Enneagram – Page 4 – Enneagram and Encaustic

PHIL CONNORS, FOUR

It’s Groundhog Day!

With one of the greatest character arcs in screenwriting, Phil goes from selfish and shallow to considerate and complex. What Enneagram number can contain such a change?

I want to start immediately with a Heart Type choice. He’s too cruel to be a Two and too much of a professional failure to be a Three. His frustrating career as a news weatherman who’s always tasked with the bottom-level reporting from Punxsutawney would make a Three quit. (And a Two would find it endlessly interesting!) He expects strangers to recognize him and larger TV markets to employ him. These are Envy characteristics.

Four, right? He can hold our attention even while displaying the ugliest qualities. For the first half of the film he lives in the darker aspects of his personality. Fours have a great swing between high and low. They are also Enneagram numbers who aren’t afraid to dig into their flaws, which is what Phil does in the second half of the film. He’s able to think less about “poor me” and more about his strengths.

And don’t forget his wit. Fours can be scathing, as Phil is originally, or more gentle and teasing as he is later, but that consistent humor is a Four trademark. It’s also a great writing choice. It helps us stick with an unlikable character until he can become more heroic.

Alloyed (Part Two)

The Season One finale of The Rings of Power continues . . .

SWITCH

Sadoc goes “a-wandering off-trail”. (He dies.)

FIVE

A galley at sea in full sail. Valandil walks the deck. Elendil is down below, helping the Queen count steps in her blindness.

(He says, “I have you.” She replies, “Who has you?” Aaaagh! Immediately when I hear that line I think of Lois Lane when Superman takes her flying. Maybe everyone doesn’t think of that moment, although Margot Kidder’s delivery is iconic. It is a terrible choice to include it in anything ever again.)

Alloyed (Part One)

The Season One finale of The Rings of Power begins . . .

ONE

Rain. Eryn Galen, the Greenwood. (Another map title, yay!) We’re with The Stranger. He holds Nori’s apple gift while, in voiceover, she proclaims that he’s not a peril.

A cloaked figure follows him. He gives chase, dropping his apple. The figure picks it up and reveals herself to be Nori. Her eyes change, though. It’s not Nori; it’s the Severe Witch.

The Stranger seems confused.

TWO

Severe Witch offers the apple while the other two Witches close on him like velociraptors.

THREE

One of them, in elvish, says they’ve come to serve him, Lord Sauron. They kneel to him while he looks baffled.

Roll credits.

The Eye (Part Two)

Continuing Episode Seven of The Rings of Power . . .

SWITCH

Nori doubts her trust in The Stranger. Clouds cover the moon.

FIVE

Galadriel and Theo, still alone in the forest, speak of loss. Galadriel’s brother died, but also her husband Celeborn. (What?! We know he’s alive later when Frodo visits. I mean . . . right?!) He went to war and she never saw him again. Theo feels blame for what happened to his village, and Galadriel tries to reassure him that his heart was good. Let the burden go.

Their talking stops when orcs with torches search the woods. After a moment of suspense, the orcs move on.

(Theo’s pessimistic attitude and his sense of self-blame remind me of Nori’s previous scene. They are similar in their depression and doubt, and their beats should be grouped together. Therefore, we need to move the Switch back a bit.)

The Eye (Part One)

Episode Seven of The Rings of Power begins . . .

ONE

An ash-coated eye opens. It’s Galadriel, pulling herself up in slowmo from the village ground. Through the orange air and embers, she calls out for Halbrand and Elendil. Theo finds her.

TWO

Isildur and the Queen strain to lift a beam off of Valandil. Ontamo, next to him, is dead. Hearing cries, the Queen directs the soldiers to help her rescue people trapped in a burning building.

THREE

They escape, but the roof falls on Isildur.

Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

I present to you the perfect Christmas movie. Don’t be discouraged by the black-and-white photography. It brings a pleasant sense of nostalgia, and the story will captivate you so quickly you’ll forget you’re not watching color. Let’s take a quick dive.

