Happy Valentine’s Day, and an early Happy Halloween! Welcome to one of my all-time favorite episodes, Eye of the Beholder. **Spoilers!*** In this episode, David Xanatos proposes to Fox, who agrees. They seal the deal with the Eye of Odin. It’s no coincidence that right after, werefox sightings appear around the city. Elisa meets the creature face to hairy face. But it’s up to Xanatos and Owen to save Fox before the eye destroys her. She’s not too hot on the idea, though. Or rather, Were!Fox isn’t.
Miss last week’s ep? It’s nowhere near as good as today’s Red Fox ep, but it was The Silver Falcon.
Spoilers are in the 20/20 moments. Info from Ask Greg is in the According to Greg bits.
Season 2, Episode 7: Eye of the Beholder
Reason(s) for existence: To explore the theme of love. The advance the David/Fox relationship. To introduce the Eye of Odin. To show that the clan and Xanatos can work together. To show that Goliath is wiser than he seems.
Main antagonist(s): Fox, David Xanatos (by complete accident this time)
Time(s): October 1st-31st, 1995
Location(s): New York City, New York
Previously: We’re reminded that Xanatos has the Eye of Odin in his private collection again during The Edge. We’re also reminded that he and Fox are an item as they kiss in the limo in Leader of the Pack‘s Xanatos Tag. Ooh, this all bodes wonderfully well! A David and Fox ep? Sign me up.
Forget the Ring
We open on the great hall of the castle. I love when we open on the Eyrie Building! We jump right into the action. David and Fox are having a tux and gown dinner for two. Owen is playing butler tonight. Xanatos is smirk-smiling over his coffee/tea/whatever at Fox. “Marry me,” he announces.
It’s telling that Fox is surprised, but only just. “Are you serious?”
David’s response is classic: “It makes perfect sense to get married. We’re genetically compatible, highly intelligent, and share the same goals.”
Doncha just love how he compliments himself at the same time he compliments Fox? He’s 100% accurate, though. Mm, what about that “genetically compatible” line? David Xanatos wants to be a dad? I…well, he does enjoy shaping people’s lives. He also enjoys having people around him who are loyal and who look up to him. Y’know, the kind of people everybody wants around them. Still, the great trickster and antagonist having a kid is just…really intriguing. Leave it to the ground-breaking writers at Gargoyles to rewrite the rules of antagonists in American animated series. Who else but them would give the antag a love interest with whom he has a completely healthy relationship? Who else but them would give said antagonists a kid?
20/20 Moment: I assume when Xanatos says “genetically compatible” that me means both Fox and he have superior genes. He’s accurate, as they are both fine specimens of humanity mentally and physically.
It would be interesting to see what Fox’s genetic code looks like, however. Being half fae, it might look different. Or would it? Does the fae power reside in the DNA or in the soul/spirit/life force? The Nephilim of ancient history were half human, half Son of God. They created the “mighty men,” the heroes, the giants. Obviously the DNA was affected. How different is it with fae/human offspring?
Fae and humans have no problem interbreeding so long as the fae (again, I am assuming) are in human form. Now, we know Puck is fully human when is acting as Owen; he’s not just wearing glamour. Is this what Titania did as Anastasia? Or was she just shifted to look human?
According to Greg: I say this every time there’s a Fox/David ep, but Greg is still amazed he got the relationship past the BIG BOSSES and S&P at Disney. They didn’t realize that a BF/GF relationship could turn into engagement, which would lead to marriage, which would lead to a kid. Our gain!
Fox asks, “What about…love?”
“I think we love each other, as much as two people such as ourselves are capable of that emotion.”
According to Greg: Xanatos should by this time know he loves Fox. I’ll point out his line in Leader, “True love is so much harder to come by.” Maybe he said the truth in the heat of the moment, and now he’s reconsidered to save his view of himself. Greg says David considers himself too amoral to be capable of love. I admit, love from a person with Fox and David’s personality type is far different from the average person’s. I totally get it, though. It’s a devotion, a fierce loyalty, a desire to protect and help the object of their affection.
Owen opens a box containing the Eye of Odin. It’s to “seal the deal.”
“Proposal accepted,” Fox decides.
I’ve heard some people say this is a lame proposal plan, one not worthy of Xanatos. ORLY? Do tell how a private, elegant, direct proposal with its reason based on logic and common interest is not Xanatosian? Xanatos isn’t going to mince words. He has intense respect for Fox; his actions stem from this attitude. In this proposal scene, he is 100% the charming, ambitious man Fox fell in love with.
20/20 moment / According to Greg: Nine months after this night, Alexander Fox Xanatos is born. Take that, S&P.
