Todorov's narrative structure outlines a typical story progression from equilibrium to restoration. It includes the stages of equilibrium, disruption, recognition, repair, and restoration to a new equilibrium. An example is provided from an episode of The Office, where the equilibrium of work is disrupted by news of a death and missing chips. The characters recognize issues and try to repair them through grief counseling and searching, restoring a new equilibrium.

1. Todorov’s Narrative Structure

2. Layout of Structure
|| Equilibrium -> Disruption -> Recognition -> Repair ->
Restoration -> New Equilibrium ||

3. In more detail…
• Equilibrium – Traditionally used at the beginning of a story, where
normal life is occurring and everything is in order
• Disruption – This is an event where something affects a character or
characters and disrupts the order of the equilibrium phase.
• Recognition/Realisation – The character(s) begins to realise that there
is an issue and begin to think about how to resolve this.
• Repair– The heroes try to stop the disruption until a new equilibrium
is achieved.
• Restoration & New Equilibrium – A new equilibrium is created once
the disruption has been dealt with and order is restored.

4. Example

5. The Office (US)
• Season 3, Episode 4, “Grief Counseling”
• Equilibrium - Michael Scott (Steve Carell) and his workers are doing their
regular jobs in the office building.
• Disruption - Michael discovers that his former boss has died. Karen
Filippelli (Rashida Jones) discovers that her favourite type of Herr’s potato
chips is not in the vending machine.
• Recognition - Michael breaks the news of his former boss’s death to the
other workers, but no-one reacts in any way apart from Kelly (Mindy
Kaling) and Phyllis (Phyllis Smith) who console him. He decides to create a
grief counseling session for him and his workers. Jim (John Krasinski) and
Karen decide that they have to find the chips before they can work
together.

6. The Office (US)
• Repair – Toby advises Michael about how death is a part of life, and uses a
bird who flew into one of the office windows that morning. Michael
desperately attempts to revive the bird but to no avail, and a parking lot
funeral is held. Karen finds a bag of Herr’s potato chips on her own desk
after her extensive search.
• Restoration + New Equilibrium - Pam (Jenna Fischer) makes a speech and
creates a makeshift coffin for the dead bird. She then proceeds to sing “On
the Wings of Love” as Dwight (Rainn Wilson) accompanies her on the
recorder. The coffin is placed within a box full of shredded paper and set on
fire. After Karen finds the chips, Jim claims that in order to find them, he
traced the chips from the manufacturer to the distributor to the vending
machine company and finally to an adjacent office building.