Gargoyles Season Two, Volume Two Finally Coming? - Tentative Plans Announced

[Sarcastic Fan]

"THE GATHERING" is the second to last multi-part episode in the canonical "GARGOYLES" animated series, and is not only a one-two punch of action, characters, revelations and battles, it is also the culmination of at least 22 episodes of development and storyline since "AVALON PART THREE". It is the official end of the "world tour" arc in that the Manhattan Clan are finally reunited, and it creates a status quo which will carry the series through the rest of its run and, as the Slave Labor Graphics comics showcased, even beyond.

It's a big episode... and it was almost a single-parter... "The Reckoning" was almost a two-parter.

There are guest stars galore and if I had to come up with a crude summary of this two-parter, it would be "a Shakespearean summer action blockbuster".

I want one of those so much now. t:

There are also probably a few New Olympians there as well.

Or as Weisman would say "we were on a tight schedule, so we had to re-use some character models."

Regardless, one notable figure who is missing is Puck, who is apparently Oberon's court jester.

His servant, actually. Just like in the play.

Simply put, I think these "court of Avalon" scenes perfectly set up the major conflict to come. Thus, when Puck refuses to arrive in time for the gathering, we know this is not something Oberon is going to shrug off; he's going to move heaven and earth, quite literally, to make sure he complies.

"Stay put, this won't take long."

Considering that Xanatos has a higher net worth than many countries, the media is all in a frenzy about the birth of his heir apparent.

More important than the British royal baby, if you ask me.

Regardless, Oberon wastes no time revealing himself to all present, as well as exposing quite a secret - that Anastasia Renard is not who everyone thinks she is.She's revealed as his ex-wife Titania in her mortal disguise.

Actually, his current wife. They re-married at the end of "Ill Met By Moonlight". No big ceremony, they just said they were wed... I ain't arguing with them.

She also tells Halcyon she re-married her first husband.

This would not be the first time "GARGOYLES" capitalizes on such a thing, and it's yet another wise move that only respected the intelligence of its viewership as well as continued to forge quite a family history for the Renards and the Xanatos'.

The only people I know who disliked it admitted to having short attention spans. I like to think that says something.

Suddenly it's revealed that David Xanatos' mother in law is literally the queen of the gods, and that makes his son with Fox a member of the "third race" destined to have incredible magical powers. Since Fox apparently never properly manifested her own magical powers despite a similar heritage, Oberon cannot entrust one of "his" people to be raised by "lowly" mortals.

Xanatos, walking among the gods. It feels right.

As an act of "compassion" (suggested by Titania, of course), he gives Xanatos and Fox 24 hours to bid their son Alexander farewell before Oberon comes for him

Two things, Titania didn't suggest it... that was all Oberon. And it was one hour... and yes, Oberon thought he was being nice. t:

By now, the roots of Owen's own revelation have been well planted and have sunk deep into the earth, and as "THE GATHERING" goes on its a revelation that only becomes more inevitable.

I think the first time I watched it, so much was going on that I was successfully distracted from asking "WHAT DOES THIS MEAN!? WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?!" .... really successful at misdirection, this show.

This is naturally the first time we're seeing Fox since "WALKABOUT" and David Xanatos since "CLOUD FATHERS", and this appearance is drastically different from how that episode left things. Just two episodes ago, Xanatos was being his usual self; manipulating all ends seeking immortality and willing to sacrifice others to these goals. That affair ended with him being the most frustrated he'd been in the series.

I loved that, it was vague enough to make the audience believe a final conflict was coming, that Xanatos was fed up with Goliath... when in fact, he was fed up with their feud, not Goliath personally.

Meanwhile, the Manhattan Clan is finally reunited for the first time since "AVALON PART ONE", as Goliath, Bronx, Angela, and Elisa make it back to the clock tower. There are hugs all around, as well as a sign of things to come as Angela is introduced to the trio, who haven't seen a young gargoyle woman since the middle ages.

"BOOBS! BOOBS THAT AREN'T TRYING TO MURDER US!" t:

Of course, long term romantic subplots are difficult things to do, especially between two "species". Drag it out too long, and people get bored. Climax too soon, and it feels like a waste or melodrama. Overall, I think "GARGOYLES" handed it perfectly and scenes like this at the apartment are to why. You know where its going, but the show isn't out to cheat you. It'll get there when its worth it, and not waste it a moment sooner.

I think it was also handled realistically, because interspecies romances are something that are often taken for granted in fiction like this. According to Weisman, gargoyle/human pairings are so rare there isn't even a taboo against it. And he says that on his entire timeline, he only has one other in mind... and no he isn't saying who or when (it could be the past, it could be the future).

After all, if fans wanted to see some awkward romance attempts, the trio's efforts to woo Angela are coming soon enough.

t:

Like with most good times, it doesn't last. They are barely united when Titania appears within the clock tower and implores upon the gargoyles to help Xanatos defend his son Alexander (who the clan heard about on TV and was one of a few things Puck's dream sequence in "FUTURE TENSE" was right about) from Oberon's wrath.

Watch it again, she was trying to get them to help her remove Alexander... or was she?

With a bellow, he puts every human outside the force field to sleep and grows to giant size, GODZILLA style, and is set to rampage as if he's in the middle of Tokyo up against a pagoda. I mean, come ON, now that's how you end a two parter! It was one of those moments where I fully embraced and appreciated the opportunity to be able to enjoy the episodes for the first time on DVD. No waiting a week or so for a conclusion; there's no way I could have stayed sane waiting a week for the rest, not this deep into the series.

It was a day, actually. This one, I DO remember my feelings the first time... school couldn't end fast enough the next day.

Having a villain assume giant size is something which has to be done sparingly; it is ironic considering at the time, "GARGOYLES" arch nemesis on afternoon TV was "MIGHTY MORPHIN' POWER RANGERS" which turned the seemingly awesome feat of an enemy assuming giant form and made it a routine joke. "CAPTAIN AMERICA: REBORN" years later would end with the Red Skull assuming giant form in an attack on Washington, D.C. and to this day I am not sure if that's awesome or ridiculous.

Both?

This was all the spectacle of a season finale with seven more episodes to go. Fans of action have to be pleased with what the episode delivers. Want to see the Manhattan Clan united again? You got it. Want to see Xanatos in his cool armor fighting something he's never faced before? Check. Want to see Angela fight alongside Hudson, Brooklyn, Lex, and Broadway for the first time? You get that in spades.

All it was missing was Demona... but she didn't belong in this story. Trivia, since Oberon made Goliath's clan immune to his arts (which is why they didn't fall asleep... although, Oberon doesn't seem to interpret Elisa as being part of the clan), Demona and Thailog were awake and in Manhattan at the time... to this day, I wonder if they witnessed this from a distance.

And because of the "world tour", now Angela doesn't seem as if she is a "Scrappy Doo" or someone inserted into the show to appeal to some demographic midway through a season, because she had that time to be developed without having to directly upstage the trio, or Hudson, who got many episodes to develop before her. Now she joins them as an equal.

I just re-watched the Poochie episode of "The Simpsons" and every time I watch that one, I always think of Angela and how awesome it was that she didn't fall into this trap. Nowadays, adding to the cast is common... but back then, it just didn't happen all that often.

Naturally, the "enemy mine" situation makes for some entertaining moments as now the gargoyles are on the same side as their robotic doubles. In the end, Oberon proves to not be completely invincible, but still be pretty damn tough. The shields weaken him, but barely stop him. He can animate statues around the area to come to life and do his bidding, and summon ice storms on a whim. Even his HAIR is alive and able to occupy Goliath's attention (in a bit like "THE TICK VS. DINOSAUR NEIL", only played straight). Not even the iron robots or the shards they leave behind when destroyed slow Oberon for long.

Imagine how ****ed the gargoyles would be if Oberon were attacking them directly with his magic. Good think he declared them immune.

Even in weakened form, none of the gargoyles or even Xanatos are a match for Oberon. Yet it's Petros who seems to land a telling blow, sticking Oberon right in the chest with that harpoon in a scene I have to imagine the Disney Channel edited out of reruns.

They did. And even with the episodes up legally on YouTube, they are the edited down versions. The only way to see this moment is on DVD.

This of course leads to one of the biggest reveals of the entire "GARGOYLES" animated series - that the sprite Puck was posing as Owen Burnett this entire time.

The first time I saw this, when it first aired, I had to call a friend of mine who I knew was watching during the commercial break to scream about it. It was a shock... because I was successfully distracted.

Not only does it lead to another great guest performance by Brent Spiner, but is one of those moments that screams "REPLAY VALUE" once you see it. Not only does it explain how Owen knew all the weaknesses of Oberon and the "third racers", but there are some little tidbits from previous episodes as well. One is that bit in "CITY OF STONE" where Demona makes sure to bind Owen to a chair with metal cables and says, "You always were the tricky one". There are probably more but that's the biggest one I recall right now.

When she summons Puck in "The Mirror" she says "you serve the human, now you can serve me."

But I have to ask, were you aware of this reveal going in? It's floating around out there and I wonder if this is a "Rosebud is the sled" moment.

I also liked the bit where Puck says that he revealed himself to Xanatos some time ago and offered him either a lifetime of service as Owen, or to be granted one wish as Puck, and Xanatos chose the former. It says a bit about Xanatos's own wisdom as well as loyalty - which aren't usually traits you see highlighted in one of the lead antagonists in an action cartoon. No end of animated villains of the time - Magneto, Lex Luthor, the Joker - are hardly very wise, forward thinking, or loyal.

Which makes him awesome to most, but sadly boring to some. The Xanatos detractors I've met tend to prefer villains in the vein of Cobra Commander, or 90's cartoon Kingpin.

But just when you think "THE GATHERING PART TWO" is done with turning point moments, it seems another comes out of the woodwork when Fox manifests that magical energy everyone said she never had to knock Oberon's ass through a wall to save her son. Frankly, the clue that she had it all along was how her "fox" face tattoo seemed to change shape in many shots. Hey, if the show is explaining away some standard animation techniques or formalities as a key part of the narrative, I can choose to give a "no-prize" answer for when studios struggled to keep the face tat on model if I want, can't I? Rorschach can have a mask that changes its ink blot formation to fit his mood, and he didn't have magic in his blood.

If it makes you happy.

Later episodes of "THE GOLIATH CHRONICLES" would of course butcher Fox's bad ass motherhood skills, but thankfully that's not canon so I can ignore it.

So many cartoons have tried to have resolutions where the hero saves the day by talking it out with the "villain" of the week and it almost always is hammy, corny, and usually used to try to teach some blunt lesson to the audience. Here, on the other hand, it works out marvelously without being blunt or corny. Oberon still looks powerful because he was still not defeated outright.

I cannot think of a scenario where he can be defeated.

Yeah, how about that? At the end of "CLOUD FATHERS", the show teased with the idea of David Xanatos becoming frustrated by Goliath and his allies' meddling in his affairs. It at least raised the sheer possibility that Xanatos might make more of an attempt against them in revenge or at least to prevent further meddling.

He was frustrated with the feud, not with Goliath. He's such a wise man.

Yet instead in their next appearance together they'd team up to fight a god and wind up reaching a truce. In theory this might mean the end of drama or strife, but that's only if it's handled poorly. Goliath is wary of Xanatos and slow to trust him after all of his exploits and manipulations, and that's perfectly in character. It also is in character for Xanatos to still manipulate the gargoyles even if he does consider them allies; just ask the Pack. There still are skeletons in Xanatos' closet, more schemes from the past of his coming home to roost - which is essentially part of the premise of "POSSESSION". When done properly, it isn't just Xanatos and Goliath having a handshake and them punching the LEGION OF DOOM together. And even if Xanatos has made a truce with the gargoyles, that doesn't mean his own personal goals have changed; goals which often conflict morally against those of Goliath and his comrades. Becoming a father does change Xanatos - which is should, since fatherhood is an experience which should leave some impact. But that isn't the same as domestication. If anything, a truce between the Xanatos clan and the Manhattan Clan doesn't end tension or drama for them; it increases it in a different way than them being enemies for another dozen or so episodes. It also showcases how Goliath and Xanatos are different from Demona - for whom there is no compromise with an enemy, even when vengeance is against her best interests. Neither Goliath or Xanatos are the same now as when they first began their play together at the start of "THE AWAKENING", and in a way fatherhood (for both) is a reason why. How many animated action series give almost equal character growth to their male lead and main (or one of the main) antagonist(s)?

And that's just one reason why this show still rules. I know "Batman" is considered the best... but Batman and Joker or Two-Face or Ra's al Ghul are in the same place the last time we see them as they are the first time we see them.

So, "THE GATHERING" are two episodes with what seems like the ramifications of half a season or more of stories coming to roost, as well as laying down the seeds for many more exploits. It is an "event" which promises that things won't be the same after it is done, and lives up to that promise. It delivers on offering up one of the biggest action set pieces the show has ever seen as well as living up to the usual high standard of dialogue and character development as well. It sets up the last phase of the animated series and offers up some new dynamics to freshen things up. It united almost every major character on stage at once and mingled elements of technology and mythology seamlessly. All the high quality the show seems to allow to be taken for granted is present and still improved upon. Countless action cartoons offered multi-part episodes which promised the moon and the stars but in the end things always went back to a status quo; "X-MEN" in particular did this a lot. "GARGOYLES" never did and "THE GATHERING" stands as evidence as to how blockbuster events don't have to mean checking your brain at the door or a lower standard of narrative quality.

And somehow, "Hunter's Moon" is even bigger... but I'm getting ahead of you.

 

[Dread]

It's a new month, which means some more reviews!

We now enter an interesting era of the "GARGOYLES" show. The last multi-part epic, "THE GATHERING" is behind us and the next multi-part epic, "HUNTER'S MOON", is not far in the horizon. But between those arcs are four standalone episodes which create a unique dynamic. It is a brief return to more standalone stories which naturally play with the left over pieces of previous sagas and also build upon the storylines further. After a worldwide tour and a two-part brawl with the "god of gods", the shift back to simpler standalone episodes set in Manhattan once more could seem as a bit of a letdown for those who may have grown accustomed to the over the top action of "THE GATHERING" or the scenery changing journey of the "world tour". On the other hand, some likely were ready to get back to NYC based adventures with the rest of the clan after so long apart. For me, I liked how the four episodes after "THE GATHERING" not only got us back into the swing of being back in NYC but further utilized all of the developments from the "world tour" for new stories. Which brings us to "VENDETTAS".

Spoiler

As the title bluntly suggests, this is an episode about revenge. If anything, it all but is a case example of David Xanatos' old credo from earlier in the series when he called it "a sucker's game". This episode actually brings three such "suckers" together into a path which leads them to Goliath and Hudson, out on patrol together after ages apart. Two of them join forces while a third is really just there as a wild card. This is a unique episode which not only builds a new character out of stock footage from older episodes (a clever way of the old "clip show" gimmick to shave some dollars from the animation budget for a show with many episodes per season) as well as plays with the theme of revenge for both straightforward drama and comedy. It shows how revenge can be deadly and/or pathetic all at once, depending on how it's played.

Compared to some previous episodes, this one is a bit simple. Wolf from "the Pack" has returned for the first time since "GRIEF". Only this time, he's obtained a mysterious battle axe from the middle ages which houses the angry spirit of the Viking Hakon, last seen in "SHADOWS OF THE PAST". Both are voiced by Clancy Brown and the story establishes that Hakon is actually Wolf's ancient ancestor. It not only explains why Hakon is able to influence and later possess Wolf, but also why they sound so alike. Much like with "THE GATHERING" and revealing that Anastasia Renard and Titania were one and the same, it is a revelation that actually caters to those in the audience with good ears as well as a voice actor who may not have as much range as others. Now, Clancy Brown is a great voice actor and I do think over time (remember, his work on "GARGOYLES" was before "SUPERMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES") he developed more range (such as on "SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN", voicing Rhino and George Stacy). But at the time, he didn't have the range of, say, a Jeff Bennett who can easily voice 2-3 characters on one show or even one scene and few can always tell it's one person doing all three. As I stated in "THE GATHERING" review, no end of cartoons have been made throughout the 80's and 90's that only had a handful of voice actors who would play dozens of characters, and some of them always had better range than others. Here, "GARGOYLES" actually plays with the notion of some actors sounding similar in different roles throughout a series and instead of seeing it as a weakness or something to shrug about, use as ore for a story mechanic. Some could also argue that it adds a link to two previously unrelated villains, but considering the thousand years between Hakon and Wolf it isn't the farthest fetched thing the show suggested. This also leads to the elephant in the episode; the glaring error. Even Greg Weisman has admitted that having the "battle axe" be enchanted and the vessel for Hakon's soul was a mistake, and that it should have been his mace - y'know, the weapon we see him use at the start of every episode? And hey, who am I to argue with the show creator/co-producer/story editor? I agree, the mace would have made a lot more sense. But, at least the axe had at least been glimpsed in "SHADOWS OF THE PAST". At any rate, besides heritage and magic axes, Hakon and Wolf are both consumed by desires for revenge against the gargoyles in general and Goliath in particular; Hakon's vendetta is so severe that he literally cannot move on from death and it allows him to flat out possess Wolf once the furry freak proves unable to beat either Goliath or Hudson despite having a Viking coach. Both Wolf and Hakon (who become merged into what I will call "Wolf-kon") get a definitive final appearance here across two great fight sequences against Goliath and Hudson. And while probably seeming corny on paper, I admit the biggest laugh this episode got out of me was probably Husdon's "Get an after-life!" parting shot. The eldest of the gargoyle clan adopting pithy 90's one-liners because he watches too much TV? That's gold.

