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AngelOfTheNight writes...

Concerning Puck and Demona, In "the Mirror" Demona tells Puck, "You've served the human, now you can serve me", As well as in "City of Stone" she calls Owen "the tricky one".
The rest of us didn't know Owen's true identity until the end of "The Gathering". So my question is, just how and for how long does Demona know Owen is Puck? Sorry if this has already been asked, didnt see it anywhere in the archives. P.S. I was glad to hear that you and yours were safe after the WTC tragedy.

Greg responds...

Um... well, for starters, thanks. But of course, we live in Los Angeles so my family wasn't at tremendous risk.

I'm sure it's in the archives somewhere, but Demona has been aware of Puck/Owen's true identity for quite some time. Puck/Owen introduced Demona to Xanatos some time before the events of AWAKENING.

Response recorded on October 21, 2003

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Samantha writes...

Dexter writes...
Hey Greg,
Call me stupid, but I've seen the pilot "Awakening" several times and I still do not follow the plot! I'm such an idiot. Ok, why did Xanatos got through all that trouble to wake up the Gargoyles just to have them steal disks? Then he used to information on them to makes the Steel Clan, what's the point of that? So now instead of real gargoyles, he had robotic ones. Doesn't make sense. Also, when Goliath and Elisa were attacked in central park, Elisa said she traced the logo back to Cyberbiotics, which Mr. X owned. So does that mean his own people stole disks from him and then he went and restole them back from his own people? Ah! It confuses me. Please clear me up, I've been meaning to ask you about this plot, and now I finally had time to. Thanks!

I can answer part of that! Xanatos did not steal back his own disks. They were from another company, the company that Fox's father owned. Xanatos faked a robbery to make the gargoyles think that when he told them about the disks they were his, when nothing had ever really been stolen from him.
He used the gargoyles to steal these disks to upload his steel clan. By using the Gargoyles, no one would ever suspect him. No one even knew what Gargoyles were I think.
Once he got the stolen disks, he was able to load up his
steel clan, which meant he no longer had a name for the clan.
Since they would be too hard to control, he decided to test his new clan on them. And I'm sure you know the rest. I hope this helps.

Greg responds...

It does. Thank you.

Guys, it just goes to show that the fans are a much better first resource than I am. I just flat out take to long (over a year) to get to your questions.

Response recorded on September 24, 2003

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Dexter writes...

Hey Greg,
Call me stupid, but I've seen the pilot "Awakening" several times and I still do not follow the plot! I'm such an idiot. Ok, why did Xanatos got through all that trouble to wake up the Gargoyles just to have them steal disks? Then he used to information on them to makes the Steel Clan, what's the point of that? So now instead of real gargoyles, he had robotic ones. Doesn't make sense. Also, when Goliath and Elisa were attacked in central park, Elisa said she traced the logo back to Cyberbiotics, which Mr. X owned. So does that mean his own people stole disks from him and then he went and restole them back from his own people? Ah! It confuses me. Please clear me up, I've been meaning to ask you about this plot, and now I finally had time to. Thanks!

Greg responds...

All right, for starters Xanatos made a mistake. He assumed that the Steel Clan would out perform the actual gargoyles, and he was wrong. He was hoping, of course, that he could have both, but Goliath proved less than cooperative. Later, he realized his error and came to value the Gargoyles (even as opponents) much more than he valued his robots.

As to your last bit of confusion, Elisa said she traced the logo back to Xanatos, not Cyberbiotics. You simply misheard.

Response recorded on September 23, 2003

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Lord Sloth writes...

1) After the Gathering (the episode), had the rules of the pact between David and Owen/Puck changed? I'm asking because Owen used his Puck powers in order to save Alexander from Oberon, and then in "Possession" Xanatos actually asked Owen if Puck could wiggle his nose and fix Coldstone for him.
a) In the first case, one could argue that this was something personal that Puck had to settle with Oberon; and so two birds, one stone (is that so?).
b) And in "possession", my only guess is that Xanatos was trying to hint to Puck about how he might turn this into a lesson for Alex, and Puck figured it out latter. Would this be correct?
c) If one or both of these are wrong, could you point out what I am missing?

2) a) Am I right in that training Alex for Oberon takes precedence over not using magic to help Xanatos, and thus Puck is able to work the two into one?
b) Since the Coldstone Dilemma was not really a big priority (like the Oberon one) why did David and Owen try to fond a way to cheat their lifetime of service agreement? It somehow feels that, though Xanatos might cheat other times in his life, this is something he would stay true to, and Owen would hold him to it anyway. (I hope that all came out clearly)

3) And one other thing. I'm sure that playing the part of a straight man has its initial appeal, but fifteen to twenty years of it must be a bit much even for an immortal. So did Puck probably go on many trickster excursions with his time off like in "Future Tense" and "the Mirror" (only without chains) that had nothing to do with Xanatos, in order to relieve some tension?

I don't mean to sound too critical here, as I really love the two above episodes. I'm just trying to understand all of the complex rules that conflict with each other in the show (which, incidentally you did a great job at maintaining).

Dunca Greg.

Greg responds...

1. No, the terms hadn't changed. Puck could justify the Oberon thing, because he was protecting himself from being forced to return to Avalon. And as you may recall, in Possessions, Owen did not just wiggle his nose. Not allowed.

a. More or less.

b. Not really. X was in fact asking for the quick fix. Owen said no. But figured out a way to make a lesson out of it.

c. See above.

2a. Yes.

b. It's clear, but (a) Xanatos wasn't trying that hard to get Owen/Puck to cheat. He made an off-the-cuff-remark. And (b) Puck did what he did (1) to teach Alex (2) because it was fun and (a very distant 3) because it helped Xanatos.

3. Here and there. But I think he really relishes Owen. Don't you?

I don't see any conflict.

Response recorded on June 09, 2003

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Josh Wurzel writes...

