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Stephano and Gabriel (71)
Project: Nighttime soap (War of Joy)
Known as: No nicknames
Real name: Stephano Lake, Gabriel Cooper
Group affiliation: Lake family/Dulac toys; Cooper family/Spring Toys, respectively
Physical description: Both Stephano and Gabriel are now elderly gentlemen. Stephano seems to be trapped in the 60ies/70ies a little in his fashion choices, while Gabriel wears suits. They are both handsome and have a charismatic presence.
Personality: When they were younger, they were somewhat opposites. Stephano was creative and idealistic while Gabriel was calculating and pragmatic. They were both dreamers and visionaries, however, and were fast friends (feeling their differences complimented one another). They were interlocked in that Stephano was one of the few people who saw goodness in Gabriel, while Gabriel was one of the few people Stephano ever allowed to see his darker side. Their falling out occurred in part because their business heightened their differences (many an argument was over Stephano’s instinct to create something great and Gabriel’s instinct to succeed at business; this is somewhat mirrored in Joy and Melody in present day).
Time has taken some of the edges off their conflict and reduced the extremes of their personalities. Both have regrets, and both wonder why things that once seemed so urgent and important now don’t seem to matter so much. Stephano is still close with his family, while Gabriel is not (he’s somewhat disgusted by them). Their current dynamic is a hard one to classify. Each still carries at least some anger towards the other and both have a knack for getting under each other’s skin. At the same time, they both have tremendous affection towards one another that neither can admit. They are simultaneously each other’s worst enemy and best friend.
History: We’ve touched upon Stephano’s and Gabriel’s shared history in entries for other characters (the founding of the company and eventual rivalry between their companies). Going back further, the two met in college. On the surface, they should have never been friends. Stephano was an odd-duck artist and Gabriel was the athlete golden boy on campus. They took an introductory philosophy course together and their voices were the dominant debaters in the class. Their friendship formed here – each enjoyed being challenged by the other and found the other more interesting than most people they knew.
Beyond that, they had admiration for each other. Not that Stephano would ever admit it (he wore his outcast status like a badge of honor), but he admired and was a little jealous of Gabriel’s confidence, easy way with people, and success. Meanwhile Gabriel secretly thought Stephano’s ability to create beautiful things was the closest thing to magic that he had ever experienced. It was Gabriel that hatched the plan for them to go into business together, while Stephano pushed them towards toys. Their ending up in West Spring, IN was just happenstance (it had an inexpensive factory that met their needs and the right workforce).
The early years of the company were the happiest of their lives (though Stephano would tell you it was the birth of his children). They worked long hours but loved the work. They both thrilled at creating something from nothing and enjoyed how the community embraced them as job producers. The two of them were a well-oiled machine, their strengths and weaknesses interlocking perfectly.
Cracks eventually started to form. Both of them started families. Gabriel thought that Stephano spent too much time away from work, while also feeling judged by Stephano in that Gabriel neglected his (Gabriel’s) own family. Stephano thought Gabriel was making the wrong deals and was turning too often to sacrificing quality for profit. Egos also became a factor, as rather than seeing themselves as a partnership each started to develop feelings that HE was really the true driving force behind their success.
An event (see below) lead to a falling out and a battle for the company. Ultimately, Gabriel won control of Spring Toys (unsurprisingly; he was better suited to such conflicts). Stephano’s reputation did help him find financial backing for his own toy company (Dulac). Both stayed in West Spring, as each saw it as a key point in their conflict (who was the true hero of West Spring?). What followed was years of professional and personal conflict which was passed on to the next generation.
Eventually Gabriel and Stephano got out of their respective businesses. For Stephano, he realized that running the business took him away from the creative aspects he enjoyed more. He also realized that his daughter, Joy, was a better business person than him and she would need to take over things for Dulac to continue. Meanwhile, Clive manipulated things to oust Gabriel as he thought it was his destiny (in reality, Ethan did the key manipulating; Clive had the ego but not the talent). Gabriel and his son are unsurprisingly estranged.
Now both men are more reflective about their lives and seeking a bit of what they lost. Strangely, this has resulted in them meeting each other weekly (or more often). Each had missed talking with their favorite debater. So, they play games (usually, and perhaps too predictably, chess). Each episode will end with the two of them playing and having a discussion. Sometimes they will discuss what is going on in their children’s lives, giving perspectives on the conflict. Other times they will relive their younger years (revealing secrets to the viewer). Are they friends? Enemies? Why do they keep interacting? Probably Stephano and Gabriel would be the ones least able to answer those questions for you.
Some secrets and points of drama we may or may not encounter:
- We’ll learn what really caused the original falling out between the friends. It won’t be business nor greed but rather a mutual sense of betrayal (love affairs will be involved). Ego was certainly a contributing factor (who was the “genius” behind Spring Toys).
- I think maybe the above will be affairs with each other’s wives; though I have to think more about those characters (the wives) first.
- I’m toying (see the pun?) with the idea that Spring Toys manufactured a dangerous toy and were sued and that this was a big factor in the break (Stephano would be horrified and take an “I told you so” approach; while Gabriel would be defensive and overcompensate for the guilt he felt).
- Maybe someday they will start a business together again (something small/on-line). This might be the end of the series.
Role in the narrative: They are a framing device. Plus, they give perspective on the conflict of the younger generation (in the final analysis, is it all worth it?). Additionally, I can use them to reveal old secrets to the viewer. Finally, I want to show how people can evolve over time.
Abilities: Both are still intelligent and have more wisdom than they did in their earlier years. Stephano is still very creative, and Gabriel still has a mind for business (not that they get called upon).
Inspirations: This one is an out and out trope: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SmartPeoplePlayChess
100 Characters Blog 