And then there's Vinnie. In another clever idea, it turns out that he's a hapless schmuck whose paths in both his career and life kept crossing that of Goliath and the gargoyles through sheer coincidence and bad luck. We see this explained by Vinnie as he talks over clips from "THE AWAKENING PART THREE", "THE AWAKENING PART FOUR" and "THE CAGE". Reusing old footage from previous episodes whether as a flashback or just because is another common practice of animated TV shows; FILMATION being the most famous case. FoxKids' "SPIDER-MAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES" at the time was also becoming notorious for using flashbacks to shave some time off the animation budget. "GARGOYLES" season two had an absurdly high episode order, and while it produced the show we all know and love now, at the time it must have been madness to keep on schedule in the given time. However, once again the writers found a clever way to justify using the flashbacks and saving a few bucks off the episode's production cost (and thus time) as well as using it as ore for a new character, and ultimately a gag. Goliath and the gargoyles cost Vinnie his motorcycle and two jobs, so now he's gotten an over-sized bazooka from an old techno-junkie named Mr. Acme (which probably should have been a dead giveaway for the ruse but I missed until the end) and is out to get his own revenge. He stalks both Goliath and Hudson and attempts to capitalize on their fight against "Wolf-kon" to land his shot, but is thwarted by his usual poor luck until the end. He calls the Rob Liefield sized gun "Mr. Carter" and I got flashbacks to "WELCOME BACK, KOTTER". The only dilemma in his clip show origin was that his model in them changed slightly (as in one he has a larger nose than in others), due in part to two studios handling those episodes, and then this one handled by a third one. It's through him that we see another angle to revenge - how it can be played for comedy, especially when it is used as a primary motivation for a character. And really, aside for the over reliance and familiarity we are with revenge as a motive in fiction, isn't it's futility and bluntness darkly comedic? The story of a young boy who decides to dress like an animal and save a city by punching out mobsters, clowns, and social misfits out of revenge can either be a hilarious webcomic, or the basic run down of Batman depending on how you run with it. At the time I viewed it, I didn't know quite what to make of the ending, but having had time to think it over I do like how this episode showcased both the angle of revenge played straight as well as revenge played for stupid, futile humor in the same episode.

On the whole, "VENDETTAS" is a fun and simple episode that allows us to catch some breath as well as have a few laughs after a mega-romp like "THE GATHERING PART TWO".

"GARGOYLES" crosses the 60th episode threshold, and we are nearing the end of the canonical TV series run here after quite a long journey. I know I started feeling a little wistful once I reached this point in the DVD pile last year. At any rate, this episode stars Brooklyn, Broadway, Lexington, and Angela and is called "THE THOUSAND YEAR ITCH". Oh, wait, it isn't. It's actually called "TURF" and is another of those perfectly delightful organized crime centered episodes that usually falls through the cracks of fan memories amid Shakespeare style supernatural action blockbusters. But let's be honest, despite all of the mobsters and even a wonderful costume change for Elisa, it's that aforementioned subplot which really steals this show. It is a rare episode which doesn't feature much of Goliath as usual, but every big male lead needs a night off and this turns out to be a very enjoyable adventure which allows the concept of Angela meeting the Trio to come to a head and reach a resolution, as well as playing with more leftover story elements from previous episodes.

Spoiler

Way back in "PROTECTION", the gargoyles as well as Elisa and Matt Bluestone had successfully managed to undermine the protection racket of Tony Dracon, who was apparently finally arrested on charges not even his fancy lawyers could spring him from easily. However, as many a fan of crime dramas (especially those that came on TV years later), simply sending a boss to prison doesn't entirely end things. Dracon's underlings Glasses and Joey wind up running his racket as he coordinates things from jail as best he can. However, nature abhors a vacuum and the newest figure is Tomas Brod, the mobster from Prague last seen in "GOLEM". Apparently he decided to take the hi-tech hovercraft that he earned for services rendered and leave his homeland, perhaps hoping for an area not protected by a stone warrior from legend. Even with Goliath and the gang no longer touring the world, he apparently picked the wrong island to move into. Regardless, this results in a "turf" war which not only endangers the citizens of Manhattan the gargoyles have sworn to protect, but the life of their ally Elisa as well as she goes on another undercover mission for the NYPD to rout the criminals. And if Brod and Dracon aren't enough mafiosi for you, Jack "Tell 'im I said he's a Bum!" Dane gets dusted off from "REVELATIONS" and is a part of Brod's cartel. While it may have simply been a matter of tying loose ends with remaining characters, considering how the underworld tends to overlap even in real life between many figures, it does make a degree of sense to have a mobster buffet here. Besides, why should spandex clad superheroes get all the fun of punching out mobsters?

As fun as it is to see an episode which deals with urban New York City crime after a long while, as well as Elisa's new outfit as "Salli", Brod's newest gal Friday (and a play on the name of her voice actress, Salli Richardson), arguably the most memorable part of this episode involves "the Trio" reacting to meeting Angela and what doing so does to them. Throughout the series, we have seen Broadway, Brooklyn and Lexington develop and evolve as they faced more challenges in their young (at least in gargoyle years) lives, from their 1,000 year slumber to facing all sorts of new challenges far removed from the middle ages to the biggest one of all - surviving as a clan without Goliath or Elisa to lead them. While they're still all young and have a sense of humor, Brooklyn has gotten over his jitters of being the "next in line" from "KINGDOM" and developed into a capable leader in "PENDRAGON". Lexington and Broadway both have their strengths and weaknesses and usually "the Trio" have learned to work off each other as a unit. Yet now the pretty Angela is in their midst, and a thousand years of repressed hormones are mucking with them, big time. The three are falling over themselves trying to show off their strengths or make an impression on her, and all they're doing is revealing their immaturity about the situation. Angela, at heart being a curious and sweet character when she's not having to punch someone's face in or tear a robot to bits, tries to take it in stride but even she reaches a boiling point with their clumsy and counterproductive antics, and the nickname of "Angie". Perhaps the reason gargoyles went without names for so long was so they couldn't be shortened into annoying nicknames they disliked.

While not as major an episode as others, it does play well with the previous continuity, which comes off in many details. In a lessor show, seeing the Trio act like this over Angela might seem mundane or convenient because many shows were/are shaky in terms of long term character growth. The immediate example I can think of is the original Fred Wolf "TMNT" series from 1987-1996. The last three seasons made some attempt to make the show less jokey and more "serious", which usually manifested in some hasty redesigns, a perpetually red sky and a too little, too late attempt at character growth. But my point comes from a bit where via some time travel fluke, the "current" Turtles were forced to team up with their younger selves with the idea being to showcase how much they'd grown. The dilemma was that they hadn't grown up at all until that particular episode; it was a cheat. "TURF" works because "GARGOYLES" did it right and made sure to develop characters beyond those notes in the character bible. When the Trio begin to act immature in a regressive way, we know this is a step backwards from previous episodes due to their hormones, which is the crux of the drama for the episode. When they mention past defeats or errors that each one made in an attempt to devalue the other in their competition (which is itself out of character for them, as "UPGRADE" showed), they actually mention things that happened in past episodes that those in the audience with good memories would note. There is no cheating here, even though we were away from the Trio for many episodes. Another solid bit is Angela going to Elisa for advice on how to deal with the situation, which considering all of the over-the-top things Elisa has had to deal with is probably one of the more down to earth pieces of advice she's had to give. That naturally plays off the bond that Elisa and Angela developed with each other (and Goliath) during their "world tour" when they essentially became a globe traveling cross-species family. Things get sorted out by the end once the crooks are put away, with Angela mentioning how many "rookery sisters" she has back on Avalon. Brooklyn coyly asks Goliath, "When do we get out world tour?" which is a nice lampshade for the arc for the TV show, but which proves prophetic once the SLG comic book series got going many years later.

Fans usually better remember the more ambitious or over the top episodes with all of the high powered Shakespeare iconography, but I always get a kick out of the mobster episodes. They help ground the series in a sense of reality and allow the gargoyles to tackle more "down to earth" threats that plague their "castle". For some reason Brod always reminds me of Frank Castle/the Punisher and for the life of me I can't figure out why. Clancy Brown does a different accent for him, although if Brown were cast as the Punisher for some cartoon he could pull it off. Maybe it's because Brod is a burly, black haired man with a crew cut who loves his big guns? At any rate, an enjoyable little episode which ties up more loose ends and sets up some of the next episodes down the pipe.

 

[Sarcastic Fan]

It is a brief return to more standalone stories which naturally play with the left over pieces of previous sagas and also build upon the storylines further. After a worldwide tour and a two-part brawl with the "god of gods", the shift back to simpler standalone episodes set in Manhattan once more could seem as a bit of a letdown for those who may have grown accustomed to the over the top action of "THE GATHERING" or the scenery changing journey of the "world tour". On the other hand, some likely were ready to get back to NYC based adventures with the rest of the clan after so long apart. For me, I liked how the four episodes after "THE GATHERING" not only got us back into the swing of being back in NYC but further utilized all of the developments from the "world tour" for new stories. Which brings us to "VENDETTAS".

It was also nice to see the entire clan together again, as well as the dynamic Angela would bring to things.

Now, Clancy Brown is a great voice actor and I do think over time (remember, his work on "GARGOYLES" was before "SUPERMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES") he developed more range (such as on "SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN", voicing Rhino and George Stacy). But at the time, he didn't have the range of, say, a Jeff Bennett who can easily voice 2-3 characters on one show or even one scene and few can always tell it's one person doing all three.

I wouldn't say he didn't have the range so much as he wasn't asked to play characters as far apart as Rhino and George Stacy on one show. But yeah, Clancy is great. I know he's best known for Lex Luthor, but I tend to remember him as Hakon and Wolf first.

And hey, he was also Tomas Brod in the very next episode.

Some could also argue that it adds a link to two previously unrelated villains, but considering the thousand years between Hakon and Wolf it isn't the farthest fetched thing the show suggested.

Exactly, Hakon was a Viking chieftain... considering how much pillaging and plundering in that lifestyle, I'm confident that Hakon as A LOT of descendents running around.

Hell, my grandfather has said that we're descended from Genghis Khan. His side of the family is descended from Ukrainian Jews, his mother had a "far eastern" look to her despite also being a Ukrainian Jew, and Genghis Khan and his horde did sweep into that area. It's possible.

This also leads to the elephant in the episode; the glaring error. Even Greg Weisman has admitted that having the "battle axe" be enchanted and the vessel for Hakon's soul was a mistake, and that it should have been his mace - y'know, the weapon we see him use at the start of every episode? And hey, who am I to argue with the show creator/co-producer/story editor? I agree, the mace would have made a lot more sense. But, at least the axe had at least been glimpsed in "SHADOWS OF THE PAST".

Also the mace used to massacre Goliath's clan. This is one of the biggest glaring errors in the series. Yeah, we saw the axe, but the mace would have resonated more.

And while probably seeming corny on paper, I admit the biggest laugh this episode got out of me was probably Husdon's "Get an after-life!" parting shot. The eldest of the gargoyle clan adopting pithy 90's one-liners because he watches too much TV? That's gold.

I'll admit, I don't think the line worked. Hudson was the leader of the clan before Goliath, he was a clan elder and it was his "children" who were massacred under Hakon's mace. Hudson did get his revenge, and while the episode briefly touches on what he is feeling the moment Goliath mentions Hakon, I think it should have been played up more, and Hudson's line kind of undermines it.

And really, aside for the over reliance and familiarity we are with revenge as a motive in fiction, isn't it's futility and bluntness darkly comedic? The story of a young boy who decides to dress like an animal and save a city by punching out mobsters, clowns, and social misfits out of revenge can either be a hilarious webcomic, or the basic run down of Batman depending on how you run with it. At the time I viewed it, I didn't know quite what to make of the ending, but having had time to think it over I do like how this episode showcased both the angle of revenge played straight as well as revenge played for stupid, futile humor in the same episode.

I also like that Vinnie succeeded in getting his revenge, too. It was a nice set up for his return in the comic book series.

At any rate, this episode stars Brooklyn, Broadway, Lexington, and Angela and is called "THE THOUSAND YEAR ITCH". Oh, wait, it isn't. It's actually called "TURF"

I like your title better.

It is a rare episode which doesn't feature much of Goliath as usual, but every big male lead needs a night off

According to the show's timeline, this was happening around the same time as "Vendettas".

Way back in "PROTECTION", the gargoyles as well as Elisa and Matt Bluestone had successfully managed to undermine the protection racket of Tony Dracon, who was apparently finally arrested on charges not even his fancy lawyers could spring him from easily.

Yeah, attempted murder of two police officers on camera has a way of landing you in prison. Wilson Fisk couldn't walk away from that.

However, nature abhors a vacuum

and the newest figure is Tomas Brod, the mobster from Prague last seen in "GOLEM". Apparently he decided to take the hi-tech hovercraft that he earned for services rendered and leave his homeland, perhaps hoping for an area not protected by a stone warrior from legend.

Now there was a character I wasn't expecting to see again. But hey, art immitates life. New York City in real life now has more of a problem with eastern european gangsters than Italian mobsters.

And if Brod and Dracon aren't enough mafiosi for you, Jack "Tell 'im I said he's a Bum!" Dane gets dusted off from "REVELATIONS" and is a part of Brod's cartel. While it may have simply been a matter of tying loose ends with remaining characters, considering how the underworld tends to overlap even in real life between many figures, it does make a degree of sense to have a mobster buffet here.

It's not mentioned in the show, but he was in Witness Relocation for testifying against the Dracon family, so it makes sense that he'd like to get some payback.

arguably the most memorable part of this episode involves "the Trio" reacting to meeting Angela and what doing so does to them. Throughout the series, we have seen Broadway, Brooklyn and Lexington develop and evolve as they faced more challenges in their young (at least in gargoyle years) lives, from their 1,000 year slumber to facing all sorts of new challenges far removed from the middle ages to the biggest one of all - surviving as a clan without Goliath or Elisa to lead them. While they're still all young and have a sense of humor, Brooklyn has gotten over his jitters of being the "next in line" from "KINGDOM" and developed into a capable leader in "PENDRAGON". Lexington and Broadway both have their strengths and weaknesses and usually "the Trio" have learned to work off each other as a unit. Yet now the pretty Angela is in their midst, and a thousand years of repressed hormones are mucking with them, big time.

HORMONES!

The three are falling over themselves trying to show off their strengths or make an impression on her, and all they're doing is revealing their immaturity about the situation. Angela, at heart being a curious and sweet character when she's not having to punch someone's face in or tear a robot to bits, tries to take it in stride but even she reaches a boiling point with their clumsy and counterproductive antics, and the nickname of "Angie".

Notice that Broadway did not call her "Angie" once for the entire episode.

Perhaps the reason gargoyles went without names for so long was so they couldn't be shortened into annoying nicknames they disliked.

I've seen fans call Demona "Demmie" or "Domi"... good thing for them that ain't real.

Another solid bit is Angela going to Elisa for advice on how to deal with the situation, which considering all of the over-the-top things Elisa has had to deal with is probably one of the more down to earth pieces of advice she's had to give. That naturally plays off the bond that Elisa and Angela developed with each other (and Goliath) during their "world tour" when they essentially became a globe traveling cross-species family.

I love Elisa's big sister dynamic with Angela, just thought I'd mention it.

Things get sorted out by the end once the crooks are put away, with Angela mentioning how many "rookery sisters" she has back on Avalon. Brooklyn coyly asks Goliath, "When do we get out world tour?" which is a nice lampshade for the arc for the TV show, but which proves prophetic once the SLG comic book series got going many years later.

There's an understatement. Of course we both know that Angela ended up with Broadway who saw Angela for who she was and was more "in tune" with her, like I said he may have been the first to call her Angie but he stopped long before she had to tell the others. Brooklyn will pine over her for a bit before getting his "world tour" and Lex got over the whole thing so fast, it makes sense when he gets his little tour of Great Britain and meets his new "special friend", Amp of the London Clan.

Fans usually better remember the more ambitious or over the top episodes with all of the high powered Shakespeare iconography, but I always get a kick out of the mobster episodes. They help ground the series in a sense of reality and allow the gargoyles to tackle more "down to earth" threats that plague their "castle". For some reason Brod always reminds me of Frank Castle/the Punisher and for the life of me I can't figure out why. Clancy Brown does a different accent for him, although if Brown were cast as the Punisher for some cartoon he could pull it off. Maybe it's because Brod is a burly, black haired man with a crew cut who loves his big guns? At any rate, an enjoyable little episode which ties up more loose ends and sets up some of the next episodes down the pipe.

Agreed, two "smaller" stories before the next one which, despite being a single-parter, is a big one. Then one of the more Shakespearean episodes before it all comes to a head with "Hunter's Moon".

 

[Dread]

It may be April Fool's Day, but this is really my next review. I am amazed I squeezed it into a single post.

By this stage in the game, the 61st episode of "GARGOYLES" is upon us, and this begins the slide into the "home" that is the series finale of quite a show. To wit, we leave mobsters behind us and instead head right for a reckoning - or "THE RECKONING" to be specific. Much like "THE GATHERING", it is an episode intense and deep enough to have been a finale all to its own, but thankfully isn't because every episode of this show is a treat. But specifically, this episode unites some of the few major antagonists who skipped "THE GATHERING" in particular and haven't been seen in quite some time in general. To be honest, this episode has a lot going for it in terms of character moments and action, but it can be hyped up with two words. The first is "Demona", the second is "Thailog". That's right, everyone's favorite homicidal couple from "SANCTUARY" are back, but this time it isn't all murderous bliss for the couple that Dr. Sevarious built. We have showdowns, back stabbings, clones, moral debates and a taste of California as well.

