Category: Enneagram

Posts related to the Enneagram Storytelling System and/or the personality typing of the Enneagram.

Don’t Touch That Dial

I’m afraid I’m a little harsh at the end of this Enneagram breakdown, lol. Look out.

ONE

Nighttime, with separate twin beds. 

TWO

Vision wears an eye mask and Wanda startles awake when a bump is heard. Laugh track. The bedside lamp flicks on and off as Wanda worries. Vision wakes.

Are you using your power to turn on the lights, dear, he asks. Yes. He rises, turns on the light manually, and looks out the window. Nothing. Are you using your night vision, Vision? A bump startles him and he dives into bed. Another bump and Wanda scoots the beds together.

On each side their slippers, which had been tucked under the edge of their beds, are left behind. Cute detail.

For some reason Vision is afraid to investigate the noise. Wanda, determined, slides the curtain wide open, showing a stormy tree branch outside. They relax. Also, Wanda flicks a finger and changes the side-by-side twins into a king-sized bed. As retro commentary it’s a bit obvious, but okay. They eye each other — wink — and duck under the covers.

THREE

From a cartoon moon come an animated Wanda and Vision, flying. Credit sequence, obviously, and a clear reference to Bewitched. It’s a shame the last episode used too many motifs from that show to make a clear distinction, but here we are. (How do you reference The Honeymooners or I Love Lucy, shows without a magical character like Wanda, and hit the same vibe?) It’s an adorable sequence, with cartoon Vision twinkling through walls and Wanda magically grocery shopping. Vision’s inability to eat or drink is referenced, and as Vision drives home through the cartoon neighborhood all the people are in their yards bopping and singing along, sort of smiling and sort of robotic.

Continue reading “Don’t Touch That Dial”

THE PAPER

Good structure. Nice episode.

ONE

The Easter Island head as Squidward exits and set up his lawn chaise.

TWO

He opens a little bubble gum package, pops the gum in his mouth, and tosses the paper away. It lands on Spongebob’s walkway.

THREE

The pineapple house slides forward, right up to the edge of the trash, so that when Spongebob opens his door his feet are next to it. “Squidward!” he calls.

Continue reading “THE PAPER”

SHERIFF OF NOTTINGHAM (1991), FOUR

There is no Prince John in Prince of Thieves, but the Sheriff is essentially that role. He machinates for the throne and is the primary antagonist.

I’m quite sure that Alan Rickman knew exactly what he was playing, but I’m sure I don’t. As I mentioned before, he’s in a different movie from the rest of the cast. He’s delivering large: big expressions, dynamic voice, comic reactions. It’s more of a stage than screen performance.

I would say he’s driven by envy, like the other Prince Johns, but he’s not brother to the king. Who does he envy? He has a wooden statue, life-sized, made of himself. He’s possibly just envious of anyone who has society’s attention.

He puts his trust in a witch woman. She has a satanic altar? I don’t know. She’s almost a freaking Muppet she’s so strange and inexplicable. Is she his mother? Look, don’t try to understand. He’s superstitious, though, and she’s basically one of the spinners of fate to him.

And he wants Marian. She’s the only eligible woman in the movie, so who else would he want? Did he desire her before Robin started paying attention? I can’t remember. At the climax of the movie, though, he tries to impregnate her on the floor, wrestling about in a semi-rape, semi-slapstick way, as the priest who married them is still standing there. I swear, the scene is possibly the worst Eight ever filmed. He does fight Robin and end up dead, though.

He’s emotional, he’s funny, he’s envious, and he’s only marginally competent at fighting. Four. Like Robin’s character, I believe he played the trope rather than the script, but he was consistent.

The Wyrmking’s Ring

It’s been three months of me trying to manage my tendonitis. As it seems to be chronic now, and as I don’t want to stop gaming, I’ll move forward with the Dogma story. My current regimen: Try to keep a light touch on the controller, and if a hardcore battle comes take a break afterward and stretch the thumbs. Also, ibuprofen.

Remember when I accidentally killed the griffin and I said I missed a quest and an entire corner of the map? Well, now it’s time to visit the Blue Moon Tower. Salomet’s gone to ground there. If I’d fought the griffin I would’ve dropped a portcrystal for later, but no matter. We trudge out there and fight Salomet’s outlaws on our way to the top.

