LSZ writes...

Were there any plans to incorporate Frankenstein into the Gargoyles universe?

Warrioress writes...

Legion:

Why was Iago so bent on getting Desdemona as his mate? Is he just the type who won't take "no" for an answer or what?

And why was Desdemona crying in the first few scenes in "Legion"(where Goliath tries to comfort her?)

Kayless writes...

P.S.

This is going to sound amazingly retarded but are Coldstone and Broadway related? I ask this because the two have similar skin tones, the unique 'fanned' ears, and Coldstone's hair is white like Broadway's father, Hudson (assuming Hudson's hair has always been white). Hudson supposedly has a child from Goliath's generation, so that fits with Coldstone. Spurious evidence perhaps, but nothing ventured nothing gained. Feel free to hand me the dunce's cap. <:(

God, I need sleep.

deb writes...

Because this question hasn't been answered yet, I'd like to re-submit Jeff Lenihan's question:

"2)In "Grief," Anubis states that that which is dead and gone cannot be brought back. Why, then, was Demona able to bring the spirit of Coldstone (and those of Coldfire and Coldsteel) back from the dead? Was Anubis trying to say that he is under some sort of magical restriction similar to Oberon's law of non-interferece that prevents him from bringing back the dead, or something else entirely?"

Entity writes...

Hi Greg,

So, a pit-stop in Tibet for purposes unknown, combined with a run-in with Coldstone in the Himalayas.

1) Are these two unrealized stories indeed one in the same?
2) In the original conception of the idea, did Coldstone undergo any kind of change as a result of the story? In every other encounter with Coldstone, he was left changed in some manner.
3) Could the story be magically inserted into the canon series right now with no messed up continuity in regards to "Possessions"?

Kalafarski writes...

Finding myself lost in that massive "Old Ask Greg Archive," I stumbled across a mention of a missing World Tour episode featuring Coldstone in the Himalayas. What would've happened there?

Sixshot writes...

1.Is Coldsteel ability to heal limited to his tentacles or can he heal his entire body?

2.What about Coldfire? Can she heal was well?

Aaron writes...

Hi Greg. First Post-G2K question, trying to catch up on your latest answers. (Hope you and the family had fun at MGM)

"Didn't we answer this at the con?"

Yes, but the question is left over from before the con. And you passed the question off to Thom, Greg G., and Vic, if that's what you mean by we.

"[And by the way, I'm no more a carpenter than a biologist.]"

Sorry, but now I have this vision of you shouting "Damn it Jim, I'm a storyteller, not a..."

Re: Gladiator and The Phantom Menace. If I remember right, the historical Commodius (sp) actually did go out and fight gladiators for fun, so it's not totally off the mark. (Of course, they'd played so fast and loose with historical accuracy by then anyway...) As for TPM, you didn't miss much.

Puck breaking the fourth wall. Coulda worked. Maybe a moment where he's sort of looking at the camera and talking to us by talking to himself.

And, so this'll have at least one question:

How much, if any, did Xanatos know about Iago's personality when he built Coldsteel? More on that in the next post.

Aaron writes...

If Xanatos did know what Iago was like, was he

A. Being kinda irresponsible to give a psycho like that access to a state of the art killing machine without building in some kind of failsafe.

B. Hoping to use Coldsteel for his own ends later, *finally* getting a gargoyle who'd work for him. After all, Iago's Dark Ages alliance with the Archmage makes this a bit of a possibility.

Lawrence Stone writes...

Would Coldsteel still try to get Coldfire to be his mate?

Tana writes...

Dear Greg,

Just read your Legion ramble...and I have to say this:

At the time when I first saw that Episode, I knew that Iago was trying to indicate that Goliath was betraying Othello with Desdemona, but I didn't understand why the credits listed the characters with such names. Boy was I naive.

A couple years later I was taking a Shakespeare class and read Othello. Can you imagine, about Act 2 somewhere we're reading it outloud and all of a sudden I say outloud: OH I GET IT. My friends thought I was insane. I had to give a quick explination for my outburst, which didn't help much to prove my sanity (none of them had watched Gargoyles).

Since reading the play Othello has become my favorite of the Shakespearian Tragedies (though I admit I have to read several more) And the Love "Pentagram" has become a delightful flavoring to the show.

I say Pentagram because I do believe that Demona would have been caught up in the whole mess. Especially given that Iago likens so well to the Shakespearian version. If he's going to ruin Goliath (and Othello as well) Then "In for a penny, in for a pound" Demona would have to go too. And probably the whole clan (including Hudson) probably would have been at Odds with Goliath thanks to Iago's whispering.

Which leads me to my first question:

1. Did the incident between Othello, Desdemona, Iago and Goliath occur before or after Goliath became leader to the clan? I ask because it strikes me that if after, Iago would not only try to win Desdemona, but Leadership as well.

2. Since Demona collected pieces of the shattered Iago to create Coldstone, we know he was banish from the clan. So what punishment was set upon Iago for causing such a clash between rookery brothers.