Spoiler

While out on their nightly patrols, the Manhattan Clan (or at least Goliath, Brooklyn, and Angela) spot a familiar enemy raiding the "Golden Cup Bakery Building" from "LEGION" - none other than Demona herself. The place is of course a front for advanced government gadgets, and Demona has long been a student of both magic and technology so long as it suits her needs (spell books and giant guns being her favorite things). After quite a battle which drudges up bad memories for all three, Demona is actually (or at least seemingly) defeated. This brings up the question of what to do with her afterward. She's too dangerous to keep in the Clocktower, and while she might transform into a human during daylight hours she still isn't one, which would make a human jail a difficult place to hold her (much less making her a subject of study for maniacs like, well, Dr. Sevarious). Apparently for the clannish gargoyles, banishment was once considered their ultimate sentence for crimes. To this end they settle on keeping her confined within the Labyrinth (last seen in "KINGDOM"), run by Talon and his furry fetish crew. Their prison is already housing Fang (also from "KINGDOM") and it is soon decided that all of the gargoyles will take turns helping to watch Demona. Unfortunately, all of this is according to plan for not only her, but Thailog and Dr. Sevarious to gain more gargoyle DNA to use science to create a clan of their own. Nearly everyone is put through the ringer for the finale, most of all Demona herself.

Naturally one of the main conflicts and emotional beats in this episode is Demona finally getting to "meet" Angela and vice versa. When they first encountered each other in "AVALON", Demona was being controlled by the Weird Sisters. Next in "SANCTUARY", there wasn't enough time with all the fight between Macbeth, Thailog, Goliath and the rest for any proper greetings. This time they get to finally hash out that they are mother and daughter, split apart by war and time but now reunited. Naturally, Demona would like to turn Angela to her own point of view, while Angela seeks to try to find some way of understanding why her mother has become like this and, ideally, to redeem her. It goes about as well as one could expect; Demona wants to convince Angela that Goliath is weak and the humans are their enemy, and that she's been brainwashed all her life by their foes. Angela, of course, wants to find some redeeming quality in her mother but ends up seeing little more than vengeful hatred. Yet despite it all, Angela does matter to Demona as the finale, and ultimately "HUNTER'S MOON" will reveal. This naturally leads many to speculate on whether love for a daughter could be the one thing which redeems Demona after her thousand years of vengeance; in fact the end of this very episode seems to ask this. Demona has long since gone on to become one of the most memorable characters from this deep franchise; to some even more popular than Goliath himself. And when any villain becomes popular, it is easy to want to seem them redeemed, or to see things from their point of view and attempt to justify their actions, even when those actions become difficult to justify (even if not to understand). Comic books are laden with plenty of perfectly good villains who were completely destroyed (or at least heavily mangled) by their popularity and attempts by fan-writers or editors to redeem them - Venom and Magneto are the two biggest examples that come to mind. For me, as a newer fan of "GARGOYLES" (or at least an older fan who through to his own negligence was "frozen" in stone for a decade or two in this regard), while I can certainly understand Demona's popularity, I think that the angle of her being redeemed by love for Angela may be entirely possible, but that it is an incredibly simplistic way of looking at her, and this show rarely does simple. I could just as easily envision Demona attempting to brainwash Angela to see her point of view in the name of "loving her" than I could her changing her ways for her. But perhaps above all, one of Demona's core truths to me is tragedy. It is the one fundamental element that allows her to be a sympathetic figure despite being an out and out villain; far more of one than even David Xanatos. No matter how extreme her actions are, it is easy to at least feel some sympathy for her because all of it is fueled by her own sense of vengeance and justice for wrongs committed against her or her own kind - all or most of which were caused by her own actions. She's a snake eating her own tail and motivated to further consumption by the pain of the bites. Given this, Angela actually adds to this tragedy in a very profound way. Angela is the literal personification of the folly of Demona's entire crusade and philosophy. Princess Katharine and the Magus did initially treat the gargoyles cruelly in the middle ages, but they spent the rest of their lives trying to make up for their error. They abandoned their lives to make good on the last generation of the Scottish clan on a remote island cut off from all civilization. What Demona interprets as Angela being "softened" by her enemies is in fact Angela being the culmination of the idea that humans and gargoyles can live together, thrive together and love each other, even with mistakes being made initially. Demona isn't merely wrong about humanity in the 1990's, she was wrong about them back in the 990's. After all, Tom was initially curious about the gargoyles and willingly spent his existence aiding in raising and protecting them. And what's more tragic than that for Demona?

Yet one of the great things about this episode is how it clearly draws a line in the sand between Demona and Thailog and notes that while the redemption of the former may be a nigh impossible thing to imagine, it is even harder to imagine it for the latter. As I mentioned in previous Thailog appearances, he may have all of the power of Goliath and intellect of Xanatos, but he doesn't have the heart of either of them. While Demona may initially see the lack of one as a virtue compared to Goliath's "weakness", the distinction cannot be made more clear by the end of this episode when Thailog betrays even Demona once he decides that even Angela is expendable. We get another awesome "villain laugh" here, and it works because it represents that Thailog is no tragic monster; he knows how evil he is, and relishes it. The fact that he and Dr. Sevarius seem to work together so well, despite Thailog having once tried to kill him ("DOUBLE JEOPARDY"), should speak for itself. After all, both seem to appreciate the potential of cloning more gargoyles, and neither have any scruples in this regard. Not only do they clone the rest of the Manhattan Clan (and give them L.A. based parallels, perhaps a minor nod to how commercialism seems to merely duplicate things), but they even clone Demona and mingle her DNA with that of Elisa to create Delilah, bred to be an "ideal" mate for Thailog. I do happen to like the idea that somehow, Elisa's very DNA screams out to wear cool jackets. This episode may as well be the "clone saga" for "GARGOYLES" as the clan face off against their counterparts, Burbank, Brentwood, Malibu, and Hollywood. When the second season of "SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN" started building the foundation for a theoretical stab at the Spider-Man clone story for a third season that never happened, I was initially skeptical. But having seen the mileage Weisman and company got with their clones in this and previous episodes, I do think it is a damn shame we never got to see it. Seeing Fang added to their "dark clan" was also a treat; while I was critical of Fang's ability to be the primary villain of an episode ("KINGDOM"), this episode plays very well to his strengths. At heart Fang is a bully and an opportunist, even shamelessly so, with a knack for one-liners. He consistently gets some of the best lines of the episode ("Kinky!") and provides some needed comic relief in places. Adding him really does give the sense that this episode is uniting all the antagonists who sat out of "THE GATHERING", and who doesn't like a good villain team-up now and then?

The finale at Coney Island is a spectacle to behold and full of both action and pathos, what the show does best. As I typed during the pilot, "GARGOYLES" in many ways feels like an opera only with animated action sequences in place of songs. And while I don't see Demona's path to redemption being as simple and clear cut as, "I must be a better person for my daughter", the very notion of Demona being willing to bury her ax against Goliath to protect Angela (at least for a moment) is a positive sign. Often times villains are redeemed due to not only popularity, but also an attempt to build sympathy for them; Demona is able to remain an antagonist while still remaining very sympathetic, which isn't as easy as it seems to pull off. I noticed it as being profound when Demona tells Goliath, "Save OUR daughter" especially in light of all her attempts to control or kill him since the pilot. After all, this episode sees Demona being used by someone else and betrayed; considering all of the events of "CITY OF STONE" and what she's done to Macbeth and others, you could say that this is karma or poetic justice. Yet her desire to at the very least want to protect her daughter keeps her in more sympathetic company than not just Thailog, but a few notable Greg Weisman produced villains. Years later, Weisman and company would have their shots at depicting more delicious villains; Norman Osborn from "SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN" and Sportsmaster from "YOUNG JUSTICE". While all three are pretty terrible parents, I do think Osborn and Sportsmaster are not as sympathetic in this regard as Demona is here. Norman Osborn wants his son Harry to be "better" and may tell himself that many of the cruel things he does to Harry are to get him to "cowboy up", but in the end Norman really cares about himself. He wants Harry to be "better" so as to reflect better on the image of Norman Osborn, not for the boy's own sake. That and he is completely willing and able to manipulate, brainwash, or physically mangle his own son for his own ends. Sportsmaster was hardly the only major villain in the very cluttered "YOUNG JUSTICE", but he quickly rose to the fore due to being the father of one of the series' leads (Artemis) and another of their notable antagonists (Cheshire). Much like Osborn, any compassion or sense of "love" Sportsmaster may have towards his daughters is not for them, but what their performance and image can do for his reputation (perhaps as a "franchise"). He abandoned their mother to prison, he torments Cheshire in the life of a mercenary, and tried to kill Artemis more than once. When it seems that Artemis has been killed, while Cheshire wanted to avenge her out of genuine emotion, all Sportsmaster cared about was his professional rep and underworld status. I can't imagine either of them seeming to sacrifice themselves trying to save their kids like Demona seemingly does here, at least for so simple a reason as it's because they're their parent. Of course, as per the Weird Sister's spell, Demona is immortal so long as she isn't killed by Macbeth. Still, as with that gnarled fruitcake come Christmas, it's the thought that counts. As Goliath says at the end, it was the first bit of goodness that Demona performed in a long time. Believing that Angela alone could redeem Demona I do think is crude at best, but it is a step forward. At least until "HUNTER'S MOON".

Angela herself is also put through the ringer a bit, confronting and debating her mother and finding her without compassion or remorse, but in the end discovering that Demona is certainly more complicated than some of her zeal suggests. The more I think about Angela the more I seem to see comparisons to Wonder Woman, of all characters. Angela grew up on an island paradise apart from the world and merrily living with her siblings and "parents", until war from the outside world forces her to put her warrior skills to use and inspires her to visit and explore the outside world. At heart a sweet and gentle character who'd rather talk things out, Angela is also a fierce warrior who is willing to be confrontational, even parents she feels are wrong about things. Underestimating her compassion for weakness gets you about as far as doing that with Goliath. Much like with Wonder Woman, Angela is very much a "fish out of water" for a bit who has to learn, among other things, that life is full of shades of grey rather than black and white. It is a shame that due to time (I presume), the fight between her and Delilah was mostly off camera, as that's a Freudian dream match. She's literally facing a being cloned from her biological mother and her adopted step-mother, sicced on her by her bastard, biological sibling. Thankfully, there is no gargoyle term for "therapist". It's episodes such as this where Angela avoids labels such as "Mary Sue"; this series is never afraid to have her be wrong about something, or to put her through some fire to see how well she endures.

One is hard pressed to think of too many things wrong with this episode. Sure, it's not animated by Disney Japan, but I do think the various side studios who were contracted to fulfill this near impossible episode order for a single season did their best with the time and budget they had. Besides the immediate and overwhelming pathos of Demona and Angela, it is a lot of fun to see the Trio and Hudson fight their clones, and even an odd thrill hearing Salli Richardson have a few lines as Delilah too. Naturally, seeing Brooklyn scowl anytime he is anywhere near Demona is always a treat. A part of me is morbidly curious as to what they would have named a clone of Bronx (La Brea Tar Pit, perhaps) had he showed up for guard duty. Even Talon gets thrown into the mix for the final battle, so one gets twice as many furries in speedo undies for the price of one. And episodes where Keith David gets to do double duty as Goliath and Thailog are always extra special. And as a proud Brooklynite, I can always appreciate the allure of Coney Island's amusement park areas as the settings for climatic final battles ("Warriors...come out to play-ayy!"). Considering the sorts of over-the-top episodes they were tasked to animate, Koko Enterprise Co. does as good a job as could be expected keeping everything flowing. Much like "CLOUD FATHERS" did with David Xanatos, "THE RECKONING" ends by putting Demona in a place in the narrative where she's never been before, and virtually dares the audience to try to predict what will come next for her.

The bottom line is that "THE RECKONING" rocks on almost every level. Despite the producers certainly having some awareness about how popular and/or dynamic a character Demona is, they were always wise never to waste her (or Thailog), instead saving them for truly memorable performances. Their pairing may have been a simple thing to deduce in terms of "villain shipping", but "GARGOYLES" had the stones (pun intended) to bring that "relationship" to a natural and deadly confrontation. As much as the episode invites the suggestion that there could be some hope for Demona yet, I contend that she offers far too much to her universe by being a genuinely sympathetic villain than as being a redeemed mother of Angela, at least in terms of that stark paradigm. Can Demona be someone who has some genuine concern for a daughter while still plotting to kill her father, friends, and the human race in general? If this show has proven anything, it is that nobody is as simple as a character bible may suggest. "GARGOYLES" takes its inspiration in Shakespeare style tragedy, and the relationship between Demona and Angela, as time flung mother and child representing two opposing philosophies and objectives, is tragedy to its core. As much as I enjoyed seeing yet another layer to Demona explored with explosive gusto here, I'm not a fan who sees Demona's eventual place as being once again alongside the clan as per Puck's "FUTURE TENSE" vision. Regardless, "THE RECKONING" leaves one certainly counting down the minutes until the clan's next confrontation with Demona.

And after a madcap mind swap melee in "POSSESSION", that's exactly how the series goes out. But, that's a review for another time.

 

[Sarcastic Fan]

It may be April Fool's Day, but this is really my next review. I am amazed I squeezed it into a single post.

Appropriate since this episode was almost a two-parter.

Much like "THE GATHERING", it is an episode intense and deep enough to have been a finale all to its own,

Funny you should say that, Hunter's Moon was originally going to be a direct-to-video movie, "The Reckoning" was intended to be the two part finale to the second season.

But specifically, this episode unites some of the few major antagonists who skipped "THE GATHERING" in particular and haven't been seen in quite some time in general.

I think the long break from Demona was probably a good thing. It's debatable whether or not she's the better villain than Xanatos, but even the best villains can overwhelm a series (and not in a good way) if they appear too frequently. For example, I love the Green Goblin but even I think there was a period where he was way overused in the comics (and this was prior to Dark Reign). So, bringing back Demona after a 20+ episode absence (unless you count Future Tense) was more than welcome.

To be honest, this episode has a lot going for it in terms of character moments and action, but it can be hyped up with two words. The first is "Demona", the second is "Thailog".

Now you're speaking my language.

Naturally, Demona would like to turn Angela to her own point of view, while Angela seeks to try to find some way of understanding why her mother has become like this and, ideally, to redeem her. It goes about as well as one could expect;

As well as anyone paying attention would expect.

This naturally leads many to speculate on whether love for a daughter could be the one thing which redeems Demona after her thousand years of vengeance; in fact the end of this very episode seems to ask this. Demona has long since gone on to become one of the most memorable characters from this deep franchise; to some even more popular than Goliath himself. And when any villain becomes popular, it is easy to want to seem them redeemed, or to see things from their point of view and attempt to justify their actions, even when those actions become difficult to justify (even if not to understand).

The amount of saccharine fanfiction about Demona and Angela is astronomical. It makes me nauseous.

Comic books are laden with plenty of perfectly good villains who were completely destroyed (or at least heavily mangled) by their popularity and attempts by fan-writers or editors to redeem them - Venom and Magneto are the two biggest examples that come to mind.

You don't like Magneto folding the New Mutants' laundry? t:

For me, as a newer fan of "GARGOYLES" (or at least an older fan who through to his own negligence was "frozen" in stone for a decade or two in this regard), while I can certainly understand Demona's popularity, I think that the angle of her being redeemed by love for Angela may be entirely possible, but that it is an incredibly simplistic way of looking at her, and this show rarely does simple.

As a newer fan of "Gargoyles", you seem to get it and Demona's character more than many people I know who have been fans for twenty years.

I could just as easily envision Demona attempting to brainwash Angela to see her point of view in the name of "loving her" than I could her changing her ways for her.

THANK YOU!!!!!

But perhaps above all, one of Demona's core truths to me is tragedy. It is the one fundamental element that allows her to be a sympathetic figure despite being an out and out villain; far more of one than even David Xanatos.

Her tragedy is that she is her own worst enemy. Ultimately, all of the terrible things that have happened to her could not have happened were she not a participant. In a lot of ways, she's like an animated Walter White.

No matter how extreme her actions are, it is easy to at least feel some sympathy for her because all of it is fueled by her own sense of vengeance and justice for wrongs committed against her or her own kind - all or most of which were caused by her own actions. She's a snake eating her own tail and motivated to further consumption by the pain of the bites.

THIS!

Given this, Angela actually adds to this tragedy in a very profound way. Angela is the literal personification of the folly of Demona's entire crusade and philosophy. Princess Katharine and the Magus did initially treat the gargoyles cruelly in the middle ages, but they spent the rest of their lives trying to make up for their error. They abandoned their lives to make good on the last generation of the Scottish clan on a remote island cut off from all civilization. What Demona interprets as Angela being "softened" by her enemies is in fact Angela being the culmination of the idea that humans and gargoyles can live together, thrive together and love each other, even with mistakes being made initially. Demona isn't merely wrong about humanity in the 1990's, she was wrong about them back in the 990's. After all, Tom was initially curious about the gargoyles and willingly spent his existence aiding in raising and protecting them. And what's more tragic than that for Demona?

Yes to all of the above!

Not only do they clone the rest of the Manhattan Clan (and give them L.A. based parallels, perhaps a minor nod to how commercialism seems to merely duplicate things),

In-universe, Demona gave them those names to mock how stupid she thought the names the trio and Hudson picked are. I kind of wonder if those names would have stuck had she gotten what she wanted. Incidentally, I think it's rather telling that Thailog didn't bother to name them.

but they even clone Demona and mingle her DNA with that of Elisa to create Delilah, bred to be an "ideal" mate for Thailog. I do happen to like the idea that somehow, Elisa's very DNA screams out to wear cool jackets.

Thailog is way more open about his Elisa fetish than Goliath is.