Hey Greg,

This one has been bugging me for a while. How on earth did Demona know that raising Castle Wyvern above the clouds would end the spell? She obviously didn't have the entire Grimorum memorized because she said something to the effect of "how could my love be stone at night?" (implying that she didn't recognize the spell, despite studying with the Archmage). And for nearly 1000 years, the book was well out of her reach, first going with the magus and then being whisked to 1970 or some such year by the TimeDancer. By the time Xanatos would have let Demona read it, the castle would already be on top of the tower, best as I can figure.

2) did she tell herself in "Vows" in some scene/dialog we didn't see?

2a) if she didn't tell herself, did her year-974 self look up the spell after the events in "Vows"?

3) Did Demona tell Xanatos about the way to end the spell so that she could get him to raise the castle, or did Xanatos already know about the spell from the Grimorum when he met up with Demona?

4) If he already knew about the spell, then why did he get involved with Demona?

Thanks. I hope these were clear.

Greg responds...

1. You figure wrong. Demona and Xanatos first met before Xanatos even purchased the castle. They began collaborating and planning.

2. No. See above.

2a. See above.

3. I think he may have known about the spell. I'm sure he had the book translated. But he was missing key pieces of information, which Demona provided. Team effort.

4. See above.

Response recorded on June 03, 2003

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matt writes...

i think i figured out when and how Xanatos found out the gargoyles lived in the Clocktower

i don't think Xanatos found out the gargs lived in the Clocktower in Hunters Moon for several reasons.
1) i can't see either Owen or Puck just slipping up like that.
2) Fox and Xanatos just took it way too casually as if they had known for some time.

after viewing some episodes, i'm convinced that Xanatos found out nearly a year before Hunters Moon, possibly before Owen/Puck knew. i think he found out in Eye of the Beholder. heres my reasons.
1) Xanatos places another tracking device on Goliath and then does not remove it for probably at LEAST an hour.
2) when Goliath leaves the castle he takes Elisa with him and in that time Elisa changes into her costume. her costume is probably at one of three places, at her apartment, in her car, or at the police station. if it was at the police station where she put on the costume then Xanatos only has to track them that far and he can figure out the rest (remember that Xanatos was probably tailing them for as much as he could, he may have even snuck into the Clocktower and seen the gargs furnishings). Elisa's car was at the police station and her costume was likely to be there since it is most probable she was planning to go with Goliath directly from the station to the Halloween party. and if her costume was at her apartment it is still very possible that they returned to the Clocktower for Elisa's car at least.
3) the show seemed to suggest that while tracking them, Xanatos was following Goliath and Elisa around and listening to their conversations. its possible that they mentioned the Clocktower and Xanatos could've overheard it.
4) if Elisa could come up with this great home for the gargs, i think that a year later Xanatos has probably had time to think about it and possibly figure it out just by guessing. hes a bright guy, you know...

i also have a couple reasons why Xanatos did not make a big deal or mention that he knew where the gargs were living.
1) this IS Xanatos, why would he reveal his hand, if anything he could save this information for use when he wasn't so busy with other matters.
2) i think that Xanatos is hardly going to make a big deal or even really think about the gargs home being revealed when in this episode (maybe more than any other save The Gathering) he is very emotionally stressed. the woman he loves may die soon, i hardly think he cares at the moment.
3) i think he didn't cause trouble for the gargs after discovering their home due to Goliaths help in saving Fox. this really mirrors his reinstatement of the gargs to Wyvern due to Goliath saving Alex. in fact, immediatly following Eye of the Beholder he certaintly makes large steps in calling truce with Goliath. he was very benevolent to Goliath in Vows and allied with him in City of Stone. i think Xanatos was silently granting Goliath and the clan a break for their help.

so, there is my theory, what do you think? mystery solved?

Greg responds...

If it makes you happy.

Response recorded on May 07, 2003

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matt writes...

1. after i first saw "Awakening" i figured that the rookery of castle Wyvern was behind a door that opened into the same courtyard that the refugees were staying in. if you look at it the Trio and Bronx appear out of that rookery door into the courtyard after the massacre. in "Shadows of the Past" however, we see that if the rookery had been below the castle (or in it) it would've been taken to New York with teh rest of the castle, and it was actually left behind in Wyvern. i'm just curious as to where the rookery actually is (was). below the castle or what? this question isn't intended to find a mistake in the show, just to clarify for me...

2. was there more than one entrance to the rookery?

3. was it a large sequence of caves below the castle and the lands surrounding it?

4. was the rookery in the same place before Castle Wyvern was built?

thanx Greg!

Greg responds...

1. The rookery was beneath the castle proper in a cave. Or rather, the castle was built OVER the rookery.

When Xanatos moved the castle, he moved some of the rock that supported it. We have -- to my knowledge -- never made it clear just how deep into the rock the rookery cave was. It's possible that Xanatos scooped it up too. Or that it was in essence exposed by the removal of castle and "foundation" rock. If X did scoop it up, it's possible he was forced to "fill" the cave in order to create stability. I've never really thought about it before. But I'm not sure why you're sure that the Rookery was left behind in Wyvern. What it comes down to is that it no longer exists as it once did.

2. Probably.

3. It was one largish cave chamber directly below the castle.

4. Yes.

Response recorded on March 31, 2003

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theSquiggyOne writes...

How many versions of the Steel Clan has Xantos created besides the first batch and the batch in the Edge with electric defenses and advanced AI?

Greg responds...

There have only been two models of Steel Clan Robot.

The original model, commissioned by Xanatos, seen in "Awakening, Part V" and "The Edge" and "Double Jeopardy" and "The Price", etc.

And the Iron Clan Robot model, commissioned by Owen Burnett, specifically to battle Oberon and/or Titania, as seen in "The Gathering, Part II". These are larger, and their chassis are made from iron as opposed to steal, but most of the other tech specs are the same.

The so-called "Advanced AI" model that I assume you're referring to from "The Edge" was not a robot at all. But a suit of armor (red in color) that Xanatos wore. Though from the outside it looked like a red version of the robots, it in fact was obviously constructed very differently. I'm not saying they didn't use any of the robot tech on the suit, since they obviously did, but it also required a separate develpoment phase.

