Pilot logline: In 1961, a British double agent is blackmailed with his past crimes by a duplicitous former colleague, and forced to confront some old faces, as he becomes a pawn in the entrapment of a suspected Nazi war criminal, now an American jet-setter living on the French Riviera.

A Nazi is not the protagonist.?

The protagonist a former double agent.

He is a British thief (a rags to riches, Catch Me if you Can chameleon) who was thrown into a Parisian prison when the Germans invaded. To save himself and get out of jail – he agrees to spy for the Germans (whether he is genuinely on their side or plans to sabotage their mission is left mysterious/ambiguous. That’s what makes the character work).

However, on his first assignment – he is captured and turned into a British spy. The interesting thing with the character is the ambiguity – as sometimes he comes across as a selfless patriot and sometimes a self-serving opportunist. We’re frequently made to question “necessary evils” and “the greater good” – both ongoing themes. He is, from the start… a libertine. A rogue. A free agent. A maverick, etc. A man who doesn’t like being controlled and likes his freedom.

The thing he’s haunted by – he fell madly in love with a German agent and then killed her to complete an assignment. He betrayed his German superiors big time and his British superiors had to kill him off and give him a new alias. He has been retired, living a joyless existence, on the French Riviera when he’s summoned back to action and seduced into another mission – by the thrill and the excitement. He is, in his words, “made” for this kind of work.

Later on, he is betrayed by his British superior (who, we don’t know just yet, if he’s a free agent or working for someone else, etc) and literally made into a human puppet. However, the protagonist, at the end of the episode, is revealed to be playing his own game and says that “he is no one’s puppet”. He is going to play the American expatriate, his Nazi/German friends, his British superior/the government agent against each other. Get the girl and run away with the gold (as you do).

In my latest rewrite – I’m keeping his backstory mysterious. We learn about him as it goes. The others are also complex.

What’s interesting about his American counterpart (the American expatriate and suspected Nazi war criminal) – he is a double agent, as well. He also made some terrible heart-wrenching decisions for “the greater good”. However, he is tragic. He’s the kind of guy who would do anything to save his tail. He even sacrifices his daughter (who he stole when she was a baby) to save himself (or so we think). ?Once again – there’s more to the story. Francis is the kinda guy who’d partner up with whoever is the most powerful person in the room. He’s weak and would do anything to survive (or so we think).

He’s being blackmailed by his former German superiors the same way our protagonist is being blackmailed by his British superiors. They are alike. However, Francis had to make far more heart wrenching decisions. It is forever ambiguous. A grey area. Maybe his crimes are a “necessary evil” and for “the greater good”? Perhaps he had to kill someone to save others? However – all we know is that he can’t stop drinking and is desperate to forget. (I’ve considered a twist being perhaps he’s still a double agent and leaking information to the good guys – however he’s sacrificed his soul/life in the process).

Anyways – there’s a lot of layers and a lot of patsies. A lot of reveals. A lot of sacrifice.

The main villain is a government agent who is nameless (his name is Mr. X). Smug, arrogant and an omniscient presence throughout. I think he’s terrifying being nameless. He’s also a nod to Donald Sutherland’s character in JFK.

But yeah – what did everyone think of the logline above? Is it a little more proactive?

Hey guys. Thanks for the feedback…

Well, I?ve already written it so I?m not changing anything too much. I?m not sure about including Great Die-Up. I dunno how well known it is nowadays but I agree ?harsh winter? can be quite generic and meh. (Worse case scenario, they can google it).

It?s set over Christmas 1886. I did my research into the blizzard and it would stop for hours at a time. My antagonist is a real driven, masochistic, macho guy who pushes his posse is ?keep on pushing? – it’s not impossible for them to be running around outside during a blizzard but certainly crazy which sums him up.

It?s mad I?ve done so many loglines – I?m genuinely unsure which one is the best. I?ve probably had requests as well as criticisms from each of them. It?s mad ha.

Okay? how about…

A frontiersman with a violent past must protect the family he?s taking refuge with from a corrupt U.S. Marshall and his posse, who under orders from an unscrupulous company, wants their land; all set against the backdrop of the Great Die-Up 1886.

(Admittedly – this does sound like one of my earlier ones which makes me wonder if I’m going backwards ha).