Blaise writes...

TEMPTATION (revisited)

Although this wasn't the episode that cemented Brooklyn as my favorite character, it was still one I found compelling. And your right, he is cool--especially in the Act I fight. Yeah, the fact that he wasn't in shadow and you could see his snout does detract from the scene somewhat, but then the bikers were wearing sunglasses at night. Come to think of it, a few of them didn't even seem to be wearing helmets....
Anyway, I'm glad the little touches you guys used in this ep--Demona's comments on the past centuries, the reference to the previous episode, the DEAD BODY. That last one especially. I would never have dreamed of seeing it even hinted at in an animated afternoon show. Marina Sirtis and Jeff Bennett really did a good job with their characters here.
Elisa's finger--oh, great. Now when I watch the scene again I'll look for it and probably not be able to see anything else again.
On the subject of animation, for both this and the last episode I liked them just fine. It was far better animation than what I was used to, that's for sure.
I never thought that Brooklyn's remark about "the world we came from" referred to an alien planet. Why do so many people insist that gargoyles be aliens?
I especially like Brooklyn in the final Act--his outrage against Demona, his cunning, and his lines!
"I was a FOOL to trust you!"
"You hold the book Demona, but *I* hold the spell!"
His acceptance of his fault in the scheme I find quite gallant.
As for how they "free" Goliath of the spell, yeah I guess it is a cheat. HOWEVER, I have not seen any other show defeat a "mind-control spell" in the same way. So kudos to you guys for originality at least.

Todd Jensen writes...

My ramble-reply on "Enter Macbeth".

Well, now we know the reason for the delay on this one. I really liked this episode, particularly on account of the name. I've always been quite fond of Shakespeare's "Macbeth", and so the title grabbed my attention at once. I don't know if I'd even suspected that Macbeth was *the* Macbeth (not until "City of Stone" came out), but I found his name very intriguing, and the character as well. Mac's one of my favorite characters in "Gargoyles", in fact. (And "Macbeth" certainly strikes me as the most appropriate Shakespeare play to get into "Gargoyles", in view of Goliath and his clan being Scottish).

I honestly don't recall how I responded to the gargoyles moving out of the castle, the first time that I saw it. Except that I was a bit sorry, since I liked Castle Wyvern. But at the same time, I understood that it was necessary to do so, and the clock tower made a good home for them.

(Truth to tell, I can understand, and sympathize with, Goliath's reluctance to leave the castle. For one thing, having moved twice in the last five years, I know that it's not an easy thing to just move to a new home; it's difficult to tear oneself away from a place that you've been living in for quite a while. Also, as Goliath pointed out, the castle was the only link that the clan had left (except for themselves) to the 10th century. Take away that, and they'd be feeling entirely stranded in the modern world. Plus, I've always liked castles, which gives me a further bias there).

(I very much liked Macbeth's home as well, with its very medieval atmosphere - particularly the suits of armor and swords - almost like the armory displays in the Tower of London - and thought it a bit of a pity that the place burnt down).

Aris Katsaris writes...

So, what's *your* guess at the real identity of Todd?

Guesses among the fandom vary: Merlin, Duval, you, your evil twin, God Allmighty, 42, a huge red dragon, a Vorlon (Babylon 5 reference btw), CrzyDemona's time-travelling son, the random typings of Gore's cat, and a figment of our imaginations, have all been suggested... :-)

Brandeewine writes...

A ramble about your pet peeve:
Greg, I would have to totally agree with you on that one. It seems to me, that many people grow up believing that it is ok, to put others down, to prove a point.

I grew up, believing (and still believe) that everyone is equal. I have seen REAL people hurt, by REAL comments that were intended to make others look good. (This is how rumors start as well, it seems [another taboo in my book]). Reputations are ruined and friends once had, are lost.

It just really seems to be a waste of time. I see in a lot of this in the Gargoyle chat rooms, where people constantly compare their art to another fan's (even I am guilty of this). It seems a shame to see that people do not give themselves or others the credit they truly deserve as individuals. What I mean is, if we all were not different, then this world would be one boring place.