Response recorded on February 06, 2003

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matt writes...

i was wondering what your timeline looks like around the time the Clan left the Eyrie Building in Fall 1994.

i watched "Double Jeopardy" tonight and saw that Owen acquiered Goliath's blood samples on November 15. that means the gargoyles left the castle after that, but i also saw that Elisa was there and not on crutches as she was at the beginning of "Enter Macbeth" which makes me think that the "Double Jeopardy" flashback also occured before "Deadly Force". i didn't realize that so much of the first season (six out of the eight episodes, not including "Awakening") happened after mid-November. of course, its even stranger cuz if all that is accurate, there actually is a small flashback in "Enter Macbeth" of Xanatos in his cell cuz his calendar shows late October, weeks before "Deadly Force" and the rest of "Enter Macbeth" would have happened.
is all that right?

when in 1996 (1997?) did the rest of the first season episodes occur? do you have that in your timeline yet?

Greg responds...

Hey matt -- in fact, hey everyone. I'm still pretty busy these days, and the backlog is intimidating, but I figured, if I NEVER got started, I'd never get started, if you know what I mean.

So I'm just going to try to answer one question every week-day.

Anyway, matt, here's an abreviated version of the timeline for this period:

10-28-94 Xanatos anticipates being released by Oct. 31st, the date of his next pre-trial appearance. [There is an outdated calendar on the wall of his cell that fits neither 1994 or 1995. It may not even be his.] (Enter Macbeth)

10-31-94 Xanatos plea bargains a six month sentence with every hope that the sentence will be reduced to three months for good behavior (including time served). (Thrill)

11-4-94 Lex makes contact with the Pack. (Thrill)

11-11-94 Brooklyn tests out the motorcycle and encounters Demona. (Temptation) Xanatos' sentence is officially recorded. Elisa checks out the clock tower.

11-12-94 Elisa informs Goliath that Xanatos will be out in a month. (She is exaggerating for effect, as it will actually be closer to two.) Later Demona, casts a spell on Goliath. (Temptation)

11-13-94 Elisa frees Goliath from Demona's spell. (Temptation)

11-15-94 Elisa again attempts to get Goliath to leave castle. Owen gets a cell sample. (Double Jeopardy)

11-18-94 Broadway accidentally shoots Elisa. (Deadly Force)

12-27-94 The clan enoys a pleasant night at the castle. Xanatos is still counting down days in prison. (Enter Macbeth)

12-31-94 Sevarius begins to clone Goliath. (Double Jeopardy)

1-3-95 Macbeth attacks the clan at the castle. (Enter Macbeth)

1-4-95 The gargs move to the clock tower. Xanatos is released from jail. (Enter Macbeth) Later, he checks in with Sevarius. (Double Jeopardy)

As for the rest of the first season...
The Edge, Long Way To Morning and Her Brother's Keeper all take place in January '95. Reawakening takes place in February of '95.

Response recorded on January 27, 2003

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Chapter XXXIII: "The Price"

Ramble, ramble, ramble...

The other night my family and I sat down to watch "The Price"...

Director: Dennis Woodyard.
Writer & Story Editor: Michael Reaves
Based on Comic Book Material by Lee Nordling

RECAP
It seems like I was starting to learn my lesson about not giving too much away in the "Previously on Gargoyles" section. This one is really all about Hudson, and issues of old age and mortality. I think it tends to hint that maybe, just maybe, we were thinking of killing him off. Anyone else think that perhaps we might?

There's some really great, really good looking character work in this animation. Pretty stuff.

There's a great moment where Hudson banks off an office building. Very cool.

Also, I like it on those rare occasions when we do weather in New York. Snow here. Or rain. Usually, it's all left standard for the same reason Elisa usually wears the same clothes. It's cheaper.

As the story opens, we're again trying to set Hudson up for possible termination, at least in the minds of the audience. He says, "Not a bad life all things considered..." which is usually an invitation for something really horrible to happen.

TIER STUFF

This is the last episode of our third tier. I had always hoped it would air last, since what happens at the end to Owen's hand would make interchanging very difficult. But on the first go-round it was ready long before a couple of other eps in the tier. So it aired early. (Particularly before Owen's appearance in "The Cage".) I tried to correct that for later runs. Sometimes with success. Sometimes not.

Anyway, because I couldn't be sure it would air in the right order, you can see that we hedged our bets a bit. Goliath doesn't understand how Macbeth escaped the Weird Sisters. He's not referring to events in "High Noon" which he could not have known about and which I could not guarantee would air before "Price". He's referring to events in "City of Stone, Part IV".

*At the moment he brought them up, my daughter Erin just happened to be coloring a picture of the Sisters drawn by artist David Wong (I think that's his name) who was selling them in the Dealer's Room at the Gathering 2001 in L.A. Erin was very excited by the kismet of the moment.*

Did you guys register Mac's limited dialogue? It would be tough in the first fight by itself. He does have four lines. And GARGOYLES was never a show to go in for extensive quipping during battles. So four lines may have seemed like enough.

And did you register the "Magic Sparkly Powder" when it first hit Hudson?

This ep is fun because there are so many layers of deceit going on.

Note that at this early stage, Goliath doesn't intend to kill Macbeth. He aims for the Sky-sled's control panel and hits it. The fact that the sled goes down is an unfortunate and unavoidable result. And Goliath clearly feels at least a little guilty. Hudson doesn't mind though. He thinks Goliath's action was perfectly reasonable.

I don't suppose anyone thought Mac was really dead? I wasn't really even trying to trick you into that one. Between the immortality info that you (but not the Gargoyles) knew from City of Stone and the early timing of the death in the episode, I figured nobody would be fooled. And I didn't want anyone fooled. Because that wasn't what I wanted to fool you guys about. I didn't want you to figure out that Macbeth was a robot. So I intentionally did not show the body, on the assumption that most everyone knows that if you don't see the body, the victim probably isn't dead. That way when Mac came back, you'd all be thinking, "Hah, Immortal!" instead of "Hah, Robot!"

BTW, everyone always asks how Hudson can believe Mac is dead and then later acknowledge Mac & Demona's immortality to Xanatos. But Hudson was thinking of immortality in the sense of living on without aging, ala the Norse Gods. Not in the sense that Mac was somehow immune to all injury and death ala the Greek Gods. Clear?

