CAPSULE

The Series Bible

By
Jerome Aboujaoude

(323)331-6001
Jerome_aboujaoude@hotmail.com

Treatment Contents

I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
X.
XI.
XII.
XIII.
XIV.
XV.

Introduction
History Meets Science Fiction
A Scientific Revolution
Louis VS. Hans
Alfred
The Palace of Versailles
A Bloody Affair
The Informant
The Man in the Iron Mask
The Wild Card
The Time Machine
Broad Topics
Characters
Conflicts and Major Events
Epilogue

2.
I. Introduction
CAPSULE is an hour long drama series set in France. It
centers on HANS and ALFRED who accidentally discover a time
capsule in the palace of Versailles that sends them back in
time to the year 1682, during the reign of the most eccentric
man to ever rule over France, king LOUIS XIV.
The first season follows the Kings subsequent merciless and
barbaric attempt to establish an ABSOLUTE MONARCHY where he
wields total and unrestricted political and judicial power
over France and its people. As well as the effort of our time
travelers to try to stop him by plotting and attempting his
ASSASSINATION.
As I will do my best to demonstrate through this brief bible;
our rich and animated characters will leave us wanting to
spend more time with them, our beautiful settings will
present a fantastic journey for our eyes and our conflicts of
epic proportions will leave our imaginations exploited. It
may be true that I am utilizing themes that have been already
explored such as time travel and the overthrowing of
governments, but it is the combination of these elements that
make this series distinctive and distinguishable. Sure you
can have a peanut butter sandwich and you can also have a
jelly sandwich. But if you combine these ingredients then you
have a whole new sandwich.
II. History Meets Science Fiction
CAPSULE is based on a true story but it is then twisted and
formed into a fictitious tale of time travel, revenge,
betrayal, murder and bravery. It is a blend of HISTORICAL
DRAMA and FANTASY DRAMA.
If we had to label it as a genre show, CAPSULE would be
something of a HISTORICAL SCI-FI. Not to be mistaken with
Historical Fiction as we will distinguish ourselves from all
other existing historical dramas with the help of our time
traveling protagonists.
What were aiming for is an entirely fresh and exciting
concept. Although CAPSULE will contain many historically
accurate facts, it is far from a history book made into a TV
show. We are not merely recalling history here, we are
rewriting it and injecting it with a dose of science fiction.
Not only changing facts, but also adding a supernatural
element to them.
The purpose of this is to guarantee maximum...
UNPREDICTABILITY.
On this show, ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN.

3.

III. A Scientific Revolution

Whatever items Hans and Alfred were carrying when they
triggered the time CAPSULE were sent back in time along with
them.
These items include:
-

An iPad
Two iPhones
A back-pack and a briefcase
Two journals
A Mont Blanc pen
A solid gold Rolex watch
A wallet
A pack of chewing gum
A digital voice recorder
A lighter
A set of Walkie Talkies
A four-pack of AA batteries
A solar iPhone and iPad battery charger

Though sent back to the same time, Hans and Alfred appear in
different locations. Hans appears in Versailles where he is
captured and interrogated by Louis. Alfred on the other hand
appears on a REMOTE ISLAND, 100 miles off the coast of
Versailles and he in turn is captured by PRIMITIVE
TRIBESPEOPLE.
We will have the pleasure of exploring what it's like for the
King and for the primitive tribespeople to discover these
ITEMS FROM THE FUTURE. We will illustrate how opposed their
reactions are to receiving these items. The tribespeople will
initially reject them, believing them to be supernatural and
possessing demonic powers. The King however will be more
lenient towards accepting them and making use of them.
But how does Louis intend to figure out how to use them? They
are far too technologically advanced for him after all.
Louis will use his unlimited resources to employ lead
scientist and popular figure ISAAC NEWTON to assemble a team
with the purpose of discovering what the items are and how
they function.
When he finally figures out how to use the iPad, Louis
explores an encyclopedia application and uses the information
he finds to reproduce a number of modern inventions. He will
essentially have a catalogue of inventions to pick and choose
from that dates from 1682 to 2014. Of course, some inventions
are easily reproduced while others are virtually impossible.
The King will most certainly fancy giving himself credit for
inventing such things as electricity and the light bulb.

