Episode Enneagrams – Page 2 – Enneagram and Encaustic

JANET, NULL

Janet is a robot. I’m not sure she can have an Enneagram. It takes us a while to learn that she grows and changes with every reboot. The love she finds in one iteration carries over to future versions of Janet. That suggests that she will indeed have a personality type. Her character arcs.

However, what Type does she fall into? She doesn’t fit any of the general categories of Head, Heart, or Body. I refuse to count her computer brain as a Head Type reaction. Her willingness to pop in and help anyone in the community is not a Heart Type reaction; it’s her programming.

Characters who end up a Null because they were badly written do happen. However, characters who are purposely written as a Null — I discuss Bishop from Aliens as a deliberate Null in my book — are interesting. It’s harder than it sounds to write someone who fits no Enneagram.

Was this the right choice for Janet? The first android in Alien, Ash, is not a Null. A robot is not automatically devoid of a personality type. Janet is a wonderful character, beautifully portrayed. I wonder, though, if an Enneagram might have opened up possibilities in the later seasons when the show isn’t as sharp as it is in One and Two. A Body Type, especially for a robot that needs no physical expression to do her job, could’ve been intriguing.

ELEANOR SHELLSTROP, THREE

Eleanor, dominated by Envy, must be a Heart Type. Our early impression of Eleanor is that she’s selfish; it seems she will always use other people. However, her innate desire to connect with her neighbors leads her beyond her uglier personality traits.

I feel certain Eleanor is no Two, lol. Do we go with Four or Three? On Earth, Eleanor was an accomplished jerk. That’s not how I think of a Three — their successes are usually admirable — but I won’t rule out that Enneagram. Dark Threes make good villains. It’s possible that Eleanor taps into and subverts this quality by becoming our protagonist.

Also, because of her vivacity, Eleanor could be a Four. Her emotions don’t fluctuate between high and low, but she brings a constant energy that other Enneagram numbers wouldn’t be able to sustain.

Whoa, this is a tough one.

I’m going to say Three because of Chidi. He’s so clearly a Six, a Three’s strength number. In every iteration of the Good Place, Chidi persuades Eleanor to be a better person. He models a moral personality that Eleanor has never considered. I don’t think Chidi would succeed as often if she were a Four.

CHIDI ANAGONYE, SIX

I mean, right? No questions, no doubt. Chidi must be a Six.

He approaches the world as a Head Type: solutions will be found by thinking and analyzing. He constantly worries, which is a distinctive Six trait when it becomes persistent. He weighs everything from a black vs. white perspective, with no room for gray.

Although he’s morally resolute, he will go to battle for his friends. Chidi’s Sixness, the conflict within him when faced with the Good Place, is what makes him such a great character. Should he help Eleanor, who’s (unwittingly at first) breaking the rules? Once he’s decided on his choice, he won’t quit. The writing, the directing, and the acting have all nailed a beautiful portrayal of a Six.

I just wish his wardrobe displayed more eccentricity. Men Sixes have a strange sense of fashion, no matter how sophisticated their profession. The tweed-and-turtleneck makes for a great joke, but his pants should’ve clashed. Heh.

Tahani Al-Jimal

ONE

Wearing a turtleneck and a tweed jacket (lol) Chidi teaches Eleanor from the blackboard.

However, she’s more focused on the “You don’t belong here” note tucked in her binder.

Chidi notices and calls her on it. As they argue, a knock at the door sends them scurrying to flip the chalkboard and hide the books.

TWO

It’s Tahani with a flowering houseplant. After she leaves, Eleanor puts on a posh British accent and mocks her. Chidi’s confused that a neighborly visit gets Eleanor so worked up.

“I’m supposed to treat her with mutual respect?” Eleanor accuses. “That’s exactly what she wants!”

After an amused pause, Chidi responds, “Er . . . that’s what everyone wants.”

Roll credits.

The Restricted Section

Professor Fig has heard about the troll attack in Hogsmeade. We both know that Ranrok must be after the locket we found in Gringotts. Fig has discovered an inscription on the locket. When he reads it aloud, a map appears.

In Fig’s office, I look at the map. It’s a plain floor plan of Hogwarts, but I can see blue glows over the Library’s Restricted Section. We’re both eager to go investigate. Into his office walks Headmaster Black, though. Black wants him now, no excuses. Our trip will have to wait.

However, I have an idea. Sebastian once bragged that he could sneak into the Restricted Section. I find him in the hallway. When he asks for more information, I tell him about Ranrock.

My secret’s safe with him. It’s off to the Library tonight for adventure.

I meet Sebastian on a staircase overlooking the Library entrance. We’ll need to sneak in. Using the Disillusionment spell, we get past the Librarian and some ghosts. Peeves the Poltergeist catches us, though, in the basement.

Sebastian volunteers to chase after Peeves. I don’t want him to get in trouble on my account. He “likes to have friends in his debt”, he says, and goes back upstairs to distract the Librarian. I head down further, until a blue glow at the bottom reveals a hidden doorway.

Through the secret arch is the Athenaeum, a room of puzzles to solve and statue knights to fight.

At the end of it all is another pensieve, this one with a book floating over it. The book opens, revealing a section of torn-out pages. Liquid flows from the spine and the memory drops into the basin.

