OVERLAY REPORT

In the 2012 film *Ted*, the primary conflict is a **three-way struggle of "arrested development"** between John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg), his girlfriend Lori Collins (Mila Kunis), and his living teddy bear, Ted (voiced by Seth MacFarlane). The conflict centers on John’s inability to transition into mature adulthood because of his co-dependent, hedonistic relationship with Ted, which Lori views as a barrier to their future together. ### **The Primary Conflict** The conflict is essentially a "tug-of-war" for John’s maturity: * **Lori vs. Ted:** Lori loves John and wants to marry him, but she believes that as long as Ted is around, John will remain a "man-child" who spends his days getting high and avoiding responsibility. * **John vs. Himself:** John is torn between his lifelong loyalty to his "Thunder Buddy" and his desire to be the man Lori deserves. He frequently chooses short-term fun with Ted over long-term commitments to Lori. * **Ted vs. Change:** Ted initially fears losing his best friend and fears that John’s maturation means the end of their fun, though he eventually realizes his presence is destructive. ### **How the Conflict Started** The conflict has two "start points": a magical origin and a domestic escalation. #### **1. The Magical Origin (1985)** The conflict's roots lie in 1985, when a lonely, friendless 8-year-old John Bennett makes a Christmas wish for his new jumbo teddy bear to come to life so they can be "friends forever." A shooting star grants the wish, and Ted becomes a global celebrity. However, while the world eventually loses interest in the "miracle," John never moves on. For 27 years, their bond remains frozen in childhood, creating a lifestyle that is incompatible with adult relationships. #### **2. The Domestic Escalation (2012)** The active conflict in the film's "present day" begins around John and Lori’s **fourth anniversary**. While Lori has worked hard to become a successful professional (a Senior VP), John is stuck in a dead-end job at a car rental agency. The tension reaches a breaking point due to two specific incidents: * **The Hooker Incident:** After four years of living together, Lori comes home to find Ted in their apartment with four prostitutes and a "random turd" on the floor. This provides the "inciting incident" for the conflict, leading Lori to give John an ultimatum: Ted must move out so they can have a real life together. * **The Flash Gordon Party:** Even after Ted moves into his own apartment, the conflict escalates when Ted lures John away from a high-stakes work party (hosted by Lori’s lecherous boss, Rex) to meet their childhood hero, Sam J. Jones (the actor from *Flash Gordon*). John’s choice to ditch Lori to do drugs with Ted and a celebrity results in their breakup, which serves as the film’s emotional climax and forces John to finally confront his reliance on Ted. ### **Summary of the Resolution** The conflict is only resolved when Ted makes a selfless sacrifice—requesting that Lori take John back even if it means Ted leaving forever—and through a brush with "death" at the hands of a creepy stalker named Donny. This near-loss allows Lori to see how much Ted means to John and allows John to finally balance his loyalty with his adult responsibilities.