Save the Cat rankings

Beloved script analysis

Beloved script - Save the Cat beat sheet analysis

Sethe, haunted by her past and a supernatural presence in her home, struggles to protect her family. Paul D’s arrival rekindles old relationships and introduces conflict. The emergence of Beloved forces everyone to confront buried traumas. Denver’s journey outward brings community support to break the house’s curse.

70 Save the Cat fit score 30% analysis confidence / 98 parsed scenes

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1

Opening Image

Scene 1 / Page 1 / 1% target

25%

Winter chaos at 124 Bluestone Road sets a bleak tone.

2

Theme Stated

Scene 4 / Page 1 / 5% target

30%

Baby Suggs longs for color, hinting that life’s vibrancy must be reclaimed.

Ah, winter in Ohio is especially rough if you've got an appetite for color.
3

Set-Up

Scenes 1-3 / Page 1 / 10% target

30%

We meet Sethe’s haunted house, her daughter Denver, and the oppressive past that haunts them.

4

Catalyst

Scene 6 / Page 1 / 12% target

30%

Paul D’s arrival disrupts the household’s uneasy balance.

Paul? Paul D.? Is that you?
5

Debate

Scenes 7-8 / Page 1 / 20% target

30%

Sethe and Paul D. debate the nature of the ghost and whether they can live with it.

6

Break into Two

Scenes 23-27 / Page 1 / 25% target

30%

The trio encounters and brings Beloved home, moving into the supernatural second act.

7

B Story

Scene 6 / Page 1 / 30% target

25%

Paul D re-enters Sethe’s life, forming the emotional B-story relationship.

8

Fun and Games

Scenes 25-36 / Page 1 / 40% target

30%

Beloved’s integration brings tenderness and play, exploring maternal bonds and family dynamics.

9

Midpoint

Scene 44 / Page 1 / 50% target

30%

Dinner confrontation reveals Beloved’s power and Paul D’s mistrust.

Best unbraid that hair.
10

Bad Guys Close In

Scene 46 / Page 1 / 65% target

30%

Paul D intensifies his interrogation of Beloved, escalating tension.

Ain't you got no brothers or sisters?
11

All Is Lost

Scene 76 / Page 1 / 75% target

30%

Sethe realizes that Beloved is her returned child, marking a low point of horror and regret.

I made that song up. I made it up and sang it to my children...
12

Dark Night of the Soul

Scene 88 / Page 1 / 80% target

30%

Beloved's violent outburst shatters the family’s fragile peace.

You don't sit with me!!
13

Break into Three

Scene 91 / Page 1 / 85% target

30%

Denver leaves to seek help, igniting the final act resolution.

14

Finale

Scene 95 / Page 1 / 95% target

30%

Community women confront the ghost at 124 and restore balance.

15

Final Image

Scene 98 / Page 1 / 99% target

25%

Baby Suggs’s final sermon on self-love closes the story on a hopeful note.