It’s easy to lose a Pawn here off the edge of a broken staircase and into the aether, but we all make it to the final battle. Salomet challenges us and attacks. He doesn’t fight well and he doesn’t say much of interest. I really don’t understand his purpose, but . . .

No worries, I can see fine from back here.

He falls off the edge, leaving behind his magical ring.

I’m to deliver it to the Duke, but I take it to the Black Cat and pay for a forgery to be made. Anyone who carries the original ring has their magical powers augmented. We wants it, precious.

Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience

As a child I loved Bewitched, so I was initially charmed by this first episode of WandaVision. On a second viewing, though, it becomes old very quickly. Nostalgia is only good for a brief moment, apparently. Structurally, you’ll see the episode is fairly sound. It’s just not funny, and the unsettling creepiness is too low key. Full notes are at the end of the Enneagram breakdown.

ONE

The screen clicks on, like a tube tv would, to show a black and white scene. A classic car, with a Just Married sign on the bumper, drives down a road. Inside, still in wedding gear, are a smiling Wanda and Vision. Sitcom music plays as they pass through a neighborhood. The mailman waves and Wanda, smiling, waves back while Vision pulls down his hat brim. Anyone who’s seen a sitcom has seen these dynamics: friendly wife, grumpy husband.

Wanda gestures at the For Sale sign in the yard, and it magically has a Sold banner across it. Vision, with his bald, metallic head, carries her, bride style, toward the threshold. With animated twinkle stars, he goes through the closed door and she drops to the welcome mat, shaking her head in mock confusion. He opens the door and carries her in proper while credits roll: “Starring Wanda Maximoff”. We get the picture. It’s winsome and retro, and also a little puzzling.

In the kitchen Wanda, wearing apron and pearls, magically levitates the dishes as she organizes the room. It’s done with CGI, I’m sure, but they’ve animated the dishes to look like they’re on wires, the way the old shows would’ve done it. Fun. Vision comes in, reading the newspaper, and they go through the sitcom schtick — insult, smile, give an “Oh, you!” with a dismissive gesture. With laugh track!

TWO

Vision asks if today is special. The calendar has a heart on this date, but neither of them remembers why. And they won’t admit they’ve forgotten. Just before Vision leaves for work he changes his face to a normal human presentation. So that explains that.

THREE

A knock at the door and here’s Agnes, “your neighbor to the right”. 

Continue reading “Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience”

MAID MARIAN (1991), NULL

In my memory this Marian was pushy and dominating. Funny. In the first half of the movie she’s completely reasonable. As cousin to King Richard, she keeps her head down and provides for her tenants. She’s politically savvy and a good landlord. Robin, apparently, was a lightfoot lad before crusade, and she formed her opinion of him accordingly. He’s not a serious person to her.

Her practicality and efficiency are very Seven.

However, in the second half she changes her character. When Nottingham insists she marry him, she reacts much too emotionally for the era and for a Seven. A noblewoman of this time would’ve expected to marry for expedience, not love. Now, the Sheriff is repugnant and she should object, but not with such surprise and outrage. His request is logical and she would’ve expected it.

And how am I to properly judge her Enneagram when she’s given scenes utterly unreasonable? A woman with her property holdings would certainly know how to birth animals, let alone handle a woman’s breach delivery. That she’s sidelined by the guy is laughable and insulting.

I think I always expect Mastrantonio to be her character from The Abyss. She was so excellent in that part. Surprisingly, I would welcome that style for this Marian. Anything would be better than this hopscotch person we end up with. She’s a Null.

Miri

Critical notes, as always, are after the Enneagram breakdown.

LEFTOVER NINE

On the bridge Kirk reacts intensely to an old Earth-style SOS that the Enterprise is receiving. None of the crew is a familiar face except for Spock at his science station and Yeoman Janice standing near the captain’s chair.

They approach an Earth-like planet, although no colonies or vessels are out this far. Bones comes onto the bridge, and the camera dollies in for a two shot of him and Kirk as Spock reads out the planet’s specifications, eerily familiar . Close-up of Janice, vaseline lens and all, as she reacts: “Earth!” Heh, the view screen of this planet shows the African continent and the Arabian peninsula. “Not THE Earth,” Kirk says. “Another Earth.” The globe on the screen rotates and we see Florida and the Eastern seaboard.