And heck, who wouldn’t accept a marriage offer from Xanatos, the richest man on earth? He’s brilliant and easy on the eyes too. Ok, moving in…
Store Run
At Mr. Jaffe’s General Store, things are about to get real. Jaffe flees as store goods fly out the windows.
Elisa is conveniently nearby. She investigates without waiting for backup. What else is new? The store looks like a horde of hungry college students attacked it. Ever the wise one, Elisa follows the sound of chewing and growling. She finds a werewolf. Oh, and the werewolf is wearing the Eye of Odin. Lovely.
Elisa learns not to interrupt a werebeast’s binge: the creature knocks the pistol out of Elisa’s hands and pins her against a pile of flour bags. Elisa whacks the beast over the head with said flour.
Backup arrives, but the werewolf is gone.
I gotta say, that’s a cool werebeast. It’s cut and ripped, has great hair, and is apparently intelligent. None of this stupid Harry Potter gangly geek werewolf stuff.
Officer Morgan tells Elisa he can’t get through a shift this month without cleaning up after the beast. That’s a lot of food.
Xanatos and Owen are watching Travis Marshal’s news report on the incident (first sighting was October 4th – why the delay?). They’re not at all surprised, as this has been a common news story. Now, isn’t this beast thing setting the city in a panic? No, I guess not. After all, the city didn’t even blink when robot gargoyles attacked multiple times.
Fox pads in, barefoot and in a trench coat.
Xanatos tactfully asks where she’s been “hiding herself” and if she has the Eye on. She says she’s been on a walk. Where in that outfit? Central Park to flash people? And all night? Look, when a man gets you out of prison early and says he missed you, he probably expects some honestly. Or at least a semi-believable answer as to why you look like this.
She looks rather unsettled but plays it off as she must be “getting sick.” Then she exits through a side door I’ve never seen before. Is it a back entrance to the living quarters?
David and Owen exchange a serious look. “Time for Plan A,” Xanatos says. Really, you have your plans officially lettered now? For most people, it’s just a concept, not an actual title.
And Now You Know
At the clock tower, Elisa is telling the gargoyles about her adventure. Goliath semi freaks out, blaming himself because he wasn’t there. After The Mirror adventure where they were able to express and grow their feelings for each other, Goliath is more willing to show his bond with Elisa.
Elisa says it’s impossible for him to protect her all the time, just as it’s impossible for her to protect them all the time.
Question: How did the gargoyles not encounter the werebeast before? If today is Halloween, and this has been going on all month, and it’s been all over the news, shouldn’t they have crossed paths? The Gen U Tech subjects get loose, and the gargs spot them in about 4 seconds. A werebeast runs rampant, eating the town out of house and home, and they don’t notice? I woulda thought Broadway would consider this Top Priority.
The Trio is more interested in the fact that it’s Halloween, where they can walk the streets freely. This I think comes from their taste of community during The Mirror.
Animal Magnetism
Back at the castle, Fox is in her room (which is bigger than my entire house), watching the moon through her open window. She’s in dread of something. As the moon rises, she looks at her hands. Oh, I’ve seen enough werewolf movies to guess what happens next.
Xanatos walks it. Yep, wasn’t expecting that. Neither was Fox. He announces that he wants to get the Eye of Odin engraved. He’s nothing if not tactful!
He’s going to have to wait. Fox begins to transform into the werefox Elisa met. It’s a fantastic transformation! Quick, impressive. Clenching the Eye as pink light streams between her fingers, she reaches, with the last of her humanity, toward David. Now fully werebeast, she rips off what shreds remain of the trench coat.
Xanatos is gaping, stunned speechless except for the obligatory, “Wha-?!” If this wasn’t a family show, he’d be saying something else. Seeing his fiancé turn because of a gift he gave her must be heart wrenching.
He was semi expecting this, though, so he recovers in record time. Whipping out a pistol, he shoots a dart into her shoulder. She roars but pulls it out and proceeds to throw him down on her bed. Whooooaaa now! Goin’ primal! Fox is on top of him, holding him down.
According to Greg: I’ll just quote the memo: “There’s some powerful primal energy swirling ’round that room. Lucky thing Owen is there, or I’m not sure Xanatos escapes with his dignity intact.”
Showing amazing control, he calmly calls Owen in. Owen bursts in and fires a dart into Fox’s back. See, this is why you always have backup.
Meantime, David rips a curtain off the fourposter and tosses it over Fox. He tackles her legs, leaving an unfortunate Owen to grapple with her top half. She flings them both across the room. Hope you boys didn’t like having your ribs in one piece!
Then she lopes off, tears the elevator open, bowls over Bruno and his Xanatos Enterprises Security Forces, and explodes out a window.
