THE AFFLICTED O e e e K P age E
ONAL CONNEC ION: Mental illness has been a significant theme in m life for as long as I can remember. Growing up with ADD, Anxiet , and briefl OCD, I trul learned the ins and outs of therap and bore the burden of tr ing to hide m conditions from others. I learned how to take a deeper look at m self and others and eventuall developed a passion for ps cholog that brought me to major in it. I also chose to do a coordinate major in Digital Media Production so that I could share the untold stories of others through television. Through man sessions, I came to reali e that m disabilities didn t have to make me less than an one. I stopped hiding and began to open up about what made me different, and in turn, I gathered support and learned a lot from others. I stopped seeing these diagnoses as impairments and more as wa s that I stand out. I spent ears testing out the best methods to cope with them. Other than m self, I have man friends who have a mental illness of some capacit and struggle in wa s that people often don't know/talk about. Man friends have opened up to me about having eating disorders, severe depression, bipolar disorder, and other afflictions throughout their adolescence. In high school, I participated in a club that promoted and orchestrated the sociali ation of students with developmental disorders such as Autism. I observed as the class helper as the communicated with one another in a group setting and were able to form bonds with each other over the simplest things. I helped one of m best friends through a diagnosis of bipolar disorder and stood b her as she tried out various combinations of medications to find the best fit, embarked on an endless search for a good therapist, and had a prolonged blackout ending in hospitali ation. These experiences, as well as m own, have brought me to write about the afflictions of four characters as the enter their first ear at college. I m passionate about this project because I m confident that it will promote the normalc of seeking help and show the importance of rel ing on others, all while entertaining the masses. LOGLINE: T e A c ed is a oung adult drama about four students navigating their first ear at college, finding themselves falling into an unlikel friendship with one another, brought together b the one thing that the all have in common: being different. NO
I : Think De a and S meet T e B ea a C b: Both shows focus on the hectic lives of teenagers in Canada and the U.K. This show, set in a college in a big cit in the U.S., is about five ver different characters who face disabilities, mental illnesses, and more. Forced into therap sessions for various reasons, the students, a long wa from home, rel on one another to survive their first ear of college. It s an ensemble cast with multiple points of view, each
episode centering on a different character and repeating once for a total of 10 episodes. There is one adult main character who is the mentor or parental figure for these kids. Although he is the main source of advice for them, he has quite a few underl ing problems himself that are revealed to the audience, but not to the students. Through weekl sessions with the counselor, the students all learn various personal details about one another. The central themes are honest , lies, disabilit , sexualit , love, famil , mental health, outh, conformit , and fitting in. The tone is dramatic, dr l comedic, and relatable. The time period is present. The show is set at a college campus in a large cit .
O
LEAD...
Hunter Bainbridge (19) Hunter is no stranger to pretending to fit in. He s been doing it nearl his whole life. There was a brief time when he had no trouble with it at all. As an onl child in a cold and lonel mountain range in upstate New York, Hunter found that he had lots of time on his hands. As a kid, he had multiple friends who would join him in digging up earthworms b the creek behind his house. He alwa s despised bugs but participated in the wholesome activit for the mere sake of conformit . Over the ears, he developed a morbid fascination for crawl creatures, appreciating their abilit to exist without being noticed, with the exception of six curious bo s and himself. He studied animals and insects and began spending copious amounts of time outdoors. His growing obsession with the outdoors undoubtedl brought him closer to his father, a recovering alcoholic with a knack for fl fishing and hiking. The d take trips to Woodstock, where the two of them would chase rattlesnakes and skip rocks at sunrise. Hunter also has a good relationship with his mother, a strong female figure and breadwinner of the famil . The three of them live in a small house towered over b an enormous silver silo in a quiet town that s both mountainous and rural. A desire to please and a pent up tolerance to drinking won him a spot in one of the universit s top fraternities. He tries to sta as uninvolved in it as possible, avoiding the unwanted attention that comes with it. Surrounded b one hundred and sixt gu s considered to be the coolest on campus, he uses his membership in the organi ation as an opportunit to observe what normal is so that ma be one da when his self-esteem isn t lower than his GPA, he can attempt to mimic it. Hunter s adjustment to a new environment wasn t an eas one. Between fulfilling general ed requirements and dodging chapter, Hunter finds his time alone to be more anxiet -inducing than ever. Although he s grown up in a constant state of isolation, the chaos that is a college campus makes living alone a bit more lonel and unbearable than it was in the valle . He knows getting more involved with his fraternit would keep him bus and certainl less lonel , but he believes he ll mess it up. The friends he does have aren t genuine; instead of taking an interest in his life, the disregard his addiction, use his house to throw parties, and his fraternit social status to advance their own agendas. Although he enjo s the people watching that comes with
going to school in a loud and bus cit , he often finds himself missing the tranquilit of the Catskills where he grew up. After months of waking up with the need for a drink, Hunter knew he needed to do something. He began attending Alcoholics Anon mous and has been sober three months, making his involvement in Greek life even more complicated. He has trouble having deep conversations with people because he fears that he ll come off as bothersome or cling . Because of this, he also fears the possibilit of getting into a relationship and avoids the opposite sex at all costs, convinced an one would run the second he screws something up. His growing anxiet also makes him fear the act of sex itself. Being painfull aware of his social awkwardness, he is constantl stud ing people to tr to find a wa to fit in more than he alread stands out.