Roll credits.

ONE

After recapping events so far, Kirk prepares to transport down to this alternate Earth. We’ll land in the vicinity of the distress signal, he says.

Here they come, beaming into a rough cityscape. It’s Kirk, Bones, Spock, Janice, and two red shirts. Already their clothes look incongruous. (It’s just one of the studio back lots with a couple of derelict classic cars, burnt brick building facades, and some random debris in the street. Actually, it looks like an Old West set mixed up with a Prohibition set.) Spock estimates this is the equivalent of 1960’s era Earth. The red shirts have gone in separate directions to scout the area. Heh. Evidence suggests, says Spock, the distress signal is automated. No one is around.

TWO

Red Shirt 1, phaser out, strides past a building. The door mysteriously closes after he passes. The gang stop to ponder a child’s tricycle. As Bones gently sets it back on the rubbish pile, spinning its squeaky wheel, a wild man yells and comes from a building. He attacks Bones. Intense music. Everyone, including Red Shirt 1, run to his aid. Lol, Kirk punches it. 

THREE

Downed, the wild man crawls to the trike and cries. He’s got blond hair and blotchy purple (?) skin, and kinda looks like a surf dude. He wants the trike fixed, and our team is gentle and sympathetic.

Continue reading “Miri”

The Siege of the North

As with the two episodes that began this season, these last two episodes should be looked at as one overarching Enneagram. Since they have the same title, let’s roll them into one post rather than break them apart. They mesh very nicely. Good structure when they’re looked at holistically.

PART ONE

ONE

We’re in the very shiny and beautiful Northern Water Kingdom. Dueling in Master Pakku’s class, Katara defeats everyone else and wins Pakku’s praise. Cut to Aang, kicked back in class, who bends snow onto himself, becoming a snowman. Serious vs. Silly.

TWO

Sokka takes Yue for a glorious ride on Appa. Just as they’re about to kiss, ash starts raining around them. Back at class, Aang stops his antics to notice the falling soot mixing with snow. From his vantage point on Appa, Sokka looks out and sees the armada. Fire Nation, a lot of them.

At the flagship, Admiral Zhao brags to Iroh of his great upcoming victory. He also tosses in a dig about Iroh’s loss at Ba Sing Se. As magnanimous as always, Iroh takes the hit, then finds Zuko and tells him to be ready.

The Water City rings the alarm. As Sokka parts from Yue, she says she can’t see him anymore. She likes him too much, and she has her duty to her people.

THREE

The Water Tribe Elder gives his speech to the troops, calling on the spirits of Ocean and Moon to assist them.

Continue reading “The Siege of the North”

ROBIN HOOD (1991), NINE

My goodness, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is near unwatchable at this point. I don’t remember it being so horrible when it was released, but it has aged very poorly. The tone is all over the place, from Alan Rickman’s broad comedy as Sheriff, to Morgan Freeman’s limiting Magic Negro trope, Azeem. The editor could’ve made three different movies, I think, out of the footage.

Robin himself may be physically gifted. He’s a decent archer. None of his character, though, follows the trope of Hood as a dominant fighter. The focus is more on his leadership skills, although that’s not clearly defined, either. He has some right and respect as a nobleman, and he mouths platitudes about fighting back, but we see none of this as show. We do see a ragtag band living rough in the woods transformed by Robin into a community. This is one arc for Robin that the story puts on film.

So, the tradition of Robin as a Nine might be broken here. Nothing about him says Body Type. This Robin is also not a strategist. There’s no moment when he stands on a tree limb and taunts the rich while his Merry Men hide in all the right places. All he has is a soft heart, but I’m not sure he’s a Heart Type.

He’s brave. He’s ashamed of his youthful behavior and deeply regretful of how he parted from his father. He’s impulsive, mostly in a good way. When an opportunity occurs, he takes it, such as his opening escape from prison.

Really, he just wants a quiet life with family. I’m going to call him a Nine due to this avoidance of conflict. He’ll fight if he must, but he’d rather sit. I really hate to do it, because the other two Robins I’ve reviewed are such clear examples, and he’s not in their league. But he’s consistent throughout, so there it is.