A) Show Concept

Camp Cool (a riff off camp movies, sets up satirical tone)

Following an alcohol-induced incident, David is court-ordered to be a camp councillor where he grapples with responsibility and upholding his status of class clown.

The show would be a satirical comedy mostly, poking fun at my generation of (American) teenagers and have elements of drama. It would mostly cater to younger adults but could also appeal to older people through nostalgia. That is the nostalgia of high school camp shenanigans and camp movies. The show would follow a coming-of-age and family matters story world but would touch on office/9–5 elements. The story engine would be trapped together (for campers and David) and fool vs. the world (as David is the “fish out of water” character).

Belonging is the overall theme. I think the overall question of the show—what David needs to realise—is what belonging actually looks like. David’s in a rut and he needs to realise this to feel actual belonging instead of fake friendships.

David’s flaw is he is that he is stuck in this loop of self-destructive behaviour in the name of social status. He grew up in a more sheltered (religious) environment and began to rebel, even going to college to escape his parents’ control. Though, he doesn’t really know how to act around other people and turns to this self-destructive behaviour for a sense of belonging. He wants this belonging and to be this status symbol but needs to realise the façade he lives and what true community looks like. David would mostly come up against episodic conflicts that span an episode or two. One idea I have is that David would encounter campers with drugs and/or alcohol and would have to try to coerce them to hand it over. It wouldn’t be easy as the campers would force him to take some of them in return. Alternatively, he could easily confiscate the items and have a secret binge. David is meant to stay sober and is subject to random drug tests. In the following episode, David would learn that there’s a drug test coming up and faces his next hurdle: avoiding the drug test. Another less developed idea is that the camp has financial strain which David feels he needs to step up and take charge of.

The transformational map for David is:

David learns what true belonging and community looks like through his court-ordered role as a camp councillor for high schoolers as he attempts to gain cool points among them, by feigning responsibility and vying to be liked—even if it means risking his court-ordered sobriety or freedom. Through his journey of episodic conflicts, David transforms into a sober, more responsible adult though is still self-centred and selfish.

I feel this show speaks to me through its satirical tone. David represents the high school class clown archetype, which I feel everyone knows. The class clown has potential, they just might not know it yet. I’ve seen this in my own high school (class clown grows up into an actual human) and think it’s a fairly common phenomenon. I believe, post-COVID, everyone kind of became versions of the same people. That is, people have similar goals or mindsets and try to keep up appearances to fit in. David is one of those people who feels the need to put on a front to be cool, but simply needs to move out of this mindset. He does somewhat through the series.

B) Reflection

I don’t think I can accurately judge whether I would watch the show or not. I think if I had actual story beats (episodic or seasonal) and plotlines written out, I would have an easier time coming up with an answer. In its current form, I would probably watch it at least to try it out. I couldn’t actually determine if I would without a fully formed pilot. I do however think this show may be better as a 90-minute comedy movie as opposed to a series spanning one or more seasons.

A) Story Engine & Story World

The show explores three world types. First and foremost, the show explores the typical 9–5 adventures of an American camp councillor in the 2010s, from the ups and downs of ratty teenagers and justifying substandard food to cleaning humid outhouses and vying to be liked through humour and relatability. The show does so through David as a classic fish out of water. Secondly, the show explores David’s coming of age story, which is enabled by his wound and flaw. David’s wound is that he grew up in a religious household and, as he got older, began to rebel and even used college as a means to escape. Finally experiencing ‘life’, David is stuck but isn’t aware nor wants to be unstuck. He feels he belongs, fits in, and has community but is too disillusioned by his destructive behaviours (alcoholism, partying too hard) and the attention it gets to realise his being stuck. Finally (and less apparently), the show explores the idea that family matters. While the other camp councillors mock David’s performative, cocky, egotistical, and nonchalance entering the job, it will soon become apparent to David that these peers are exactly what he’s been looking for—community and true belonging.