So I guess I am just rambling, that instead of belittling others (and ourselves), we should look for the good and beautiful things in everything around us. Make life a positive experience rather than a negative one!

Ok, I hope that was organized enough to be understandable.... I would have thought about it before writing it, but I didn't want to wait, in case I ended up forgetting to respond. I guess it is something I have always felt strongly about. I am glad you feel the same.

Just a note: I think Erin and Ben are lucky to have a dad like you!

Blaise writes...

Hey Greg!

Read your ramble (or rant, as you may prefer) on comparisons. I myself noticed the same thing a while back. Some of the most fervent "Goliath-bashers" were ususally devotees of Demona or Brooklyn.
Truthfully, doing this kind of thing always did strike me as unfair to the characters of the show. I mean, you and everybody else wrote these characters like "people" and not as, say, selling points for action figures (which could put ME on a rant, but I digress...). The depth of the characters was part of the reason why I did not favor ANY of the characters during the first season--I liked them all more or less equally.
Regardless, I never in my life expected to hear you rant on the subject. (shudder) I wouldn't want you mad at me!

Demona Taina writes...

This is more of a comment than a ramble, but here you go. :)

I've always admired Goliath. Not only is he handsome, seven feet tall and very strong, but he's much more. He's loving, caring, and so romantic. The way he talks, the way he smiles (when he does) the way he looks at Elisa, the way he touches her hair. Like in the episode "Deadly Force." He almost fell off the castle when Owen told him the bad news. How he almost killed Dracon seeking for revenge.

He is so romantic, it's like he carefully looks for the perfect thing to say all the time. I just love him.

Not only is he loving and caring, but he is intelligent, in his own special way. He may not understand this new world in its entirety, but he does, and he's learning fast. That's one thing I've always admired about him, he's a fast-learner, even Thailog complimented him on that in "Sanctuary."

But that temper. Anything ticks him off. If he could just learn to control it, I think he'd be perfect. For example, "Enter Macbeth," when he found Elisa, Hudson and Broadway outside the castle, and when Elisa told him about "their new home." He was furious, he even screamed at her. "How dare you!?!" Broadway had to pitch in to knock some sense into him, but he still wouldn't listen. That was, until Hudson spoke. He respects Hudson, and that's obvious, but he still couldn't help but roar to the night. And how everyone gasped at that, wow. Great episode.

Back to Goliath. Umm, what else can I say about him? Oh, he can dance. :) And beautifully, may I add. "Eye of the Beholder" is one of my favorite episodes, the way they danced. The way he bowed to her, the way he twirled her. Wow. I've lost count of all the times I've hit the rewind button to watch that scene all over. :)

His sense of honor. He waited for Odin to get up to strike again. He even stopped Demona from dropping a human to a certain death. He lost Demona for struggling to do what was right. Wow.

His manners. He bowed to the Princess even if she had called him and his kind "beasts." It wasn't stern, it wasn't sarcasm, he really meant it. He left the Princess speechless with his manners.

His vocabulary. The only thing close to a curse he's ever said is "Jalapena," and that's not even a curse. He barely uses contractions, too. For example, he says "cannot" instead of "can't." He is so nice. I just love his way of speaking.

His skill, that's one thing I love of him. That's why the Pack wanted to hunt him, Lexington just came in as a bonus, they wanted the excersise, they wanted a thrill. And Goliath was just it. But he beat them, with the help of Lexington.

Oh, yeah, his looks. :) That's the first thing I noticed about him. After thoroughly analyzing the episodes, I realized that he's more than good looks. But back to it, he is handsome. There's no denying that. Elisa literally fell for him the first time she saw him. :) I still don't understand how his hair stands uop like that, but it still makes him very handsome.

