Narrative Connection
How these two moments in the story relate
Why These Connect
The narrative assertion
"Ryan's absence due to Catherine's injury in E5 creates a power vacuum that Frances Drummond exploits in E6, leading to direct accountability in Beresford's office where Frances is arrested."
inferred by llm_cross_episode_character
Why This Matters Across Episodes
The longer arc this connection carries
Catherine's hospitalization creates physical and psychological space for manipulation (Ryan is moved between homes and schools), culminating in Frances's arrest at St. Marks—a direct consequence of the instability introduced when Catherine was unavailable to protect Ryan.
About Causal Connections
A directly causes B. The first event sets forces in motion that produce the second. These are the load-bearing connections of plot--remove one and the story structure collapses.