Lucky for Xanatos that all the Gargs seem to have favorite poses. (Cheaper that way, don't you know.) Of course it also helps that since they all wake up and go to sleep at the same time, they rarely get a good look at each other's poses. Makes statue prep easier, huh?

Anyway, when Hudson didn't wake up, did everyone buy the magic powder/he's not waking up scenario? Had anyone seen Lee Nordling's Disney Digest comic story that inspired this gimmick. I've never met Lee, but he came up with the idea of replacing a sleeping garg with his statue. He used Goliath, not Hudson. But it was the same basic principle. I gave the idea to Michael (just that notion) and he ran with it to create this entirely different story? Did anyone see Lee's story and still not get it?

I can't remember why we wound up cutting Banquo & Fleance. Guess we were saving money or time at some stage. So Mac's mansion works on auto-pilot, I guess. Though those cannons still aren't too effective against gargs. And who else would attack?

Back to Brooklyn and Broadway guarding "Hudson". We wanted to keep the focus on Hudson, which is tough, since he's not moving. Brooklyn's worried about the reality of being able to find a cure. Again, we're expressing his leadership tendencies without confirming them since we couldn't guarantee that "Upgrade" would air first.

Then, finally at the end of the act, we reveal the real Hudson. My kids got very excited. Erin said: "The stone guy's not the real him." And Benny chimed in with: "That's the real one!" What were you thinking at this moment?

I even had the odd notion last night that we could have gone the direction of Hudson's "prison" being all in his mind. That the statue was him, and that he couldn't wake up until he escaped this mental/dream prison. Obviously, not the way we went. But it's a cool story idea. Anyone think THAT?

So then we come back from commercial and reveal Xanatos who claims he wants Hudson's skin. The line is said in such a way that we and Hudson are geared to think the worst. Which sets up the fun.

Hudson: "You'll have the devil's own time getting it."

Xanatos: "Gee, that wasn't as hard as you made it sound."

Ah, STONE skin. For the Cauldron of Life. I'm pretty sure the Cauldron was Michael's idea.

Everything has a price. Xanatos just doesn't get that yet.

But Hudson has X's number. They're exchanges throughout this episode are a lot of fun. Like a flip on the Goliath/Renard exchanges in "Outfoxed". But better done, frankly. Less preachy.

These exchanges may have been the inspiration for Hudson and Xanatos killing each other in "Future Tense". Owen's watching and subconsciously realizes that in some way, Hudson and Xanatos make better natural adversaries than Goliath and Xanatos. Maybe.

Hudson: "Growing old terrifies you doesn't it?
Xanatos: "Nothing terrifies me, because nothing's beyond my ability to change." (Who else can lie and tell the truth in the same sentence with this much charm. I'm so proud of this boy.)
X: "What about you? Still wasting your nights in front of the television?" (An only semi-dated reference to both Hudson's origins as the comedic gargoyle Ralph and to the way we occasionally still relegated him to clock tower duty in order to have fewer characters to deal with.)

Note that Xanatos plans on giving Fox immortality as well. He knows he loves her at this point. Wouldn't leave her out.

He doesn't mention Owen though, and in general doesn't treat Owen with his usual respect. Goads him a bit. (Macbeth has already died for me once.) Or rather teases him. He probably figures that Owen can take it. But I think it gets to Owen a bit. Xanatos wasn't expecting Owen to test the Cauldron for him. Owen felt the need to prove something. As he says: "Service is its own reward."

Lots of people watched this episode and e-mailed me that X was a big jerk for treating Owen this way. Particularly at the end of the episode when Xanatos seems completely unfazed by Owen's stone hand. Of course in our minds, this was all a very subtle clue to Owen's true identity. Xanatos and Owen both know that this condition is only as permanent as the Puck chooses to make it.

"Over-sized chamber pot." Heh.

X loves them zingers. He nails Hudson with that "the hardest part was finding a replica for your sword."

I like Goliath's desperation in the scene with him and Elisa. "We need a sorceress. We need Demona. You are a detective."

She doesn't know how to find Demona though.

Meanwhile Mac's back, still using only those same four lines. Anyone catch on here? Or wonder why Mac was working for Xanatos again?

Broadway now knows the expression is "Sitting Ducks" not "Sitting Dorks" as he said it in "Enter Macbeth". A little inside joke.

Okay. Very little.

Erin sees Hudson pick up the stone skin and asks what it is.

Sunrise. At the end of Act Two, Elisa has an oddly timed slow reaction to events, that I wish we had found a way to trim a bit.

Benny was worried: "He's gonna break into pieces and never be alive again."

Erin was a bit more tv-savvy: "He's not going to break into pieces. Or this would be the last [episode]."

I didn't really think anyone would think we were actually going to kill BW here. I think the interest is to wonder over the commercial break exactly how the hell we're going to get out of this.

Beth asked: "How'd Elisa know to shoot at that box? Who came up with that? She clearly didn't like it."

Michael Reaves put in this bit about BW turning to stone in mid-air. And I cut it. That's right. Cut it. I thought that it was too big a deal to fit into this story or at any rate that we could never make the rescue convincing. But ultimately I put it right back in. Michael was right. We needed it here. Everyone worked very hard to make Elisa's save as real as possible. The carpet sign established in advance. The multiple shots it takes her just to hit the rope twice. And Brooklyn and Goliath's exchange:

Brook: "It's a miracle!"
Gol: "A miracle named Elisa."

We're acknowledging how unlikely this is and hoping you'll just share it with us.

I still don't know. It's fun. But I'm not sure we really pulled it off in a convincing way. What did you all think?

"Jalapeña, you're still alive!" Another tier risk. Since I couldn't be sure this would air after "Protection".

X: "Hudson, your bath is ready."

This is another cool exchange. The Price metaphor really comes through here.

The title, I think, was one of mine. Inspired by the Arthur Miller play and the Jim Starlin Graphic Novel of the same name.