4.
IV. Louis VS. Hans
In our first major plot twist, Hans learns that it was Louis
who PLANTED the time CAPSULE that sent him and Alfred back
through time.
By traveling back through time, Hans lost everything he cares
for and everyone he loves. Essentially, his life was taken
away from him by the king. So he sets out on a quest for
revenge.
He will have to lead the King to believe that hes helping
him when he is secretly plotting his assassination.
A battle of wits will ensue between Louis and Hans and it
will become the crux of our series. So begins a cat and mouse
game where a lot of lies will be told, a lot of people will
be fooled and a lot of people will die.
The stakes in CAPSULE couldnt be higher. The fate of an
entire country and in turn an entire continent rests on every
decision our characters make. Characters that will be
motivated by personal causes rather than political ones.
V. Alfred
Why does Alfred appear on a remote island and does he
eventually find his way back to Versailles?
Having Alfred appear on a remote island is a strategic move.
First of all it allows for great viewing entertainment to
watch Alfred escape from the captivity of the tribespeople.
He will have to use his superior intelligence to fool the
tribespeople and play tricks on them.
It also allows us enough time to establish a relationship
between Louis and Hans. And it allows us to use Alfred as a
game changer when he does finally escape from captivity and
makes his way back to Versailles.
VI. The Palace of Versailles
Louis considers the palace of Versailles his greatest
achievement. It is the most extravagant palace to have been
built in the 17th century. It is where the King resides and
where the royal courtroom is, making the palace his home as
well as his office. The palace is also Louis playground.
He has a grandiose hunting ground where he goes to fire his
golden shotgun every day.

5.
He has a theatre stage where the most skilled and talented
artists from all over Europe appear to perform ballet pieces,
musical recitals and magic shows for him.
Louis also has a very intricate system of periscopes running
through the walls of the entire palace that allows him to spy
into any of the hundreds of chambers within the palace.
The palace of Versailles will be our home set and it will be
the location where a large number of our scenes will take
place.
VII. A Bloody Affair
Louis is appalled by his wife MARIA THERESA, the Queen of
France. He feels that way because the Queen cannot keep from
indulging her sweet tooth to the point of gluttony. While she
used to be in great physical shape some few years ago when
they married, she is now a little too overweight for the
Kings taste. Which is why Louis is almost always out paying
a visit to his mistress, MARQUISE DE MONTESPAN.
Marquise would like nothing more than to poison the Queen and
have the King all to herself. But the King strictly denies
her that pleasure because the ALLIANCE between France and
Spain relies entirely on his marriage.
To take matters even worse, the issue at large here is not
Marquise contemplating MURDER out of greed and lust. The
bigger problem is that the Kings love affair is made public
news. Everyone is aware that the King is cheating on the
Queen which makes the Queen feel extremely HUMILIATED. And
being a proud woman, she will not sit back quietly while she
is made into the laughing stock of Europe. Which leads me to
the next section of this bible.
VIII. The Informant
William III of England, the man who poses the biggest threat
to Louis' plans of absolutism, has an informant working for
him within the palace of Versailles.
When he receives word that Louis is keeping a man from the
future, he wastes no time in devising a plan to make contact
with Hans through his informant.
Who is the informant?
Well if you havent figured it out yet, the informant is none
other than... Queen Maria Theresa.
This is her way of getting even with the King for cheating on
her and publicly making a fool out of her.

6.

IX. The Man in the Iron Mask

Another man who poses a threat to Louis plans of achieving
an absolute monarchy is NICOLAS FOUQUET. Nicolas is next in
line to become the chief minister of finance, effectively
giving him control over how the king spends Frances money.
In order to prevent Nicolas from assuming this crucial post,
he accuses him of treason and provides fabricated proof to
support his claim.
He places Nicolas under arrest and orders D'ARTAGNAN, the
most accomplished musketeer in France and also his personal
body guard, to EXECUTE Nicolas.
However, in a shocking twist of events, when everyone
believes Nicolas to be dead, we learn that D'Artagnan failed
to complete his job and that the shot he fired only went as
far as to greatly disfigure Nicolas.
Nicolas wears an iron mask to conceal his disfigured face and
he returns as the popular figure known as The Man In The
Iron Mask seeking revenge from Louis.
X. The Wild Card
Since we've entered time manipulation territories, we've
allowed ourselves to explore the wonders of the butterfly
effect. This gives us the advantage to rewrite any event and
to introduce new characters, items and inventions at any
point in the series.
Basically, this is a guarantee that ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN on
this show.
XI. The Time Machine
Weve established that the title CAPSULE does not refer to
a pharmaceutical encapsulation, but rather to a time capsule.
One that was placed by an evil king to send two men back to
the year 1682.
But what exactly is the time capsule?
First of all, it is important to mention that it is not
simply one thing such as a machine or a device. It's more of
a formula, or a procedure where one captures and traps a
piece of time within an object that becomes the time capsule.
It is more like creating a one time portal into a specific
date rather than a time machine.

