello@sgshowrunners.com or visit our webpage at www.sgshowrunner.com.

00. Why we're watching TV shows Oct 28, 2019

Welcome to the Story Grid Showrunners Podcast, dedicated to helping writers master their genre.

If you’re writing a book and you want to make it stand out, we can help you.

How? We’ll be watching and analyzing hit TV series using the Story Grid and will help you apply what we’ve learned to your own writing.

Why the Story Grid? There are many templates and schools of thought that can help you self-edit your book. The Story Grid takes many of these concepts, for example, Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey or Kim Hudson’s Virgin’s Promise or Save the cat! Writes a Novel, and allows you to understand why your novel isn’t working.

So what does the Story Grid have to do with TV series?

In the Story Grid Universe, we believe that you can learn from masterworks. At www.storygrid.com you can find resources showing how and why Silence of the Lambs is a classic thriller, and why Pride & Prejudice is still a celebrated love story even though it was published over 150 years ago.

If you want to see films analyzed, go to the Story Grid Editors Roundtable. We love those guys, and they do an awesome job showing how films work.

We are three Story Grid Editors - Parul, Mel, and Randall - and we met while studying under Editor Shawn Coyne. In an ugly business hotel in the wonderful city of Nashville, Tennessee we bonded as we studied together; we analyzed novels, films, songs together. We’re part of a select group of Story Grid geeks who help writers write better stories using the story grid methodology.

When we work with writers we often find ourselves asking them to look up kick-ass TV series. So, for example, if you’re writing a thriller, I might ask you to take a look at the subversive Villanelle in Killing Eve,

In this podcast, we’ll create shortcuts for you.

Each season we will select a TV series and help you understand why it works, episode by episode and overall. We’ll look at the characters and why they’re memorable or not.

If you're writing a novel, screenplay or TV series, our show will help you look at storytelling from an editor's perspective.

We’ll keep our analysis to around 20 to 30 minutes long, so you can pop the kettle on, and get yourself a cup of tea, and join us.

Are there any shows you would like to have analyzed? Drop us a line.

References:

www.sgshowrunners.com

www.storygrid.com

Editor Webpages:

Melanie:

Parul:

Randall: www.randysurles.com

Podcasts:

Story Grid Podcast