[7.6/10] Xanatos is an optimist, and I like that. The nature of being a recurring villain is that you inevitably have to lose a lot, otherwise there’s not really a show. But Xanatos’s plans are clever enough the failure never seems as inevitable as the rules of television dictate. And when those plan are thwarted, he always seems like he’s playing the long game, learning from his mistakes, using the lessons of those failures to fuel future success. I knew going into Gargoyles that Xanatos was one of the more fondly-remembered players from the show, and ten episodes in, I can definitely see why.
I appreciate his scheme here. Using his new and improved “Steel Clan” (read: robotic versions of Goliath) to turn public opinion and anger against the gargoyles is a shrewd move. It’s a little naive that he expects making our winged heroes into a citw-die “menace” through bad PR would convince them to come be his “guests” at a facility upstate, but it’s a more complex and clever plan than “smash the good guys.”
TO the same end, I appreciate that he thinks through the implications of this, donating a priceless artifact to the city and stealing it back so that he can have his cake and eat it too. The city owing him a favor and him earning some good PR are both good fallback points even if the Gargoyles ultimately reject and defeat them.
Even there, the show zeroes in on the personal element of Xanatos. He loses a martial arts sparring session with Owen in the opening scene. His loss in those opening moments energizes the twist later in the episode -- that the red-suited mechanical Goliath isn’t just another robot, but rather Xanatos in an “exosuit.” Even if he lost the day, he posed a physical match for the gargoyle team, and it reassures him that he’s regained his “titular edge” after worries he’s gone soft in prison.
We also get an interesting series-wide wrinkle with the introduction of Elisa’s new partner, Bluestone. He helps save the day, calling in a favor from a local reporter. The footage they get shows that the gargoyles were mechanical, not beastial, easing public sentiment and making it easier for our heroes to remain hidden. That said, I like that Bluestone’s convinced that he saw a flesh and blood monster, making him a liability to the gargoyles’ safety who is, unfortunately, professionally mandated to be at Elisa’s side.
Last but not least, the action here was pretty solid. There’s less of a novelty factor to the aerial fight between the gargoyles and the Steel Clan, since we’ve already seen that sort of fight in “Awakening”. But this episode finds clever ways for our heroes to defeat their adversaries, including Broadway flying his pursuer into a blunt surface and using a piece of their armor against them. The Statue of Liberty setting adds the excitement of a recognizable landmark. The fight choreography still isn’t perfect, but it’s a fair bit of improvement over the prior episode.
Overall, I appreciate how this episode focuses on Xanatos, giving us a little more insight into his plans and personality when he’s on his own. That’s the sort of material that provides the foundation for great villains, and Xanatos is well on his way.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2021-06-24T17:25:52Z
[7.6/10] Xanatos is an optimist, and I like that. The nature of being a recurring villain is that you inevitably have to lose a lot, otherwise there’s not really a show. But Xanatos’s plans are clever enough the failure never seems as inevitable as the rules of television dictate. And when those plan are thwarted, he always seems like he’s playing the long game, learning from his mistakes, using the lessons of those failures to fuel future success. I knew going into Gargoyles that Xanatos was one of the more fondly-remembered players from the show, and ten episodes in, I can definitely see why.
I appreciate his scheme here. Using his new and improved “Steel Clan” (read: robotic versions of Goliath) to turn public opinion and anger against the gargoyles is a shrewd move. It’s a little naive that he expects making our winged heroes into a citw-die “menace” through bad PR would convince them to come be his “guests” at a facility upstate, but it’s a more complex and clever plan than “smash the good guys.”
TO the same end, I appreciate that he thinks through the implications of this, donating a priceless artifact to the city and stealing it back so that he can have his cake and eat it too. The city owing him a favor and him earning some good PR are both good fallback points even if the Gargoyles ultimately reject and defeat them.
Even there, the show zeroes in on the personal element of Xanatos. He loses a martial arts sparring session with Owen in the opening scene. His loss in those opening moments energizes the twist later in the episode -- that the red-suited mechanical Goliath isn’t just another robot, but rather Xanatos in an “exosuit.” Even if he lost the day, he posed a physical match for the gargoyle team, and it reassures him that he’s regained his “titular edge” after worries he’s gone soft in prison.
We also get an interesting series-wide wrinkle with the introduction of Elisa’s new partner, Bluestone. He helps save the day, calling in a favor from a local reporter. The footage they get shows that the gargoyles were mechanical, not beastial, easing public sentiment and making it easier for our heroes to remain hidden. That said, I like that Bluestone’s convinced that he saw a flesh and blood monster, making him a liability to the gargoyles’ safety who is, unfortunately, professionally mandated to be at Elisa’s side.
Last but not least, the action here was pretty solid. There’s less of a novelty factor to the aerial fight between the gargoyles and the Steel Clan, since we’ve already seen that sort of fight in “Awakening”. But this episode finds clever ways for our heroes to defeat their adversaries, including Broadway flying his pursuer into a blunt surface and using a piece of their armor against them. The Statue of Liberty setting adds the excitement of a recognizable landmark. The fight choreography still isn’t perfect, but it’s a fair bit of improvement over the prior episode.
Overall, I appreciate how this episode focuses on Xanatos, giving us a little more insight into his plans and personality when he’s on his own. That’s the sort of material that provides the foundation for great villains, and Xanatos is well on his way.