7.

The time capsule is limited in its capabilities and there are

rules to how it works. It cannot send people into the future,
only to the past, to the exact time of its inception. For
instance, if a time capsule is planted on June 1st 1682 then
whoever comes in contact with it will be sent back to June
1st 1682 no matter what year they're from.
This means that our time travelers are stuck in the past with
no way of returning to their time.
It is also important to mention that the time capsule was
invented by Claude Simeont Passement, the Kings former lead
scientist. Which explains how Louis was able to plant the
capsule that sent Hans and Alfred back through time.
XII. Broad Topics
Without getting sociological, CAPSULE will discretely portray
the INJUSTICE in social classes during 17th century France.
And without getting conspiratorial, CAPSULE will reveal the
LIES told by the heads of government in order to maintain
control and advance their personal agenda.
Louis has nearly bankrupted France in order to build the
palace of Versailles and turned a blind eye to the people
dying of hunger on the streets. Governmental corruption makes
it so that civil war is always around the corner. The rising
middle class feels stripped of its political voice and the
nobles feel their power shrink as Louis grants himself more
authority.
XIII. Characters
CAPSULE will feature a sprawling ensemble cast of characters.
Out of our eight main characters, six will be based on real
figures from historical records, while the other two will be
fictional characters.
There will be a guest star in almost every episode playing
characters such as Pope Innocent XI, the magician Joseph
Pinetti and even popular figures such as John locke and
Moliere. They will have somewhat of a central role to the
story or conflict that the episode bears.
Two of our eight main characters will be killed off by the
end of the first season. This will make for a much more
realistic and unpredictable show. It will also open up a door
to a whole new world of opportunities and a whole new set of
conflicts. Again, ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN on this show.

8.

Real life characters

Louis XIV
The king of France. His vanity is without limit and his ego
without restraint. He is convinced that he is a form of deity
and that he was chosen by God to rule over France. He is very
intelligent but also very childish. He is conniving and
manipulative, and will go to extreme measures to have his way
all the time. Although louis clearly seems to lack any
empathy for his fellow men, he has a deep love of art and all
things beautifully crafted. The only thing he loves more than
a beautiful painting is a beautiful painting of himself.
Clearly, Louis belongs in the dictionary by the definition of
the word psychopath.
Maria Theresa
The queen of France and first wife of Louis. She indulges in
her sweet tooth much too often and it is quite apparent in
her figure. Even though she's physically present it always
feels like she's absent because she's daydreaming all the
time and almost non responsive to anything happening around
her. Needless to say, shes very introverted and usually
keeps to herself. But as previously mentioned, she is not as
futile as she might appear to be as she is betraying the King
with his worst enemy.
Charles D'Artagnan
Louis' personal body guard and henchman. DArtagnan always
follows orders without question and possesses the most
advanced combat skills and techniques in all of France. He is
a moral and ethical person and always tries to be fair no
matter what situation he finds himself in, unless it involves
the greater good of France.
William III
Louis archenemy. He is the king of Holland, Zeeland,
Utrecht, Gelderland, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic.
William is cold, calculated and highly intelligent. His goal
is to eliminate Louis and overthrow the French government.
Marquise
The rich
entitled
in order
king all

de Montespan
and beautiful mistress of Louis. An Ambitious and
noblewoman who is not afraid to get her hands dirty
to get what she wants. And what she wants is the
to herself.

Nicolas Fouquet
The Kings political adversary. He was wrongly accused of
treason and thereafter executed... except he did not die. As
previously mentioned, he returns as the man in the iron mask
with a burning vengeance and nothing to lose.

