A slowly building conflict, filled with deceit and many plot twists, leading to a dramatic story climax and a satisfying resolution. All this and The Hero's Journey archetype most everyone can identify with intertwined at the same time. As an example, the first Star Wars movie was so popular for these very reasons.
https://english10dasman.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/plot-chart-diagram-poster-elements-of-literature-6-parts-of-plot-arc.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1b/Heroesjourney.svg/1200px-Heroesjourney.svg.png http://justinswapp.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/star-wars-heros-journey.jpg
Congress....the footsteps you hear coming down the hall in the dark, are not angels coming to take you to paradise. It is the grim reaper and his blade is thirsty!
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