His colors are great, too. I mean, he's not dark, nor too light. The colors just suit him. That lavender skin, with that brown hair blue and black wings. Wow. :)

The way he smiles, the way he walks, the way he speaks... it's just so unique. Not even Thailog's like him, and he's a clone. :)

I sound a like a huge fan, don't I? Well, I am, I've always been, and I will always be a huge fan. :)

BTW, I saw somewhere that Goliath had mutliple spikes coming from his arms, and also the tip of his tail ended like Ottello's before he was changed to the way he is now. but a ball or something. Anyway, who changed those features? And why? I think they made him very distinctive.

So, that's all for now. :P I think... there's much more I like about him. Anyway, thank you for your time!

-A devoted fan

Aaron writes...

Greg, no kudos for you! ;)

Seriously, the movie's called Dead Again, a beautiful piece of film noir starring Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Derek Jacoby, and an uncredited Robin Williams.

I'd recommend it highly.

Goliath Fan writes...

I'd like to quickly discuss my feelings about "Awakenings" First of all I didn't watch the show till around "Enter Macbeth" Yup, got a little behind. But I caught the rerun of the first episode and wow it blew me away. I love the animation for that one the most, at least at this momment. About Demona, I knew she wasn't dead, obviously since I started late watching, but I wanted to say even though I hadn't watched the series from the start, I think Demona wasn't shadowed enough in Xanatos' office. Kinda premature re-veiling( I think that's the right word...) of the character. (my 2 cents on that)Now I don't mind the whole " I am demona" I kind of felt "So what?" but what was great was the reddish smoke effect around her, that spiced it up nicely.

To share my personal favorite scenes would have to be Just watching Goliath was fun. He looked so cool. Keith David is just amazing. I couldn't imagine another voice for Goliath. He is a unique man (Mr. David, in my opinion) I also love the caped wings. It looks fantastic when Goliath quickly drapes his wings when he talks to the Princess and Magus about the eggs. Oooh cool! Also after Demona said "Wrong, you've lost it all," the back shot of him lifting his wings up fast to intimidate the guy on the airship before using his tail to smack him. And The whole Goliath Elisa scene where they talk while standing on the Empire state building was just priceless to me. Well my favorites are all but too endless so I'll end this here. Thanks for your time.

My quick question. Just out of curiousity,what is Officer Morgan's first name?

Cassandra writes...

Hi, Greg. Here's my own ramble of things I love about Gargoyles. I found the show my senior year of high school and was hooked. And when Fox moved the second season episodes to 6 a.m., my handy VCR timer was always set. My college roommate soon became a Gargoyles fan too. On to the elements.

The shocks and surprises: I loved the way the smaller story lines worked into the larger ones. I know you're a long ways from talking about "The Gathering" but I'm starting there, sorry. I saw/heard that Kate Mulgrew was doing both Anastasia and Titania's voice without much difference, so I knew they were one in the same. But my congratulating myself on figuring that out stopped and I almost fell out of my chair when Owen was revealed to be Puck. My best friend DID fall out of his chair when I was showing him and his wife the episode. Going back to season one, actual blood was shown when Broadway shot Elisa! In a Disney cartoon! And when I told people about this, they didn't believe me. Derek goes to work for Xanatos and is mutated for ignoring his sister's advice. Fox and Xanatos got married. I caught the "she's totally in love with him" in "Her Brother's Keeper", but I didn't expect them to get married--live together maybe.

Elisa: Thank you for creating such a great female character. Tough, smart, and still a beautiful woman. She could have de-evolved from "Awakenings" into the helpless female that the gargoyles had to rescue every week (and part of me worried that it could happen), but instead she ended up saving them as often as they saved her. And who else would have had the guts to wake King Arthur up? But she isn't a superhero. She has problems dealing with her mother and brother, she gets hurt, and she gets a little obsessive.

Intelligent bad guys: I suppose more accurately stated is bad guys with intelligent motivations. Demona has psychological hang-ups that culminate in her desire to wipe out the human race. Xanatos is just fun. How many series villians never let revenge get in their way? Plus, he had most of the best lines. My favorite: "This is my first stab at cliched villanry. How am I doing?" from "Cloud Fathers". Thailog seems to have this Oedipal need to displace Xanatos in the world.