At heart Fang is a bully and an opportunist, even shamelessly so, with a knack for one-liners. He consistently gets some of the best lines of the episode ("Kinky!") and provides some needed comic relief in places.

You should see him in the Bad Guys comic.

And while I don't see Demona's path to redemption being as simple and clear cut as, "I must be a better person for my daughter", the very notion of Demona being willing to bury her ax against Goliath to protect Angela (at least for a moment) is a positive sign.

She wasn't buring the ax against Goliath, she was just angrier at Thailog. I'm sure she still wants Goliath dead, and I'm sure she'll try to murder him and seize control of the clan again after Hunter's Moon and their, ahem, new situation.

Years later, Weisman and company would have their shots at depicting more delicious villains; Norman Osborn from "SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN" and Sportsmaster from "YOUNG JUSTICE". While all three are pretty terrible parents, I do think Osborn and Sportsmaster are not as sympathetic in this regard as Demona is here. Norman Osborn wants his son Harry to be "better" and may tell himself that many of the cruel things he does to Harry are to get him to "cowboy up", but in the end Norman really cares about himself. He wants Harry to be "better" so as to reflect better on the image of Norman Osborn, not for the boy's own sake. That and he is completely willing and able to manipulate, brainwash, or physically mangle his own son for his own ends. Sportsmaster was hardly the only major villain in the very cluttered "YOUNG JUSTICE", but he quickly rose to the fore due to being the father of one of the series' leads (Artemis) and another of their notable antagonists (Cheshire). Much like Osborn, any compassion or sense of "love" Sportsmaster may have towards his daughters is not for them, but what their performance and image can do for his reputation (perhaps as a "franchise"). He abandoned their mother to prison, he torments Cheshire in the life of a mercenary, and tried to kill Artemis more than once. When it seems that Artemis has been killed, while Cheshire wanted to avenge her out of genuine emotion, all Sportsmaster cared about was his professional rep and underworld status. I can't imagine either of them seeming to sacrifice themselves trying to save their kids like Demona seemingly does here, at least for so simple a reason as it's because they're their parent.

Yeah, Demona genuinely cares. But I could easily see her knocking Angela over the head, locking her in a basement and then letting her out once humanity is destroyed. "Look at what I did for, my daughter! Now we can all go outside!"

Believing that Angela alone could redeem Demona I do think is crude at best, but it is a step forward. At least until "HUNTER'S MOON".

Yeah, a lot of the fanficers I've mentioned seem to forget or ignore "Hunter's Moon".

The more I think about Angela the more I seem to see comparisons to Wonder Woman, of all characters. Angela grew up on an island paradise apart from the world and merrily living with her siblings and "parents", until war from the outside world forces her to put her warrior skills to use and inspires her to visit and explore the outside world. At heart a sweet and gentle character who'd rather talk things out, Angela is also a fierce warrior who is willing to be confrontational, even parents she feels are wrong about things. Underestimating her compassion for weakness gets you about as far as doing that with Goliath. Much like with Wonder Woman, Angela is very much a "fish out of water" for a bit who has to learn, among other things, that life is full of shades of grey rather than black and white.

Interesting... I've never even considered that.

It is a shame that due to time (I presume), the fight between her and Delilah was mostly off camera, as that's a Freudian dream match. She's literally facing a being cloned from her biological mother and her adopted step-mother, sicced on her by her bastard, biological sibling. Thankfully, there is no gargoyle term for "therapist". It's episodes such as this where Angela avoids labels such as "Mary Sue"; this series is never afraid to have her be wrong about something, or to put her through some fire to see how well she endures.

Well, Elisa is more like a big sister to Angela, but I get the idea. I can easily imagine Thailog being, ahem, "entertained" by it.

Much like "CLOUD FATHERS" did with David Xanatos, "THE RECKONING" ends by putting Demona in a place in the narrative where she's never been before, and virtually dares the audience to try to predict what will come next for her.

Yeah, the Gargoyles fandom hasn't stopped debating this, even with Hunter's Moon, and even with Weisman revealing his plan for "Gargoyles 2198" which, at least, opens up Demona still villainous.

The bottom line is that "THE RECKONING" rocks on almost every level. Despite the producers certainly having some awareness about how popular and/or dynamic a character Demona is, they were always wise never to waste her(or Thailog), instead saving them for truly memorable performances.

One of the criticisms the comic continuation by Greg Weisman received was that there was way, way, way too little of Demona in it... and when she did appear, it was in non-speaking cameos or her past self when Brooklyn was sent back to the Dark Ages. Then the comic was cancelled. While I definitely wanted more of her, I'm glad she wasn't shoved into things at the expense of other characters. If you pander too much to your audience, you end up with "Venom: Lethal Protector" and then no one is happy.

As much as the episode invites the suggestion that there could be some hope for Demona yet, I contend that she offers far too much to her universe by being a genuinely sympathetic villain than as being a redeemed mother of Angela, at least in terms of that stark paradigm.

Agreed, and there are so few badass, female Big Bads in the genre anyway. Catwoman is more often an ally and lover to Batman. Poison Ivy is fun, but she's not a Big Bad like Joker or Ra's al Ghul are. Mystique is usually great in the comics, but in all adaptations she ends up being the head minion to Magneto or Apocalypse or someone. I suppose Madame Hydra and Grant Morrison's take on Talia al Ghul count... the former was a Big Bad for Captain America in the 70's and 80's, although she hasn't been much of one lately... although it seems like Bendis was putting her back in that position before he left "The Avengers". And Talia will be back to being torn between her father and her beloved before too long.

Can Demona be someone who has some genuine concern for a daughter while still plotting to kill her father, friends, and the human race in general?

Yes.

If this show has proven anything, it is that nobody is as simple as a character bible may suggest. "GARGOYLES" takes its inspiration in Shakespeare style tragedy, and the relationship between Demona and Angela, as time flung mother and child representing two opposing philosophies and objectives, is tragedy to its core.

Agreed, that's why it intrigues me and why it physically hurts me to see so many others think she'll turn into Councilor Demona Troi because of Angela.

As much as I enjoyed seeing yet another layer to Demona explored with explosive gusto here, I'm not a fan who sees Demona's eventual place as being once again alongside the clan as per Puck's "FUTURE TENSE" vision.

Ditto. Even come 2198, I can't see her rejoining the Manhattan Clan after the Space-Spawn are defeated. Epiphany or not, there's too much blood.

Regardless, "THE RECKONING" leaves one certainly counting down the minutes until the clan's next confrontation with Demona.

Twenty-two minutes!

And after a madcap mind swap melee in "POSSESSION", that's exactly how the series goes out. But, that's a review for another time.

Looking forward to it.

 

[Dread]

It's been a while between review posts, time to boost this topic from the doldrums!

So close to the series finale, as well as the next three-part epic, but before then there is still one more single episode to go. That is "POSSESSION", which has the formidable task of coming after "THE RECKONING" and before "HUNTER'S MOON". That is, it is sandwiched between an episode which was once considered as a season finale, and a three parter which began its draft life as a direct-to-video feature. Such a burden is a bit unfortunate because while it is a perfectly engaging episode, which brings more than one relationship to a head, it simply cannot overcome being overshadowed by far better episodes around it. At this stage in my viewing of "GARGOYLES", my opinion is that while there are no episodes of the show which are bad or even merely "pretty good", there are clearly episodes which are better than others. Such thing is the spice of life and represents the variety of most good series. At this point, if I am sounding like I am apologizing for not totally loving everything about one of these episodes, that means only one thing - Coldstone's back!

Spoiler

To get the summary out of the way, this episode has a lot of things going on, as usual. David Xanatos is seeking to repay Goliath and the gargoyles for their generous defense of his son Alexander from Oberon, but naturally going about it in his own way. This means that even when Xanatos is no longer an enemy of the gargoyles, his efforts and machinations still wind up causing conflict for them. At this rate, he suits up with a squad of his Steel Clan robots to capture Coldstone (a cybernetic monstrosity he is partly responsible for, alongside Demona) and successfully split up his personalities into separate bodies. Unfortunately, this proves impossible to accomplish technologically, which causes Owen Burnett to switch to his Puck identity to teach the young human/fairy hybrid Alex a magical soul-transfer lesson. Ultimately, Puck shows that even in his limited capacity, he can make all sorts of mischief for the gargoyles, even if the night's drama does come with some decided advantages for at least two of the clan.

I've mentioned it before, but since this is the last chance I'll be able to speak about it during these reviews, I may as well get it all out now. For reasons I struggle to define, Coldstone was never one of my favorite reoccurring antagonists in "GARGOYLES" despite the more than capable voice work of Michael Dorn (as well as CCH Pounder as Desdemona and Xander Berkeley as Iago) and the fact that most of his episodes themselves are good. It could be that although his transformation from "REAWAKENING" to "LEGION" was well planned, I initially interpreted him as a Frankenstein Monster homage who then shifted into the sort of "multiple personality" plots which fans of Two-Face might appreciate. It certainly didn't help him that Thailog went on to become a far more successful "Frankenstein Monster" homage for David Xanatos despite the obvious film references in "REAWAKENING". It also didn't help that in every appearance, Coldstone is forced to share the screen with far more charismatic villains even to the point of often being a pawn in their plots. Xanatos and Demona create him in "REAWAKENING" and battle alongside him; Xanatos' A.I. chews up all the dated virtual reality scenery in "LEGION"; and "HIGH NOON" had so much more going on for it with Macbeth and Demona united as well as a long awaited duel between she and Elisa, in addition to the broader plot of the Weird Sisters. In fact, Coldstone doesn't get to enjoy a plot where he isn't upstaged by his fellow antagonists until the Slave Labor Graphics comic series many years later. It could be that he's a walking homage to "OTHELLO" and I never read that play. I am hesitant to state something extreme such as him being my least favorite reoccurring antagonist in "GARGOYLES", but I do struggle to think of one who appeared at least twice who I enjoyed seeing less. Sure, I didn't think Fang worked out as a lead antagonist for an episode ("KINGDOM"), but he at least was given that chance and usually excelled as the second or third wheel in other episodes. Even some of the antagonists who appeared only once, such as Proteus or Taro or Mace Malone or even the Raven, seemed to stick to me a little better. Perhaps Vinnie might fit that category since he was technically a reoccurring antagonist who I wasn't wild about either, but he at least represents a good gag. Can't I just mention how awesome Michael Dorn was as Kraven the Hunter in MTV's "SPIDER-MAN" cartoon and move on?

Perhaps a better accomplishment for the episode is that it does take a very tired trope in animated series - "the mind swap plot" - and does manage to make it work better than most series do. Puck impersonates Goliath, and Iago, Desdemona and Othello get zapped into the bodies of Brooklyn, Angela, and Broadway (respectively), allowing their voice actors some fun in playing different characters for a bit. Lexington, Hudson, and the true Goliath likely earn the roughest night as they all spend some time possessed or captured, and all wind up fighting not just Coldstone, but Xanatos' robotic bodies for Iago and Desdemona, Coldsteel and Coldfire. We learn that apparently being of the "third race" enables Alex Xanatos to develop much faster than a normal human infant would, being able to speak a lot sooner for instance. Othello and Desdemona are briefly tempted to remain in their newer and younger bodies lest they risk once more being stuck within a mangled form with Iago alongside them, but ultimately decide it isn't right to steal Broadway and Angela's lives from them. Their time in their forms, however, proves to be the extra nudge which ends the romantic quadrangle (?) between Angela and the Trio and settles who she'll be romantically interested in at least in the short term. This example of a very "artificial" creation of a relationship was thrown at me during some discussions about "Spitfire" from "YOUNG JUSTICE", but having seen it, I do feel the comparison is hardly ideal. My initial criticism of "Spitfire" was that it required a lot of heavy handed nudges by plot mechanics to kick it off; a magical helmet all but telling Kid-Flash who his soul mate was, a psychic amnesia-beam in another episode, and so on. I do think the vast difference was that "Spitfire" was one of the most major relationships within the core of "YOUNG JUSTICE", while one cannot say the same of Angela and Broadway in "GARGOYLES" (at least of the canonical TV episodes). The core "ship" in "GARGOYLES", at least of the heroes, is between Goliath and Elisa. Secondly, while there is some bickering between Angela and the Trio in "TURF", I also think both Angela and Broadway were revealed to have more in common as characters before they met or become possessed by the souls of longtime lovers than when Wally and Artemis meet. Both can be fierce warriors with a zest for adventure, but both are also more sensitive than their appearances suggest. Broadway has quite a few focus episodes before the "world tour" removes him from stage for a bit, and the "world tour" gave us a good long while to get to know Angela and watch her develop.

Speaking of "YOUNG JUSTICE", seeing this episode for the first time after "HUMANITY" did cause me to imagine the possibility that somewhere on the internet, fan art exists in which Coldstone, Coldsteel, and Coldfire are having a combative robotic picnic of nuts, bolts, and oil with Red Tornado, Red Torpedo, Red Inferno, and Red Volcano. If not, make it happen, Deviantart!

The animation for the episode, by Koko Enterprise Co., isn't bad but not of the peak of the series and about on par with other 90's era cartoons, but that couldn't be helped and by this stage it wasn't much of a factor for me. I did feel this episode worked out better than "LEGION" as magical spells seems to have aged better than V.R. helmets have, and it does have the tapestry of a stage play as well as a lot of clever wordplay and action. A final performance as Puck by Brent Spiner is also no small potatoes, as well as the ending of some subplots but the establishment of many more. Being possessed by others did more than just for Broadway and Angela; Lex naturally gained more of a bond for Alex after being possessed by him, which leads to some mended bridges between he and Fox. Iago being free to plot and scheme as Coldsteel naturally opens up more possibilities, even if Coldstone and Coldsfire are free of him and in their own bodies (of sorts). Above all, I think this episode really showcased that simply because there is a truce between the Manhattan Clan and the Xanatos clan doesn't mean that their lives are free of conflict from their proximity. David Xanatos will still do things which run counter to what Goliath wishes or believes should be done, even when in his mind he is trying to do something in penance. He will still have skeletons in the closet and plans from the past coming home to roost, such as more suped up gargoyle robots. His personal assistant and babysitter being a legendary "god of mischief" is obviously something which lends itself to more adventures. Xanatos is hardly above manipulating allies to his own ends, after all. And clearly, Alexander Xanatos will become quite a person with considerable opportunity and influence. So, all in all, not a bad send off for Coldstone in the animated canon.

Next up is "HUNTER'S MOON", the three part season and series finale. I'd better rest my fingers for that type fest.

 

[Dread]

And so it has come to this, the series finale to the animated (and canonical) "GARGOYLES" series - the three part opus, "HUNTER'S MOON". It naturally marked the end of a hectic season for Greg Weisman, Frank Paur, and company to produce back in the mid 1990's, as the last of a massive order of 52 episodes for that second season. It also marks the end of these long form reviews of the series episodes from me, at least discounting the Slave Labor Graphics comics which would come in the 21st century. Closing out a season which saw no end of thrills, chills, and spills from across the globe and even time itself, which introduced new heroes, new villains, and altered and enhanced those from the first season is no easy task. After all, it certainly is hard to top things like Demona fighting Thailog amid a burning inferno, or virtually every major character fighting a giant sized Oberon. Yet it does in quite spectacular and dramatic fashion, serving as a sequel to the four part "CITY OF STONE" as well as capping the series quite nicely. Originally intended as a stand alone direct-to-video animated feature, it certainly carries the weight and suspense of such a piece, with stakes that become increasingly more dangerous as each episode goes by. Having long been inspired and motivated by Shakespeare as well as history, "HUNTER'S MOON" weaves all of that together into its' own three act play of action, intrigue, and tragedy. Characters old and new get put through the wringer, and while certain subplots would finally come to a head, it's not an easy ride for anyone.

As with most reviews of these three part epics, I'm going to lump it all into one long post versus these shorter ones. As they're all one story anyway, it flows a bit better that way. Besides, it also allows me to jump around to reactions and analysis easier, since this isn't supposed to be a moment to moment recording of the minutes of these episodes. That said, the ending to "HUNTER'S MOON PART ONE" is easily one of the strongest cliffhangers the show ever did, which is quite a compliment considering some of the previous cliffhangers produced during this series' run. But, now I am getting ahead of myself.

Spoiler

At it's heart, "HUNTER'S MOON" boils down to a feud between family clans across a long span of time, as well as a tragedy in regards to the dangerous aftermath of misguided vengeance. There is some use of repeat footage from "HUNTER'S MOON" here and there, but it's done to properly set up the stakes and remind viewers of past dynamics. Remember, it'd be many years until it was possible to marathon watch this on DVD! As with most great tragedies in the show, Demona is one of the central causes of most of the misery even if she herself isn't aware or doesn't care. Her distrust of humanity was stoked into a raging inferno of hatred by her own time traveling future self back in the middle ages. Her casual and cruel mauling of a small peasant boy in 994 ends up transforming the random youth Gillcomgain into the ruthless Hunter, slayer of gargoyles and mercenary for hire. His hatred of course was stoked by his own father as well as Constantine III, whose battle make-up would end up inspiring the iconic look of the Hunter's mask (as per the SLG comics). And much as the yin to Demona's own yang, the legacy of the Hunter would continue throughout the ages. The mask and zeal of the hunter would continue throughout Demona's ill gotten crusades against humanity in the middle ages, from Duncan (Macbeth's cousin) to Malcolm Canmore, whose rise to power was facilitated by Demona's own inability to trust Macbeth due to her own prejudice regardless of over three decades of loyalty to her. From there, the legacy of the Hunter would pass from one Canmore to the next, as their mission to destroy Demona in particular and gargoyles in general would continue until the present day (of 1996). As "CITY OF STONE" made clear, whatever nuggets of truth may have existed in Demona's philosophy have long been outweighed by her centuries of betrayal and short sighted cruelty against humans who had nothing to do with her besides existing or being in her way at a particular moment. Not only did her actions effect the history of Scotland forever (and caused no end of misery for Macbeth, inspiring his own crusades), but it also fueled an equally tenacious force against her and her kind in the Hunters. The series shows us moments throughout history where Demona is being stalked (or is stalking) the latest generation of Hunter, at times bemoaning the endless hunt without ever taking much thought as to why it started in the first place. By 1996, the Canmore clan have been prosperous enough to have not one, but three Hunters in the form of a trio of siblings - Jason, Robyn, and Jon. For some of the previous Hunters, the pursuit of "the demon" was an ancestral feud, whose origins may have been muddled by the sands of time. For them, however, it was very personal as they watched their father Charles die fighting Demona at the French Notre Dame Cathedral in 1980. To this end they have become hunters to avenge their father and finally end their family's ancestral hunt once and for all. The three siblings all have taken on alternate identities to hide their exploits while they plot their inevitable attack and trace Demona's latest exploits.

