big, dumb plane. whole new world.
Story frames.
NOTES.
— Broadly speaking, Horses has four storyline frames: 1) The evolution of a found family, 2) The relocation and resettlement of individuals, 3) The hotel venture and 4) the changing time of the setting. As of now, the series would move through these structures more casually, with longer and more serialized threads but also time for one-off adventures of the week — or, characters doing fun sh*t.
1. The Found Family.
— The primary pillar of the story is the evolution of total strangers becoming deeply intertwined in each others lives personally and professionally, while all being from, in some cases, starkly different places themselves. (Cue the banter).
3. The Wild Horse.
— A secondary story source is the hotel (and really the block) in which the characters live. At start, the hotel will be troubled and, uh, worn. How will the characters make it a home and also a business? The same can be said the bar/cafe that they’ll work in at the start.
2. The New World.
— The main source of plot material is the characters discovering and then establishing themselves in their new city. We can see them try to transfer elements of their old homes (i.e. careers, hobbies) into their new home, plus struggle with or embrace new customs.
3. The Critical Stage.
— There’s an idea that the setting (Lina) is undergoing change, or disruption, in the background. It wouldn’t necessarily drive story so much as it would be something that interferes and influences at times. Maybe later the characters will get involved.
SEASON OUTLINE.
NOTES.
— At present, the series is mapped out in 5 parts, or seasons, that take place over 5-6 years for the characters. Below, find an outline for the first part/season. … Parts 2-5 would follow a similar course-of-the-year blueprint as below, but, as so much can and probably will change, we’ll just outline the first part for now. (Episodes are written as half-hour).
PART 1: DISCOVERY
Block A / Episodes 01-04 / “Winter”
— After the plane makes its emergency landing, the characters form cliques and, while in waiting, each is drawn out into exploring the setting in some way. Meanwhile their hotel is in disarray behind the scenes and the city itself is about to have a meaningful event.
Block B / Episodes 05-08 / “Spring”
— A few weeks after the opening days of the story, we jump to a time of greater exploration and a bit of carelessness. The group is in full “on holiday” mode, further bonded by the momentous events prior and further boosted by having come out on the other side of it all.
Block C / Episodes 09-12 / “Summer”
— The fever dream / honeymoon period is ending and we’ve got to address some practical concerns. As they keep pushing back their leave dates, what of the characters’ strings back home? What of the logistical, lifestyle and, uh, legal concerns of staying longer abroad?
Block D / Episodes 13-16 / “Autumn”
— After almost a year the characters stand as makeshift citizens in their new city. The Wild Horse (hotel) is central to their lives and the setting continues to shift around them. They’ve become tied to this place and to each other and now, it’s time to really try to build something.
Interlude I / “Wedding”
— The “interludes” are an idea for a recurring special each season at its midpoint. They would feature the characters going outside of the setting (which they otherwise won’t really do). They’d mostly be self-contained adventures and likely be feature length (60-80 min).