Past our twisting midpoint, the challenges our protagonist faces are far more difficult to handle. Where the first half of our act creates an illusion of simple success or defeat, the second half becomes overwhelming to the hero. There is no choice but to adapt and endure, but always at a cost.

Whether they understand it or not, they have been Approaching the Innermost Cave, the place where they will need to face their antagonist directly, whether it is a person, their environment, or a force. In all of our examples below, you will notice a theme of dark clouds beginning to hover, as the characters enter a state or place that is almost unanimously hostile.

Another plot point from the Heroes Journey is what is referred to as the Ordeal, which is the first true conflict that the heroes must face. This is the real challenge that the rest of the story has been building towards, treating everything before as training wheels to this place and time. The world has shown its true face, and its now time to fight the real struggle.

However, it is also possible, and sometimes simultaneous, that the Bad Guys Close In during this part of the story, making the situation that much more desperate. Granted, the Heroes Journey and the Save the Cat method function on their own pacing. That innermost cave may put the midpoint further into the story, the Ordeal may already be underway, or the bad guys might have already begun closing in. In either case, one thing is simultaneous; the obstacles are harder, the situation is more complicated, and even the place they are standing in wants them to fail.