It continues to amaze me how many voice actors who would later become famous for extended roles in DC Comics related animation actually had some meaty roles in "GARGOYLES" years beforehand. Long before Clancy Brown was dazzling people as Lex Luthor, he had several long term roles in "GARGOYLES", for instance. And in relation to "HUNTER'S MOON", we have Diedrich Bader as Jason Canmore. At the time "THE DREW CAREY SHOW" was one season in, and it would be many years before Bader would go on to voice Batman in "THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD" as well as perform other voice acting roles. Yet here he has a large part to play as the eldest, largest, and seemingly the most passionate of the three Canmore siblings. His alter ego was "Jason Conover", and he would fatefully join the NYPD as Elisa Maza's new partner. Robyn, the middle child, is voiced by Sheena Easton (who voiced the Banshee previously, among other roles), and her alter ego as "Robyn Correy", personal assistant to NIGHTSTONE UNLIMITED CEO "Dominique Destine" would prove equally fateful in another regard. Jon, the youngest of the three, is voiced by Scott Cleverdon (like Easton, another refugee from "THE HOUND OF ULSTER") and whose alter ego of "Jon Carter" isn't a martian hero but a reporter for WVRN, perhaps giving Travis Marshall a break some nights. Throughout the first two acts, Jon is the least eager about the family hunt as Jason and Robyn are, ever questioning their zeal or the end game for their quest...at least until that third act. Until many of their previous incarnations, these Hunters are able to utilize advanced technology unheard of in the middle ages as they seek to end Demona and anyone associated with her once and for all.

Naturally, "Dominique Destine" is the human alter ego of Demona herself, having been cursed by Puck since way back in "THE MIRROR" into becoming one of those she hates while in daylight. Rather than see this as a learning experience, Demona both hates it as well as eventually learns to utilize it to assist her in her daily grind at genocide. Having just tried to eliminate her business partner Thailog in "THE RECKONING" and finding out her daughter with Goliath is alive and well (Angela), Demona is reexamining her life and exploits in an attempt to finally become a better mother. Just kidding; instead Demona is continuing a long term plot which began with the murder of Charles Canmore in Paris to create a virus via combining sorcery and biology to destroy the human race once and for all. While Demona remains ever tragic and one can always see where she is coming from, as well as being privy to Marina Sirtis' awesome performances, "HUNTER'S MOON" remains her deadliest scheme to date which some fans of hers may diminish in their adoration of the character. "CITY OF STONE" merely sought to transform everyone in Manhattan into stone for Demona to kill in bunches at a whim; this time her game is to cause an extinction event. This is Apocalypse, Mr. Sinister, Darkseid, Red Skull levels of evil here. Not even becoming human 50% of the time has diminished her zeal against them as a species, and not even the discovery of a daughter has slowed her revenge fetish down. Remember, in the end not even David Xanatos could properly control and predict her, and as this trilogy of episodes reminds us, Demona has been active for centuries. She ultimately forms a devil's alliance with Dr. Sevarius for a key part of her scheme, yet thinks nothing of the fact that he will die in its implementation just the same. As a continuation of my point from "THE RECKONING", the mere existence of Angela alone is not enough to put Demona on any sort of redemptive path; if anything, one could argue that it only increased her zeal to finish off the humans faster. The monstrous tragedy of it all is that if Demona succeeded - actually accomplished her goal of killing all humans on earth - she would find no happiness in her life or even much acceptance from her fellow gargoyles or Oberon's children. The end game of her piles of bodies is nothing but fulfilling most of the terrible misconceptions the humans had of gargoyles back in ancient Scotland, and still being able to keep her same computer password.

At any rate, Elisa is none too thrilled to be switched to the day shift as well as teamed up with Jason, but they have to adjust to their partnership under fire as they quickly come upon a robbery attempt of a dangerous chemical from one of Xanatos' warehouses. They succeed in stopping the robbery, but one of the crooks escapes to warn his boss - Destine/Demona herself. As "POSSESSION" made clear, just because David Xanatos was no longer directly opposing the gargoyles anymore didn't mean he would no longer be a source for drama for them, as his global enterprise pretty much monetizes skeletons in closets. Thus, Goliath arranges for the clan to split up and watch the other two Xanatos facilities which have the chemical in hopes of intercepting the robbers. While the gargoyle trio wind up fighting Demona herself at one of the locations, Goliath, Angela, and Hudson wind up being the first to meet with the new Hunters at the other. Having expected that Demona was the last of her kind, with Jon being the least gung-ho about attacking, the Hunters nevertheless mix it up with the gargoyles almost on sight. To a degree it may remind some of Macbeth's first appearance, where he attacked Goliath and the clan merely to get to Demona, who he assumed was in league with them ("Know her!? I NAMED her!"). Unfortunately, Angela (whose resemblance to Demona isn't in her favor here) is mortally wounded during the battle and act one ends with her about to die before sunrise, with Goliath ending the episode sounding angrier than he's probably ever been, even angrier than after the Wyvern massacre. "On my daughter's life, I swear I will hunt them down, and I will KILL THEM!" Naturally, all credit has to go to Keith David for a passionate read. Kevin Conroy had some chilling moments as Batman at the time, but he never vowed to end someone on network television (even if he did contemplate feeding Sewer King to his own crocs for running a child slavery ring). And the most Christopher D. Barnes would have had at the time as Spider-Man would have been some...high pitched wails about Shocker in a bell tower. Naturally, this was hardly the end for "HUNTER'S MOON" or even cliffhangers from it, but that certainly was quite the way to end an episode of a three part series finale, no? It is a finale which is followed up on in the second part of "HUNTER'S MOON" and perpetuates the idea that vengeance is not only "a sucker's game" but that it begets little more than additional suffering. Demona's zeal against humanity created the Hunters, and caused the deaths of scores of humans and gargoyles even well before 1996. The Hunter's zeal against Demona has now led to an unprovoked attack against the Manhattan clan, and brought on Goliath's blood-lust. And on it goes until something can manage to break the cycle of violence. What is it? I'm skipping ahead, but although it is a crude summary, it's the opposite of hate - which is love.

One knows that the next two parts of "HUNTER'S MOON" are about to get real by the simple fact that Disney Japan animated both of them. Naturally with a 52 episode second season, there was no way Disney's own studio could handle the task of animating every episode as they had with the first season. Still, DJ was always there for the "important" episodes, and these two were no exception. Credit has to be given to the show for establishing firm "rules" about the gargoyles' power levels which bare some fruit here. Although their stone sleep can heal wounds, it won't revive them if they die before becoming stone, and even the sleep won't instantly heal wounds if they're too severe without some weakness afterward. The second chapter begins with a very tense scene where Elisa has to administer CPR to Angela to keep her alive before the sun rises. To me this only helps cement their bond of "family" between the two and Goliath, and even Elisa's role as a step-mother of sorts - here she is literally "breathing life" into Angela. After having finally shrugged off centuries of rigid gargoyle socialization rules that claim "all are equal in the clan" to finally embrace Angela as his daughter and his role as a father, Goliath finds himself experiencing a different sort of rage now that Angela is nearly killed. I mentioned love before, and love is a very complicated thing. This season was coming to an end and obviously the tension between Elisa and Goliath had become tangible by now. Anyone who was even remotely paying attention to the series was practically waiting for this subplot to come a head, and naturally a season/series finale is the place to find it. But as always with this series, nothing comes easily or without having to experience some pain for it. The idea of loving a member of another species is quite a lot to get around, even for someone as accepting as Elisa is. So the arrival of a dashing cop in Jason Conover comes at the worst possible time for cross species shippers, and for Goliath. Both Elisa and Goliath had been back and forth about their relationship; from friends to a world traveling family unit to "very good friends", each perhaps denying to themselves what was happening even as it was very clearly happening for both of them. It doesn't help Goliath's berserk button when he sees Jason and Elisa making out not long before another confrontation with the Hunters aboard their flying airship. I naturally can't help but wonder if this is a parallel to "CITY OF STONE" where Demona eavesdropping upon a scene without knowing the context ultimately drives her to end the largest union she ever had with a human. Goliath departs without ever seeing Elisa pull away, conflicted over her feelings, for instance. Despite all the time alongside Elisa and all he's learned in the 20th century, the idea of trusting humans so intimately that he's considering becoming lovers with one is still an extremely new thing for Goliath.

The enterprise on the airship is quite a spectacle for a variety of reasons. The largest being the fact that Goliath, Lex, and Brooklyn run into Demona there and what ensues from it. Goliath is in so dark a place now that he forms an alliance with Demona against the Hunters and doesn't quite disagree with one of her "humanity is wicked" tirades later. It's not only good because we see how righteous anger has started to cloud Goliath's judgement, but we also see Brooklyn step up here. This isn't season one where he and the rest of trio were essentially Goliath's kid sidekicks. Brooklyn ran the team for some time without Goliath, and both Lex and Broadway learned to function without him. Regardless of Puck's illusions to the contrary, Brooklyn was never lovers with Demona and it seems absolutely nothing can temper his own resentment towards her. One can imagine that the time without Goliath not only taught the rest of the clan how to endure without his protection and guidance, but gave Brooklyn the insight to realize that being "leader" isn't some magical thing, and that much as he has his issues and demons to get past in order to be the best he can be, so does Goliath. This isn't "TRANSFORMERS" where Rodimus is only too eager to hand back the reigns of leadership to Optimus Prime once he's revived because Optimus Prime was a perfect bad ass. Plus, no good second in command just stands by as his "leader" makes a mistake due to grief. As always, the dialogue in this show was usually in a different league from many animated programs even today, and this second installment is no exception. On the Hunter's side, we can see Jon struggle with their quest as he rightly figures that the Manhattan clan aren't in league with Demona, but are now after them because they'd been attacked. Jason's own zeal to destroy the gargoyles is no longer as simple as it was now that he's falling in love with Elisa, and he sees a life for himself beyond vengeance. Although the gargoyles escape the airship, the Hunters decide to cut to the chase and offer another dynamite (pun intended) cliffhanger - blowing up the watchtower! This was naturally a ballsy thing to do - end the status quo that the series had established for the gargoyles for most of the series' run. Despite the pyrotechnics, though, Goliath's declaration of bloody vengeance an episode before still stuck firmer to me in the previous cliffhanger, but this is a close second.

 

[Dread]

Three part finales earn two part posts.

Spoiler

There's no turning back in "HUNTER'S MOON PART THREE". The police station and the Watchtower have been blown to bits. Elisa only escapes because Jason makes sure to rescue/kidnap her by gassing her and then flying off with her with his own "flitter". Somewhere, Norman Osborn sues for trademark infringement. The gargoyles barely survive the explosion, and we continue to see Jon struggling with his own conscience and his part of the legacy as he has the chance to fire upon them when they're trying to save each other, but refuses to do so. The media (including Jon, as a reporter), document the official revelation of the existence of gargoyles, and unlike "THE EDGE", this time they can't be dismissed as robots. Travis, like any media shill, capitalizes to start his own TV show about them, "NIGHTWATCH". As tense as all this was, I distinctly recall saying to my TV set, "well, you had the chance to introduce yourselves at a Japanese theme park, and you didn't take it" ("BUSHIDO"). Naturally we get to see cameos of a lot of our favorite side characters as the existence of the Gargoyles becomes real, without any hint of a cop out like many other shows likely would have considered (or a lack of a realistic reaction, as the original "TMNT" cartoon seemed to always struggle with). The gargoyles are blamed for the bombing of the police station, although the ever persistent Matt Bluestone helps Elisa prove to Capt. Chavez that Jason Conover is not who he seems to be, and is in fact the guilty party. Unfortunately, Goliath's own zeal for vengeance is clearly consuming him, as he orders Lex to reverse the signal on the tracer the Hunters planted on him to draw them out, against Elisa's advice. This leads to a climatic struggle on a dam where Goliath's fury to end Jason once and for all ends up causing Elisa to seemingly plummet to her death along with him. Not only is this naturally a tragedy which cuts to the core of the Manhattan Clan, it also marks the beginning of the end of Jon Canmore's sense of mercy and morality regarding the gargoyles. Having failed to save his brother by "killing them when I had the chance", Jon takes it upon himself to fill Jason's spot as a Hunter, and quickly becomes far more crazed than Jason ever was. We're back to our theme of the corrupting influence of vengeance, and about how it destroys more than it avenges to the point that it really is hard to take it as a serious motive for "heroes" for very long. Unlike a lot of other shows, the audience can see that not even the series' lead it immune to it's corrupting influence and how close he came to losing both himself and those he loves to it.

Robyn, meanwhile, eventually figures out that Dominique Destine and Demona are one and the same, and that NIGHTSHADE UNLIMITED has just allowed Demona to create an ultimate virus which will kill every human man, woman, and child on the face of the earth. She's seen how the thirst for vengeance against the slayer of their father has led to her losing her eldest brother, and she's now watching her sweeter younger brother become a fanatic in grief. It all leads into a climatic final finale battle in St. Damien's Cathedral between the Canmores, the Manhattan Clan, and Demona for nothing less than the fate of the world, which has been boiled down to a very human drama. Their exposure to the public has not made their task any easier, with random civilians and the NYPD now actively interfering in the gargoyles' exploits. Thankfully, Jason not only survived his fall, but managed to save Elisa from drowning as well, and both have made their way to the final battle as well. By this point, his affection for Elisa, who was very personally intertwined with the gargoyles, has softened his own ambition against them. Unfortunately, Jon's too far gone to be appealed with by reason, which is always the major disadvantage of megalomania. The episode naturally makes it official by having Jon's own quest for revenge mirror that of Demona's at the start of "CITY OF STONE", upon realizing that all she's done is hurt those closest to her ("What have I...what have THEY done!?") when Jason is crippled by Jon's shot. The deadly thing about vengeance, at least as illustrated by this three parter as well as the series at large, is that it can twist someone into a being that only acts in pursuit of it, even when their initial motive for vengeance is gone or moot. Goliath, as far over the edge as he was, still pulled back once Elisa was revealed as alive. Neither Jon, or Demona, did, nor could they ever realize their own hand at causing their own misery as Goliath was. To this point, "GARGOYLES" shows that a difference between heroes and villains isn't a lack of flaws or temptation or even deadly errors, but in how one reacts to them and how they influence further actions. Goliath sees the error of his ways and stops the cycle; Jon and Demona never do, and perpetuate it.

Demona's thirst for vengeance against humanity, meanwhile, has reached an ultimate conclusion. No longer satisfied with blasting away random New Yorkers, knocking off Hunters or even attempting to kill Elisa, now her thirst will only be sated with the extinction of the human race itself. As I stated above, the true tragedy of this is not even this would satisfy Demona, or leave her in any position to know joy or peace. The ultimate conclusion of her 1000+ year quest leaves her no better off than when she was all alone after the Wyvern massacre, and it's not for lack of others trying to convince her otherwise. While Demona may say things such as wanting to avenge the near death of her daughter, in the end not even Angela factors into this. When Demona reveals the supernatural influence of the virus - that no science or magic could stop it, as it is a mix of both much as Coldstone was - Goliath destroys the artifact protecting gargoyles from its' effect. The symbolism may be blunt, but effective - our fate is their fate, and vice versa, we're all in this together regardless of sins committed against each other. And because we've seen Goliath himself stumble upon trying to live by his own philosophy in this episode, we see that it isn't coming from some holier-than-thou place. It's not easy to put aside vengeance for the betterment of everyone, not even for Goliath, but with help from his friends and family, he still can see the error in his ways, he can still change. And change, as well as personal betterment, is never a journey that ends. Still, what is Demona's reaction? Does all of this hit her atop of the fact that her own daughter would die in this plan now, or that Demona literally spends her days in the form of the beings she wants to render extinct? No; Demona tosses the virus vial into the air, and deliberately gambles with the lives of her daughter as well as her entire species (as well as everyone on earth, save for maybe the third racers) just to buy herself an escape route. Although I maintain from a previous review that Demona may have more compassion for her daughter than Norman Osborn or Sportsmaster had for their kids, I will concede that neither villain personally attempted to cause the extinction of the human race either (although Sportsmaster's bosses all treated genocide as a trade off for evolution). I can imagine some fans of Demona could counter by stating, "she knew Goliath would catch it", but is it really that simple? This is more complicated than some femme fatale endangering a hapless citizen or even a building full of them to escape Batman or Spider-Man; this is someone risking the death of EVERY SENTIENT BEING ON EARTH, including THEMSELVES, to cover an escape. If this episode cements anything, it is how far gone into nihilism Demona has become. In TV Tropes, this is the "Moral Event Horizon" where a villain shifts away from some sympathetic motivation and into becoming an enemy of life itself, like when Jackal decides to become the god of death in "GRIEF" and revel in that power. Now, I am not dismissing Greg Weisman's own teases of there possibly being some redemption to Demona in some future time; I'm not that arrogant. But merely insisting that it'd take more than a daughter's existence, as "HUNTER'S MOON" clearly demonstrates. It also demonstrates how dangerous Demona is in a grand manner despite lacking the sheer power of some other adversaries such as the Archmage or the Weird Sisters or Oberon himself. What she may lack in sheer physical power she makes up for in adaptability to lethal technology and a vast knowledge of spell-casting, and enough imagination to combine the two to her own ends. She's methodically patient yet disturbingly eager to inflict casualties on a grand scale, and even allies (of her own kind) are expendable. As much as many people adore her, I see her redemption as robbing the franchise of one of it's signature villains, almost akin to if the Joker just turned sane and joined Batman's team in crime fighting. It is exceedingly hard to come back from plotting to kill everyone one earth, after all; this isn't Sandman having a change of heart about killing someone to nab a score. Regardless, "HUNTER'S MOON" remains one of Demona's best outings, even if it seems I tend to say that in every outing she has. Despite her popularity and how much she brings to her episodes (and how much Sirtis brought to the role), the show never wasted her just for stunt casting in aimless plots. The fact that her fanbase is still so strong 20 years later showcases how she wasn't over used until everyone was tired of her, like comic books tend to do with most of their villains.

