LINE — One night on a long-haul, international flight, a faulty plane is forced to land off its course, leaving a few passengers from around the world stuck in the same, far off place. Over a few days in a troubled hotel, the passengers connect and then decide to stay and start a life and business together during what becomes a historic time in that new and different place.

The ploT.

“Bound” for adventure.

— The first meaning in the So Far Bound name is the idea of going somewhere and all the things that can follow. The inciting action for the entire story is that the characters all decided to catch a flight to someplace new to them, and that action of traveling shapes the central plot of the series: expedition. Over time, we’ll see the characters discover, explore, settle and then advance or fall in their new world. They’ll try to build lives and a business in a place exotic to them and also become intertwined in the city’s changes in the upcoming months and years.

A reference for the plot line is 100 Years of Solitude. I know; it’s one of the greatest books ever, so of course it’s not a comparison, just something to look up to. In the book, Jose Buendia founds the fictional town of Macondo and the history of his family and of the town ensues. That story is told over decades, whereas Bound focuses on a roughly five-year period, but each has acts of building and disruption and feature a wide array of characters.

The story.

“Bound” to others.

— The other meaning of the So Far Bound name is the idea of being tied to or connected with others. Once the characters find themselves stranded, they’ll each make way to the same hotel, and from there, we add a second shape to the story: the evolution of a found family. Within the the hotel (and the city), the passengers will cross paths, attach, and grow in harmony and in conflict with each other. Together - but each in their own way - these strangers will try to have new (but also familiar) life in a different and dynamic setting.

A reference for the story line is The Sun Also Rises. The book follows a group of American and British immigrants in Southern Europe in the aftermath of the First World War. In fact, early on the character Robert Cohn asks Jake Barnes if he’ll go with him to South America, to find some sort of meaning or excitement. So Robert doesn’t go where he expected and instead the gang sojourns through Spain and come up against past and present outlooks and intentions. Their movement is more reckless than regulated.

The outlOOK.

— Today, Bound is outlined at five seasons and the objective would be to complete those seasons, on time, over five years. Below is a breakdown of how the series might generally play out. Of course, it’s all always up for change during the course of development, and so, for now, keep the summaries shorter and broader.

PART 1 / Go.

— The first season tracks the arrival and then discovery of a new world (for the characters). It details the first days after landing, then a rowdier “on holiday'“ period before moving into ideas on why and how to stay more permanently.

PART 2 / Keep going.

— After the long, honeymoon (sometimes nightmare) period is over, we get into the real trials of trying to build up a life in a place that’s different to what the characters are used to. By the end, they should be settled in home and business (sort of).

PART 3 / Let go.

— Time and events further cement the characters into their new world and, in some cases, further to each other (here comes a wedding!). As a result, older ideas and identities are shed, or maybe, just layered onto.

PART 4 / Go, again.

— With the perspectives and consequences of all that’s come before, the characters start to embark on a newer and maybe crazier venture. By the end of the season, there’s a full push into that new direction/endeavor.

PART 5 / Go off.

— Characters go further in their new endeavor and soon come up to the bottom line of it all.