Back at the Macbeth battle, here he is again. By this time, the robot thing may be more obvious. Same four lines. We still tried to preserve suspense. Since he's presumably working for Xanatos to distract the Gargs that may explain his behaviour. Anyone who thought he was the real Macbeth right until the moment G gutted him?

Elisa is out of bullets. At the time, I thought that made realistic sense. Always hated guns that seemed to have unlimited bullets. Now it just feels like she was dumb for not reloading.

But one other thing strikes me -- in today's environment, we probably wouldn't have been allowed to let Elisa use a realistic gun at all.

Boom. The Hudson statue is blown to bits. By this time you all knew it wasn't Hudson, but we were hoping that for a split second, the image itself would be shocking enough to make you forget. Just for a second.

I think it worked. Ben needed to reassure himself: "That's okay. It's not the real Hudson." I don't think he would have even bothered to say that, if for a split-second he hadn't thought it was.

Of course, Goliath, who had been on the verge of putting two and two together just before this attack, goes positively medieval on us. Before he aimed for Mac's sky-sled. Now he wants "Gargoyle Justice". He's trying to kill Macbeth. It's just lucky that (a) it was a robot and (b) we had a very understanding S&P executive.

I think the robot's death scene is pretty cool. We had John Rhys-Davies come in just to record five lines. The four that we reprinted over and over and one more 'winding-down' take on "You'll have to do better than that!" It's very cool. With the eye popping out and everything. Nice stuff.

One thing I remember discussing with Michael was the rescue of Hudson. Originally, I think he had Goliath and the boys figure it out and have them show up to get H. But I felt strongly that Hudson had to rescue himself. Prove to all concerned that his age was not the liability that X thought.

This is fun.

And I love that Hudson won't destroy the Cauldron.

Like Xanatos, we think that H is "just full of surprises." But it shouldn't be much of a surprise. I think that was right in character for Hudson.

And I love his parting shot: "What will be your legacy, Xanatos?"

Frakes and Asner were both just amazing in this episode.

X: "Let him go. He's earned it." Of course, that's right in character for X too. No revenge. No jumping up and down and whining.

And hey, now Owen's arm can live as long as the mountain stones.

"How literal-minded." I think that line was one of mine. Not sure. It would probably have helped if I had read those two drafts of the script I posted yesterday. But I didn't have time.

So there's my ramble. Where's yours?


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matt writes...

on Fox and David Xanatos's Marriage certificate/license, who signed as witnesses to their marriage? i mean, traditionally its the Best Man and Maid of Honor, but we can see why that wouldn't work...
did Owen sign it? did Petros?

also, i apologize if this was asked before, but, was Halcyon Renard or Anastasia invited to the wedding? if so, why didn't they come?

Greg responds...

1. Owen, probably.

2. I think not. Partially, because Fox was semi-estranged from her father at least. But MOSTLY because of the instructions Xanatos got from himself. Neither Fox or Xanatos are sentimental enough (at least not that they'd admit) to risk having either of Fox's parents there, when potentially they might interfere.

Response recorded on January 22, 2002

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Anonymous writes...

Puck
Since Puck didn¡¯t know of Demona¡¯s link with MacBeth how did he think she stayed alive for ten centuries?
Does Xanatos trust Puck/Owen entirely?

Greg responds...

It's possible to simply acknowledge ignorance. Speculating on what his incorrect theory might have been seems pointless.

As much as anyone.

Response recorded on November 13, 2001

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Anonymous writes...

How advanced is the Illuminati¡¯s tech? Beyond Xanatos¡¯s tech? Anywhere close to New Olympian tech?

Greg responds...

There's no across the board answer to this. Different groups will be more advanced in different areas.

Response recorded on October 17, 2001

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matt writes...

in "Vows" Xanatos says a line and i'm not sure how/what he means with it?

does he say "Time travels funny that way." meaning that time is traveling funny or does he say "Time travel's funny that way." meaning that time travel itself is funny that way? does that make sense? i keep reading over it and i think it makes sense...

anyway, kinda a pointless question, but one i've been wanting to ask for a while now...

but on a related note, right before Xanatos says that, Goliath says he wishes he could leave Xanatos in that time and Xanatos says "You won't, because you didn't..." how did Xanatos know that? Goliath could've very well left Xanatos there and that may have been what always happened! you could say, Xanatos would've sent a letter to the Illuminati warning himself of his fate or some excuse like that, but as we've seen in "MIA" that letter would've been lost or something and all his ways of warning himself would've fallen through cuz the point is he did end up in Goliaths time and if he warned himself it would have created a paradox! so, there is no way Xanatos would have known for sure that Goliath wouldn't leave him there. was he saying that to Goliath to kinda trick Goliath into thinking that he had to bring him home or something, or was Xanatos just being confident and egotistical of his abilities to have a plan all worked out?

i hope all parts of this post make sense to you. if they don't, i apologize, its late...

Greg responds...

Time travel IS funny that way. Again, I think it's fairly self-evident. Meaning, hey, it's quirky.

It makes sense. It's just ANNOYING!!!

Sorry.

You're logic is flawless. I agree with everything you said.

Let's move on now.

Response recorded on September 11, 2001

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Lord Sloth writes...

Had Elisa ever meet Either Xanatos or Owen berfore awakening part 3? If yes, when?

Greg responds...

No.

Response recorded on September 06, 2001

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Todd Jensen writes...

Since you and Entity recently (as of July 20th) had a brief exchange about Xanatos's characterization, I thought that I'd give a thought of my own about him.

One thing that has occurred to me is that there was an intriguing paradox about Xanatos in his "feud" with the gargoyles. One advantage that Xanatos had over the conventional "cartoon super-villain" was that he was a level-headed, practical man who wasn't interested in revenge or pointless vendettas. And this, on one level, made him potentially a more challenging adversary for the gargoyles. Because as a result, he wasn't likely to get so distracted in carrying out his personal score with the clan that he'd make foolish mistakes which they could take advantage of and thereby win, the way that more conventional "master-villains" in animated series do (and which, elsewhere in "Gargoyles", the Archmage himself fell prey to, when he kept on making strategic and tactical errors in "Avalon" - such as not waiting until dawn to attack or in magically tormenting Goliath when he could just as easily have simply zapped him into a pile of dust). It removed the leading source of "mistakes that antagonists make" which can save the day for the protagonists.

