Brett Longenbach
Creative Writing
February 17, 2015
Instruction Story

How To Tell White Bear

My friend summarized an episode of one of his favorite shows, Black Mirror, for me titled White Bear.

1. He started by explaining the time period and location in which the episode was set.

2. He then went on to set up the main character’s first arrival on screen.

“We first see the protagonist waking up due to an obviously painful headache. Her house is trashed, and there is a bottle of pills lying at her feet, forcing the audience to wonder if she attempted suicide the night before. As she stares into the mirror, it is revealed that she cannot remember who she is or what occurred the night before. Random flashes of memories arbitrarily flood the woman’s senses. She sees images of a young girl, a white teddy bear, and a man in the woods.”

3. The next set of plot points established the overall progression and theme of the story.

“As the woman walks outside, she notices many silent people watching and recording her every move with their cell phones. The woman attempts to get answers from the bystanders, but they remain mute. Just then, a man with a black ski mask drives over and pulls out a rifle from his backseat. He fires at our protagonist, missing her by just inches. As the woman escapes the shooter, she stumbles across another woman who seemingly is not under the same spell as the other silent people in town. She informs the main character that a signal broadcasted through television and phone has turned the townsfolk into inaudible, zombie-like filmers, while the few not affected have turned mad with power.”

4. My friend then told me the rising action of the story.

“The heroic woman then states that the only way to save themselves, as well as the people in their town, is to destroy the facility broadcasting the signal, called the White Bear. After a slight detour in which the two are kidnapped and nearly tortured in the woods, they arrive at the facility. Just as they are about to burn it to the ground, the man with the rifle appears and kills our brave sidekick. The protagonist valiantly tackles the man to the ground and takes the rifle from his hands. When she pulls the trigger, no bullets come out, only a large amount