THE ROAD BACK

"They let us go, it's the only explanation for the ease of our escape."

"Easy? You call that easy?"

"They're tracking us."

"Not this ship sister"

- Han Solo and Princess Leia, "Star Wars: A New Hope"

THE ROAD BACK can consist of four phases, the Return, Resurrection, Rescue, and Threshold Struggle.  Any one of which can apply or all of them together could apply.  In film, this will invariably be ACT III and lead to, if not be, the climax of the story.

The Return marks the transition from Act II to Act III.  The Hero is crossing back over from the special world to the ordinary world.  (In the Greek Myth of Orpheus, he crossed back from the land of the dead back to the land of the living).  If there is going to be a big chase sequence or fight scene....this is where it takes place.  Think, the Rebel attack on the Death Star in "Star Wars: A New Hope".  The 'Battle of Five Armies' in The Hobbit.  At this stage, which is a continuation of FLIGHT, the hero will also discover that the Enemy Powers are not entirely vanquished.  This is where the Hero is going to have to ante up and finish off his opponent.

"We thought you were...dead."

"I was.  Now I'm better."

-Captain Sheridan in response to the Drazi ambassador, Babylon 5 ep. "The Summoning"

Resurrection comes into play where at some point it will seem as if the Hero has died, or comes very near death, only to appear to have cheated death one last time.  In a Romantic comedy it will seem that any chance of getting the girl or guy is shot.  But then something will happen and everything will work out just fine.  In the 'Battle of Five Armies' in The Hobbit, all seems lost when the Goblins and Wargs arrive....but soon the Eagles show, and in a classic Tolkien Deus Ex Machina, save the day. 

"You're all clear kid, now blow this thing so we can go home!" 

-Han Solo, "Star Wars: A New Hope"

Rescue is almost directly tied into resurrection.   When the Hero is coming up on their darkest moment it is up to either the boons of the Gods or his Helpers to give him the extra boost to finish crossing the threshold safely.  Perfect example, Han Solo diving out of the sun and shouting the above quote.  Han arrives at the critical instant where Vader was about to vaporize Luke.

Threshold Struggle almost inevitably takes place.  The Powers do not want to release the hero to return to the ORDINARY WORLD.  And this is still very much a portion of FLIGHT.  The Hero is far from home-free and must battle to return.  Sometimes this battle may be internal.  A condition known as Refusal of the Return can happen, where the Hero enjoys the special world better than the ordinary world, and does not wish to return. (For example, in the musical "Brigadoon", the modern man is miserable upon returning to the city and pines for the village of Brigadoon, he winds up returning to the location and his love for Bonnie Jean brings the village back so he can join them).  Or the Hero may deem that the ORDINARY WORLD is not worthy of the Elixir he is bringing back and so the Hero either does not return...or returns and abandons the Elixir and does not tell the ORDINARY WORLD what it is because it may be better off without it (In the film, "Raise the Titanic", after the hero goes to all the trouble of locating a rare mineral that would allow a missile proof shield to be built by the United States, and thereby destabilizing the Cold War, he decides to keep the location of the mineral a secret).