Characters evolve: No one remained static. Demona's downward spiral was shown, but it has the potential to end by her desire to protect and love Angela. Xanatos and Fox fall in love and have a child, and apparantly learn what it means to have someone manipulate your life, something they're both a little guilty of. Macbeth realize that the gargoyles are as honorable as he is, and finds a new purpose to life. I love his debate with Margot in "The Journey". The Pack gets their upgrade. Cameo characters get stories and prove that the six degrees of seperation works in the gargoyle universe too.

References: Shakespeare's plays; Scottish history; Eygptian, Irish, Norse, Greek, African, Jewish, King Arthur mythologies, pop culture, World War II, Loch Ness, aliens, werewolves, and fae. I was waiting for vampires to show up. Okay, maybe not real vampires, but Servarius could make some. It was great to watch a show that used this stuff inside its own mythos and used it effectively.

That's just a few of the things that I loved about the show. Artwork was excellent and dialogue was wonderfully written and flawlessly performed. Here's my hope, wish, spell, prayer that GARGOYLES comes back to the air with you at the helm. And one quick question before I go find the episode rambles I've missed.

Question: Did you or do you plan on a flashback or a TimeDancer episode in which Will Shakespeare shows up as a character?

Cassandra writes...

Okay, I went back an read your rambles on the episodes (Awakenings - Her Brother's Keeper). You felt the moment when Demona revealed her name lacked punch. It did, for me at least, but not because of the scene itself. From the beginning of Awakenings, the gargoyles had a dangerous edge but Demona was the one with the least control over hers. The scene with the Trio decides to scare the peasants, I knew they were "just picking" (even though it was picking that could have gotten dangerously out of hand). But Demona acted like if she could have found an excuse to rip the throat out of Tom's mother, she would have. By Awakenings Part 5, it's chillingly apparant just how ruthless and demonic Demona has become. Besides, it's a great twist on Goliath's earlier name of affection/endearment, Angel of the Night. Angel=light, darkness=night, demon=fallen angel=darkness=night. The scene became one of those moments when everything felt RIGHT. Of course, what else could you name her? moment. The question was just how long ago was she given the name.

When I first saw the expression on Demona's face when she and Goliath reunited in 1994, I sat up. Yeah, she was glad to see Goliath but she was angry too. My thought first seeing it was "Poor Goliath, nothing good is going to come from this." Looking back now, knowing Demona's history, I have to ask did she read the Magus's version of events from the Grimorum? If the Magus recorded things fairly accurately, then she had to realize that Goliath chose suicide instead of trying to raise the eggs alone. If he had stayed with the eggs, she would have returned with a story Goliath would have swallowed and they could have raised the eggs together. She never would have created the Hunter, she never would have met Macbeth, she never would have made the deal with the Weird Sisters, she would have died centuries ago. And in that moment of reuniting, Demona blames Goliath for all of it. She buries it quickly cause she wants to give him a chance to realize why her way is the only way, but it still there. Wow, all that from one line of dialogue.

There's my feedback for the day. Caio.

Ed writes...

'REAWAKENING' comments.

At the time of writing, you haven't commented on this yet, but while I'm talking about the first season I ought to finish speaking about it.

And the big thing I remember about it is - I didn't like it.

Coldstone just doesn't appeal to me. I don't think any of his personalities are *that* fascinating, and the "it's alive!" line makes me wince all the time. Xanatos and Demona are just stock villains and don't show much of the individuality that is so evident in later episodes.

There are a few nice bits. The scene as Goliath is drowning. Goliath's vow to protect. The rounded section with that thief.

But all things considered, I wasn't that impressed.

It didn't matter; the first time I saw this, there was an advert for 'CITY OF STONE' on the next week with 2 back-to-back episodes for 2 weeks. In hindsight, this ruined two brilliant cliffhangers, but then I was gorging myself for CoS anyway from seeing teaser pictures of Demona blasting away stone humans.

Ed writes...

'HER BROTHER'S KEEPER' comments.

