Hello! Welcome to Power Ranking! I’m so happy you’re here!
You can find all Power Ranking posts here.
I am fascinated by power. Physics may govern our world, but power reveals it. Really, it reveals us: Why we seek it, what we’re willing to do for it, and how we wield it.
I know a little bit about power because I spent half my career working for people decades older and millions of dollars richer than me. I saw how people flattered and contorted themselves around my principals to get the things they wanted or needed from them. How they coveted my proximity to power, even though I had no authority of my own. And, of course, the freedom of movement my principals had that the rest of us mere mortals didn’t.
Sooner or later, on a small scale or large, we will all grapple with what we would or wouldn’t do for the sake of our own advancement. Anyone who thinks they’ve chosen not to play will inevitably find themselves caught in somebody else’s slipstream. There is no escape.
There are really only two kinds of stories: Stories about power and stories about love. Whether it’s the hero’s journey, a stranger in a strange land, a revenge tale, or a rags to riches journey, protagonists and antagonists since time immemorial have grasped at power for reasons base and noble, their failures and successes the fabric of humanity’s most epic tales.
These are the themes I explore as a screenwriter. I write about difficult people in difficult situations who pursue power for the sake of domination, security, prosperity, love, their relationships and loyalties tested in the process. One character’s red line is another’s starting point. I revel in the absurdity of horrible people doing horrible things to one another, not didactic morality plays.
But there aren’t many ways for me to share my work with the public. That’s where Power Ranking comes in. This is a way for me to share what’s going on in my brain, to own my own writing, and to connect with people who might be interested in what I have to say. Plus, when I do make my first film, you’ll be the first to hear about it.
Every other week, I’ll examine what a particular TV show, scripted and unscripted, or movie has to say about power. Some will be straight-up, good-old-fashioned power rankings. Others will be essays. Or first-watch liveblogs. Or weekly recaps. But no matter the format, you’ll get my take on who’s up, who’s down, and why we should care.
We kick things off with not one but two posts about HBO’s “Industry,” Mickey Down and Konrad Kay’s unflinching look at the intersection of capital and power.
- Power ranking: Industry Season 4: Every single sad sack ranked on their performance.
- Broken Mirrors: Harper Stern and Yasmin Kara-Hanani ended the latest season of “Industry” in very different places, but the lies they told themselves along the way aren’t so different.