ABSTRACT
Empathy is key in storytelling: in character development, in how it pertains to suspense and also draws the audience into a story, through our characters' needs and vulnerabilities. Both are vital attributes not only to sustain a balanced emotional life, healthy relationships and socialization, but also to build and sustain a dramatic TV series. Characters with voids are, to state the obvious, lacking something, which might be intelligence, physical strength or attributes that might make them feel more powerful/attractive, business acumen, friends, or love. Forgiveness requires us to let something go, something that emotionally has thrown us into some form of turmoil. Judgment can separate us, and our characters, from pure empathy and connection with people. HBO's multiple Emmy-winning Big Little Lies gives us several strong women who have major flaws, and do despicable things, and yet makes us care about them. Dolores' evolution is subtler and nearly impossible to talk about without examining the totality of her arc.