I've always loved 'DEADLY FORCE' but every time I watch this I like it more. Derek is just such a brilliant character! He's got a great stubborn attitude mixed with ambition and a wish to be supported. And Xanatos is so smooth!

"Yeah, use the force Lex!" was just one of those all-time classic lines that got me rolling around laughing. This being the case, I only noticed when watching it again how silly the helicopter repair thing seemed.

I'd already seen 'THE GATHERING PART ONE' (but annoyingly, not part 2!) when I saw this so the revelation that Fox loved Xanatos was hardly a big surprise to me. Still, Fox's self-assured scheming attitude always delights me. The prison scene that I always loved was in 'THRILL OF THE HUNT' - one of those eyebrow raising moments when you realise that this is a bit different from 'Ducktales' and 'Turtles'.

And the snow is breathtaking. I also like the ambiguity of the ending. It's magical. Fantastic stuff.

Ed writes...

'ENTER MACBETH' comments

This is a glorious episode. I suppose I can see why you don't like the animation, but I don't think it's nearly as bad as you make out. Of course, I didn't see it before you cut it.

This is one of the episodes that I remember my first reactions to quite well. Firstly, I had no idea that this was the same Macbeth that Shakespeare wrote about. I thought it was some mercenary that had the name because it sounded cool or something. It was only when 'CITY OF STONE' aired that I realised that he was the same as the king.

Kenner should have had a field day finding ways to build a Macbeth mansion with all those traps. The Hall of Mirrors was especially cool.

I never really considered the implications of Macbeth's claim that he named Demona. I remember being quite startled, but it still never made me think in the slightest that he was the Shakespearian Macbeth - he could have given her that name in the 1980s.

I love the Goliath and Elisa arguments here. Rather than have the fact that they really love each other be painted all over the shop, and have the two get on like a house on fire, this story has them arguing. It's not the only one. It's just gorgeous.

I also liked the credits at the beginning. It might be a small touch, but it always seemed so much more 'grown-up' than having them hidden at the end. Just like the "previously on Gargoyles..." section, it was one of those little touches that said: "look! This is different!"

A lovely episode.

Ed writes...

'DEADLY FORCE' comments

This is my favourite episode of the first season. It's thoroughly gorgeous.

One, I like Dracon. Glasses is nifty too.
Two, I like Elisa. The real human Elisa that is, not just the side that larks around with gargoyles all night.
Three, I like Broadway. I didn't do that much originally, but I certainly do now.

But there's so much more that's cool here. Elisa in the hospital, the subtle introduction of her family, the gun moral...

I actually never noticed - or at least don't remember - the blood. I might have been aware that it was there, but I can remember the scene quite clearly and don't really remember the blood. That wasn't what hit me. There was a brilliant impact from seeing her 'dead'.

It was lovely to see Matt in there too. Great stuff.

Ed writes...

'THRILL OF THE HUNT' comments.

Hi there, Greg. I'll be a bit behind everyone else with these comments I'm afraid. Should I put episode comments in separate posts if I talk about separate episodes? I'll do it just to be on the safe side.

Anyway, I like this episode a lot. It gives us the best view of Lexington's personality of the 66 (or indeed, 78), and I like the Pack here. Actually, the Pack appeal to me more here than in most of their subsequent outings. The predator/prey irony is very appealing, but the 'Evil Ninjas' amused me too. I wonder what happened to all those guys?

I never understood why this was listed under your list of dodgy animation anyway, really. Goliath was especially well-drawn throughout.

Loved Billy and Susan. The injustice is immensely frustrating to me, which of course is what makes it so great.

Incidentally, the first scene was nifty too. I'm not sure what about it appeals to me so much; maybe the great drawing, maybe the 'calm before the storm' tone, or maybe it's just because it's got Owen looking so... Owen. But it always sticks in my mind.

Pity that the last time I watched it (about a year ago), I pressed the wrong button after I wound it back and taped over this and most of 'TEMPTATION' before I realise what I'd done. Humbug. (It also took me forever to tape in the first place; Disney Channel UK ran through the whole series but played 'LONG WAY TO MORNING' twice in the proper spot and instead of 'THRILL OF THE HUNT'. Seems like it's one of those doomed episodes for me... not as doomed as 'MONSTERS' which I tried three times and had a disaster each time, but...