9.
Fictional Characters
Hans
Our first protagonist to travel back to 1682. Hans is quick
witted and sarcastic which tends to get him into otherwise
avoidable trouble. He is Alfred's childhood friend. His
journey back to the past will greatly alter his character and
personality. We will witness him become an entirely different
person throughout the first season.
Alfred
Our second protagonist to travel back to 1682. Alfred is
charming, mysterious and very enthusiastic. He has a strong
set of beliefs and principles. He is Hans' childhood friend.
As he makes his escape from the tribespeople and the remote
island, we will come to know of his strong will, bravery and
courage.
Secondary Characters
Alexandre Bontemps
Louis premier valet de chambre (head personal servant in
other words).
Jean-Baptiste Colbert
The newly appointed minister of finance. Whenever Louis
requires something to be done that involves money, this is
the man he summons.
Pope Innocent XI
The Pope. His authority is always challenged by Louis. Their
different opinions create ill feelings for one another.
Cardinal Mazarin
The second most powerful man in France after the King. The
chief minister of France.
Claude-Simeon Passemant
Creator of the time capsule and the Kings former and
presently deceased lead scientist.
Isaac Newton
The Kings newest lead scientist.
Pierre Pomet
Owns the most successful apothecary store in France. In his
own words, he is a psychedelic adventurer, researcher and the
Kings personal drug dealer.
Jean Baptiste Lully
Louis' personal musician and court composer.
Hyacinthe Rigaud
Louis' personal painter.

10.

Jules Hardouin Mansart

The head architect of the palace of Versailles.
Sebastien Le Prestre de Vauban
The commander-in-chief of the french army.
Charles II of Spain
Maria Theresas crippled brother. Next in line for the
Spanish throne, at least according to Louis he is.
Charles II of England
King of England, Scotland and Ireland. Twin brother of James
II.
James II of England
Twin brother of Charles II. Next in line for the throne
should anything happen to his brother.
Marie Angelique de Scorailles
Louis second mistress.
John Locke
Yes, John Locke, the one and only English philosopher.
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin - Moliere
Hired by the king as the court play-writer.
Jean de la Fontaine
Hired by the King as the court poet.
Joseph Pinetti
The King's personal magician and court performer.
Prince Louis le Grand Dauphin
The son of Louis and Maria Theresa.
Princess Marie-Therese
The daughter of Louis and Maria Theresa.
Abraham-Louis Breguet
Charles II's watchmaker.
Black Dust
One of the two tribesmen to capture Alfred.
Running Water
One of the two tribesmen to capture Alfred.
Tiger Claw
Chief of the tribespeople.

11.
XIV. Conflicts and Major Events
The idea is to make CAPSULE a serialized show at the base but
make it so that each episode bears a new conflict that will
be resolved by the end of the episode.
The following is a list of conflicts and major events that
will be taking place throughout the first season; in no
specific order.
Coup D'Etat
Most emperors, at one point or another, have had people want
them dead. Some more than others. Louis more than any.
William III will look to make contact with Hans through his
informant at the palace and form an alliance with the purpose
of assassinating the king. Hans will heroically take on this
task as he wishes the king dead as well for toying with his
life.
The Test Subject
In a flashback, Claude Simeon Passement demonstrates his new
invention, the time capsule, to the king. The latter demands
he proves its effectiveness by testing it on one of his
servants. They witness the servant disappear right before
their eyes. Here we will explore the realms of the
grandfather paradox.
Secret Underground Passage
Louis keeps Hans locked up in a chamber whenever hes not
able to personally keep an eye on him. Hans discovers a
secret passage under the corner tile of his chamber that
accesses into a system of tunnels dug beneath the palace by
Claude Simeon Passement. He uses these tunnels to get in and
out of his chamber as needed in order to meet with the queen
and William III in order to plot Louis assassination.
The Man in the Iron Mask
As previously mentioned, D'Artagnan failed to execute Nicolas
Fouquet and the shot he fired only went as far as to greatly
disfigure him. Nicolas returns as the Man in the Iron Mask
seeking revenge from Louis.
The Rolex Thieves
Charles II steals Louis Rolex watch who had initially stolen
it from Hans. He brings it to Abraham-Louis Perelet to have a
duplicate made. He then returns the duplicate watch to Louis
and keeps the original, thinking that Louis wouldn't notice.
But the King does notice, his anger takes over and he kills
Charles, effectively dethroning the King of England, Scotland
and Ireland.
The Second Bag
On a hunting trip, Louis comes across Alfred's lost
briefcase, spotting it high up in a tree. He retrieves it and
upon opening it, discovers an iPad, a set of walkie talkies
and a few other items. He puts together a team of scientists

