Gargoyles: The Gathering Part 2 – Episode Review Continued


House Xanatos makes a valiant effort to defeat Oberon and save newborn Alexander Fox Xanatos, but they’re no match for the Lord of the Fey. Not even the gargoyles can defeat him. But there’s one nuisance left for the Lord: The Puck. And he’s got an amazing story to tell. Will the trickster’s tale sway Oberon, or will the he insist on taking Alex back to Avalon to be trained in his mystical heritage?

Miss last week’s? Read The Gathering Part 2 episode review.

Spoilers are in the 20/20 moments. Info from Ask Greg is in the According to Greg bits. 


Disney Gargoyles - the Gathering part 2 - oberon with generators
That’s never good.

Oberon makes a bee line for the generators that create the shield. Not only does he draw power from them, he overloads them.

Outside, David is prepared. He’s in a new Iron Man version of his exo armor. The main difference is that it’s black and grey.

Petros is with him. Pete points out that even though Oberon seems unstoppable, David is standing up to him.

David simply says, “He’s after my son.” Well, he’s a far better parent than many, many people I know who don’t give a second thought about their kids.

Disney Gargoyles - the Gathering part 2 - david and petros
See, Petros? The armor IS defensive.

 

In a moment that earns the old man some points with me, he says that no matter what happens today, he’s proud of David.

David, keeping his usual magnanimity, accepts it. He says, “Thank you, Pop,” without any other comment. From his expression, he is genuinely grateful.

Disney Gargoyles - the Gathering part 2 - xanatos thanks petros
He’s caught totally off guard by his dad’s words.

I really enjoyed the scene because it finally shows David getting some of the credit that he is so rightly due. And so overdue. It’s good to see Petros finally admit that his son has some good qualities. It’s even better to see the old jerk have to eat some Crow when it comes to what David really cares about. Now Petros can see that it’s not money David cares about, it’s his family. This has always been, but Petros just didn’t want to admit it.

It’s not very often that you get to see the villain or antagonist deal with their parent. It’s even rarer that you get to see them on good terms. Usually it’s the parents who screwed up the person, causing them to become an antagonist.

Oberon appears  to face off with David. Goliath and the clan land behind Xanatos, reinforcements that were completely unexpected.

Disney Gargoyles - the Gathering part 2 - goliath reinforces xanatos
On the same side again. Things must really be bad.

David attempts the laser gun trick again, but O is wise to that. Also, David spends way too much time aiming. Just like in the bedroom, Xanatos attempts a flying kick — and ends up slamming into a tower.

Petros’s turn! He has a Harpoon Gun. No, I don’t know why. But it’s got iron on it, so I guess it’s something Owen came up with. Petros shoots Oberon in the chest.

Disney Gargoyles - the Gathering part 2 - petros shoots oberon in chest
Wow, that’s something that S&P wouldn’t allow now! I mean, he just speared the guy!
Disney Gargoyles - the Gathering part 2 - petros surprised
Petros too is surprised S&P let him do this.

But instead of killing him, it turns Oberon into the Nosferatu. Well, not really. It drains his power and makes him look old. It’s like Bram Stoker’s Dracula: when Dracula first came across the pond, he needed to rejuvenate a little. He looked like an old man at first. But after he got some blood flowing, he was his young, hot self again. You can tell who my favorite character in Dracula was, right? Hint: it was not Harker

Disney Gargoyles - the Gathering part 2 - oberon nosferatu
Eeeeeew.

Oberon responds by sucking Brooklyn and Angela into some alternate dimension in his cloak. He throws them at Petros. They all land in the heap.

Goliath’s attack ends the same way that Xanatos’s did.

Disney Gargoyles - the Gathering part 2 - xanatos and goliath down
Well, if it isn’t Team Fail!

Just when all hope is lost, Owen appears. He’s without his suit jacket still. He says that he is the last nuisance left. All right, come to save the day! He begins rolling up his shirt sleeves. Now, if you know Owen, you know this is a bad sign for anyone he’s facing down. But Oberon doesn’t know Owen. Too bad for him.

Disney Gargoyles - the Gathering part 2 - owen arrives
The glasses come off next. When that happens, RUN.

Because it’s not the stone fist that Owen is going to use to defeat him. No, it’s his secret identity. And I don’t mean Superman. No, he’s way cooler than Superman. He’s actually the Puck. Yeah! I know, crazy, right? The straight-man is actually the trickster? So this must be what Demona meant when she said Puck served “the human,” and that Owen was “the tricky one.”

Disney Gargoyles - the Gathering part 2 - puck
Pretty much the most dramatic reveal of any TV series ever.

First thoughts: well, I guess this is supposed to be surprising. I like this guy. He’s cool. I like the blond guy too though.

Xanatos is not surprised. Instead, he says Owen has many “hidden talents.”

Oberon is shocked Puck would dare come against his Lord. But Puck begs that he listen to his explanation first. He brought visual aids! And these visual aids kick butt. Oberon’s butt.