3. For that matter, would anyone have truely realized what Iago was doing, that he was responsible for it?

4. In City of Stone's flashback, we see Demona almost warning Othello and Desdemona about the upcoming attack. In one way, these two were used so that it wouldn't be just random gargs...But given the idea that Demona would have gotten tied up in the whole love scandal, it would seem Demona wouldn't exactly like Desdemona (even if the whole thing proved false; she's got trouble forgiving people) So why, in a character sense would Demona have gone to these two?

Well, I'm sure I had more questions along this topic, but I can't think of them after all that typing, so I'll let you get on with the other questions.

"So will I turn her virtue into pitch; and out of her own goodness make a net that shall emesh them all." -Iago (my fav quote from the play)

Warrioress writes...

Two more questions about the Cold Trio:

Was Desdemona aware of the Weird Sister's possession of her, shall we say, soul?(when she split in three's)

And what was this "cause" they were talking about(i.e. Desdemona: "My love? Do we take up the cause?")? The Gargoyle Way?

Thanks!

Vashkoda writes...

One last question. Is the relationship that the three original "Coldstone spirits" have with their new robotic bodies similar to the relationship (or magical ties, or whatever you want to call it) that Hakon had with the axe? Are they similarly bound to the living world only through their bodies? And does this connection now rely more on the magic that summoned them into Coldstone's body (which was done with human magic) or on the spell that transfered them to their new bodies (which was done with Alex's fairy magic). Where I'm going with this, as you might guess, has to do with the Coldtrio's access to Avalon, where human magic is forbidden. I must stop here before I say too much, but if you can, please discuss this possible complication.

Vashkoda writes...

You mentioned that Xanatos had collected the remains of the three gargoyles that eventually formed Coldstone. A few questions came to mind. 1a) Did Xanatos or Demona realize at the time that they were combining pieces from three different gargoyles? 1b) If the answer to 'a' is yes, was Demona aware of exactly which three they were putting together? 1c) Was she or Xanatos aware that three different souls would inhabit the body? 2) This may be a little gruesome, but you mentioned before that most of Coldstone's body was "Othello's", with only a hip or something from "Desdemona" and a similar piece from "Iago". Were those the only pieces of those gargoyles that could be recovered? 3a) Were these the only gargoyle "remains" that Xanatos found? 3b) If the answer to 'a' is no, what did Xanatos do with the other remains? 4) Considering Coldstone's behavior and tone of voice in "Reawakening", it's assumed that "Othello" is in control in that episode. Why didn't the other two personalities emerge? 5) Unlike the sleeping Manhattan gang, the "remains" around the castle clearly belonged to dead gargoyles. Why didn't Demona perform the Wind Ceremony for them?

Faieq Ali writes...

I asked this before but seems to have gotten lost, so I decided to repost it:
1) What would the relationship between Iago and Demona have been like in the Dark Ages? After all Demona was the Archmages' apprentice, but Iago was allied with him, so would he look down on her? In HIGH NOON, he calls her 'sister', but thats because he doesn't know that it is her fault he is dead and that she is now an enemy of Goliath.
Also would he hate her, in Dark Ages, because she was in love with Goliath and was friends with Desdemona and Othello?
2) Did Goliath etc, learn of Demona's apprenticeship with The Archmage?
3) If the answer to (2) is yes, then how would Goliath react?

Ambrosia writes...

I'm curious about how Coldstone moves his cyborg parts:
Is there some kind of advanced circutry that attaches his brain to his arm/ anything that's not his flesh (or in this case, stone). Or is that a part of the sorcery?

Nate writes...

I was wondering if Broadway was the best warrior/fighter of the trio from purely a skills POV? I say this because Iago was "disapointed in Brooklyn's fighting skills" in Possesion. Its also not hard to tell that Broadway is the strongest of the trio, which suggests that he would make the best fighter (whether or not its because of an unfair advantage he was born with). Was he possible spending more time training back in the pre-massecre (sp) days while Brook or Lex were off learning to read? Learning to read doesnt happen overnight. He must have been doing somthing during all that time, and I'm sure he didnt spend all of it eating. ;)

Basilisk writes...

I'd like to ask your opinion on a ramble that I've written.

One of my all-time favorite episodes is POSSESSION. In POSSESSION, Broadway, Angela, and Brooklyn were vessels for the spirits of Coldstone, Coldfire, and Coldsteel. I have always believed that there were reasons for this.

As I see it, Broadway and Angela were possessed by the lovers, Coldstone and Coldfire for a reason. I always thought that it was a subtle way to hint that it would be they that became a couple themselves. Brooklyn was used by Coldsteel because he subconsciously possessed jealousy toward Broadway for his success with Angela that Coldsteel harbored for Coldstone about Coldfire. I was lead to believe that especially where Brooklyn/Coldsteel was going to carry the unconscious Angela/Coldfire away because of his jealous lust for her.

Those are merely my assumptions. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Blaise writes...

