Storytelling
Why Outlander Is the Show America Needs Now
How do the big differences between two of TV’s most talked-about prestige dramas reflect a vast gap in pop culture?
Storytelling
Why Stranger Things 2 Episode 1 Is Perfect Storytelling
Stranger Things 2 Episode 1 is a textbook example of how to kick off a new season of a beloved show. Here’s why its writing and pacing work so well.
Storytelling
How to Fix the Storytelling Flaws in Marvel’s Defenders
Marvel’s Defenders has some storytelling problems that could have been avoided. Here’s where it went wrong, and how it could improve in Season Two.
Storytelling
Why Riverdale’s Season Two Ratings Scored Big Buzz
The sexy absurdist hit TV series just did something no other CW show has done.
Storytelling
How Game of Thrones Defines Characters Through Actions
[SPOILERS AHEAD for the final episode of Game of Thrones season seven, “The Dragon and the Wolf.”] In the end, this short 7th season of Game of Thrones left us pretty much where we started: the army of the undead is still marching south, Daenerys and Cersei are still locked Read more…
Storytelling
Is Game of Thrones Violating Its Own Theme?
For a story that was built around unpredictability and innovation, its final chapters are deviating from what its fans have come to expect.
Storytelling
How Game of Thrones Uses Scene Structure to Reveal Character and Theme
From politics to survival, here are three ways the Season Seven premiere of Game of Thrones uses story structure to define its characters’ motivations.
Armchair Sociology
The Secret Ingredient to Every Great Story
Research shows there’s something even more important than happy endings.
Storytelling
What Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead Can Teach Us About Modern Storytelling
Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead take have so much more in common than zombies. In many ways, they’re almost the same show… and they’re not alone.
Armchair Sociology
The Meaning of Life According to Don Draper
Autonomy is a major theme on Mad Men. Who has more power to control your story and your life — is it you, or everyone else? For example, when the execs at ad agency Sterling Cooper learn their ad agency is about to be sold (again) at the end of Read more…