Demona Taina writes...

Me again!

I just realized that I had to thank you for those ramblings. :) I mean, I never thought of those episodes that way before, and now that you're explaining them, it all makes sense now. :) Thank you again, Greg, not only did you make one of the best shows there has ever been, but you've opened our minds. I mean, you've inspired us. Some fans have become great artists, some great writers, and some you've simply changed their lives! Like me! I'm a completely different person! And all because of the defenders of the night! I'll thank you always, I'm sure other fans will thank you too. :)

I'm looking forward to the rest of the ramblings. :) Thank you!

Jackal's Love writes...

Her Brother's Keeper:

This is one of the episodes that I watch the tape of frequently. Probably because it has some focus on Jackal and Hyena interacting, and such beautiful animation. Little details of the J&H converasation at the diamond exchange stood out to me, like the way Hyena kicks Jackal, then smiles at him, and the contrast between the two. "What's to keep us from just grabbing it and shooting our way free?" "Style, dear sister, style."

I always noticed that those two seemed to have a big thing for knives. Always whipping them at someone. Although I am curious about where Hyena had been hiding the knife at the Exchange. Her dress didn't seem very ideal for concealing weaponry.

Nichelle Nichols did the diamond exchange saleslady's voice. Eep. Forget the villains, that woman was terrifying :-)

I also noticed the irony about Jackal & Hyena, the bad guys of the episode, getting along better than the good guys are. They may be nut cases, but at least they're compatible. It seems that they have more fun with their fighting than anything else.

"Any landing you can walk away from." Doesn't Xanatos say also say that in 'City of Stone'? It's one of the quotes from Gargoyles that I remebered even after I hadn't seen the show for four years, along with "What's the matter, never seen a cybernetic jackal before?" and "I trust you about as far as I can throw you."

Hyena's smile at the end is a really intruiging moment. I love the animation there. I had it as my computer background for months, the bonus being that it scared my friends.

Anyway, thank you for your time.

Ed writes...

'THE EDGE' comments.

Not a big favourite. The animation is gorgeous, and the ending is sublime. But the Steel Clan echoed the Foot Clan a bit much for my tastes. I can't remember my first viewing that well, but I'm pretty sure that I didn't expect the red robot to be Xanatos. (Although I should have, because I'd seen 'FUTURE TENSE' a few months previously).

In hindsight, there are several nice touches and the writing is delightful. But it wasn't one of those episodes where the difference between normal action cartoons and 'Gargoyles' leap out and grab you.

I guess I just never liked the Steel Clan.

Blaise writes...

HER BROTHER'S KEEPER

Boy, I'm dense. I hadn't realized just how far the "siblings" idea went (Jackal and Hyena were right out of my mind--I just thought they were good villains).
Speaking of the terrible twins, they got some pretty good dialogue throughout, but especially at the beginning. I like how Mr. Reaves managed to put in some exposition on the other Pack members and make it sound organic. BTW, Hyena thinks Dingo knows how to have a "good time," eh? If what she said was true, and considering her own personality, Dingo changed A LOT by the end of the series. And I always have to say "OW" when Hyena digs her heel into Jackal's shin.
I kind of figured the gargoyles were throwing the twins out of the 'copter with the intent to kill. I pretty much KNEW you guys would slap parachutes on them, but I didn't expect the gargoyles themselves to be that "PC". Like I said, I always liked that edge.
Going to the trio--some of the best lines in the series there, IMHO. And most of them Brooklyn's! "Famous last words," "Yeah, use the Force, Lex," and "You and what Starfleet" always make me smile. I also like the look on their faces when Goliath yells at the Maza siblings at the end. A particularly memorable moment that. Excellent dialogue (Mr. Reaves always seems to have a gift for that).
Now I get to the main part of the ep. Just as the Trio and Hudson (who doesn't have a single line in this ep, hmmm) had their own ep to shine, this one belonged to Elisa. I liked the struggle she had with her brother over Xanatos. I began to notice the irony of each sibling's discussion with their parents in later viewings, but the fact that both siblings were wrong did strike me. As for that ending...I was sure he was going to play the tape and listen to it, but I did like it that the ending was ambiguous as to that event. The snow was a nice touch, too (and it actually made a crunching sound when they walked on it--this was the first animated show I saw where that happened!).
And one must admire Xanatos and his chutzpa. Love his ego in this one. Then there's Fox. When I saw her final remark, with the camera position and lighting, I knew that she loved him, or was at the very least infatuated. I didn't know if the feeling was mutual, however.
BTW, the beverage that Peter Maza was drinking...was it alcoholic?