Haven't talked about Elisa enough so far. Naturally, she goes through quite a lot in "HUNTER'S MOON" as well. As mentioned earlier, by this stage her relationship with Goliath had evolved over the course of the show. From their chance meeting to their initial bond in the night sky or in Central Park, to her becoming a key part of their clan, to her globe trotting adventures with Goliath, Angela, and Bronx, their "ship" was built plank by plank. Their bond was challenged many times, from the pilot to now, with corrupting artifacts and amnesia beams being but samples of what they had to endure. Demona being Goliath's ex naturally is something which remains in the background of their every meeting even if it isn't brought up in words, and naturally helping forge Goliath's bond with Angela brought her even deeper into Goliath's life. While she was the gargoyle's first and greatest ally in "modern times", naturally Goliath and the gargoyles were always there for her, whether to aid in a tough bust or to sort out having her brother transformed into a monster. Yet just as the events of "HUNTER'S MOON" test Goliath's patience for humanity, Elisa's own feelings for him are tested by Jason's appearance. One thing the show never did was make a love between two species (human and gargoyle) feel like it was a simple Saturday morning special. As open minded as Elisa was about the gargoyles and the world of magic and legend they helped lead her into, she's still a normal woman with normal desires. There are certain things that Goliath can never provide for her, especially with their identity exposed to the world. Perhaps it might have played differently if the Canmores were introduced in their alter egos a bit sooner than these three episodes, but on the other hand it's also genuine that a desire between two people can happen quickly after meeting. At least on the surface, Jason is all that Elisa might ask for in a lover; square jawed, handsome, big, a great cop even with a sense of humor. At least until his identity as a Hunter is revealed, a life with him (or at least a direct romantic relationship) is just more feasible than it is with Goliath for her. Yet despite all that, her heart wants what it wants, "logic" and social norms be damned. Much as the affair with the Hunters (and Jason's moving in on Elisa) puts Goliath's feelings towards Elisa and people to the test, Jason's feelings towards Elisa put her own relationship with Goliath to the test. And while she and Jason do reach an understanding, his lies and acts of terror are not easily forgiven, as under the surface there's some ugliness he has to work through. The span of "GARGOYLES" comics released by SLG actually get into these things in some more depth, but there's still plenty to work through in the episodes themselves. Elisa manages to help Jason onto a path of redemption, even if he does pay a heavy price at the hands of his brother. I am new to Gargoyles fandom but I certainly hope the general consensus ignored the "double standard" which tends to apply to how some in the audience reach to subplots with female characters. As great as a "true love against the odds" narrative can be, it's unrealistic for both figures in such a thing to have never dated anyone else prior. I can imagine that's why Steve Trevor's role in the WONDER WOMAN lore has become problematic enough that he's been mostly removed from it since the Silver Age - despite how good a man he is, it's still a case of the symbol of female empowerment literally falling for the first man she meets. Elisa's a strong, confident woman; she's allowed to date and if anything it makes her eventual decision regarding Goliath feel all the more real, and human.

The epilogue as it were does what most endings to major "GARGOYLES" stories do - offer up enough solid resolution to make the events worthwhile while offering plenty of hints for more. Considering what was to come with "The Goliath Chronicles", it is almost eerie how much this finale serves as a bookend to the pilot. The gargoyles once again find themselves back at castle Wyvern atop the Eyrie Building with Xanatos as their "landlord". It's naturally as part of Xanatos "repaying" them for saving his son, but it naturally doesn't mean he and the gargoyles, or Elisa, are best friends. Elisa's brother is still Talon, and Xanatos' schemes will always run counter to their morals. If anything, their "alliance" only makes it easier for Xanatos to manipulate them. However, one could argue that's the same of many relationships; animosity isn't eternal, but both sides reach a place where they rely on the other for something of value, a mutual understanding of terms. The entire clan is larger as well as more learned of modern times as well as being flexible to their own routine than before. They may be back "home", but their understanding of what that means has changed, and things won't ever be the same with their existence revealed to the world. However, we end the episode with Goliath and Elisa finally cementing their relationship status with a kiss which has been more than earned. Maybe for some it "drug out" but I appreciated that the show really dealt with the heaviness of their budding relationship and allowed them to make the slow and steady transition from a curious meeting to friends, family, and more. It seems even the animation itself reaches an apex with that moment, as if by now even the studio was locked in with their modern "Beauty and the Beast" narrative. It's naturally not an ending which ties up every loose plot thread with a bow, but it certainly is satisfying as hell. I certainly couldn't think of a finale which would have been better, at least in terms of pathos, drama, and logical conclusions to long running subplots.

In terms of the general mythology, this was only the beginning. Not only would the passion of the fans and the creator keep this franchise alive, but it would continue in canonical form via the Slave Labor Graphics comic series, "Gargoyles" and "Gargoyles: Bad Guys" from 2006-2008. But in terms of works of animation, this easily stands as one of the best series finales of all time. It highlights the best that the series offers in terms of pathos and character conflict while offering enough action for the he-men, enough Disney romance for the sensitive, and enough imagination for everyone else. Having reached this point, I often had to remind myself that I was not only watching a network cartoon seemingly aimed at children, but that it was a work which was completed before Bill Clinton was elected to his second term. Like all true classics, it holds up to the test of time as well as what will become repeat viewings. It stands as the pinnacle of Weisman's career for many and the one seminal work everything he's done after has been compared to. It also stands as one of the best pieces of Western animation ever produced, with very little to contrast it to as a true peer besides the rival series which served as a motive for Disney's interest in the first place - "Batman: the Animated Series". Sure, the shifting quality of the various side studios was an unfortunate reality and there are some quibbles or dated technology bits here and there, but overall "GARGOYLES" stands alone as a work of animated art. Within it were elements which Disney has long embraced in animation, such as fantasy, fairy tales, romance, youthful characters and even what some might call "stunt" casting (casting actors well known outside of voice over work), but which were all combined into a truly unique and original vision. What began in the late 1980's with "Ducktales" truly reached a crescendo with "GARGOYLES", and one would struggle to think of any cartoon series which came sense which wasn't based on a pre-existing franchise which could come close to matching it. And despite all the mismanagement that Disney displayed with the franchise ever since this finale, a part of me still likes to believe some within the company were aware of what they had, even if it didn't sell them as many action figures as intended. That incredible 52 episode order for season two could have only come from a desire to see more of what Season One brought. It did take a disturbingly long time for this entire run to be available on legal DVD's without edits, but it was eventually done. The third and final set, covering the second half of season two, has gone from a "Disney club exclusive" to an item Disney officially sold to anyone on eBay to something sold directly on their website. The fanbase is very passionate and have been since the show aired, evolving and growing with the Internet which united them in a manner which might impress even Lexington (who'd be a darling as a Tumblr blogger these days).

I've run out of flowery compliments for the series. I jumped at the chance to finally watch this series (or at least 95% of it) for the first time after regretting it for decades last summer, with my awe and expectations for the series being incredibly high. Regardless of those, it exceeded those expectations and had me in it's thrall by the pilot, and from there it's been a great ride. I hadn't intended to fully dive into this world in my 30's, but it proved to be a world which was still ready for me. It's unknown what the future holds for this franchise, but as a work unto itself it stands alone as a testament to what TV animation can accomplish.

What's next? Comparing it to Weisman's subsequent shows, of course! Hopefully that gets typed before "STAR WARS REVELS" debuts.

 

[Sarcastic Fan]

I don't check back for a while and look what happens, you finish the series.

That is "POSSESSION", which has the formidable task of coming after "THE RECKONING" and before "HUNTER'S MOON". That is, it is sandwiched between an episode which was once considered as a season finale, and a three parter which began its draft life as a direct-to-video feature.

Yeah, Weisman moved this episode between the two to give audiences a little break from Demona. Granted we just received a huge one during the World Tour, but I think it was a wise move.

At this point, if I am sounding like I am apologizing for not totally loving everything about one of these episodes, that means only one thing - Coldstone's back!

And Wally West has come with him! Time for a Dread vs Nygma debate!

This means that even when Xanatos is no longer an enemy of the gargoyles, his efforts and machinations still wind up causing conflict for them.

I wouldn't have it any other way.

It certainly didn't help him that Thailog went on to become a far more successful "Frankenstein Monster" homage for David Xanatos despite the obvious film references in "REAWAKENING".

I still believe they are different archetypes. Thailog is the bastard. But yes, I enjoy Thailog far more than Coldstone, too.

But hey, review the comics and you get to say it again, Coldstone does return

In fact, Coldstone doesn't get to enjoy a plot where he isn't upstaged by his fellow antagonists until the Slave Labor Graphics comic series many years later.

Come to think of it, that was the least well received issue of the series. Hmm, coincidence?

Perhaps a better accomplishment for the episode is that it does take a very tired trope in animated series - "the mind swap plot" - and does manage to make it work better than most series do.

If Jeph Loeb produced this, Michael Dorn's voice would be coming out of Broadway, CCH Pounder's out of Angela, etc... because, hey, if the Red Skull and Captain America switch bodies, they will switch voices, too. I actually loved hearing the voice actors get a chance to play other characters.

Othello and Desdemona are briefly tempted to remain in their newer and younger bodies lest they risk once more being stuck within a mangled form with Iago alongside them, but ultimately decide it isn't right to steal Broadway and Angela's lives from them.

I think it says a lot about Othello that he was willing to do it.

Their time in their forms, however, proves to be the extra nudge which ends the romantic quadrangle (?) between Angela and the Trio and settles who she'll be romantically interested in at least in the short term. This example of a very "artificial" creation of a relationship was thrown at me during some discussions about "Spitfire" from "YOUNG JUSTICE", but having seen it, I do feel the comparison is hardly ideal. My initial criticism of "Spitfire" was that it required a lot of heavy handed nudges by plot mechanics to kick it off; a magical helmet all but telling Kid-Flash who his soul mate was, a psychic amnesia-beam in another episode, and so on. I do think the vast difference was that "Spitfire" was one of the most major relationships within the core of "YOUNG JUSTICE", while one cannot say the same of Angela and Broadway in "GARGOYLES" (at least of the canonical TV episodes).

Nygma, where are you? This has been here for months and you haven't responded? Shame! SHAME!

Speaking of "YOUNG JUSTICE", seeing this episode for the first time after "HUMANITY" did cause me to imagine the possibility that somewhere on the internet, fan art exists in which Coldstone, Coldsteel, and Coldfire are having a combative robotic picnic of nuts, bolts, and oil with Red Tornado, Red Torpedo, Red Inferno, and Red Volcano. If not, make it happen, Deviantart!

After the recent Radio Play, I'll settle for some Demona on Queen Bee art, thank you very much.

Next up is "HUNTER'S MOON", the three part season and series finale. I'd better rest my fingers for that type fest.

I can't wait to read it... right now!

And so it has come to this, the series finale to the animated (and canonical) "GARGOYLES" series - the three part opus, "HUNTER'S MOON". It naturally marked the end of a hectic season for Greg Weisman, Frank Paur, and company to produce back in the mid 1990's, as the last of a massive order of 52 episodes for that second season.

It was a great time.

It also marks the end of these long form reviews of the series episodes from me, at least discounting the Slave Labor Graphics comics which would come in the 21st century.

I'd still love to read your thoughts on those.

Characters old and new get put through the wringer, and while certain subplots would finally come to a head, it's not an easy ride for anyone.

Nor should they be. A series finale should be more than just an action sequence and feats of strength. It should be about the characters, and this one does just that.

At it's heart, "HUNTER'S MOON" boils down to a feud between family clans across a long span of time, as well as a tragedy in regards to the dangerous aftermath of misguided vengeance. There is some use of repeat footage from "HUNTER'S MOON" here and there, but it's done to properly set up the stakes and remind viewers of past dynamics. Remember, it'd be many years until it was possible to marathon watch this on DVD!

And it's finally available on DVD!

As "CITY OF STONE" made clear, whatever nuggets of truth may have existed in Demona's philosophy have long been outweighed by her centuries of betrayal and short sighted cruelty against humans who had nothing to do with her besides existing or being in her way at a particular moment. Not only did her actions effect the history of Scotland forever (and caused no end of misery for Macbeth, inspiring his own crusades), but it also fueled an equally tenacious force against her and her kind in the Hunters.

She is, indeed, her own worst enemy.

The series shows us moments throughout history where Demona is being stalked (or is stalking) the latest generation of Hunter, at times bemoaning the endless hunt without ever taking much thought as to why it started in the first place.

There's a scene that was cut for time proving that the Canmores themselves have no idea how the feud started.

And in relation to "HUNTER'S MOON", we have Diedrich Bader as Jason Canmore. At the time "THE DREW CAREY SHOW" was one season in, and it would be many years before Bader would go on to voice Batman in "THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD" as well as perform other voice acting roles. Yet here he has a large part to play as the eldest, largest, and seemingly the most passionate of the three Canmore siblings. His alter ego was "Jason Conover", and he would fatefully join the NYPD as Elisa Maza's new partner.

And just think, now, how much he is playing against type with this role.

Naturally, "Dominique Destine" is the human alter ego of Demona herself, having been cursed by Puck since way back in "THE MIRROR" into becoming one of those she hates while in daylight. Rather than see this as a learning experience, Demona both hates it as well as eventually learns to utilize it to assist her in her daily grind at genocide.

She's expedient that way.

Having just tried to eliminate her business partner Thailog in "THE RECKONING" and finding out her daughter with Goliath is alive and well (Angela), Demona is reexamining her life and exploits in an attempt to finally become a better mother.

And so goes just about every fanfic focusing on Demona since the series ended.

While Demona remains ever tragic and one can always see where she is coming from, as well as being privy to Marina Sirtis' awesome performances,

I've spoken to her, she doesn't consider herself good at voice acting. Personally, I think she is wrong. She helped created one of the best villains in all of animation. Her performance is every bit as iconic as Mark Hamill's Joker.

"HUNTER'S MOON" remains her deadliest scheme to date which some fans of hers may diminish in their adoration of the character.

Or outright ignore. Hell, Angela herself ignored it in that one episode of the Chronicles... though no one else brought it up, either.

"CITY OF STONE" merely sought to transform everyone in Manhattan into stone for Demona to kill in bunches at a whim; this time her game is to cause an extinction event. This is Apocalypse, Mr. Sinister, Darkseid, Red Skull levels of evil here.

She's a mass murderer, very few animated villains can make that claim. And yes, I think she stands up well with the best villains in comics.

Not even becoming human 50% of the time has diminished her zeal against them as a species, and not even the discovery of a daughter has slowed her revenge fetish down.

Angela is her newest excuse. Plain and simple.

Remember, in the end not even David Xanatos could properly control and predict her, and as this trilogy of episodes reminds us, Demona has been active for centuries. She ultimately forms a devil's alliance with Dr. Sevarius for a key part of her scheme, yet thinks nothing of the fact that he will die in its implementation just the same.

My best guess is that Sevarius isn't aware that Demona is genocidal.

As a continuation of my point from "THE RECKONING", the mere existence of Angela alone is not enough to put Demona on any sort of redemptive path; if anything, one could argue that it only increased her zeal to finish off the humans faster.

Again, thank you for getting it! Many long time fans still don't.

The monstrous tragedy of it all is that if Demona succeeded - actually accomplished her goal of killing all humans on earth - she would find no happiness in her life or even much acceptance from her fellow gargoyles or Oberon's children. The end game of her piles of bodies is nothing but fulfilling most of the terrible misconceptions the humans had of gargoyles back in ancient Scotland, and still being able to keep her same computer password.

Demona's been kidding herself since we met her. Let's say her little plan in "Awakening Part One" did succeed, I don't think Goliath would have left Princess Katharine and her people as Hakon's prisoners.

"On my daughter's life, I swear I will hunt them down, and I will KILL THEM!" Naturally, all credit has to go to Keith David for a passionate read. Kevin Conroy had some chilling moments as Batman at the time, but he never vowed to end someone on network television (even if he did contemplate feeding Sewer King to his own crocs for running a child slavery ring).

I'm still amazed they got that line on TV.

