Succession Season 4: The Difference Between Plot & Structure

Succession Season 4: The Difference Between Plot & Structure This week, we are going to do a deep analysis of Succession, Season 4, Episode 1. There will be spoilers, but only for Episode 1.  This is actually my fourth podcast on Succession, and there’s a reason for that. There is so much you can learn from this show– as a screenwriter, as a TV writer, as any kind of writer– because the writing is just so extraordinary.  In my previous Succession podcasts, we’ve broken down the engine of Succession and how it actually relates to the engine of some very different shows like Arrested Development and Gilligan’s Island. We’ve talked about the use of subtext in Succession, and done a really deep scene analysis to show you how to use subtext in your writing. And we’ve talked about the engine of Succession as it relates to each subsequent season, and how each season is designed to feel the same but also different.  But today, we’re going to be talking about something bigger. Yes, we’re going to be talking about engine, and how Episode 1 of Succession Season 4 relates to Episode 1 of Succession Seasons 1, 2, and 3. We’re going to talk about how that engine gets replicated now for a fourth time. But that’s only the beginning. Today, we’re also going to use Succession Season 4 as a model to understand one of the most foundational concepts that you can learn as a screenwriter: the difference between plot and structure.  Plot and structure, when looking at a screenplay, tend to be used interchangeably– but they are actually very different. So what is the difference between plot and structure?  Usually when screenwriters come to me– whether they’re coming for a Master Class, ProTrack, or even our Foundation Classes– they generally come with a problem. And those problems tend to fit into two different categories.  You get the screenwriters who come and say, “Jake, I’m so good at character but I suck at structure.” And then you get the other group of screenwriters that say, “Jake, I’m so good at structure, but I really suck at character.”  While there may be the rare exceptions, generally both of these types of students are wrong.  Structure and character are inextricably tied together. You cannot build structure without character, and you cannot build character without structure.  The reason for that is psychological: we are what we do.  You are the choices that you make, that’s what makes you a character. That’s what makes you someone to root for. You are the choices you make, in relation to the things that you want, and the obstacles you face. And you are the unique way that you make those choices. That’s who you are. And it is actually choice that gives structure to your life. In the same way, it’s a choice that gives structure to your character’s life.  Structure is just the process by which we change, or fail to change, by which we break our patterns or by which we repeat our patterns, by which we go on a journey or by which we refuse to go on a journey (which, by the way, is its own journey).  So, structure, at its simplest level, is “I want this.”  As soon as you decide you want something, you’re likely going to realize that it’s harder to get than you expected. Or maybe you get it without much challenge, only to realize that it comes with unexpected consequences which make your life hard.  Those challenges may seem like a bad thing,