I do enjoy watching this ep.

Todd Jensen writes...

One additional response to your "Her Brother's Keeper" ramble. You mentioned that the original idea for Catscan/Talon was to make him a scientist in Xanatos's employ who got mutated, but then realized that it should be Derek instead. I felt that the role going to Derek was a very good idea. If it had been a more or less unconnected scientist, it could still have made a good story, but making the victim Derek strengthened it. Here, it isn't just anybody getting mutated, but Elisa's own brother. Not only does that tie the victim in all the better with the main characters, but it also brought in those great scenes at the end of "Metamorphosis" where Elisa, after discovering who Talon really is, proceeds to let Xanatos have it, and then weeps back at the clock tower. I'd say that the Gargoyles Universe intuition was batting a thousand on that one.

Ed writes...

'LONG WAY TO MORNING' comments.

Just like 'TEMPTATION', I loved this first time around. It had Demona, it had the Dark Ages, it had a thrilling chase scene, loads of laser blasting, a lot of atmospheric running water (I love it when running water is used alongside high drama - I don't know why, but it always appeals to me). It's fraught, has a great graveyard scene and lots of cool flashbacks. It shows us Goliath out of action.

But as I go back to it the thing that annoys me most, is Demona. She grates so much! Her dialogue seems to be frustratingly similar throughout.

Also, I felt that the Archmage was weak here. He lacked the conviction and menace that made him such an effective villain in later episodes. Which is probably why I forgot all about him, and by 'VOWS' (which I saw months later first time around, because of the order GMTV showed it) my memory had fogged sufficiently so that I got him confused with the Magus.

Ed writes...

'TEMPTATION' comments.

Hi, Greg.

When I saw this the first time on GMTV, I was blown away. At least, for months after this was the episode I remembered. It had Brooklyn (whose name I took about 20 episodes to memorise for some reason), and more importantly - it had Demona. I loved Demona here, and I was delighted at the theme of betrayal that flows through here. There's a great sense of hurt. It's really gorgeous.

But watching it the second time and times after, I have to say that I was less impressed. Demona seems to have a stock of classic villainess threats that she doesn't really grow out of in this season. They were great first time, but I'd seen 'LONG WAY TO MORNING' just the episode previously (see my 'THRILL OF THE HUNT' comment) and heard very similar dialogue.

Also, I can't help feeling that the ending was a bit of a con. It was very clever, but the idea that all through CITY OF STONE, HUNTER'S MOON and whatever comes after Goliath is still under a spell from episode 7 (even one that is inactive) doesn't appeal to me much.

Aaron writes...

Long Way to Morning.

I love this episode. It's definately one of my top ten. Quite well done overall, but I love it for one reason above the others:

This is the last time we will see Demona like this. No, it's hardly the last time we'll see her being evil, but after City of Stone, (And Vows, to a lesser extent) our perception of Demona changes. Post-COS, Demona's a tortured sociopath who's spent the last 900 years living a painful, screwed-up life. Even if most of that was her own doing, there's still some sympathy factor there. (Of course, this is all just my opinion, others may think differently)

In Long Way to Morning Demona's just *evil*. From her casual "Ciao" to the (she thinks) dying Elisa to... almost everything she says to Hudson, she's just pure and unadulterated badness.