Disney Gargoyles - the Gathering part 2 - puck renard
How embarrassing for Oberon.

Puck explains that he saw Titania as Anastasia. Intrigued by what the queen was doing and what could possibly interest her so much, he investigated. He wanted to have some fun too.

So he looked around for a character to play. But who? Then he met Vogel. Inspiration struck. No more would puck play the trickster, he would now play the straight-man. But working for Renard did not have the same thrill for Puck as it did for Titania.

Disney Gargoyles - the Gathering part 2 - wooden vogel
Make like a tree and…turn into Vogel.

However, working for Renard did introduce Puck to Fox — and her then-boyfriend David Xanatos. They were more fun than a barrel of monkeys on crack. Best of all, they were never dull.

David so impressed Puck that the fey couldn’t resist showing his true form. He gave David the choice: one wish from the Puck, or lifetime service from Owen. Shockingly — to Puck anyway — David chose Owen. This impressed Puck that much more. And it’s not difficult to see why. Whereas probably every other human Puck ever dealt with just wanted to gratify themselves with wishes and such, David valued the friendship and service he had in Owen more.

Of course, David was also intelligent and knew not to trust fey wishes. I guess he’d seen Darby O’Gill and the Little People one too many times. But I genuinely think that he values Owen’s friendship and loyalty. Like they say, good help is hard to come by. Good friends are even harder to come by. To have both in one man? That is definitely a wish come true. So in a way, by choosing Owen, David got the wish and the lifetime of friendship / service.

Also, David sets a new course in antagonists when it comes to their second commands. Even though Puck is sworn to serve him for all of David’s lifetime, David still treats him with respect. When they are alone, he and David act pretty much like equals. They will even rib each other.

Speaking of which, this puts the happenings in The Price in new light. David at first looked like a real jerk when he acted so unconcerned about Owen’s stone fist. Most people would have at least freaked out a little. But David knew this was Puck. Puck could change the arm back whenever he wanted. I do think, though, that David underestimated just how far Puck was prepared to go with the game. He would probably thought the fist would last a week or two. I imagine there was a little exchange along the lines of how long he was going to play, with Owen / Puck replying he was going to play this to the hilt.

But I also appreciate that Puck likes both Fox and David. I always enjoy finding another Fox fan, much less the David Xanatos fan.

Disney Gargoyles - the Gathering part 2 - puck xanatos fox statues
They are his OTP. That’s another reason why I love Puck so much: we both ship the same people.

Puck says he, Fox, and David made a good team. Boy, I bet they got up to all sorts of crazy shenanigans! Probably like Jimmy McGill and Kim Wexler on steroids. I love the idea that this trio was out causing mischief.

Oh, while Puck is telling a story, he has various stones and trees come to life in the form of the characters to beat up Oberon. Good job.

Oberon is slightly impressed by David’s choice of Owen over a wish. But not enough for him to spare the human his son. Despite Puck’s begging that Oberon leave him and Alex in the mortal world for another hundred years or so, Oberon is done with this nonsense.

Oberon teleports into the bedroom, where Fox is standing guard over Alex with a laser rifle. She is having none of this.

Disney Gargoyles - the Gathering part 2 - fox rifle
She’s a lefty? Figures.

Titania also appears.

Now it’s up to Fox. She gives it a good college try with a laser, but Oberon is over that. He turns it back on her like he’s a Jedi, knocking the laser gun out of her hand.

David, Goliath, and Puck burst in, but Titania stops them in mid-stride with her magic.

Disney Gargoyles - the Gathering part 2 - titania stops puck goliath xanatos
Mannequin challenge!

Well, that’s it. All is lost. Or is it? Don’t ever get between a mother bear and her cub. Fox lets loose with long-repressed magic in a blast that punches Oberon through the wall.

Disney Gargoyles - the Gathering part 2 - fox blasts oberon
Hair power!

Titania is shocked but pleased.

Puck wants her to do it again.

Fox doesn’t know how she did it, and she sure doesn’t know how to do it again.

Unfortunately, it didn’t take Oberon out of the action for long. He comes back, madder than ever. But now it’s Goliath’s turn again. He says that Fox’s magic and Puck’s loyalty put things in a new light. Why not have Puck stay here and teach the boy? That way Puck wouldn’t have to go back to Avalon, and the boy could stay with his parents.

Disney Gargoyles - the Gathering part 2 - fox rifle
*lens flare*

Titania releases them from her magic. David goes to help his wife up. I love seeing the scenes where they care about each other.

Disney Gargoyles - the Gathering part 2 - david helps fox up
Most husbands I know wouldn’t even notice the wife got knocked down.

Oberon is pragmatic and humble enough to accept a good idea when he hears it. Also, I don’t think he really wanted the whole thing in the first place.

Titania also thinks it’s a good idea, even vouching for Puck as a teacher. Maybe fey are different from humans in that they will accept a good idea even when it comes from their antagonists.