And the most Christopher D. Barnes would have had at the time as Spider-Man would have been some...high pitched wails about Shocker in a bell tower.

t:t:t:

 

[Sarcastic Fan]

The second chapter begins with a very tense scene where Elisa has to administer CPR to Angela to keep her alive before the sun rises. To me this only helps cement their bond of "family" between the two and Goliath, and even Elisa's role as a step-mother of sorts - here she is literally "breathing life" into Angela.

I never thought about it like this before, I like it.

After having finally shrugged off centuries of rigid gargoyle socialization rules that claim "all are equal in the clan" to finally embrace Angela as his daughter and his role as a father, Goliath finds himself experiencing a different sort of rage now that Angela is nearly killed.

He didn't do that at all. He was afraid of Angela being too curious about Demona, so he took too hard a hand to get her to stop thinking about biological parentage. I'm sure he'd react this way if it were Gabriel or Ophelia.

Goliath is in so dark a place now that he forms an alliance with Demona against the Hunters and doesn't quite disagree with one of her "humanity is wicked" tirades later.

And I guarantee you she was turned on watching him in this scene. I betcha she even had glimmers of hope he would come around and they could be together again over a human free Earth.

Travis, like any media shill, capitalizes to start his own TV show about them, "NIGHTWATCH".

I would never call Travis a shill. For one thing, he never lets the public forget what Xanatos and Fox are. He's too old school to be a shill.

The gargoyles are blamed for the bombing of the police station, although the ever persistent Matt Bluestone helps Elisa prove to Capt. Chavez that Jason Conover is not who he seems to be, and is in fact the guilty party.

Which is a breath of fresh air, so we don't need to deal with a "we must clear our name" story that any lesser show would have turned this into.

We're back to our theme of the corrupting influence of vengeance, and about how it destroys more than it avenges to the point that it really is hard to take it as a serious motive for "heroes" for very long. Unlike a lot of other shows, the audience can see that not even the series' lead it immune to it's corrupting influence and how close he came to losing both himself and those he loves to it.

You will never see this done with Optimus Prime. Ever.

Robyn, meanwhile, eventually figures out that Dominique Destine and Demona are one and the same,

She figured it out before the start of these episodes, which is why she went to work at Nightstone to begin with.

Unfortunately, Jon's too far gone to be appealed with by reason, which is always the major disadvantage of megalomania. The episode naturally makes it official by having Jon's own quest for revenge mirror that of Demona's at the start of "CITY OF STONE", upon realizing that all she's done is hurt those closest to her ("What have I...what have THEY done!?") when Jason is crippled by Jon's shot.

I guess you can say that Jon was cast away... *puts on shades* YEEEEAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!

To this point, "GARGOYLES" shows that a difference between heroes and villains isn't a lack of flaws or temptation or even deadly errors, but in how one reacts to them and how they influence further actions. Goliath sees the error of his ways and stops the cycle; Jon and Demona never do, and perpetuate it.

Which says that it could be any single one of us. Heroes and villains are identified by symbols, color, creed, or species. We all have the capacity for good or evil. There is no light side or dark side. Just how we react and how we behave.

Demona's thirst for vengeance against humanity, meanwhile, has reached an ultimate conclusion. No longer satisfied with blasting away random New Yorkers, knocking off Hunters or even attempting to kill Elisa, now her thirst will only be sated with the extinction of the human race itself. As I stated above, the true tragedy of this is not even this would satisfy Demona, or leave her in any position to know joy or peace. The ultimate conclusion of her 1000+ year quest leaves her no better off than when she was all alone after the Wyvern massacre, and it's not for lack of others trying to convince her otherwise.

She is such a Shakespearian villain. I love her.

While Demona may say things such as wanting to avenge the near death of her daughter, in the end not even Angela factors into this. When Demona reveals the supernatural influence of the virus - that no science or magic could stop it, as it is a mix of both much as Coldstone was - Goliath destroys the artifact protecting gargoyles from its' effect. The symbolism may be blunt, but effective - our fate is their fate, and vice versa, we're all in this together regardless of sins committed against each other. And because we've seen Goliath himself stumble upon trying to live by his own philosophy in this episode, we see that it isn't coming from some holier-than-thou place.

A lot of people misinterpret this, too. But you understood it. Thank you.

It's not easy to put aside vengeance for the betterment of everyone, not even for Goliath, but with help from his friends and family, he still can see the error in his ways, he can still change. And change, as well as personal betterment, is never a journey that ends. Still, what is Demona's reaction? Does all of this hit her atop of the fact that her own daughter would die in this plan now, or that Demona literally spends her days in the form of the beings she wants to render extinct? No; Demona tosses the virus vial into the air, and deliberately gambles with the lives of her daughter as well as her entire species (as well as everyone on earth, save for maybe the third racers) just to buy herself an escape route.

She's a real humanitarian, that Demona.

Although I maintain from a previous review that Demona may have more compassion for her daughter than Norman Osborn or Sportsmaster had for their kids, I will concede that neither villain personally attempted to cause the extinction of the human race either (although Sportsmaster's bosses all treated genocide as a trade off for evolution).

This would make the subject of a great essay. God knows I hope we get more material so we can see where Demona and Angela go.

I can imagine some fans of Demona could counter by stating, "she knew Goliath would catch it",

They do.

but is it really that simple? This is more complicated than some femme fatale endangering a hapless citizen or even a building full of them to escape Batman or Spider-Man; this is someone risking the death of EVERY SENTIENT BEING ON EARTH, including THEMSELVES, to cover an escape. If this episode cements anything, it is how far gone into nihilism Demona has become.

Indeed.

Now, I am not dismissing Greg Weisman's own teases of there possibly being some redemption to Demona in some future time; I'm not that arrogant. But merely insisting that it'd take more than a daughter's existence, as "HUNTER'S MOON" clearly demonstrates.

The end of Demona's character arc is when she stops lying to herself and admits to her own failings. Right now she would rather destroy all life than do that.

It also demonstrates how dangerous Demona is in a grand manner despite lacking the sheer power of some other adversaries such as the Archmage or the Weird Sisters or Oberon himself. What she may lack in sheer physical power she makes up for in adaptability to lethal technology and a vast knowledge of spell-casting, and enough imagination to combine the two to her own ends. She's methodically patient yet disturbingly eager to inflict casualties on a grand scale, and even allies (of her own kind) are expendable.

Which makes her as dangerous as almost any of Marvel or DC's big guns.

As much as many people adore her, I see her redemption as robbing the franchise of one of it's signature villains, almost akin to if the Joker just turned sane and joined Batman's team in crime fighting. It is exceedingly hard to come back from plotting to kill everyone one earth, after all; this isn't Sandman having a change of heart about killing someone to nab a score.

Well, we know it won't come until the "Gargoyles 2198" spinoff that Weisman still hopes to make. That makes it better in my view, because it gives her time to reflect on losing a chance to have a relationship with the one person in a thousand years who did reach out to her, Angela.

Regardless, "HUNTER'S MOON" remains one of Demona's best outings, even if it seems I tend to say that in every outing she has. Despite her popularity and how much she brings to her episodes (and how much Sirtis brought to the role), the show never wasted her just for stunt casting in aimless plots. The fact that her fanbase is still so strong 20 years later showcases how she wasn't over used until everyone was tired of her, like comic books tend to do with most of their villains.

Indeed. As much as I love them, I would be content if the Joker, Norman Osborn, Lex Luthor, and even Dr. Doom took a five year break.

Yet just as the events of "HUNTER'S MOON" test Goliath's patience for humanity, Elisa's own feelings for him are tested by Jason's appearance. One thing the show never did was make a love between two species (human and gargoyle) feel like it was a simple Saturday morning special. As open minded as Elisa was about the gargoyles and the world of magic and legend they helped lead her into, she's still a normal woman with normal desires. There are certain things that Goliath can never provide for her, especially with their identity exposed to the world.

The comics would later confront this head on.

As great as a "true love against the odds" narrative can be, it's unrealistic for both figures in such a thing to have never dated anyone else prior. I can imagine that's why Steve Trevor's role in the WONDER WOMAN lore has become problematic enough that he's been mostly removed from it since the Silver Age - despite how good a man he is, it's still a case of the symbol of female empowerment literally falling for the first man she meets. Elisa's a strong, confident woman; she's allowed to date and if anything it makes her eventual decision regarding Goliath feel all the more real, and human.

THANK YOU!

The gargoyles once again find themselves back at castle Wyvern atop the Eyrie Building with Xanatos as their "landlord". It's naturally as part of Xanatos "repaying" them for saving his son, but it naturally doesn't mean he and the gargoyles, or Elisa, are best friends.

They were in the Chronicles. ugh.

Elisa's brother is still Talon, and Xanatos' schemes will always run counter to their morals. If anything, their "alliance" only makes it easier for Xanatos to manipulate them.

Yup.

However, one could argue that's the same of many relationships; animosity isn't eternal, but both sides reach a place where they rely on the other for something of value, a mutual understanding of terms.

This is also true.

However, we end the episode with Goliath and Elisa finally cementing their relationship status with a kiss which has been more than earned.

A friend of mine has been searching for that animation cel for almost twenty years. Damn straight, it was earned.

Like all true classics, it holds up to the test of time as well as what will become repeat viewings. It stands as the pinnacle of Weisman's career for many and the one seminal work everything he's done after has been compared to.

I still think it's his best show.

It also stands as one of the best pieces of Western animation ever produced, with very little to contrast it to as a true peer besides the rival series which served as a motive for Disney's interest in the first place - "Batman: the Animated Series".

No argument here.

What's next? Comparing it to Weisman's subsequent shows, of course! Hopefully that gets typed before "STAR WARS REVELS" debuts.

I look forward to the read.

 

[Dread]

To keep this on topic for a brief moment, TV Shows on DVD noted that the second half DVD set of "Gargoyles, Season 2", which until now had initially been a part of the "Disney Club" exclusives before being sold generally on Disney's main website, will now go for a general release in January, 2015.

http://tvshowsondvd.com/n/20154

This is naturally great news, long overdue. I certainly don't regret having gotten my copy of Season 2 via Disney's official ebay account last year, though. I'd waited long enough. It has been fascinating watching Disney's reaction to this. Disney always sells some of their "Disney Club exclusives" to general audiences outside the club via an official ebay account (via Buena Vista), but the rate at which their "Gargoyles, Season 2 Part 2" set used to sell out at ebay was nuts. I distinctly remember it was one per hour at one point. Clearly the rate was faster than they intended, which was why it went up on Disney's main website. And apparently it'd been selling at such a rate there that someone at Disney, FINALLY, decided, "Let's put this thing up for general sale" even if for no reason besides sales. It'll miss the 20th anniversary of the airing of the pilot by about 4 months, but that's still great news. An even smarter move would be to re-release the first two sets at the same time and allow people at Best Buy or other retailers to be able to nab the whole thing in one trip. After all, the last general release of the show was in 2005.

While I'm here, I may as well wrap up my long session on this topic with a comparison post. Naturally, Greg Weisman would go on to be the producer/story editor on quite a few shows after "GARGOYLES" and fans of his work always tend to compare and contrast it against his subsequent works anyway. Having finally gotten into "GARGOYLES" after viewing some of his later works (in their entirety), it is interesting to go over for me. The biggest rant is saved for last so I'm starting in personal order, not in chronological order. "STAR WARS: REBELS" hasn't debuted yet, so obviously that's not included.

"GARGOYLES" VS. "YOUNG JUSTICE"

I posted a lot about "YOUNG JUSTICE" on Hype when it came out, including a lot of epic rants and debates about Wally West/Kid-Flash. Even years later I hope it never came off like I disliked the series, which is quite the contrary. I was hard on it because my expectations were through the roof and I knew it was capable of hitting it. I watched the series again on DVD and it certainly was helped by binge-watching over months between episodes. Having come out from 2010-2013, it's Weisman's most recent series as producer/story editor which was aired in its' entirety. I imagine it must have felt a little like coming home again because Greg Weisman was an editor for DC Comics in the mid 80's during the post-CRISIS affair. Giving him a shot at helping recreate the universe for a new general on TV was naturally fascinating.

I like a lot of what "YOUNG JUSTICE" did, but to me its' biggest strength was also its' biggest weakness, which was its' ambition. By this I meant that I sometimes feel the show crammed in far more characters than they ever had the chance to flesh out, and some of the grand scale plotting left even less time to flesh out some of the leads or even secondary characters as much as most of the cast in "GARGOYLES" was fleshed. A part of that does come to the amount of episodes (65 vs. 46), but the rest does come to pace and plotting. All Greg Weisman shows tend to start simply and then become gradually more complex and layered as each episode unfolds, on its' own terms. "YOUNG JUSTICE" does this but I sometimes feel as if the pilot starts out bigger and more expanded than the pilots of some of his other shows, and that sometimes means getting off on different footing. The easiest proof of there being more characters than the show could handle were the main villains, "the Light" themselves. Of their roster, the Brain only has one episode where he speaks, and Ocean-Master was such a non factor that he was replaced off camera between seasons without skipping a beat. They could have been eliminated from the team entirely and the show would only have had to have been slightly rewritten to make up for it. The same, I am sure, could be said of some of the spare heroes who had cameos here and there. The amount of episodes mixed with the sheer size of the cast made it difficult to flesh everyone out as much as "GARGOYLES" managed to do for not only its' leads, but even some minor characters like Matt Bluestone.

The other major weakness of "YOUNG JUSTICE" was that the structure of the show (telling the story of the DC Universe through the eyes of its' youngest heroes) sometimes meant that the structure of the show in terms of the cast was a bit looser than in other shows. The show starts with six leads, but it's not that simple. The pilot begins with 3, with them being joined by a 4th for much of the plot and then a 5th by the end of episode 2. Artemis doesn't join the show until a few episodes after that, yet she clearly is as important a character if not more so than one or two of the initial 3. Choosing who the main characters are becomes difficult. And then in season two, that's upended again as some of the starting cast retire or spend a lot of time off stage, as others rise to replace them. In comparison, despite how large the cast of "GARGOYLES" is and what they all mean to the show, Goliath & Elisa are the main leads through which the rest of the show is reflected from. That isn't to say both are in every episode, nor that the occasional episode without one or the other was bad. But it gave the cast a structure, and I think that really can help a production. That wasn't something "YOUNG JUSTICE" made clear, and mixed in with the size of the cast that sometimes caused the show to stumble.

"YOUNG JUSTICE" is getting the blu-ray treatment, and I hope Disney will consider that for "GARGOYLES". It may have had some warts, but when you compare it to the rest of the DC animated output that came out at the same time or previous, it stands alone. "TEEN TITANS"? Better. "LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES"? Better. "THE BATMAN"? Better. Hell, you have to go back to "JLU" to give it a challenge. And that's damn good, and likely why it's inspired its' own large fanbase. But in terms of a show, "GARGOYLES" beats it out with more episodes, more structure, and better character fleshing - especially considering some of the plots of "GARGOYLES" were certainly far out enough to have been worthy of superheroes. Hell, "THE GATHERING" may have been the best two part Galactus plot which didn't actually feature Galactus.

"GARGOYLES" VS. "W.I.T.C.H."

I never watched "W.I.T.C.H." so "GARGOYLES" wins by default. I have heard some great things about it, but my tolerance for "magical girl" shows is extremely thin. "SAILOR MOON" was about where it started, and ended.

"GARGOYLES" VS. "SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN"

For me, this is the main attraction. The show that defined Greg Weisman's TV career versus the show where everything he'd learned during that career came into focus to provide the best adaptation of a comic book franchise to screen, ever. The ultimate creative work versus the ultimate franchise work. It is very tough choosing between these two. Thankfully, they met in a radio play so we sort of don't have to, right?

To me, how to compare the two comes down to what criteria you use to do so. If you used episode length, then clearly "GARGOYLES" wins. But, considering it had the full weight of Disney behind it while "TSSM" just had Sony's until Disney essentially got into its' way, is episode count fair? If you used animation quality, that could arguably be more debatable but also not fair, either. A larger episode count meant more studios animated "GARGOYLES", and not all of them were equal in terms of quality. But more to the point, "GARGOYLES" was traditionally animated while "SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN" was a more modern show, utilizing advances in technique and technology that simply didn't exist in the 90's. So I am sure someone on tumblr could point out more glaring animation errors for "GARGOYLES" than for "TSSM" and claim an "AHA!" moment, but that's a game which eliminates a lot of context. Hell, if we compare character design, that's another debatable criteria as it all comes down to taste. "GARGOYLES"' character designs are more traditional (especially for Disney), while "TSSM" has the style of Sean "Cheeks" Galloway which looks like little else on TV. Galloway's designs really allowed "TSSM" to stand out among other Spider-Man shows and animate beautifully on a budget far tighter than "GARGOYLES" likely enjoyed, even with those technological animation advances. Is it as simple as lining up character sheets and saying "yay" or "nay"?

Both shows enjoy tight serialized plotting in which the large cast of both shows are structured around at least one clear but not overpowering lead. Obviously, Peter Parker/Spider-Man is the lead of "TSSM" but he never smothers or overpowers the show that others in his supporting cast or rogues gallery can't rise to the fore. And while "GARGOYLES" presented a universe that was far more expansive and included things like magic and aliens and ancient races, there is no way to know if "TSSM" wouldn't have done something similar had it continued, or had relations between Sony and Marvel at the time not been so tense. Both shows offered defining mastermind villains, lots of humor amid the chills and spills, and great storyboarding. After all, "TSSM" had advanced technology, genetics, and even aliens playing a part in its' saga, too. And one could say that the universe of Spider-Man and a race of ancient mythical beings should be different.