The fight in the graveyard is quite cool, especially the sequence where Demona's wings unfold from behind the angel statue, (complete with sinister flash of lightning) Hudson swings his sword, and it looks like nothing happened... until the statue falls apart, bisected diagonally.

And of course, there's the irony of Hudson's last words to Demona, about patience coming with age, which only shows up the second time through. Demona, of course, being probably nine or ten times older then Hudson, but has still never learned to think things through calmly, rather then charging off in anger.

Lexy writes...

Hey Greg,

Episode 12. Ahh, Episode 12. I guess I could ramble on about the excellent animation and such. But I'll answer your Q's;)

Derek working for Xanatos: You know..it really didn't throw me for a loop. Don't get me wrong, this isn't because you guys were being predictable. Certainly not. It was because after 11 episodes of Gargoyles already I realized that this wasn't your joe-blow plot line. The kind I can show up halfway and watch five min's and guess with dead near perfect accuracy what is going to happen. No, this was GARGOYLES we were talking about. I just got into the habit of NOT guessing at anything. That is probably the wussy no-brainer way out..infact it _is_ the no-brainer way out. But for the most part it is true. I wasn't shocked, though I was throughly (sp?) entertained. It was awsome to, again, see you guys doing unconventional things with lead characters. It's just such a breath of fresh air to see a main or basic character get pulled into the muk. I know that is probably a little crule on my part. But just because you are nice most of the time, and important, dosn't give you a free pass out of all the crud that can go wrong in life.

The Irony: Like you said..it was _everywhere_ in this episode. Just like Episode 6, it made it sparkle for me. It wasn't black and white. There wasn't one side that was dead wrong and one side that had it correct. It's cool to see characters fighting for things that arn't per say wrong..they just don't work in that perticular situation. Like you said, stuff happens.

Chucking the twins off the Chopper: Well, I guess it never really bothered me since, as you already pointed out, they had parachutes. So all is well right? But I suppose I never _really_ thought about it enough. As you had pointed out in your post, _did_ the trio _know_ they had those parachutes? Your answer is very statisfying (sp:P) to me. Just like Goliath and his whole "We defeated him, the castle is ours now" complex, it shows that they still have a lot of throw backs to their Wyvern years. Not that they just _adapt_ to this century and become modern day crime busters. Again, its just a nice touch.

Xanatos' bravado: I think you just about rounded it up for him as usual. Him telling Fox to spill the beans freely for Elisa didn't _shock_ me per-say, but it did make me shake my head and grin at that guys audacity. I mean.._really_.

David and Fox sitting in a Tree: In this episode it's pretty clear that something is really up with these two. I don't think I _really_ caught it with the force that I did untill this episode. But when I did, I didn't have any after thoughts like "Hmm wonder how long this will last." They are just _perfect_ for eachother.

Eating Jokes: Ya..it did get strung out. But it wasnt like "Oh geez, this again?" I mean, they are siblings..and sibs will be sibs. I didnt expect any of them to get really original in their come backs. Besides..it was nice to just sorta ween viewers off of the whole eating machine lable that got stuck on Broadway in earlier episodes. If he had just _stopped_ being somewhat ..well a big eater will say, or the subject was just dropped like a stone I would have been kinda thrown.

Well, I suppose thats pretty much all I got. Another contest ha? Coolies. Though I dont _think_ I'll enter.

Oh and by the way Greg. I'm sure you probably already know this. But if you gave one of us a box of used paperclips off your desk, most fans would be like "OH MY GOSH!! I have _GREGS'_ PAPERCLIPS!!! And he actually USED THEM!!!"

*shrugs* I know..but its probably true:) Were kinda insane that way.

Todd Jensen writes...

An addendum to my last post. I'm really enjoying these "episode ramblings" of yours, and thought that I'd thank you for posting them. Until/unless you get to write a book about "The Making of 'Gargoyles'" (for which, alas, there doesn't seem to be a market at present - I fear that Gargoyles fandom isn't big enough yet to offer enough sales to make a publisher happy), this counts as the next best thing.