Narrative Connection
How these two moments in the story relate
Why These Connect
The narrative assertion
"The presence of Steven and Sara as prisoners in Episode 21’s opening act is a direct result of Chen's capture of them in Episode 20, which he uses as a ploy to assert his authority to the Daleks."
inferred by llm_cross_episode_arc
Why This Matters Across Episodes
The longer arc this connection carries
Without Events in Episode 20 where Chen directly interacts with and captures Steven and Sara under false pretenses, there is no logical basis for them being prisoners in Episode 21 when he delivers them to the Daleks. This is a clear causal chain.
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.