Jamie puts his hand on her shoulder. Sophie steps off the bottom step. She’s in the basement now. All three of them, in the dark, surrounded by the arithmetic of their father’s affection.
JAMIE: “What the hell is this?”
One of the most unrealistic aspects of bad family dramas is how easily characters walk away. In real life, and in good fiction, people stay in toxic family systems for decades. Why?
You have the characters. Now, you need the event. Family drama storylines usually ignite due to one of five high-pressure catalysts.