Ever notice that every blockbuster movie has the same fundamental pieces? A hero, a journey, some conflicts to muck it all up, a reward, and the hero returning home and everybody applauding his or her swag? Yeah, scholar Joseph Campbell noticed first—in 1949. He wrote The Hero with a Thousand Faces, in which he outlined the 17 stages of a mythological hero's journey.

About half a century later, Christopher Vogler condensed those stages down to 12 in an attempt to show Hollywood how every story ever written should—and, uh, does—follow Campbell's pattern. We're working with those 12 stages, so take a look. (P.S. Want more? We have an entire Online Course devoted to the hero's journey.)

Ordinary World

Ted's a New York City ad man, happily working his butt off. He's this close to becoming a partner in his firm.

Call To Adventure

Joanna leaves Ted, explaining that she's fed up, feels mentally unhealthy, and no longer loves Ted. Oh yeah, and she's leaving their six-year-old son Billy with Ted, too.

Refusal Of The Call

Ted tells Margaret he thinks Joanna will be back. After all, she forgot her suitcase.

Meeting The Mentor

After it's clear that Joanna's definitely not coming back, Ted's forced to step up and be a parent to Billy. Their first father-son bonding experience: making the world's worst French toast. It's the first of several times where Billy has to tell Ted what he needs or how things are usually done, like where they keep the pans and bowls, for example.

Crossing The Threshold

This is where the hero really commits to his journey, and, in Ted's case, that means boxing up Joanna's stuff. Books, toiletries, photos of her: all gone because she's not coming back. He and Billy are officially on their own now. Just two swingin' bachelors in the Big Apple…one of whom still prefers apple juice to coffee in the morning.

Tests, Allies, Enemies

Like all parents, Ted is challenged by his kid and meeting his kid's needs on an almost daily basis. When we say "needs," we're talking about things like food, shelter, bedtime stories, getting to school, not playing with matches—you know, the basics.

He faces bigger tests, too. When Billy insists that he hates Salisbury steak (even though he loved it last week), and tries to eat ice cream straight out of the carton for dinner, that erupts into Ted and Billy's first big brawl. They shout and say things they probably wish they could take back, but then they make up and become closer than they were pre-fight.

Ted faces (and aces) another big test when Billy takes a header off the jungle gym and needs stitches. Ted runs Billy to the emergency room in his arms, and refuses to leave when the doctor asks. That's his kid, and he's going to hold his hand through some gnarly forehead stitches, thankyouverymuch.

Ted's also being tested at work on a near-constant basis, as he's pledged to Jim that being a single parent won't interfere with his workload. Unless Ted hires Nanny McPhee or picks up a Hermione Granger-style Time-Turner, that's simply not possible. Showing up on time for meetings and hitting deadlines grows increasingly difficult.

Along the way, Ted's greatest ally is Margaret. She used to be Joanna's BFF, and now she's Ted's. She's a single parent, and she gets him. They have long talks (and the occasional gossip sesh) at the park while their kids play; they live in the same apartment building.

On the flip side, "enemy" seems like a strong word, but Ted's boss (eventually his ex-boss) Jim is Ted's biggest obstacle. He expects Ted to put more time into his job than his kid. Jim personifies the business world's attitude toward men and parenting at the time—namely, that men should let their wives do all the parenting, and they should get back to work.

Approach To The Inmost Cave

Ted meets Joanna, who's back in New York. She's doing great. She's in a really good place now. She's actually been back in NYC for a while. In fact, she sometimes hangs out in the window of the coffee shop across from Billy's school and watches him.

Ordeal

Oh, and did we mention that Joanna wants custody of Billy? Because she does. The stakes have officially been raised. Ted gets a lawyer, and then he gets fired. The stakes are through the roof.

Reward (Seizing The Sword)

Ted manages to find another job in 24 hours. Phew. Without that, he would've had zero chance of winning custody of Billy. Also, for the time being, Billy still lives with him, and they're thick as thieves.

The Road Back

Ted's road back is through a court room. That's the only way to keep Billy with him—well, the only legal way; we suppose they could always change their names to Ned and Willy Goulahee and flee to Honduras or something. Ted takes the stand, pleads his case, and delivers a meaty monologue about how there's no law that says women are better parents just because they're women.

Resurrection

Ted loses the custody trial, but refuses to put Billy on the stand in order to appeal the ruling. Protecting his son is more important than winning. Actually, protecting his son is winning. Way to go, Daddy-O.

Return With The Elixir

Joanna arrives to pick up Billy and says that Billy should stay with Ted. She heads upstairs to break the news to Billy, and Ted's world is officially transformed. Billy gets to stay with him, and Joanna will be around to co-parent. After all, somebody's got to teach that kid how to make good French toast.