diff --git a/src/story-mode.ts b/src/story-mode.ts
index 90c9222f..f3d29e9a 100644
--- a/src/story-mode.ts
+++ b/src/story-mode.ts
@@ -2104,11 +2104,7 @@ function groupPanels(events: StoryEvent[]): {
     const kind = ev.todos && ev.intent === 'say' ? 'plan' : PANEL_FOR[ev.intent];
     if (!kind) return;
     const last = panels[panels.length - 1];
-    const advisorMix =
-      kind === 'backup' &&
-      last?.kind === 'backup' &&
-      (events[last.events[0]].tool === 'Advisor') !== (ev.tool === 'Advisor');
-    if (last && last.kind === kind && MERGEABLE.has(kind) && !advisorMix) {
+    if (last && last.kind === kind && MERGEABLE.has(kind)) {
       last.events.push(idx);
       takeOpinions(last);
       if (pendingSay && !last.balloon) last.balloon = { who: 'claude', text: pendingSay };
@@ -2424,8 +2420,9 @@ function decorate(draft: DraftPanel, events: StoryEvent[], turn: StoryTurn, inde
       break;
     }
     case 'backup': {
+      // A second opinion riding on this panel is no helper of its own.
       const helpers = draft.events
-        .filter((i) => events[i].helper)
+        .filter((i) => events[i].helper && (!panel.secondOpinion || events[i].tool !== 'Advisor'))
         .map((i) => ({
           name: (events[i].helper as StoryHelper).name,
           type: (events[i].helper as StoryHelper).type,
diff --git a/test/fixtures/story-corpus/bash-script-background-helper.expected.json b/test/fixtures/story-corpus/bash-script-background-helper.expected.json
index 4d536665..6794ca43 100644
--- a/test/fixtures/story-corpus/bash-script-background-helper.expected.json
+++ b/test/fixtures/story-corpus/bash-script-background-helper.expected.json
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@
       {
         "kind": "backup",
         "ok": null,
-        "story": "Claude calls in 2 helpers.",
+        "story": "Claude sends 1 helper off to work in the background.",
         "director": "Agent · general-purpose · 6 calls inside · after 1 second opinion",
         "balloon": null,
         "tests": null,
diff --git a/test/story-mode.test.ts b/test/story-mode.test.ts
index a8aa10b3..b4b94a0d 100644
--- a/test/story-mode.test.ts
+++ b/test/story-mode.test.ts
@@ -1312,6 +1312,32 @@ describe('buildStoryPage', () => {
     );
   });
 
+  it('a second opinion in front of two helpers neither splits them nor counts as one', () => {
+    const advisor = {
+      type: 'assistant',
+      timestamp: '2026-10-18T09:41:20.000Z',
+      message: {
+        content: [
+          { type: 'server_tool_use', id: 'srv1', name: 'advisor', input: {} },
+          { type: 'advisor_tool_result', tool_use_id: 'srv1', content: { type: 'advisor_redacted_result' } },
+        ],
+      },
+    };
+    const page = pageOf([
+      prompt('go'),
+      advisor,
+      tool('a1', 'Agent', { description: 'A', subagent_type: 'general-purpose', prompt: 'x' }),
+      result('a1', 'done A'),
+      tool('a2', 'Agent', { description: 'B', subagent_type: 'general-purpose', prompt: 'y' }),
+      result('a2', 'done B'),
+      end(1000),
+    ]);
+    const backups = page.panels.filter((p) => p.kind === 'backup');
+    expect(backups).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(backups[0]).toMatchObject({ secondOpinion: 1, caption: { story: 'Claude calls in 2 helpers.' } });
+    expect(backups[0].helpers?.map((h) => h.task)).toEqual(['A', 'B']);
+  });
+
   it('the advisor (a server tool) is a helper giving a second opinion', () => {
     const page = pageOf([
       prompt('think hard'),