But, ironically enough, this very trait of Xanatos's also may have helped the gargoyles in a way. For, since Xanatos wasn't a revenge-crazed man, he wouldn't be likely to be constantly pursuing the gargoyles obssessively in "conventional cartoon super-villain" style, and indeed, he didn't. He went after them because he had specific plans about what to do with them (using them as his agents for such operations as stealing the disks from Cyberbiotics). But that motive didn't take too long to be discarded, as it became increasingly aware to Xanatos that he couldn't make use of the gargoyles in that way ever again; in fact, I recently noticed, upon examining his actions closer, that in Season Two, despite his continued clashes with the clan, he had stopped attempting to actually capture and dominate them (the one exception being his capture of Hudson in "The Price", and then there was a different reason for that - the need to use Hudson as a guinea pig for the Cauldron of Life). So he no longer had a serious reason for capturing them, and consequently, didn't see the need to make those efforts. The only possible reason left for going after the gargoyles was that of revenge, and that obviously didn't interest him. So he had no reason to pursue them (and indeed, seems to have even been aware, as the ending of "City of Stone" makes clear, that leaving them more or less at liberty could be much more advantageous to him anyway). He could afford to leave them alone.

So I find it an amusing paradox that the very factor which could have made Xanatos a serious threat to the gargoyles actually helped to make him less of a threat than he might have been. He wasn't obssessively pursuing them on the basis of a pointless grudge. He went after them only when he saw a genuine need to, and there was increasingly less reason for him to capture or destroy the whole clan as the series went on (and good reason, on the other hand, to let them be).

Greg responds...

Sound analysis. I've said it before, I think as villains go, David and Demona are too fairly original characters. I'm proud of all my babies, so to speak, but I'm particularly proud of these two and how different they are from each other and yet how they both constantly presented us not merely with 'evil plot of the week' material but with challenging character work. They wrote themselves.

Response recorded on September 06, 2001

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Greg "Xanatos" Bishansky writes...

Now that he has made peace with the Manhattan Clan, would Xanatos have continued to make use of the Steel Clan, or his Steel Clan exo-armor?

Greg responds...

Given appropriate circumstances, I don't see why not.

Response recorded on September 05, 2001

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Lord Sloth writes...

When Puck was offering Xanatos 1 wish or life service, wouln't that be breaking Oberon's law if David chose the wish?

Greg responds...

No. Just bending it.

Response recorded on September 01, 2001

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Entity writes...

Hello,

I've recently allowed myself to be engulfed in astrology, and so I'm wondering:

1) What is Xanatos' birthday?

2) What is Elisa's birthday?

3) What is Goliath's "hatch"-day?

4) What is YOUR birthday?

Thanks :)

Greg responds...

4. September 28, 1963. Libra.

As for the others, I have years, not specific dates. At least at this time.

Response recorded on August 30, 2001

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Lord Sloth writes...

Did Xanatos tell his present day Illuminati friends about his his plans for time traval? If he did, wouldn't they want he to retreve the Phenix gate?

Greg responds...

No, he did not.

Response recorded on July 27, 2001

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Entity writes...

Hi again,

This is on Xanatos. Someone asked about the logic of Xanatos going through all of the trouble of bringing the gargs to life, only to have them steal some disks, then to just wastefully try to eradicate them with the Steel Clan. I have been conflicted with this contradiction in Xanatos' character as well, and I think it is a result of so much having to be inferred from the episodes. As viewers we are accustomed to being handed everything on a silver platter. Mainstream America is lazy like that. But in a 22-minute cartoon, you didn't have that kind of time. You couldn't explain everything. So characterization, especially, needed to be shown not told.

In Xanatos' case, he really is more of the trickster than the megalomaniac. In the show we got more of an impression of control and dominance. This is the air that X likes to put off. Cool and collected. With a master plan for everything. This was mostly a FRONT. The REAL Xanatos is, as you've accentuated through your episode reviews, a trickster. He lives by the moment. He's a thrill seeker. He makes up his plans as he goes along. That's why his plan in "Metamorphosis" seemed so flimsy, as so many Ask Gregers have brought up. That's why he seemed to change priorities so much in the first season. He re-evaluated. And if you think about it, this more dynamic approach to his character makes his 'reformation' all the more plausible. X, whether we've realized it or not, was in a constant state of change throughout the entire series.

Greg responds...

Sure.

Although, I don't think I agree with the flimsy making-it-all-up as you go along FRONT interpretation.

He is a Trickster, but a well-prepared one. (No magic to rely on.) He does adapt, but he also plans. And he enjoys the game, so results don't always matter as much to him.

Response recorded on July 18, 2001

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Alex Wittenberg writes...

In "Hunter's Moon," Xanatos and Owen seem rather unsurprised that the Gargoyles were based at the clocktower above Maza's stationhouse. Is this because Xanatos realized how obvious that should have been when he heard the news, or because at some point before this he figured it out and chose not to pursue it?

Greg responds...

Does it matter?

Response recorded on July 17, 2001

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Lord Sloth writes...

How did Xanatos know what Iago and Desdemona looked like when he desined their robots?

Greg responds...

I could have sworn I've answered this. He accessed Coldstone's memory banks.

Response recorded on July 11, 2001

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The Mighty Thor writes...

I was just wondering Who did Xanatos vote for in this last election Bush or Clinton?

Greg responds...

Clinton didn't run.

Response recorded on June 30, 2001

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Sloth writes...

Was there a point To Xanatos finding out that Goliath was missing in "Kingdom" other than to prove that Brooklen is a good desision maker? Xanatos did meet up with Goliath in Arazona, but that seemed to be a coincidence that he turned to his advantage in finding Cyotie (the trickster, not the robot :^). Was this a point you wanted to expand more on?

Greg responds...

Yes, it was. Never got to it, unfortunately.

But there's an untold story in there somewhere.