HEME : Be ca ef l ho o choo e o This show isn t onl about those with mental illness. It s also about respecting the privac of others and knowing the difference between helping and using others. With one character s betra al, this theme is especiall explored in the first season finale and second season. We can all e a li le he a The true message at the show s core is that having a disabilit isn t a curse. Although it ma feel like it at times, ou aren t doomed to be at a constant disadvantage when compared to our peers. It is all a matter of how ou see ourself, others, and who ou meet along the wa . P oblem a e ea ie ha ed Although the characters are all different, ever one has something the re dealing with. Throughout the show, the theme of togetherness is explored as the characters stor lines become one through group therap . The characters learn the value of a support group as their problems cease to become just their own.
CHA AC E
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C a (M/38) the Universit s Counseling Center Ps chologist, is a nerd but highl social man with a big secret no one can seem to put their finger on. He poses as a mentor to the students, most of whom treat him with respect. I imagine him pla ed b Joseph Gordon-Levitt. H (M/18) is a sociall anxious and awkward alcoholic that drives Uber on the side. On top of his alcoholism, Hunter believes that he is cursed with an awkwardness, worse than an affliction or disabilit . Hunter is the kind of person who responds ou too when someone wishes him a happ birthda or to have a safe flight, neither of which occur ver often. He has the most trouble with people in the service industr and virtuall an emplo ee. He can t order
coffee without stuttering or make phone calls without having a minor panic attack. Being painfull aware of his social awkwardness, he is constantl stud ing people to tr to find a wa to stand out a bit less. In his side hustle as an Uber driver, Hunter whisks college socialites to and from parties that he avoids, making some extra cash while stud ing peers conversations and how the carr themselves. Besides sp ing on people for the sake of understanding them and consequentl learning the stud bod s deepest secrets, Hunter enjo s cooking in his single dorm room kitchen, reading Oscar Wilde, going to the g m, and attending universit organi ed camping trips. Other than these activities, the mundane pleasantries of da -to-da life are an endless source of miser for him. I imagine Hunter pla ed b actor Alex Lawther from B ac M . A (F/18) has dereali ation disorder because of how often she uses her VR headset. As a result, she barel does her schoolwork and never goes out because she alread spends her time doing all that in her virtual world. She has an altered state of awareness where she sometimes can t tell what s real and what isn t, spending ungodl amounts of time in her single dorm room, living in another universe. For Aimee, maintaining close relationships is difficult and frustrating. Her father left her when she was seven, and this undoubtedl left a dent in her heart, being the root cause behind her trust issues and an inabilit to reall get deep with an one. Aimee has explored her bisexualit in the virtual universe but is too scared to come out in the real world. I imagine Aimee pla ed b actor Willow Smith. T (M/19) is on the Autistic spectrum. He suffers from frequent miscommunications, but because he is ver high-functioning, man people don t recogni e that he has a disabilit . In high school, this caused him to often be made fun of, especiall when seemingl simple social cues such as e e contact would make him uncomfortable. Because his parents never went to college, Tro feels an extreme need to prove himself as an above and be ond student. Besides academics, sensor difficulties make the alread hectic college world louder and more overwhelming. The onl time Tro trul feels at peace is when he s pla ing ja . Because being in college has restricted this hobb of his, he s had lots of trouble adjusting. I imagine Hunter pla ed b Asa Butterfield from Se Ed ca . Ra a (F/18) is an exchange student from Spain. Raina's a huge stoner to the point of addiction (and knows it,) finding the addiction aspect to be consistentl interfering with her life and debilitating towards her major depressive disorder. That ceases to be her biggest problem when she finds out she is pregnant. It would be one thing if she had the courage to ask her mother to see a therapist, but she s smart enough to know the famil can t afford it. Besides marijuana, Raina has man outlets. One of them is kickboxing, which makes her feel powerful, strong, and free. She practices ever Monda at 7 am at her universit g mnasium. Whenever she s feeling depressed or overwhelmed, she da dreams about returning to her home countr , where she has fond memories of a careless life in the sun. I imagine Raina being pla ed b Cierra Ramire from T e F e .
