: Re: is there a "standard" plot structure where the protagonist has a "bird in hand" at the end of Act II? In most plays I've studied, e.g. Erin Brockovich, the end of the second Act II is the

@Karen856

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I think there are plenty story theorists who would want you to see that you are looking at two sides of the same structure. Whether you are thinking of Eliza Doolittle or Top Gun, the structure is the same: the hero's second act is about mentorship, and in the third act they face their challenges alone.

Whether that character at the end of Act 2 faces their deepest darkest moment, or whether they are filled with chipper optimism is really more about the lightness of touch in your story. Both characters are ready to face their challenges (with new knowledge or skills), but both have also had their crutches taken away. There is always determination and doubt, but your story's tone will determine which of those you need to emphasise.

If your hero is tough in a gritty thriller, you'll need to take them to dark depths to evoke any kind of anxiety about the third act, but if your hero is extremely delicate in a gentle social satire, their darkest depths may merely be discovering that their hat doesn't fit properly and threatens to cause embarrassment at the garden party.

I have seen comedy movies where the writers have taken the deepest-depths thing too literally, and put slapstick characters into jarringly serious scenes with comic actors who couldn't pull it off. The character doesn't need to go to the darkest place you can imagine, they just need to face a bigger test than anything so far. They can be perfectly thrilled about facing the challenge if that is what suits the story.

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