I see Rackham and Charles Rookwood, as well as two other people. (These four are The Keepers.) They stand on an overlook. Down below is a blighted hamlet suffering a drought. With a nod at each other, The Keepers intervene. Rackham sends ancient magic into the sky, bringing rain. The other three wield his ancient magic, turning the grey village into a blooming, green place. A father hugs his son, who uses a crutch and looks sickly. The little girl looks straight up at The Keepers on the hillside.

Later in the memory, the girl, Isidora, is now a student at Hogwarts. Like Rackham, she is the only person to enter as a fifth-year and to see the blue traces of ancient magic. She seems very excited. Rackham insists she train and study before she can learn how to wield it. In the wrong hands it could be very dangerous.

And then I’m bumped back to reality, sneaking out of the Library. Sebastian, caught by Peeves and the Librarian, insists that he’s alone and no one else was here with him.

He’s right: my secret is safe with him.

Hogsmeade

In Charms class I learn accio, the spell that pulls objects (and enemies) to me. One of my classmates is Natty, a girl from Uganda whose mother is the new Divination Professor. Natty, in Griffindor, is kind and adventurous.

We learn levioso, the spell that floats objects (and enemies), in Defense Against the Dark Arts class. I duel another classmate, Sebastian, in front of everyone. From Slytherin, Sebastian is a rule-breaker who’s also helpful and curious.

Using accio to play Summoner’s Court, a rare and delightful mini-game.

The houses don’t segregate as they do in the Potter books. Students mingle without making favorites. None of the rivalry exists (possibly because the game decided to avoid quidditch). Playing as a moustache-twirling Slytherin isn’t possible. Our student character can do a few selfish things, but nothing that would count as going to the dark side. (It’s one of the game’s weaknesses.) However, the game does use our perception of Slytherin as evil. We keep waiting for Sebastian to do something nasty. He’s not completely nice — he’s the person who teaches us the Unforgivable Curses — but he never stabs us in the back.

Portkey to Gringotts

Flying over the quidditch pitch in the fresh morning air … someday

Hogwarts Legacy (2023) is an absolute blast of a video game. It was so successful upon release that a sequel is in development. HBO is shooting a Harry Potter reboot series of the books. It’s a good time to like the Potterverse.

One of Legacy’s strengths is how it combines the expected lore we all know with a fresh story. The plot has nothing to do with Potter and takes place years prior — the late Victorian era — to the books.

Our character begins as a fifth year student who’s attending Hogwarts for the first time.

ONE

On a street in London I and Professor Fig, who’s quickly teaching me what I’ve missed for four years, load a carriage and prepare to travel to Hogwarts.

TWO

A ministry official, George Osric, apparates in. He’s got news to share with Fig, but not here on the street. The coachman shakes the reins of invisible steeds and we fly away.

Flying

ONE

Picking up where Episode One of The Good Place left off, Chidi still stresses while Eleanor tries to evade the problem. She calls for Janet. (Actually, Chidi calls for Janet because Eleanor can’t remember the name.)

TWO

First, Eleanor confirms that any conversation with Janet is confidential. Yes, not even Michael can access it. Then she asks Janet for bee-striped clothes.

At the town meeting in Tahani’s palace, everyone wears the same fabric. Michael, with false confidence, tells them all that he has no idea how the chaos happened.

THREE

And then Tahani’s normal clothes return as the bee-striped outfit fades away.

Roll credits.

Everything Is Fine

Although it’s been around for nearly a decade and I’ve rewatched it multiple times, I’ve never written about The Good Place. I’ll be very surprised if the episodes, especially in Season One, don’t have a tight Story Enneagram. Let’s make sure, though. Any excuse to have a good laugh is worth taking.

ONE

Eleanor Shellstrop opens her eyes. She’s in a generic waiting room and the wall opposite her shows the chirpy message: Welcome! Everything is fine.

(I won’t jump ahead with spoilers, but be warned that each episode rolls out information. Once you know the season’s ending, the rewatches — especially the ironic touches — become even more delightful. We can talk about that at the Season One overview.)

Michael, the manager, takes her into his office and informs her that she’s dead. She was killed by a column of shopping carts that swept her into traffic. Now, Eleanor’s in the Good Place.

Roll credits.

Story Enneagram of Season Two, “Avatar: the Last Airbender”

Let’s finish this!

ONE

The first episode explains Aang’s Avatar state. Remember, coming out of Season One, the last thing we saw was Giant Fish Aang wrecking the Fire Nation in the North. He can’t control or understand this superpower and it frightens him. We also learn that, although he’s unbelievably strong, he’s also vulnerable. If he’s killed in the Avatar state, the entire reincarnation cycle ends.

We also get a brief reminder that Zuko and Iroh travel alone, outcast.

TWO

The Cave of Two Lovers, that ridiculously silly episode, encompasses the season’s Two. Aang and Katara, through plot contrivance, kiss. Aang’s affection for Katara is critical at the season’s Eight.

Also, Omashu’s on fire. Returning to Bumi was Aang’s plan for learning earth bending. Now he has no teacher, and that’s definitely Trouble.