Relationship-First Initiation
An opening that establishes how the two characters know each other before anything else — a line that names or implies the bond.
Known for
- 'Dad, you don't have to pretend to like her.' — one line, relationship, conflict, stakes, all at once.
- Often paired with emotion — 'relationship-and-emotion first' is a common pedagogical framing.
- Considered by many teachers the strongest default — scenes without relationship drift into situational comedy that never lands.