Response recorded on June 30, 2001

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Sloth writes...

All right, some more since it doesn't look like my others will be awnsered for a while.

How did Xanatos know to look for Coldstone in the Himalayas?

Greg responds...

He built Coldstone's cybernetic parts. He has a means of tracking them.

Response recorded on June 30, 2001

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Shavri writes...

Hi, Mr. Weisman! I'm curious, how come Xanatos, in "Cloud Fathers," didn't seem to notice that Angela would have been a little too old, _biologically_, to be Goliath's daughter? I mean, she's like what--10 years younger than her father? I would have thought that was a little odd. How about you?

Greg responds...

Obviously, he didn't know the details of how it all worked out. But he knew from Sevarius that Angela was G's bio-daughter. So he wasn't SHOCKED at the news. And at any rate, he's not the sort to act shocked by anything.

Response recorded on June 29, 2001

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Rob Irwin writes...

#3
When Puck showed himself to Xanatos and offered a wish or life time service, did immortality cross divid's mind, was he not interested in it at the time, or did he think he could get his service and try to live forever another day?

I'll add this one too cause it's about Xanatos. What were Xan's thinkings when he made the steel clan and decided to kill the gargs. He went through a lot of trouble and money to bring them back just to have them steal some disks and then pulverize them. And when he gets out of jail he wants to go back to using them. Can this be explained?

One more about future stories if it's alright. Was Xanatos compleatly turned to a "good guy" or would he latter have had his moarlity conflict with his need for immortality. Same about Fox
Thank U

Greg responds...

1. The latter. Owen's service was valuable. There must be a hundred ways to become immortal.

2. He kept underestimating them at first. He learned not to do that later.

3. Xanatos and Fox are never good for the sake of being good. Nor are they bad for the sake of being bad. They are immoral. The only thing that really changed for them are some of their priorities.

Response recorded on June 29, 2001

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Rob (the Sloth) Irwin writes...

Does Demona know that Puck is serving Xanatos, since she said "You served the human, now you serve me".
just wondering

Greg responds...

Demona knows that Puck is Owen.

Response recorded on June 29, 2001

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Alex "Cyclonus" Bishansky writes...

Ok, a rather stupid question.

Xanatos, Republican or Democrat?

Greg responds...

Independent.

Response recorded on June 27, 2001

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Rhythm writes...

I am so agog, aghast, and pleasantly stunned that you still take the time to do these! Well done, Mr. Weisman. I join in the multitudes begging for the restoration and continuation of this series.

Oh don't worry, I do have a question. Don't think I'm just here to spread big words. Tell me, part of what got me so interested in Gargoyles in the first place was that the gargoyles and ol' Xanatos and other assorted characters were Scottish. I'm sort of fascinated with my heritage and it led me to wonder, did you ever work the Scottish independence into the plot, even if only in your head? You know, similar time period to, for lack of a better reference, "Braveheart"? (Awful film, IMHO...)

Greg responds...

Xanatos isn't Scottish. He's Greek-American.

I haven't seen Braveheart. But the whole of Scottish history is a tapestry I'd like to further explore.

Response recorded on June 27, 2001

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matt writes...

Blaise's ramble reminded me of a question i've been meaning to ask...
how does Martin Hacker rank in the Illuminati? obviously hes higher up than Matt, but probably lower than Mace was... he was partnered with Matt years ago, meaning that hes been an Illuminatus for years, is he higher up than Xanatos? how long has Xanatos been an Illuminati member?

Greg responds...

X hasn't been a member very long.

Martin outranks him.

Response recorded on June 21, 2001

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Anonymous writes...

How does Xanatos exploit the New Olympians?

Greg responds...

Any way he can.

Response recorded on June 19, 2001

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matt writes...

ok, for most the sereis Xanatos doesn't know where the gargs new home is, suddenly in "Hunter's Moon" he does. my guess is that Owen/Puck found out from Goliath in "Future Tense" that the live in the Clocktower and then he told Xanatos, is that right? if not, how did Xanatos find out? i think that Xanatos was smart enough to figure they lived in the Clocktower after two years anyway, i mean, it was an obviously good place to Elisa, couldn't Xanatos figure it out?

Greg responds...

Puck may have had access to that information from as far back as "The Mirror". But info gathered by Puck was not info that Owen could give to Xanatos, as a function of their agreement.

I'm not sure Xanatos knew until Owen let it slip in Hunter's Moon, Part Three. By which time the info was useless. I guess what you're missing is that moment when David says, "My god, you mean to tell me they've been in the Clock Tower the whole time?! Why didn't I see that?! I'm such a fool!"

Of course, that's not very Xanatosian, is it? He takes the revelation in stride. As if he'd always known. That's his style.

Then again, maybe he had figured it out long ago.

On some level, I'll leave that decision up to each and every one of you.

Response recorded on June 10, 2001

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matt writes...

i just watched "Enter Macbeth". i think this was the first of lots of sad ending-episodes... after this in "Reawakening" Coldstone is awakened and apparently dies, in "Metamorphosis" Derek is mutated and decieved by Xanatos, really sad ending, in "Legion" Coldstone is brought back but is destroyed by a virus, and on and on until "Hunters Moon" when the Clocktower is destroyed and the gargoyles are exposed. a very bittersweet series, really, i love it! anyway, back to my point, in "Enter Macbeth" you opened with Xanatos in prison in a dark cell eating bad prison food, while the gargs are living it up at the Eyrie, Broadway cooking in a well-equiped kitchen, Hudson watching the tube in his own tv room, Brooklyn and Lex playing cards in the big foyer, Goliath reading in the nice library, and the Grimorum safe in a high-tech glass display case. but by the end of the episode the clan is the ones living in the dark uncomfortable cell, the Clocktower, no more tv room, you have to break into the public library to read, the best you have for a kitchen is a hotplate, and the Grimorum is now stored in a closet behind a regular wooden door, and as for Xanatos, he's back home now, living the good life atop the worlds tallest building. now, my literature teacher in high school taught me to always see symbolism in everything and though i didn't see it before, this whole episode teems with it. i just wanted to congratulate you and the writers, this is great television, i think!