In Xanatos’s office, Owen is at the widescreen, analyzing the data from the tracker he shot Fox with. It gives info on her metabolism, which is sky high. He says that if it stays at this rate, she’ll burn out before morning. “She’ll die.” Wow, this is a Disney show? Love it.
Now, I assuming they lucked out and caught on to her secret at the 11th hour. Remember, she’s been going werebeast mode pretty much every night this month.
20/20 Moment: Goliath did not have this issue when he turned into the protector after donning the eye. Wonder if he eventually would have developed an overactive metabolism? After all, he was a giant!
Xanatos turns away from Owen, looking downcast and slightly worried. This is the first time I’ve seen this in David. He desperately tries to avoid showing emotion about Fox, instead claiming he’d never have just given the Eye away if he knew its powers. Roughly translated, “Crap, it’s all my fault.” We already know how much he loves Fox, even if he won’t admit it. Nobody goes through all the trouble he did in Leader of the Pack to get a person out of jail a few months early if they don’t love said person. …Especially when he flat out said that’s why he helped her.
He’s gotta be thinking about what life would be like without Fox, and how it would be his doing. Not a pleasant mental tour.
Now it’s time for Plan B: Owen calls Elisa with an anonymous tip of where to find the werefox.
Plan B of A, B, C, and D
Xanatos gears up and flies out, using his exo-armor’s onboard GPS to track Fox’s beacon. He’s going in without Steel Clan backup. The only explanation I can come up with is…he’s worried they might injure or kill Fox.
He finds her at Felices Meats, Est 1934. She’s devouring a side of beef. I can totally sympathize with her. Some days you just want to eat a cow, rare.
Side note: Why doesn’t she just order in a bunch of food to her room? Nobody would notice.
David stalks in wearing full exo-armor and carrying one heck of a tranq gun. It’s the same type of gun Bruno’s squad had. It’s no surprise to him that she’s here. He predicted that her humming-bird-like metabolism would force her to eat almost constantly. (So…what’s the rest of America’s excuse?).
He sneaks through the forest of hanging meat, while Fox…hunts him? Hides from him? Hard to tell.
Fox bursts out from between the slabs of meat, chews a chunk out of the armor’s right shoulder, then throws him into a pole.
With his visuals fried, David removes his helmet. Fox is on him before he can stand. In an incredible show of trust, confidence, and resignation, he closes his eyes and turns his head as she roars and slobbers over him.
Fox gets a good look at the purdy man before her. The werebeast’s white eyes turn blue, Fox’s color. David and Fox’s relationship is real, and it is strong. With a screaming howl, she gallops off. How many of her actions is she aware of? Is she running away because she almost killed her lover? Looks that way.
You know, I really wish we could have gotten more backstory about Fox in this ep. A better understanding of her history, her fears, her hopes, her dreams would give this transformation into a beast more meaning.
David looks determined and pissed as he recovers.
Fox lands outside after jumping out the window. She looks up – and catches Goliath’s foot in her face.
Halftime!
I am loving this episode! It’s almost all Xanatos, Owen, and Fox. How novel is it to see David losing his control, losing his composure, and losing his girlfriend? The situation is forcing him to show his love for her. He’s risking his life and Owen’s life. But both men are more than willing to put their necks on the line for her. What a woman, and what men. I love seeing characters who seem to have it all together and who are the “strong ones” struggle to save their loved ones. The emotional force of that situation is gripping.
Now that the clan is involved, things are about to get even more interesting!
Tune in Friday to see how many plans Xanatos has to go through before he rescues his mate from herself.
Thoughts? Comment!
The proposal was perfect for Xanatos. Absolutely in character.
“I’ve heard some people say this is a lame proposal plan, one not worthy of Xanatos. ORLY? Do tell how a private, elegant, direct proposal with its reason based on logic and common interest is not Xanatosian? Xanatos isn’t going to mince words. He has intense respect for Fox; his actions stem from this attitude. In this proposal scene, he is 100% the charming, ambitious man Fox fell in love with.”
Some people? More like one person. I know exactly who you’re talking about… and he has sour grapes because 2003 TMNT isn’t on the same pedestal as Gargoyles. 🙂
BTW, I love your reviews. I should make a habit of commenting
You nailed it; that’s the person. I think there was one other person, and they were on Twitter. It’s because of said TMNT fan that I always have to get my digs in on how appropriate the proposal scene is. I actually liked some of their posts, but then I got pissed off and stopped reading when they accused Xanatos Enterprises of being involved in human trafficking.
Thanks so much for reading! I’m thrilled you enjoy them. Hey, all comments are appreciated.
Could you explain what S & P is?
Standards and policy. Think censors. They made sure the show didn’t “overstep” any bounds and get in trouble.