So if it comes to comparisons for many, it may come down to subjective taste for one of many elements or developments. My own personal criteria, it turns out, comes down to something more simple but fundamental. And that is that no matter how awesome "SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN" was and how well it defined it's source material, it was still very much the latest in a never ending line of franchise adaptations. It was not the first Spider-Man cartoon, nor would it have been the last even had it run five seasons as intended. Its' position as a franchise adaptation meant that Greg Weisman and his fellow producers and writers had both the task and luxury of examining everything that had been done with Spider-Man before. That meant not just the foundational comics, but the films and previous TV shows (both animated and live action, even if I doubt the Nicholas Hammond live action show was even a twinkle in anyone's eye). From 1960's comics to ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN from the turn of the century to the films by Sony themselves, that is an incredible wealth of (at the time) nearly 50 years to choose from. And while I in no way will belittle or underestimate the challenge of taking so much material and finding ways to modernize or condense or recreate them for a 2007 audience, it is still something quite different from "GARGOYLES". Hell, even the production and writing staff of the show which was seen as a rival and inspiration for Gargoyles - "BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES" - had the luxury of looking over decades worth of Batman material in comics, TV shows, film, and animation.

That is not a luxury "GARGOYLES" enjoyed. There was no safety net to fall back on, no flipping through back issues of 1960's or 1930's comics to figure out what the creators intended. They WERE the creators. It may be that "GARGOYLES" was inspired by history and Shakespeare, and even by a previous Disney TV cartoon in "GUMMI BEARS", but that isn't the same. Most works of fiction are in some small or large way inspired by something which came before, whether real or also fiction. There were no previous installments of a franchise to examine, to pick the best aspects from. There was no franchise. There was just Greg Weisman, and soon after Frank Paur and key writers/story editors Michael Reaves and Brynne Chandler-Reaves (and others), coming up with a franchise that had existed from nothing more than blank computer screens or blank paper. To use an easy metaphor, "GARGOYLES" was a work chiseled out of stone from where there had been no work before. It was something bold and new in a way that not even "BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES" (which I also adore) was at the time. And that may be a part of why its' inspired so many fans for 20 years afterward in a way that many franchises do not or struggle to.

I mean, off the top of one's head, how many animated franchises can one think of that came after that were memorable and not based on a comic book, or a film, or even some pre-existing toys? "KIM POSSIBLE"? "THE POWERPUFF GIRLS"? "BEN 10"? Such things are rare in TV animation, especially in recent times.

So when I think about which of the two to choose if I must, I got back to the idea that I was taking the finest adaptation of a franchise that is now over 50 years old and had many hands and many creators steering it and recreating it both before and since and comparing it to something which was created out of nothingness and managed to stand alone as a shining creative work despite the demands of TV and a very commercially inclined studio. The fact that "GARGOYLES" is even still fondly remembered and loved and still on the air and on DVD after 20 years is a tremendous achievement, and the fact that it's worthy of standing toe to toe with a franchise as big and powerful as Spider-Man is an incredible feat. So much so that in a 2004 radio play when the characters get to meet, it doesn't feel like as much of a cheap stunt even if Greg Weisman himself may have considered it pandering to his audience. And that's due not just because most of the voice actors for both casts happened to be present. It's because 20 years ago, Weisman, Paur, and company came up with a franchise which is deep enough, vast enough and well executed enough that it can stand next to Spider-Man as a peer, without nearly as much of a head start or nearly as many trials and errors to find itself.

The term, "lightening in a bottle" is used a lot to describe something that works, and in many ways "TSSM" certainly has that from the producers on down to every level of production. But it was a voltage which I think started from the thunder-strike of what "GARGOYLES" was, and that puts it in a different class. As great as "TSSM" was, it wouldn't have been as great without the growing pains of working on a series that Weisman and others had on "GARGOYLES". And as great a franchise adaptation that it is, it isn't the same as a new work of fiction, a brand new franchise, being created from nothing but imagination and put into the medium for the first time, especially in TV animation "intended" for children.

Great franchise works, even legendary ones, are not the same as a totally original work which has been executed in a manner worthy of being compared to the older franchises. It's tightrope or high wire work without a net, and a routine being worked out as the performance continues. It could have gone horribly wrong and been dismissed as easily as "SKELETON WARRIORS" or others of their ilk. Instead it succeeded in a way which makes it worthy of legend and comparison to them.

It may not be your or anyone else's reason for picking "GARGOYLES" over "SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN" for a point of comparison with one being said as superior even if only to avoid seeming wishy washy. Picking one over the other is difficult, but this reason is mine if I have to choose between one. As always, the winners of such great works to choose between are the audience, who get to be treated with the end result of producers who did their best and took them seriously, instead of bodies that produce action figure sales. And with the rest of "GARGOYLES" as well as blu-rays for "YOUNG JUSTICE" and "SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN" hitting the shelves and online shops, now's never been a better time to have your own comparison session.

 

[Sarcastic Fan]

To keep this on topic for a brief moment, TV Shows on DVD noted that the second half DVD set of "Gargoyles, Season 2", which until now had initially been a part of the "Disney Club" exclusives before being sold generally on Disney's main website, will now go for a general release in January, 2015.

http://tvshowsondvd.com/n/20154

This is naturally great news, long overdue. I certainly don't regret having gotten my copy of Season 2 via Disney's official ebay account last year, though. I'd waited long enough. It has been fascinating watching Disney's reaction to this. Disney always sells some of their "Disney Club exclusives" to general audiences outside the club via an official ebay account (via Buena Vista), but the rate at which their "Gargoyles, Season 2 Part 2" set used to sell out at ebay was nuts. I distinctly remember it was one per hour at one point. Clearly the rate was faster than they intended, which was why it went up on Disney's main website. And apparently it'd been selling at such a rate there that someone at Disney, FINALLY, decided, "Let's put this thing up for general sale" even if for no reason besides sales. It'll miss the 20th anniversary of the airing of the pilot by about 4 months, but that's still great news. An even smarter move would be to re-release the first two sets at the same time and allow people at Best Buy or other retailers to be able to nab the whole thing in one trip. After all, the last general release of the show was in 2005.

While I'm here, I may as well wrap up my long session on this topic with a comparison post. Naturally, Greg Weisman would go on to be the producer/story editor on quite a few shows after "GARGOYLES" and fans of his work always tend to compare and contrast it against his subsequent works anyway. Having finally gotten into "GARGOYLES" after viewing some of his later works (in their entirety), it is interesting to go over for me. The biggest rant is saved for last so I'm starting in personal order, not in chronological order. "STAR WARS: REBELS" hasn't debuted yet, so obviously that's not included.

"GARGOYLES" VS. "YOUNG JUSTICE"

I posted a lot about "YOUNG JUSTICE" on Hype when it came out, including a lot of epic rants and debates about Wally West/Kid-Flash. Even years later I hope it never came off like I disliked the series, which is quite the contrary. I was hard on it because my expectations were through the roof and I knew it was capable of hitting it. I watched the series again on DVD and it certainly was helped by binge-watching over months between episodes. Having come out from 2010-2013, it's Weisman's most recent series as producer/story editor which was aired in its' entirety. I imagine it must have felt a little like coming home again because Greg Weisman was an editor for DC Comics in the mid 80's during the post-CRISIS affair. Giving him a shot at helping recreate the universe for a new general on TV was naturally fascinating.

I like a lot of what "YOUNG JUSTICE" did, but to me its' biggest strength was also its' biggest weakness, which was its' ambition. By this I meant that I sometimes feel the show crammed in far more characters than they ever had the chance to flesh out, and some of the grand scale plotting left even less time to flesh out some of the leads or even secondary characters as much as most of the cast in "GARGOYLES" was fleshed. A part of that does come to the amount of episodes (65 vs. 46), but the rest does come to pace and plotting. All Greg Weisman shows tend to start simply and then become gradually more complex and layered as each episode unfolds, on its' own terms. "YOUNG JUSTICE" does this but I sometimes feel as if the pilot starts out bigger and more expanded than the pilots of some of his other shows, and that sometimes means getting off on different footing. The easiest proof of there being more characters than the show could handle were the main villains, "the Light" themselves. Of their roster, the Brain only has one episode where he speaks, and Ocean-Master was such a non factor that he was replaced off camera between seasons without skipping a beat. They could have been eliminated from the team entirely and the show would only have had to have been slightly rewritten to make up for it. The same, I am sure, could be said of some of the spare heroes who had cameos here and there. The amount of episodes mixed with the sheer size of the cast made it difficult to flesh everyone out as much as "GARGOYLES" managed to do for not only its' leads, but even some minor characters like Matt Bluestone.

The other major weakness of "YOUNG JUSTICE" was that the structure of the show (telling the story of the DC Universe through the eyes of its' youngest heroes) sometimes meant that the structure of the show in terms of the cast was a bit looser than in other shows. The show starts with six leads, but it's not that simple. The pilot begins with 3, with them being joined by a 4th for much of the plot and then a 5th by the end of episode 2. Artemis doesn't join the show until a few episodes after that, yet she clearly is as important a character if not more so than one or two of the initial 3. Choosing who the main characters are becomes difficult. And then in season two, that's upended again as some of the starting cast retire or spend a lot of time off stage, as others rise to replace them. In comparison, despite how large the cast of "GARGOYLES" is and what they all mean to the show, Goliath & Elisa are the main leads through which the rest of the show is reflected from. That isn't to say both are in every episode, nor that the occasional episode without one or the other was bad. But it gave the cast a structure, and I think that really can help a production. That wasn't something "YOUNG JUSTICE" made clear, and mixed in with the size of the cast that sometimes caused the show to stumble.

"YOUNG JUSTICE" is getting the blu-ray treatment, and I hope Disney will consider that for "GARGOYLES". It may have had some warts, but when you compare it to the rest of the DC animated output that came out at the same time or previous, it stands alone. "TEEN TITANS"? Better. "LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES"? Better. "THE BATMAN"? Better. Hell, you have to go back to "JLU" to give it a challenge. And that's damn good, and likely why it's inspired its' own large fanbase. But in terms of a show, "GARGOYLES" beats it out with more episodes, more structure, and better character fleshing - especially considering some of the plots of "GARGOYLES" were certainly far out enough to have been worthy of superheroes. Hell, "THE GATHERING" may have been the best two part Galactus plot which didn't actually feature Galactus.

"GARGOYLES" VS. "W.I.T.C.H."

I never watched "W.I.T.C.H." so "GARGOYLES" wins by default. I have heard some great things about it, but my tolerance for "magical girl" shows is extremely thin. "SAILOR MOON" was about where it started, and ended.

"GARGOYLES" VS. "SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN"

For me, this is the main attraction. The show that defined Greg Weisman's TV career versus the show where everything he'd learned during that career came into focus to provide the best adaptation of a comic book franchise to screen, ever. The ultimate creative work versus the ultimate franchise work. It is very tough choosing between these two. Thankfully, they met in a radio play so we sort of don't have to, right?

To me, how to compare the two comes down to what criteria you use to do so. If you used episode length, then clearly "GARGOYLES" wins. But, considering it had the full weight of Disney behind it while "TSSM" just had Sony's until Disney essentially got into its' way, is episode count fair? If you used animation quality, that could arguably be more debatable but also not fair, either. A larger episode count meant more studios animated "GARGOYLES", and not all of them were equal in terms of quality. But more to the point, "GARGOYLES" was traditionally animated while "SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN" was a more modern show, utilizing advances in technique and technology that simply didn't exist in the 90's. So I am sure someone on tumblr could point out more glaring animation errors for "GARGOYLES" than for "TSSM" and claim an "AHA!" moment, but that's a game which eliminates a lot of context. Hell, if we compare character design, that's another debatable criteria as it all comes down to taste. "GARGOYLES"' character designs are more traditional (especially for Disney), while "TSSM" has the style of Sean "Cheeks" Galloway which looks like little else on TV. Galloway's designs really allowed "TSSM" to stand out among other Spider-Man shows and animate beautifully on a budget far tighter than "GARGOYLES" likely enjoyed, even with those technological animation advances. Is it as simple as lining up character sheets and saying "yay" or "nay"?

Both shows enjoy tight serialized plotting in which the large cast of both shows are structured around at least one clear but not overpowering lead. Obviously, Peter Parker/Spider-Man is the lead of "TSSM" but he never smothers or overpowers the show that others in his supporting cast or rogues gallery can't rise to the fore. And while "GARGOYLES" presented a universe that was far more expansive and included things like magic and aliens and ancient races, there is no way to know if "TSSM" wouldn't have done something similar had it continued, or had relations between Sony and Marvel at the time not been so tense. Both shows offered defining mastermind villains, lots of humor amid the chills and spills, and great storyboarding. After all, "TSSM" had advanced technology, genetics, and even aliens playing a part in its' saga, too. And one could say that the universe of Spider-Man and a race of ancient mythical beings should be different.

So if it comes to comparisons for many, it may come down to subjective taste for one of many elements or developments. My own personal criteria, it turns out, comes down to something more simple but fundamental. And that is that no matter how awesome "SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN" was and how well it defined it's source material, it was still very much the latest in a never ending line of franchise adaptations. It was not the first Spider-Man cartoon, nor would it have been the last even had it run five seasons as intended. Its' position as a franchise adaptation meant that Greg Weisman and his fellow producers and writers had both the task and luxury of examining everything that had been done with Spider-Man before. That meant not just the foundational comics, but the films and previous TV shows (both animated and live action, even if I doubt the Nicholas Hammond live action show was even a twinkle in anyone's eye). From 1960's comics to ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN from the turn of the century to the films by Sony themselves, that is an incredible wealth of (at the time) nearly 50 years to choose from. And while I in no way will belittle or underestimate the challenge of taking so much material and finding ways to modernize or condense or recreate them for a 2007 audience, it is still something quite different from "GARGOYLES". Hell, even the production and writing staff of the show which was seen as a rival and inspiration for Gargoyles - "BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES" - had the luxury of looking over decades worth of Batman material in comics, TV shows, film, and animation.

That is not a luxury "GARGOYLES" enjoyed. There was no safety net to fall back on, no flipping through back issues of 1960's or 1930's comics to figure out what the creators intended. They WERE the creators. It may be that "GARGOYLES" was inspired by history and Shakespeare, and even by a previous Disney TV cartoon in "GUMMI BEARS", but that isn't the same. Most works of fiction are in some small or large way inspired by something which came before, whether real or also fiction. There were no previous installments of a franchise to examine, to pick the best aspects from. There was no franchise. There was just Greg Weisman, and soon after Frank Paur and key writers/story editors Michael Reaves and Brynne Chandler-Reaves (and others), coming up with a franchise that had existed from nothing more than blank computer screens or blank paper. To use an easy metaphor, "GARGOYLES" was a work chiseled out of stone from where there had been no work before. It was something bold and new in a way that not even "BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES" (which I also adore) was at the time. And that may be a part of why its' inspired so many fans for 20 years afterward in a way that many franchises do not or struggle to.

I mean, off the top of one's head, how many animated franchises can one think of that came after that were memorable and not based on a comic book, or a film, or even some pre-existing toys? "KIM POSSIBLE"? "THE POWERPUFF GIRLS"? "BEN 10"? Such things are rare in TV animation, especially in recent times.

So when I think about which of the two to choose if I must, I got back to the idea that I was taking the finest adaptation of a franchise that is now over 50 years old and had many hands and many creators steering it and recreating it both before and since and comparing it to something which was created out of nothingness and managed to stand alone as a shining creative work despite the demands of TV and a very commercially inclined studio. The fact that "GARGOYLES" is even still fondly remembered and loved and still on the air and on DVD after 20 years is a tremendous achievement, and the fact that it's worthy of standing toe to toe with a franchise as big and powerful as Spider-Man is an incredible feat. So much so that in a 2004 radio play when the characters get to meet, it doesn't feel like as much of a cheap stunt even if Greg Weisman himself may have considered it pandering to his audience. And that's due not just because most of the voice actors for both casts happened to be present. It's because 20 years ago, Weisman, Paur, and company came up with a franchise which is deep enough, vast enough and well executed enough that it can stand next to Spider-Man as a peer, without nearly as much of a head start or nearly as many trials and errors to find itself.

The term, "lightening in a bottle" is used a lot to describe something that works, and in many ways "TSSM" certainly has that from the producers on down to every level of production. But it was a voltage which I think started from the thunder-strike of what "GARGOYLES" was, and that puts it in a different class. As great as "TSSM" was, it wouldn't have been as great without the growing pains of working on a series that Weisman and others had on "GARGOYLES". And as great a franchise adaptation that it is, it isn't the same as a new work of fiction, a brand new franchise, being created from nothing but imagination and put into the medium for the first time, especially in TV animation "intended" for children.

Great franchise works, even legendary ones, are not the same as a totally original work which has been executed in a manner worthy of being compared to the older franchises. It's tightrope or high wire work without a net, and a routine being worked out as the performance continues. It could have gone horribly wrong and been dismissed as easily as "SKELETON WARRIORS" or others of their ilk. Instead it succeeded in a way which makes it worthy of legend and comparison to them.

It may not be your or anyone else's reason for picking "GARGOYLES" over "SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN" for a point of comparison with one being said as superior even if only to avoid seeming wishy washy. Picking one over the other is difficult, but this reason is mine if I have to choose between one. As always, the winners of such great works to choose between are the audience, who get to be treated with the end result of producers who did their best and took them seriously, instead of bodies that produce action figure sales. And with the rest of "GARGOYLES" as well as blu-rays for "YOUNG JUSTICE" and "SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN" hitting the shelves and online shops, now's never been a better time to have your own comparison session.

I can't argue with any of this except to say that season two of WITCH was pretty damn good.

But yeah, he's done a lot of amazing work since then, but "Gargoyles" is still his best show. And the comics kicked plenty of ass, too.