Written by Ali Laventhol
In any good story, conflict is the foundation on which the main character’s journey is built. Your main character wants something (goal) but something stands in their way (obstacle). The conflict derived from this “goal + obstacle” pairing provides the tension and fuel needed to move your story forward and keep it interesting.
But conflict is not limited to your main character. It should be infused in all your sub-storylines, relationship dynamics and in almost every scene. Keeping this in mind will help you avoid flat scenes and arcs that feel like they are treading water.
Let’s look at the opening episode of Apple TV+’s new hit series PRESUMED INNOCENT to see how writer/creator David E. Kelley put together a pilot brimming with conflict:
PRESUMED INNOCENT centers on Rusty Sabich (Jake Gyllenhaal), a chief deputy prosecutor in Chicago with a beautiful wife and two teenage kids. Although Rusty may be an arrogant workaholic, his life seems pretty great. That is, until the inciting incident turns his world upside down when a prosecutor in his office, beautiful, ambitious Carolyn Polhemus, is found murdered.
The Building Blocks of Conflict
1. rusty defies his boss
Rusty goes to the crime scene where he finds his boss, District Attorney Raymond Horgan, who tells him not to go in. Rusty goes in anyway.
[Even in this simple scene, there is a touch of conflict.]
2. professional rivalry
At the office, Rusty’s colleague, Tommy Molto, argues that he should handle the case. Nico Della Guardia, who is running against Raymond for his District Attorney seat, supports this idea which ignites serious pushback from Rusty and Raymond. Raymond assigns the case to Rusty stating that he’s the best lawyer for the job.
[This sets up a season-long conflict between Tommy and Rusty, professional rivals with a fraught history].
3. mysterious tension at home
At home, Rusty’s wife Barbara says something cryptic about how she will try to be there for Rusty, but she can’t go to Carolyn’s memorial.
[Notice the mystery embedded in this conflict. Why can’t she go to the memorial? Also notice that “conflict” doesn’t necessarily equal “fight” – sometimes it’s just one character who wants something facing another character quietly saying no.]
4. Political Barbs at the memorial
At the memorial, Raymond and Nico trade barbs about Nico’s press conference and his use of Carolyn’s death for his political gain. Rusty sees Carolyn’s ex and young son in Church and is surprised to learn she had a son. Rusty had no idea.
[This scene continues the conflict between the two factions in the District Attorney’s office and tells us there was conflict in Carolyn’s life, too.]
5. Tension with the medical examiner
Rusty goes to the morgue to speak with the medical examiner and ask questions about his report but starts off by accusing the M.E. of not being thorough. The M.E. responds with, “Go fuck yourself.”
[This could have been simply an evidence-gathering scene in which we gain a clue or two, but instead it’s written with unexpected conflict when we see that the M.E. absolutely hates Rusty based on their interactions over past cases, and vice versa.]
6. Differing theories
Tommy talks to Nico about Rusty’s theory that there may be a connection between Carolyn’s death and another murder case Rusty tried with Carolyn in the past. Nico is nonchalant and doesn’t think they should look into it. Carolyn’s case isn’t their case, he says. But Tommy’s reply is: “Not yet.”
[This scene escalates the stakes regarding the conflict between Raymond and Nico. If Nico wins the election, he will hand the case over to Tommy and then they can go full throttle.]
7. Prison Visit Confrontation
Rusty visits the man in prison who he put away for committing a murder with similar characteristics to Carolyn’s. His victim was tied up in the same way. Rusty tries to get this man to confess to being involved with Carolyn’s murder but is not successful.
[In this scene, the main character wanted something, tried to get it, and failed. Remember, when we see your character try for something and fail, we naturally root for them more. This particular conflict also escalates the stakes because what we don’t know yet is that Rusty knows he will very likely become a suspect unless there is someone else he can point to. By failing to secure this man in prison as a person of interest, the hot water Rusty’s in just got A LOT hotter!]
8. Flashback of Courtroom Conflict
FLASHBACK: We see the scene when the man in prison was found guilty in court. After hearing the verdict he lashed out violently at Carolyn and Rusty saying he never forgets a face. He lunges at her, threatens her and is restrained just in the nick of time.
[The use of physical conflict here increases tension and helps us feel for the victim.]
9. Marital Tension Revealed
That evening, Barbara asks Rusty if he is handling Carolyn’s case and wonders what will happen if it gets out that Rusty and Carolyn were romantically involved. Rusty pushes back, saying he needs to handle it because if it goes to Tommy, he will tank it to make Raymond look bad.
[The big reveal/twist here that Rusty and Carolyn were lovers isn’t entirely unexpected given the intense and intimate flashbacks Rusty has had up until this point. But now that we know for sure, the stakes are escalated and we have uncovered a significant aspect of Rusty’s character flaw (infidelity/deception), which has created conflict in his marriage. This scene also shines a light on the fact that there is now a very problematic conflict of interest in Rusty handling this case.]
10. Political and Personal Stakes Climax
Nico wins the State’s Attorney election. Raymond is out. That means, the case now goes to Tommy who is practically salivating. Turns out Tommy has received the fingerprint analysis and Rusty’s fingerprints were found at the crime scene. In front of Nico and Raymond, Tommy grills Rusty asks when he was last in Carolyn’s apartment. Rusty stammers that they had cases together. They often worked after hours. Tommy asks Rusty if he and Carolyn were romantically involved. Rusty calls Tommy a fucking hack, but is finally backed into a corner. All he can say is: “My personal relationship with Carolyn Polhemus is not relevant to this investigation.” Tommy then drops the bomb, letting him—and us—know that the pathology report came back showing Carolyn was pregnant when she died.
[This cliffhanger promises a boatload of conflict to come, as any good cliffhanger does. Rusty just became a suspect. Not only do we wonder if he killed her, but we’re dying to know how this news will create conflict in his other relationships: His mentor Raymond didn’t previously know about the affair. His wife Barbara thought the affair was over and is now going to find out, via the news of the pregnancy, that it wasn’t. If Rusty is charged with murder, his kids will find out all his secrets. And of course, the conflict with Tommy and Nico promises to make Rusty’s quest to prove his innocence a very difficult uphill battle.]
The opening episode of PRESUMED INNOCENT highlights the value of focusing on conflict for all your characters but especially your main character, both externally and internally.
Rusty’s external season-long conflict comes from his goal of proving his innocence and the many obstacles he runs into. His internal conflict stems from his guilt and remorse, and the decisions he’s made about keeping secrets.
So, ask yourself: Who and what is standing in the way of your character achieving their goal? And what is your character struggling with mentally and emotionally as they pursue their outward goal and how does this relate to their flaw? Those questions will help you develop a compelling story with plenty of conflict and momentum, allowing your script to stand out.
The best way to develop your project is to join a Script Anatomy class and get feedback. Check out the class calendar for details.
Ali Laventhol has been Tawnya‘s writing partner for over a decade, most recently as the Co-Executive Producer for My Life With The Walter Boys (Netflix), and Bel-Air (Peacock), as well as several Lifetime movies. She is a long time Script Anatomy instructor.
