Taking into account the Seven Plot Points Formula and the Third Act Structure used in films, it’s safe to assume Voltron is now headed for the crisis of the overall storyline, and it will occur in/around episode 52. This can be supported through analysis of Joaquim Dos Santos and Lauren Montgomery’s previous works: Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra. First, here’s an overview of the Seven Plot Points, taken from keepwriting.com:
Number One. The Back Story haunts the central character.
Number Two. The Catalyst gets the character moving. It’s part of the story’s setup.
Number Three. The Big Event changes the character’s life.
Number Four. The Midpoint is the point of no return or a moment of deep motivation.
Number Five. The Crisis is the low point, or an event that forces the key decision that leads to your story’s end.
Number Six. The Climax or Showdown is the final face-off between your central character and the opposition.
Number Seven. The Realization occurs when your character and/or the audience sees that the character has changed or has realized something.
Voltron has a 78-episode commitment. Having finished episode 39, we have officially reached the midpoint of the show. And what a doozy it was! Keith almost died, the Coalition has been established, and Voltron has officially taken back an entire third of the Galra Empire with the help of no other than Zarkon’s son, Lotor, who has been betrayed by his generals and is on the run from the Empire. The plot has taken a huge leap forward. This is a wonderful example of the Midpoint of a story.
Voltron has passed its Big Event and Midpoint. The logical next step for the show to take is the Crisis. The Crisis is the second main plot point in a story which marks the end of the second act and harkens the third (the first is the Big Event). It is the beginning of the endgame, and usually serves as the heroes’ lowest point. Here is a diagram of the 3-Act Structure (taken from filmscriptwriting.com):
Dos Santos and Montgomery have worked on shows which follow if not the traditional 3 act formula, then a variant of it. Legend of Korra, composed of 52 episodes, follows the traditional formula. This is clear once you divide the episode number into the appropriate acts: 13-26-13. In this instance, the Crisis would occur around episode 39. Admittedly, since Korra is divided for the most part into four separate arcs, it’s hard to pinpoint the overall major plot points of the series. It is easier to do so when you focus less on the plot and more on Korra’s overall journey. Korra hits her lowest point in Episode 39 when she is poisoned by her enemies. She nearly dies, and the episode ends with her wheelchair-bound, circles under her eyes, shedding a tear. The trauma is so great it takes Korra three years to recover. AKA: Crisis.
LOK’s predecessor, The Last Airbender, does not follow the traditional 3 Act formula. This is apparent as using the formula on its 61-episode count pinpoints the Crisis at around episode 45, which served as a day in the spotlight for Zuko and his Fire Nation companions. It is a compelling episode with significant development for Zuko, but it does not significantly advance the plot. If you were to look at each of the three seasons as its own acts, however, the crisis would be episode 40. This is the episode where Zuko rejects his chance at redemption, Azula mortally injures Aang, robbing him of his ability to enter the Avatar Spirit, and Ba Sing Se falls and with it, the Gaang’s resources for an army to invade the Fire Nation. Crisis.
Voltron is composed of 78-episodes. Following Korra’s 3-Act structure, the episodes would be divided into 19-39-19 (with one left over), and the crisis would occur around episode 58. Following The Last Airbender’s structure, each act would have 26 episodes each, and the crisis should happen in episode 52. Therefore, it is safe to assume Voltron will begin its endgame within episodes 52-58. I am personally leaning towards Voltron following the Last Airbender’s story structure, as its Big Event occurred at episode 26, exactly one-third into the series, when Zarkon was put on life-support and Shiro went missing, setting up major changes to the team’s dynamics and introducing a new major antagonist to the fold.
If that’s the case, we’ll see our heroes suffer a crippling blow in just 13 more episodes. As in next season, if they don’t split the season up in half again.
Cadet-For-Your-SpaceRescue 