John and Craig examine why and how writers need to make bad things happen to their characters, and the ways in which hero suffering differs between features and television.

We also answer listener questions about WGA jurisdiction, becoming a signatory, timing a script for television, and why all scripts aren’t available online.

Then in our bonus segment for premium members, John and Megana discuss why she picked this episode to replay, what she’s learned from the archives, and how to follow up on a general meeting.

Links:

• The Team America: World Police puke scene, with some bad language
• The opening of Finding Nemo
• Aslan’s sacrifice in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
• Can We Stop Suicides? by Moises Velasquez-Manoff for the New York Times
• The environment in Red Dead Redemption 2
• Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!
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• John August on Twitter
• John on Instagram
• Outro by Michael O’Konis (send us yours!)
• Scriptnotes is produced by Megana Rao and edited by Matthew Chilelli. And special thanks to Megan McDonnell, the original producer of this episode!

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You can download the episode here.