Disney Gargoyles - the Gathering part 2 - xanatos family
Is this not the hottest family ever?

Puck of course is overjoyed at the idea of staying here and teaching Alex. Not only does he get to stay with his buddies, but he gets to teach a youngling some great tricks. Even at 1/4 magic, this boy is going to be powerful. After all, he is the grandson of the queen.

But his joy is short-lived. Staying here will come with a price, namely eternal exile from Avalon, and the locking down of his magic except for when he’s training or protecting Alex. Wow, that sucks.

Disney Gargoyles - the Gathering part 2 - oberon zaps puck
O doesn’t play around. But I guess he does have an image to maintain.

Puck begs, but Oberon will not relent. Owen accepts.

As the in-laws finally prepare to leave, Titania says that she will look in on them from time to time. This does not set well with Fox.

But then Titania asks why Fox doesn’t think she wanted this to happen all along? In other words, she manipulated everyone into this end. That’s just…incredible. Fox is definitely her mom’s daughter! Titania wanted Puck to stay in the mortal world as Alex’s teacher. She also wanted to have the gargoyles act as guardians for her human family. It’s just ironic that the human family is House Xanatos. I tell you, this is why I love this show! It’s constantly defying expectations.

Titania whispers something in Fox’s ear. According to Greg, it’s really nothing important. I figure it’s probably something like, “I’ve always loved you.” Or, “Tell Alex I love him.” Something like that.

Disney Gargoyles - the Gathering part 2 - titania and fox
Three magical generations, two moms with a lot of love for their kids.

Oberon says that everyone will wake in the morning and the night will be nothing but A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Does that mean that all the crashes are fixed? All the damage is undone? You brought to life those people that died because their surgeon fell asleep or their pilot conked out?

The gargs are prepared to leave, but Xanatos stops them. He says that even though they’ve had their issues, this night has turned things around. He owes them a debt of gratitude. (Wow, did that actually sound honorable?) He’s done being their antagonist. He knows they don’t have a reason to believe him, but he’s going to try to make up for what he’s done. Or at least play nice from now on.

Disney Gargoyles - the Gathering part 2 - xanatos debt of gratitude
How can you say no to that face?

Goliath is suspicious, as he should be. But he admits that children have a wonderful power to change a person’s heart for the better. Thus, he will give David at least a little bit of faith. As they fly off, we get a nice shot of Xanatos watching them. His expression says he means what he says. He’s going to work hard at making things right. And we all know, what Xanatos wants, he gets.

But let’s not give him a bunch of hero accolades just yet. We don’t want those things anyway. He’s wily enough to recognize an opportunity. If they trust him, perhaps he can get them on his side again. He really would like them to work with him. I think he knows by now that controlling them isn’t going to work. It’s time to try something new.

Disney Gargoyles - the Gathering part 2 - xanatos watches gargoyles leave
He’s a changed man. And looking like a Black Knight, too.

Final Thoughts

I often wonder what the aftermath of all this was. I’m not talking about all the crashes and such. I mean for House Xanatos. How are they getting along with Renard now? Did Petros refrain from turning into an old codger who can do nothing but complain?

And what about Fox and David? I’m sure they had some discussions after this. Maybe Fox remembers times that she wondered if she was more than human. Or that her mother was more than human? Now, I wonder if Fox also knew Owen was Puck? She didn’t seem at all surprised to see that they’re one and the same.

I wish we could see what happened with Owen and David after this. What did David say? It’s probably something short and to-the-point, like, “Thank you, you’ve always been a good friend.” I wonder what Fox said to Owen? Probably the same as her husband. House Xanantos isn’t much for sentiment. And that’s part of why I like them.

It’ll certainly be interesting to learn what becomes of Puck and Alex after this revelation. I’m sure we’ll find out.

Tune in next week to see an old face or two, and to see another covered in pie. Yep, it’s that crazy ep Vendetta.

Thoughts? Comment!


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3 comments

  1. I think Greg said somewhere that Fox wasn’t aware of Owen’s true identity until “The Gathering Part Two”.

    I don’t think Xanatos openly admits Owen is his friend… Owen totally is, but it’s one of those things like when he told Fox that they loved each other as much as two people like themselves were capable of that emotion. Which is total BS, of course.

    Xanatos will describe Owen as an invaluable resource… but Owen is definitely more than that.

    1. Of course he wouldn’t admit it openly, which is why in my head cannon he admits it in private after this cluster. 🙂

      On the topic of Xanatos admitting he loves Fox: Something that’s always bothered me is how he says in Leader, “True love is so much harder to come by,” but yet in Beholder he says, “I think we love each other, as much as two people such as ourselves are capable of that emotion.” It almost seemed like a regression on his part. Maybe I’m just misinterpreting.

  2. About people killed by Oberon’s sleeping spell:
    We already know that the god of death is one of Oberon’s “children”. So maybe he told him beforehand to ignore whatever happens in NYC that night.

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