HO
HE HO O K : The main locations are the character s dorm rooms, the college campus, Cla s office, and the homes of the characters through flashbacks. There is at least one session per episode, where we eventuall get to see all of the characters gathered in one place. Since the show focuses on a different character in ever episode, the majorit of the episode follows onl that character up until the end where the therap session is conducted (It starts with just Hunter and graduall becomes group therap as the characters join in with each episode.) This will take place within the last five to ten minutes of each episode, with the exception of the last one, where all the students bo cott group therap b not showing up. ILO : Each character essentiall has their own pilot episode, which shows how the end up at group therap with Cla . The first pilot is focused on Hunter as he moves into college. We see his neuroses come out, and he meets Cla , a newl hired specialist counselor for the Universit s Mental Health department, who befriends him and convinces him to join group therap . In Ra a s episode (E02), Cla catches her smoking in public, in tears after finding out that she s pregnant. He takes her back to his center and insists that she stop her green habit for the sake of the bab , but Raina is convinced she s somehow getting an abortion, regardless of the fact that she can barel afford to attend the school. In T s episode (E03), he tries out for ja band but is rejected after choking under social pressure. He ends up at group therap after a call with his mother sends her into a spiral of concern. In A s episode (E04), she goes to a college part for the first time and, after failing to go home with someone, concludes that the world she spends her time in is much easier than real life. After getting lost on campus and falling asleep in the group therap center, she wakes up to a meeting where all the characters are finall together. F
E E I ODE :
Future episodes focus on other characters, and then the season comes together with a twist and ends on a cliffhanger. Ever episode centers around a different character and is told from their perspective and view. We learn about their specific affliction, how the come to cope with it, and follow them on the journe of how the ended up in group therap . Unlike Hunter, who was scouted b Cla , most of the students are forced into the program b their parents. We know what the characters know until the ver end when it s revealed that Cla has been using the group s personal problems for his own creative gain. He s been writing a novel based on the kids afflictions and has sold it to a publisher for a massive amount of mone . Similar to the ending of A e ca H S A , one of the main characters exploits another character to gain fame. The difference is that the experiences Cla writes about don t belong to him, and the information isn t his to share. As individuals who identif as under the radar, the students are extremel alarmed when the learn that all their deepest secrets are about to be exposed.
When the kids reali e he has breached his medical ethics/their right to privac , the involve a local law er to investigate on the basis of the federal law HIPAA, which mandates the privac of information for patients. The law er tells them that b selling the private information about the kids lives for personal gain, Cla is effectivel opening himself up to a massive and serious HIPAA lawsuit. Angr and embarrassed b what was written about them, the kids initiall tr to stop the publication of the novel but soon reali e that the d be financiall better off b letting the publication proceed, letting Cla get rich, and then taking it all awa from him. The first season ends on the cliffhanger of whether or not the students will get justice. As for the second season, the format of the show will have completel changed. Because the characters have come together through both the multiple group sessions and in being wronged b the person the placed their trust in, the episodes will no longer follow each character alone, but the group as a whole. This new season will center on various goals for the gang as the begin their sophomore ear: obtaining justice, ensuring change for the school s therap program, maintaining the support the ve been providing one another, and opening the group up to the public as the students reali e there are man people like themselves who don t deserve to feel alone. O e a , a h i e hi h d be he ai f i e ea . P ai a d i e, ea e a i e i e ed e a ed e gh i da e e i i . Whe i i , he cha ac e a e ee a a hi g c e a e a ab e. Y g ad a d ad a i e ca fi d a a e a e he e cha ac e ega d e f hei di abi i ie a d e ha e a ha e e hi g a d ca a e a i e he a .