Entity writes...

Hi Greg,

I don't want for this to come off like a criticism, but regarding the "fourth wall" you wanted to break in THE MIRROR by having Puck directly address the audience... don't you think that would have really killed the integrity of the series?

That fourth wall keeps the series self-contained in its own little imaginary world, where gargoyles and fae and corporate CEO's like Xanatos exist. If Puck were to have addressed the audience, it would have poked a hole in that. Which isn't a good thing, IMO.

GARGOYLES is as memorable as it is because it retained an integrity akin to a live-action series. I know, it never happened, Puck never did address us, but even so... what was your rationale behind it?

Again, I don't mean for this to sound critical, which I KNOW it does. But I would've lost a lot of respect for the series in THE MIRROR had someone not cut out those lines you inserted.

Todd Jensen writes...

When and how did Owen/Puck find out about the gargoyles living in the clock tower? He clearly knows by "Possession", since he knew where to find them when he was taking Coldstone to the clock tower (and also clearly knows in "Hunter's Moon Part Three" when he comments that obviously the clan wouldn't have destroyed their own home). I'm assuming that he found out from Goliath during "Future Tense" when Goliath talked about getting back to the clock tower near the beginning; am I correct on that one?

LSZ writes...

What was Puck's position during the Mab-Oberon war, if he was even around at the time?

Todd Jensen writes...

Another "Lighthouse in the Sea of Time" question that I just remembered. When Goliath angrily confronts Owen at the castle and demands that he (Owen) take him (Goliath) to wherever Xanatos, Hudson, and Broadway are, Owen replies, "You should know that I can't do that." Was this line, by any chance, a subtle foreshadowing about Owen's true nature as Puck - who, under the restrictions of his Owen-body, indeed cannot magically take Goliath to where others are?

Emmlei writes...

Read your outlines for 'The Mirror'. Personally, I think that was one of the best episodes of the series. It was light enough to be entertaining, but not so much that it made it stand out as odd from the overall series. I loved Puck, and I think you did a good job of introducing him, successfully avoiding some problems you pointed out. And Brent Spiner was excellent as Puck, and his performance made a good impression on me.
So, here are my questions:
In later episodes, were you going to do much more development of Puck/Owen? I mean, we only saw puck in a handful of episodes, so we didn't see how much Oberon's punishment affected both aspects of Owen/Puck.
Secondly, what about his training of Alex? I have a feeling that as Alex gets older, he might actually prove a little difficult to handle, especially with magic involved.(I'm sorry if I'm vague, but I can't figure out how to word it any better)

Scott Iskow writes...

On Fae Magic:

1) It's been a while since I've seen "Mark of the Panther," so I'm a little unclear on how Anansi "spins his wishes." Can you describe the process, please?

2) Did Oberon remove Puck's magic, or was it merely suppressed? If removed, where did all the energy go? Did Oberon absorb it into himself, or did he do the fae equivalent of throwing it into the garbage?

3) On a similar note to 2, how much energy does it take to strip another fae of magic? My guess would be some amount equal to the magic being removed, but I'm not well versed in cartoon magic. (I can't even rhyme well.)

Punchinello writes...

Hello.
I see you are making progress with your backlog of questions. This question is kind of an ammendment to another question of mine.

A couple of months ago I asked if your idea for Owen was influenced by an archetype I referred to as being "a supernatural charachter indentured to a human master." I made reference to djinn being bound within oak or silver. Now, I dont recall if I was thinking this at the time, but...

I had just recently viewed "Prospero's Books" by Peter Greenaway again. There is a rather disturbing scene therin, of Ariel, bound in his "cloven pine." Spitting out splinters of wood and carring on. It's all rather ghastly. I had, in the past, made the observation that Ariel could be an other example of this archetype. I think, however, that I needed the emphasis Greenaway placed on certain elements to make some connections apparent to me. Of some peripheral interest is the fact that ariel is another spirit bound in a tree, but of greater interest is the stress placed on the characters servitude to Prospero. It was not much of a stretch to *read Owen* into the character.

OF GREATER INTEREST was how easy it became to read Xanatos into Prospero. I was struck by several things in this vein. The first being the parallel between the two men's status as "mortal's" who had aquired great power through supernatural means; particularly through the service of a captive spirit. (I realize the term "captive" does not really describe Owen's situation.) Further, Xanatos' collection of supernatural artifacts (The Eye, the Grimorrim, even the Gargoyles) could be a reflection of Prospero's robes and staff. The artifacts which empower him.

I also considered (perhaps on the heels of watching an adaptation that placed such emphasis on Pospero's Books) that the Grimorrim might be a volume Xanatos "valued above his dukedom."

I wonder also if a reading of Xanatos as *the exiled duke* would be too far off. Milan is in rather close proximity to Greece. I believe you placed Petros Xanatos as a native, there. While Xanatos may not have been physically exiled from his place of birth, it could be argued that his distance from his father and their conflicted relationship could be read as a kind of exile.

Now, I realize you have your reasons for not wanting to confirm or deny ideas that you had for the show, but were not able to elaborate on before it's cancellation. I read the anecdote about the guy who thought you had stolen his idea. (Wasn't he asking about the characters from "The Tempest," actually?) At this point, however, I think you have rather concretely established that Shakespeare plays a rather prominent and consistent theme in "Gargoyles." I cant imagine that anyone would not be inclined to believe that you were going for this reading from the beginning.

Maybe I'm completely wrong about all of this, but I'm sure it will elicit some interesting commentary from you.

Puck<40> writes...

Puck related and such. And hope to see you at AX. By the time you read this, you just might've. <oddball with a drawing of himself taped to his back>

1) Okay... I know you don't do pure power, measuring up one person to another... But do you think Puck would've survived an iron spear shot to his chest? I don't really think of him as a "lesser fae" that it'd kill instantly, as you put in one of your posts, so just curious. And I also don't really think he's *that* cocky to stand up to Oberon and not think he's got somewhat of a chance to win. Course this is Puck so I could be wrong.

Puck<40> writes...

Back again. ^.^ Say hi to Jen for me.

<still Puck, following a different mindset topic>

1) Did Puck or Owen ever meet a timedancing Brooklyn? <thats a question repost, got wiped in one of the screw ups>

2) Do you in your opinion think Puck would try to interfere with a time paradox intentionally? :)

Faieq Ali writes...

Before the Gathering, did Fox know about Owen being Puck?