Screenwriting, Lyrics, Art, and Investigation
Breakdown of television episodes using the Storytelling Enneagram formula.
I’ve been warned by the guard at the gate that suspicious people are asking about the Arisen. As we travel the roads at night we’re attacked.
A person named Raven, and others named Rouge and Noir, ambush us. Why? It’s never quite been clear to me, but I think they’re associates of Salomet.
Cool names, though.
ONE
The Krusty Krab. Business is at a lull. Spongebob and Mr. Krabs wait.
TWO
Squidward reads something called “Dance Now”, looking at pictures of human ballet dancers. A cutout of his head replaces the man’s head and Squid sighs.
THREE
A dust mote falls to the reflective table surface. Spongebob attacks it with cleaner. His obsession with tidiness is a perfect, defined beat.
Continue reading “CULTURE SHOCK”We continue to investigate the cult. Skeletons appear at night and attack people on the roads. With a key we access a different part of the catacombs to discover another meeting. No Elysion this time, but some other believer leads them. They use their own followers as fodder for their dark arts. “Bone warriors wrought from living men are stronger than those come from corpses.”
It’s all part of preparing for the dragon and the chaos.
ONE
The episode opens with Aang’s dream. The animation is in an altered style; we can tell right away that something’s not normal. Aang happily flying on Appa, with Katara on a overlarge Momo and Sokka using the air glider, is actually disturbing. The state of the world is unsettling. Aang’s mind is not at peace.
And I find this One unsettling. I don’t care that it’s weird. I’m bothered by how random the beat feels. This is too much information, too many feelings for us and them, for a One.
TWO
Part of the dream is a threatening cloud and a memory of the water bubble Aang made in the Avatar State. This aligns with the Eight. Now we have a solid beat.
THREE
And then we’re in confusion again. I don’t think there’s a Three. Katara asks if Aang’s okay and we see their campsite. This is normally how this show hits the One: establish their location. They’ve reversed the One and Three, subverted our expectations, in order to emphasize the uneasy feeling. I understand this intention, but I don’t think they’ve succeeded with it.
The next moment is a Sokka bit, which has been a go-to Three/Six for this series, but it doesn’t align with anything later.
Continue reading “The Storm”One of our required tasks has been to find evidence in a trial against Fournival. He’s a financier who may or may not be treasonous. This quest lasts for days in game time. I get all the documents and even escort in the witness. Just as a spoiler: I’m pretty sure that the witness is the key between guilty and innocent. The affidavits are busy work. I do it all, though.
Fournival is acquitted. I’m not sure if this has any meaning to the story, but it’s a quest that can’t be ignored. Why is he so critical? Well, the crown isn’t happy he’s loose, although they abide by the law. When he’s declared guilty he disappears from gameplay, imprisoned. So does his shop, which has almost nothing except one or two endgame items that are otherwise unavailable. Maybe the answer is that simple. You want some kind of magical one-shot arrow? Save Fournival.
ONE
A clamshell rooster crows, and we dissolve from the Easter Island head to Squidward asleep.
TWO
A quiet giggling awakens him and he throws back the covers. Yikes! Spongebob and Patrick in party gear lie next to him. Happy Birthday! Hahaha, wow is that disturbing.
THREE
A montage of singing, partying shots follow. Throughout, Squidward is stone-faced. When they leave he finally reacts, yelling after them, “It’s not my birthday!”
Continue reading “OPPOSITE DAY”
A rare monster that only appears at certain times and in certain places, the griffin is a treat to fight. We got one! If I’m not on a build that shoots a bow, I won’t hurt it and it won’t land.
When it does land, I jump on it and hold for dear life as it rises again, stabbing as I go. The tricksy thing will fly away, even injured. Once our mage sets it on fire, I know the battle is ours.
ONE
Sokka sets up a tent, casting the rain tarp aside.
TWO
Katara, carrying some kindling, questions his judgment. Sokka fights back, telling her to worry about her own job. Aang, as the Avatar peacemaker, comes between them and suggests they switch tasks. How can people who disagree get along, and can Aang actually help them reach accord? That’s the Trouble.
THREE
Appa and Momo also fight over a piece of fruit. It’s hilarious because Appa, giant bison, holds the melon in place with his toe while Momo, small mammal, goes all ballistic on trying to free it. Aang halves the fruit, sharing it out.
This is basically a repeat of the Two, so why is it the Three? Well, first, it’s what comes next (and the material after that is clearly Four-ish). Second, food is part of the struggle in this episode and recurs in a Six-ish way. Mostly, though, I’m reaching.
Continue reading “The Great Divide”The Duchess’ maid has asked me to come into the castle at night, when the guards will arrest anyone out and about, to secretly visit Aelinore in her chambers.
Right.
I’m brave, I’m wonderful. aren’t we naughty, etc., and then the Duke arrives for a surprise visit. Hide!
And . . . he’s calling her by a similar but different name, begging forgiveness, and choking her to death.
Technically, I could let her die, but I come from behind the screen and confront them.
And . . . to save her own skin Aelinore accuses me of sneaking in and accosting her. I’m arrested and whipped (offscreen).
But then she apologizes, calls me her darling, and gives me the keys to escape.
Such is the life of a hero.
This is a very strange episode. Jet is a beloved character, one who recurs in an important storyline, yet he’s not a nice person here. He’s the antagonist, yet we’re not to see him as a villain.
ONE
A forest location. Momo chases a bug.
TWO
Berries are bait in a trap that Momo activates. Suspended from tall trees are two more traps with baboons caught in them. Aang, bending, jumps up and frees them all.
THREE
The traps are Fire Nation. Sokka wants the team to move on but without flying. His instincts tell him they’ll be spotted in the air.
Okay, I have a problem with traps appearing at both beats. They belong at the Three, which we’ll see when it mirrors at the Six. The Trouble, the Two, is actually the forest. Hidden amongst the trees are Jet and his Freedom Fighters, but also the Fire Nation. This is what Aang battles at the Eight.
Continue reading “Jet”