TMNT as an illustration of the Third Plot Point

I’m really trying to wrap my head around story structure, and there are some points where I’m still weak. One of them is the third plot point. What does it do? What is its purpose? What does it look like?

I recently rewatched the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie from the 1990s. I’m outlining a novel that will function as a faithful sequel to that movie - which in my humble opinion, we never had. That’s a topic for another post, however.

As I was watching the movie, I was writing down the beats. Identifying the inciting incident, that first plot point, the pinch point, etc.

I was having trouble with the third plot point. Finally, however, I figured it out.

My thought process was broken because none of the main characters was involved. However, I knew that the third plot point generally occurs at the 75% mark and that it represented a turning point in the movie.

If you’re watching on the digital version on Apple TV, the scene(s) occurs at 1:06:07. It involves a character, Danny Pennington, who has relatively little screen time but plays a pivotal role. He goes to where the Foot are hiding Master Splinter, and has a conversation with him. He realizes that he’s been backing the wrong horse. He wanted to belong, to be part of a family, but he’s sided with a counterfeit. Importantly, he drops his bandana, the symbol of his belonging to the Foot, on the floor.

KM Weiland, speaking of the Third Plot point in her book Structuring Your Novel: Essential Keys for Writing an Outstanding Story, writes, “The symbolism of death is important and can be used literally. The characters may lose a loved one or perhaps even suffer significant injuries themselves. The death may also be metaphoric: perhaps they experience the death of a career or a relationship. This symbolism can emerge subtly through cues in the exterior setting that reflect the character’s inner questioning (e.g., perhaps they pass a funeral or observe a crushed flower on the sidewalk). It is important that the characters face the “death” of the person they used to be. The challenge here is whether or not they will embrace this death and claim the subsequent rebirth.”

I had just read this paragraph, and for some reason the dropped bandana really hit me. There it is.

This works thematically, because the whole story is about true family and love versus its counterfeit, so even though Danny isn’t a main character, his moment of clarity represents something crucial nonetheless. The illusion collapses. For Danny, the choice is clear, and the antagonist is revealed for what he is. At least for this movie, the third plot point is driven by the collapse of a lie.