The show involves a few story engines. For one, there is no escaping the campgrounds for both David and the campers. Neither want to be there but are trapped together, forced to interact. Being the fish out of water, David is the fool vs. the world and doesn’t know what’s coming. Thinking he has it all figured out, David causes conflict among campers and peers, and ultimately with himself. Initially, David has a plan to become the chill councillor, but ultimately fails after recognising that his tactics won’t gain either respect or cool points. Hence, he has a season-long problem, hurdling the balance between being liked and an authority figure. Over the course of the show, David recognises his real problem, that he simply isn’t likable and needs to change his ways.

B) Episodic Analysis: Suits (2011–2019)

Suits is set in the 2010’s, primarily in a New York City law firm, Pearson Hardman. The show focuses on the 9–5/office setting, following the hours of work suffered by lawyers, while also expressing the notion that family matters. This is through the harbouring of Mike’s secret which becomes an issue for every higher-up as they oscillate between upholding their status as one of New York’s best law firms and keeping Mike’s secret to ensure he stays a productive worker, and their internal dialogue which tells them that doing so is not only unethical but illegal. The target audience for Suits is young adults and adults. Especially those with a legal background or enjoy romantic workspace comedy/drama.

Initially Suits begins as a ‘new “blank” of the week’ or whodunnit storyline, featuring a new legal proceeding to be taken care of. As the show progresses it becomes more and more a buddy love story in the form Mike and Harvey’s mentor-mentee relationship. The show also transforms into a fool vs. world narrative, as Mike’s secret slowly spreads around the office, causing inner conflict with the ever-ethical Louis Litt and buzzing former named partner, Daniel Hardman. These conflicts grow and eventually become detrimental to the firm and its staff. With Mike’s secret, the show is ultimately forms a ‘dude with a season long problem’ tale as he not only has to keep the secret within the confines of the firm but also within his relationships at the risk of his job, love life, reputation, and freedom.

After being expelled from law school for selling the college Dean’s daughter test answers, Mike Ross, a 20-something-year-old bike messenger works for his drug-dealing best friend Trevor and runs a side gig where people pay him a fee to pose as them in their LSATs which he can do utilising his photographic memory. This is his flaw: while everyone else is progressing in life, Mike feels stuck and unsatisfied by his life, but that’s soon to change. On the way to a drug-drop, Mike recognises a potential setup and runs to another floor of the building to escape his pursuers and happens to run straight into a group of law firm interviewees and poses as one of the candidates. Digging his hole deeper, top lawyer, Harvey Specter takes initiates a mentor-mentee relationship with Mike despite not having taken the bar exam, let alone graduated from law school. This lack of certification is later revealed to Harvey who covers up the ordeal, thus becoming ‘Mike’s secret’. This becomes the flaw throughout the series as Mike is forced to lie about his education and qualifications and yet later feels stuck again. Mike’s wound is that his parents were killed in a car accident caused by a drunk driver when he was young and wasn’t fully able to actualise his grief. So, he began acting out at school despite having the ability and desire to go further. He studied to become a lawyer (only to be expelled) for the chance to give others what he didn’t have, justice for his parents’ deaths, which is what he feels (his ‘want’) will get him out of the rut he’s in. So, what does Mike need to learn? For one, he holds onto the past and isn’t mentally or emotionally available and begins to push his peers and love interest away. This is only exacerbated by his ego which inhibits his progress romantically and in life, feeling stuck with his secret. He ultimately needs to realise that his focus on being the perfect lawyer (for justice) is detrimental to his mental health and sanity.

I personally love this show because of its characters’ depth. Each character has their own series-long arc and often ensemble cast members are brought back for larger story beats to keep the drama going. I also that the characters balance each other out. Donna for instance is the comedic relief to Harvey’s dramatic pessimism, while Jessica and Rachel keep Louis and Mike grounded, or how Harvey’s ego humbles Mike. I also just like workplace drama.