REAWAKENING

I really do like this one--maybe just because I have an affinity for cyborgs. At any rate, I was quite glad that we got intro'd to a gargoyle who DID die in the massacre. Yeah, sure he was brought back, but mentally putting that scene in the multi-parter adds another dimension of tragedy to the massacre.
I can more than understand the problem with seeing Xanatos and Demona looking at a monitor one moment, then appearing in Times Square about 3 seconds later. At times like these, I do the only thing I can do: rationalize. I make-believe X and D were in some odd, high-tech, bus-like vehicle (mobile control unit, anyone). It's silly, but it works for me.
Another animation note--in addition to Hudson's sword--when Brooklyn tackles Demona they are below the top cables of the bridge, and before they hit the ground they fall onto and bounce off...the top cables of the bridge. Oh well, the confrontation is still too great for that little bit to ruin.
Oddly enough, I don't mind Elisa's little crack about the size of her car. I actually find it an amusing, sarcastic beat. And yeah, the scarf and gloves are nice.
And of course, there is an abundance of funny lines. In addition to the bit with "Bambi" and Xanatos' fulfillment of a life-long dream ("It's alive! ALIVE!!"), I just love Morgan's little response to Elisa's "There must be something we can do."
Morgan: "I don't think so. Unless you're packing a nuclear weapon." I can see why you keep bringing this guy back--he's a wonderful character.

Coldstone> I was glad Micheal Dorn did a voice on the show. I mean, just listen to the guy! Coldstone himself made for some memorable moments. I noticed that you guys didn't put the "underwater respirator" on him as the memo stipulated. What changed you guys' minds?

The look into Gargoyle culture here was also quite welcome. A nice touch that the gargoyles did not "officially" become crime-fighters until the end of the first season. Kind of more organic and unique than most series that just intro a group of non-human heroes and have them be crime-fighters more or less from day one. And the differences in opinion of the gargoylean proverb between the characters was a nice use of the ep's theme. Goliath's quandry here is quite compelling.

Finally, just one question dealing with the memo. You made mention of a Madame Serena. Who was she?

fae Rae writes...

Are Coldstone and Coldfire Gabriel's parents? Gabe looks like Coldstone and I think he has Coldfire's weird wings. Was that intended?

Basillisk writes...

Are Goliath and Coldstone biological brothers or just rookery brothers?

Todd Jensen writes...

An additional little thought, inspired by your comparing Coldstone to the Frankenstein monster. As somebody who's read the original book by Mary Shelley, and quite liked it, I feel that while Coldstone certainly has a strong echo of the monster in him, as you've pointed out, I feel that Goliath does as well, although more in a contrast than in a similarity.

Like the monster (as portrayed by Mary Shelley in her book; alas for the way that Hollywood weakened the character by turning him into a mute, shuffling brute), Goliath is a noble being who appears threatening towards humans and is shunned and feared by so many humans whom he seeks to help. Also like the monster, Goliath is a thoughtful and eloquent being, and well-read with a taste for the classics (the Frankenstein monster reads Plutarch's Lives and Milton's "Paradise Lost", while Goliath reads Shakespeare and Dostoyevsky). The big difference is that the Frankenstein monster is all alone, with nobody to befriend him, and becomes embittered towards humanity thus, while Goliath has the clan and Elisa, which undoubtedly helps him. They're almost foils, in a sense. (Of course, Goliath also isn't an artificial creation, either, as the monster was). Just a little thought that had occurred to me.

Todd Jensen writes...

Ah, at last the "Re-Awakening" ramble. It was well worth the wait, too.

One thought that I've recently had on Coldstone: I wonder if any of us, living in the end of the 20th century, can fully comprehend the horror that his cybernetic condition must have held for him when he was first "re-awakened" by Xanatos and Demona in this episode. For any of us, waking up and discovering that we'd been turned into a cyborg would certainly be a horrifying enough experience. But Coldstone's experience is all the worse, at least, IMHO, because of one simple factor: cybernetics are completely beyond the world-view of anybody born (or hatched, in this case) and raised in the 10th century. He wouldn't know what they were, beyond just some strange form of magic. All that he can know is that something utterly alien, beyond his comprehension, has become part of him. I thought that the episode did a good job of displaying his horrified response to his transformation (especially the part where he uses that blaster built into his arm for the first time and is staring at it in shock and horror).

I'd also spotted some of the parallels with "Awakening", including the bit about how Goliath pronounced "detective". And I certainly agree with you that, if "Gargoyles" had ended there, "Re-Awakening" would have given it a great series finale. (Of course, you got to do another 52 episodes, all the way up to "Hunter's Moon", an even better "might-have-been" series finale, but that's another story).

I also liked your pointing out about how the gargoyles' thoughts on protection, and its evolution into protecting Manhattan, were handled in this story.

A couple of minor parts that I particularly like in this episode:

1. The way that Xanatos glares at Demona when she introduces him to Coldstone as her servant.

2. The "explosions in Bambi" bit.

3. And the very resurrection of Coldstone, which is one of my favorite "special-effects" sequences in "Gargoyles".

Todd Jensen writes...

One final "Re-Awakening"-related post. One thing that bothered me a bit about the episode is Coldstone's "Dawn came, and then oblivion" line. The reason why I find it troubling is that the "oblivion" part almost suggests that gargoyles don't have an afterlife, which I find disquieting. Admittedly, Coldstone's situation is a near-unique one, but still, the implications.... What are your thoughts on this one?