8-Part Story Structure: Sixth Sequence
Sequence 6: The Final Test
Of all the different sequences, this one is probably the easiest to explain, as well as the easiest to identify during a story. This is the epic battle, the last great struggle, and the final showdown where there’s no holding back, no escape, and no giving up. Only one person is getting out of this event on top, and we hope against hope that it’s going to be the protagonist.
Now, while there often isn’t a direct cut between the fifth and sixth sequences, the Climax of the film is almost always recognizable, and often is the part that the audience remembers best. It’s the big bang, the last hurrah, the super struggle that forces the protagonist to face down and defeat (or lose to) the antagonist. It can be serious, it can be horrifying, or it can be hilarious, but it’s the huge, epic, high point of the film where everything depends on the outcome of this fight for both the protagonist and the antagonist.
And often, it’s not even about a fight to the death. Sometimes it’s about the fight for the truth, or to overcome an internal struggle. Sometimes it has nothing to with defeating something, but instead the hero’s goal is simply to survive. While there are many different examples of very traditional climaxes, (ie Hero vs Villian), it would be beneficial to recognize the less-understood climaxes, or those without an easily discernible beginning and end to the actual “sixth sequence.”
Some films are less traditional as far as having a personified antagonist, especially in films like Romantic Comedies, or even many comedies in general. Quite often, these stories revolve around a single protagonist or two, both of whom often act as antagonists for one another throughout the story as their relationships change. Because of these shifting in relationships, often the sixth sequence, or the climax, involves the two of them finally being honest with each other, and finally making a clear choice about the relationship.
To illustrate what I’m talking about, let’s tale a look at the film While You Were Sleeping, which has less to do with the more obvious action-oriented “fight to the death”, but still utilizes the sixth sequence correctly to give us the climax of the film.
In the film, Lucy has found herself in a convoluted and awkward situation. She has been mistaken for the fiancé of Peter, a comatose man who she barely knows, and through a strange set of circumstances has been accepted into his quirky, yet wonderful surrogate family. But by the time Peter wakes up, Lucy has fallen for Jack, her “fiancé’s” brother, is worried about living a lie, and at the same time is concerned that she’s going to lose the relationships that she’s built up with this family that she’s never really known.
All of this comes to a peak at Lucy and Peter’s wedding, where the titular walking-down-the-aisle could be easily interpreted as climbing up a proverbial mountain. With Peter on one side, and his best man, Jack, on the other, the visual representation of Lucy’s choice is unmistakable. We, as the audience, watch as she struggles, trying to make this decision that will drastically affect her life forever. And it is this decision, this action, that is key. This is the crux of climax. Where the story hits its highest point, where this one moment will irreversibly alter the protagonist’s path, creating a fork in the road which can never be changed.
For Lucy, this choice came down to dishonesty vs honesty, and dealing with the consequences of either choice. Either she could go on living a lie forever, or she could come clean with the truth, and face the music. Now, as a storyteller, this set-up is obvious.
It’s the underlying dilemma that has pervaded the story for the entire film, and signs pointed to this being the final confrontation. It’s not about Lucy vs someone else, but instead it’s about Lucy facing herself. In her struggle to learn and grow, we’ve come to understand who this character is. We are rooting for her happiness. And we know that she has to go through this trial, but we hope that she’s going to be alright.
You see, the audience doesn’t necessarily need some super-surprise ending here. There need not be some impressive meteor that comes crashing down, interrupting everything. Instead, the audience is going to expect Lucy to tell the truth, because that’s who we know her to be. She’s only “herself” when she’s being honest, and for her to be happy, she’s going to have to do that.
Now, the climax does NOT include the final resolution, or even the consequences of the final showdown. Instead, it leads up to and ends at the choice. When the choice is made, the momentum shifts down, over the hill. The climax is the road up, and the peak, but the next sequence begins as that decision is made.
Summary
- The climax begins with the proverbial climb to the final summit.
- There can be no chance for escape, at least reasonably. This final action should be one that must happen.
- The choice/action of the climax must be irreversible. There is no turning back after this has occurred.
- The protagonist will be changed forever because of the actions of the climax.
