CONVOY OF HOPE

Episode 1 - “KLIMOV”
By Keaton Wares

Concept:

Convoy of Hope is a tragic War/Drama, influenced by films such as Come and See(1985), Dances
with Wolves(1990) and Paths of Glory(1957). We follow a lonely middle-aged man, a former U.S
army chef by the name of SLATER MAYHEW. At this point in his life, SLATER has nothing. He
comes to the UK to try and start a new life after the death of his daughter. Whilst at a job interview
at a local paper, he overhears a young reporter - WINONA - speaking to her editor about a convoy
heading to Croatia (post Yugoslav conflict) to drop off supplies. SLATER speaks to WINONA about
the convoy and agrees to volunteer. A few months later, the convoy travels through Croatia. It is
SLATER’s birthday. He is travelling with four others - WINONA, ACE, WINSTON and THE
DRIVER, and doesn’t seem to get along with any of them. After delivering supplies to a town,
repeating the process hour after hour, on their way to the next stop, Klimov, the truck stops. They get
out to enquire as to what’s happened, and THE DRIVER explains that the trucks have unearthed a
landmine. As their truck is at the back of the queue, and the road is too narrow to evade, the
occupants of the truck have no other choice but to take an alternate route. They head further south in
an attempt to get to Klimov on schedule, but the south is substantially more dangerous than the rest
of Croatia as some conflict is still raging post-war. Around nine miles away from the town, the truck
runs out of fuel. They all get out to fill the tank up with diesel when a patrol of Serbian soldiers
draws nearer. THE DRIVER tries to reason with them before they are told to line up and wait for a
secondary patrol to pick them up and take them back to camp. The moment they have their backs
turned, the group separates and escapes into the woods, neither one of them knowing if the rest are
safe. We follow SLATER as he treks through the country and contemplates his next moves, trying to
survive in the raw countryside. At the end of the episode, as SLATER tries to set up camp, he is
alerted to gunfire. Whilst trying to locate the disturbance, he runs into a young girl.

Episodes 2-6 Summary

The rest of the series follows SLATER as he tries to regroup and get the supplies to Klimov. He
takes responsibility for the girl and spends time trying to break the language barrier with her. He sees
her as a second chance and getting her to safety as his shot at redeeming himself. He eventually finds
Winston, where he explains that Winona is being held at a nearby Serb campsite. They break in and
retrieve her, but the girl is captured. The three retrieve the truck and head to Klimov. Once they
arrive, they find Ace already there, cowering. Desperate to get the girl to safety, Slater ventures
back, just him, the driver and Winona. After a heated dialogue between the two parties, Slater is able
to ensure the girl’s safety. They head back to Klimov and prepare to leave. As Slater finally begins
to feel fulfilled, he unknowingly steps on a landmine. After many attempts to disarm the mine, he
gives in, makes peace with himself and lets it detonate.

THEMES:

Convoy of Hope is, above all else, about hope, redemption, the importance of unity, morality and the
question that sums up the entire series: Is conflict necessary?

The redemption arc that SLATER goes through is the backbone of the series; his personal loss and
how his grief, eventually turning into hope, affects him and his personal views and subsequently,
how it affects the narrative. His constant wonder on how life would be without him is something he
keeps in mind until the very last episode. He sees the girl as his opportunity to take responsibility,
the way he couldn’t with his own daughter, hence why he is so hell-bent to get the girl back after she
is captured.
As soon as the situation reaches the New Equilibrium at the end of episode 6, Slater has made peace
and has done all he can and wanted to do, which is why when he steps on the mine, he is happy to
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finally have a sense of fulfillment that he doesn’t want to lose, and so he lets the mine go off and
take him with it.

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” - Edmund
Burke, John Stuart Mill

Characters:

SLATER MAYHEW - A retired U.S Army Chef, fresh out of rehab after he unintentionally backed
over his four-year-old daughter with a truck whilst under the influence, granting his wife a divorce
and moving to the UK shortly after, is a troubled man. He has a very pessimistic view on the world
as a result of his depression. He longs for an opportunity to arise that will redeem him. His ‘bill-to-
bill’ attitude results in him not feeling fulfilled, and causes his life to go nowhere, until he hears
about Croatia.

WINONA JACKSON - A sweet, youthful, talented reporter. She lives in her own world somewhat,
feeling very restrained. She always puts others before herself, which has left her feeling alone, a
factor that has affected past relationships. She wants to help people above all else, which is why she
pushes to have the opportunity to go with the Convoy.

WINSTON HUGHS - An athletic, wise gentleman. He has a love for literature and a talent for
writing. His tumultuous upbringing in North London left him wanting to escape. He sees an
opportunity for a novel in Croatia and decides to volunteer.

ACE CHAPMAN - A rude, unethical, hotheaded brat. He decides to go to Croatia purely to fuel his
own ego and to make him look good towards future employers. He carries a small silicone ball to
help him manage his short temper.

THE DRIVER - A very minor character, also the translator for the convoy. He is purely a device to
get the plot moving.

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