12.
to play about with his findings in order to discover what
their functions are.
Reinventing the Wheel
As previously mentioned, after Louis discovers an
encyclopedia application on the iPad, he starts to use its
contents to reproduce all sorts of modern inventions. He goes
on to proclaim his genius, stating that his abilities were
bestowed upon him directly from God himself.
The Flashing Light
Louis discovers that he is able to manipulate the flashlight
on the back of the iPad. He begins to flash the light
repeatedly from a distance at night, leading people to
investigate the source of the light. He gets away before the
people get to him leaving behind messages leading them to
believe that there are other worldly creatures communicating
with them.
The Sasquatch
The tribespeople on the remote island are not Alfreds only
threat. We find out that they have a predator themselves. A
"MONSTER" that has been terrorizing them for years. When they
speak of the monster, their description fits that of a "Big
Foot".
Alfred's Challenge
At first, the tribespeople lock Alfred up in a man
in the open, prison cell. But they soon figure out
put him to good use. They forcibly send him out on
slay the monster, with the incentive that he would
his freedom should he succeed.

made, out
a way to
a quest to
be given

Fashion Laws
Louis becomes extremely paranoid after he visits a fortune
teller who informs him that someone is planning to
assassinate him. He creates a law that all citizens of
Versailles must wear shoes that click when walking so that he
is able to tell whenever someone is approaching him.
Hans, The Medicine Man
When the pope falls ill, Hans uses his knowledge of modern
medicine to cure the Pope, only to find out that the Pope had
fallen ill at the Kings hands, who wants the Pope dead. Hans
develops a following when the public learns of his good deed.
Seance
The Pope realizes that Louis is out to kill him and he
immediately cuts all ties off with the King. So, in an
attempt to frame the Pope, Louis uses popular magician Joseph
Pinetti to put on a show where he communicates with the
spirit of the former Pope who was assassinated. The spirit of
the former pope confesses that it was the current pope who
killed him in order to replace him and assume power.
The Informant
As previously mentioned, the informant at the palace of

13.
Versailles is none other than Queen Maria Theresa who feels
humiliated by the king's publicized love affairs. When his
plans consecutively start to fail, Louis deducts that there
must an informant at the palace and so he starts an
investigation to discover who it is.
Another Capsule?
Hans discovers the secret laboratory of Claude-Simeon
Passement, the inventor of the time capsule, and finds the
blueprints for said time capsule.
Andromeda
When Hans is finally able to power up his iPhone, he
discovers that he is able to access the internet. How? His
mobile subscriber had recently launched a satellite dedicated
to mobile internet. The satellite was sucked in by the time
capsule. Along with a space shuttle.
The Secret Society
In order to form alliances and fall in favor of some
important people, Louis forms a secret society whose sole
purpose is pleasure.
Financial Troubles
When Louis starts to run low on money, because of all the
expenses going towards the palace of Versailles, he and
Colbert get together to devise money making schemes. They
begin selling nobility titles. They create the Code Noir to
receive higher taxes from freed people. And Louis makes the
members of his secret society pay membership fees.
The Affair of the Poisons
For the most crucial step of his rise to absolutism, Louis
orchestrates a string of assassinations, all by means of
poison, targeting every last person that stands in his way.
The Black Widow
Marquise de Montespan becomes dangerously jealous when she
finds out that the King has a new mistress. She takes
advantage of the Affair of the Poisons and adds one more
person to the target list.
The Sun King
Louis attains a state of absolute monarchy after eliminating
his final targets. He puts together a huge celebratory
ceremony where he announces himself as THE SUN KING to the
people of France, stating that his will is greater than
nature. Hans and William III take advantage of the ceremony
to execute their assassination attempt.

14.
XV. Epilogue
I hope I was able to leave you with the same vision I have of
what the world of CAPSULE looks like, what an episode feels
like and how the series will run. Please remember that this
treatment is just a brief summary that allows you to look
through the peep hole of the door that leads to CAPSULE.
Every conflict and every major event was carefully thought
out to provide limitless story ideas, arcs and to be
resolvedin in unexpected plot twists.
In the end, my goal is to create a show that will offer
something for everyone. From the magical feeling of adventure
and wonder to the thrill of suspense. From the beautiful
settings to the display of the arts that the 17th century had
to offer. And from the insatiable love interests to the deep
longing for cold hearted revenge. We will appeal to the
broadest audience possible.
If stripped down to its basic infrastructure, CAPSULE is a
show that employs many elements that have attracted viewers
to such shows as Rome, Game of Thrones, Prison Break, Lost
and Deathnote. But as a whole, it is unlike anything else
ever seen on television.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

I hope you will join me on this timeless tale through time.