Story Grid Showrunners

Latest Episodes:

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

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

Show notes

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

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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