Greg responds...

Thanks.

Images of HOME were consciously threaded throughout this episode. You've left out Macbeth's glorious home, which goes up in flames for his efforts.

Some justice in the world.

Response recorded on June 10, 2001

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Jim R. writes...

A few questions on "Legend" mainly some technical quarks, I noticed:

1. Who had the idea for designing the animation for the inside circuitry of Coldstone? I know its just a cartoon, but those gates that were opening and closing with electricity when Coldstone was repairing himself, I guess were supposed to be transistors, but looked nothing like them.
2. Who also, had the idea for the computer virus? Not exactly the way I'd see a virus, maybe in a biological sense. Nevertheless I guess it's how it's perceived by the person in contact with it, mainly Goliath, Coldstone, etc.
3. What caused Coldstone to go after the government-related data? It seemed as if the programming were controlling his actions, not one of the three souls trapped within him. He looked as if he were moving on impulse giving me the impression that someone else (maybe Xanatos) was controlling him remotely.
4. Even if one of the three souls (probably the hated one) was controlling him, what purpose would it want with government-related data on weapons systems? (That being if Coldstone was not being controlled remotely by someone else.)
5. How do the police boats coming after Matt B.'s VR device not notice the gargoyles? Surely someone would have noticed something seeing how they were in the middle of the bay, and the only means of escape for the gargs would be to liftoff.
6. At the end, Xanatos is sitting in front of his computer looking at what I guess is the virus running on it. If the virus were the most potentially-dangerous computer virus created thus far, why did it not destroy any of the files on his computer? Or did it?

Greg responds...

I assume you're talking about "Legion". We didn't have an episode called "Legend". At least not in the first 66.

1. Don't remember.

2. That would have been, me and/or the story editors and/or the writers.

3. Xanatos' programming. Some of which was broadcasted.

4. See above.

5. Uh, fog?

6. Safeguards? Maybe it was running on an isolated system.

Response recorded on June 09, 2001

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Jim R. writes...

Oh, one other statement on "Metamorphosis":
The course of events leading up to Derek being accidently injected with the mutagenic formula seemed awkward. Was it Xanatos' plan to have Derek mutated? In a way it seems it was Derek's fate to be transformed since he asked to go with Xanatos, even though Xanatos said "That won't be necessary." But Derek insisted and ended up going for the ride.

What if Derek didn't go along or had never made an attempt to take the shot for Xanatos when Sevarius was going to shoot the mutagenic formula at him initially? Xanatos would have been hit with it and he would have mutated. That must have been one hell of a risk he took, not knowing that Derek might not come to his rescue. Seeing how the whole time Xanatos and Sevarius were allied and the whole thing seemed like a setup for Derek. But it still gets me as to why the things happened the way they did? For the story's sake in suppose. I at least would have expected Xanatos to scold Sevarius for almost shooting at him. Or is there something that I am missing?

Greg responds...

You're missing Xanatos' basic rule for operation. Contingency plans for everything. Owen said what he said to GET Derek interested. If Derek hadn't volunteered, Xanatos would have asked him to come.

If Derek hadn't been heading for Xanatos, Sevarius would not have shot at that point. Sevarius was aiming for Derek, not Xanatos.

But every aspect of the plan was backed by contingencies.

Response recorded on May 08, 2001

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Duncan Devlin writes...

I noticed a contuning theme with the drawing of Xanatos. When there are other characters around, he seems to dominate everyone in size, with the notable exception of Goliath.

This was strongly evident in Future Tense, when Demona kicked him. She was about 1/3 his size.

Any comments? Did this happen on purpose? Was it your idea or animation's?

Greg responds...

Part of it is a function of design.

Some of it I'm sure came from the board artists/director and producers.

Some from the animators.

Response recorded on May 04, 2001

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matt writes...

in "Reawakening" we suddenly see Coldstone in Times Square. did Xanatos and Demona send him there to get Goliath's attention? or did Coldstone end up there himself? or what?

Greg responds...

They sent him out.

Response recorded on May 02, 2001

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Blah writes...

Want to know something creepy? There is a real company called Xanatos Enterprises, and the guy who owns it is named David Xanatos. Check it out at www.xanatos.com

This company designs websites and has only been in existance for the last 2 years or so. But seriously, that's the guy's real name. He didn't get the idea from Gargoyles.

Just curious... if there ever was a spin off or continuation of Gargoyles, as you hope, would the fact that this company now exists cause name problems for the fictional Xanatos Enterprises? I mean, I know that Disney, as well as any other company involved in show business tends to stear away from potential legal issues like this. It's true that the name has been with Gargoyles longer, but I've seen similar changes made for lesser reasons.

Greg responds...

Well, you're not the first to mention this guy. And I'll simply repeat what I've said all along. There was no Xanatos Enterprises when the show began. There was a "Xanacorp" however. I know this because Disney did a very thorough legal search. That makes us safe to continue using our name.

Someone once told me that this guy's middle name is "David". And that he got the name for his company (and the idea to feature his middle name over his first) from our series. I'm not sure if that's true. But if it is, it's flattering.

Response recorded on April 17, 2001

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Shavri writes...

Sorry for double posting, I just thought of another question. Is one of the reasons why Xanatos was always picking on Goliath is that it gave him a sense of power? You know, as kind of an ego-booster? Is it that the same reason Wolf was always trying to fight Goliath(besides his hatred of him)?

Greg responds...

It's in there. But it's also not that simple.

Response recorded on April 08, 2001

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Shavri writes...

I'm curious, how much does Xanatos like Goliath, and in what way? Goliath seems to be his favorite gargoyle, because he was always modeling things after G and so on. Does he think of Goliath as his sort-of friend or his plaything? Because Xanatos really seemed to get a kick out of playing with his emotions and all. Poor Goliath...

Greg responds...

Xanatos likes Goliath a lot. Thinks he's a good guy, if a bit of a stiff. I'm not sure Xanatos yet knows the true meaning of friendship, though his relationship with Owen comes close.

Response recorded on April 08, 2001


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