ONE

As credits roll the camera follows a man in a fedora who walks the streets of New York City. It’s like a charming time capsule. At a certain point I start to wonder how they managed to shoot this when steadicams didn’t yet exist. If you’ve ever pushed a camera dolly, you’ll be astounded at what they accomplished here.

Reveal that this bearded man is (probably) Santa Claus in modern clothing.

Udûn (Part Two)

Episode Six of The Rings of Power continues . . .

SWITCH

Arondir realizes that the villagers have killed their own people, the ones who left to join Adar.

FIVE

The real attack begins.

Udûn (Part One)

Episode Six of The Rings of Power . . .

ONE

Adar plants seeds in the forest mulch while his orc legion awaits his orders. He gives them a rousing speech. (Haha, there’s Waldreg standing among the horde, looking uncomfortable.)

Leading them to the watchtower, Adar opens the fort’s door to find the compound empty.

As they search, we see Arondir hiding behind a door. Adar finds the sacrificial altar.

TWO

Standing with him, Waldreg asks what happened to Sauron? The question is interrupted by Arondir shooting arrows. He’s booby-trapped the compound, bringing down the tower and closing the orcs inside. Stones fall toward Adar.

At the base of the waterfall, Bronwyn and her people see the tower collapse and cheer the success of their plan. They return to the village to prepare for the orc survivors.

GEORGE RUSSELL, FIVE

The second season of The Gilded Age has begun and I’m enjoying it as much as I did the first. Looking over the Enneagram studies I did last time for the major characters, I think they’ve held up well. Someone I didn’t discuss is Bertha’s husband, George. Why didn’t I include him?

He doesn’t immediately speak his Enneagram number to me. When I think about him I wonder if he’s a Null? He’s so good, I hope that’s not true.

He has a placidity that leads me to Nine, but he doesn’t shy from conflict. Bertha is conflict. Her ambition requires it. His own business of finance leads him into many conflicts and he shows no sign of discomfort. Basically, he’s too ruthless to be a Nine.

He doesn’t have the impetuous temper of an Eight, nor the epicurean interests of a Seven. He doesn’t have the vivacity of a One, nor the wit of a Four. He can’t be a Three, that’s Bertha’s character. I see no sign of a Two’s collection. He’s too bold for a Six.

That leaves us with a Five. Really? Could that be true? First of all, that luxurious beard is not Five-ish. It’s Nine-ish. However, he has a cold attitude, an emotional distance from workers’ problems, that is Five-ish. It could also be why Bertha’s social intensity doesn’t bother him. Business is business. The way he looks at the maid when she sneaks into his bed is very Five. He almost laughs at her, then sends her quickly away. Also, to not tell Bertha about the maid is very Head Type. The emotions she feels when she learns — envy, anguish, embarrassment — aren’t something he can foresee. In his opinion the maid was silly and he handled the issue.

Well, I’m surprised. I still say that someone — showrunner or actor — is mixing in a little too much Nine, but I’m willing to declare George a bona fide Five. I didn’t expect that. Now, I’m quite excited! I can see the Mr. Darcy peeking out around his edges.

Partings (Part Two)

Episode Five of The Rings of Power continues . . .

SWITCH

Kemen speaks to the Chancellor and tries to convince him that the people would follow his lead. The war is a return to the old, elf-friendly ways. Kemen wants to stop it.

The Chancellor, playing the long game, schools him on waiting.

The Queen meets with her father in the tower. Thinking he’ll be pleased, she tells him she’s traveling to Middle-Earth. He prophesies “darkness” for her.

FIVE

Nori reports to The Stranger that everyone’s happy about what he did with the wargs. His hand in a puddle, he whispers weird words, freezing the water around his fingers. The ice travels up his forearm. Worried, Nori tries to interrupt by grabbing him but her hand becomes trapped. In some kind of trance, he doesn’t notice as the ice branches onto her arm. His voice increases in intensity, the corona of Starfall flashes, and Nori is tossed free. When The Stranger checks on her, she dashes away. Threatening music intensifies.