Soul swapping is never simple, and managing souls that don’t have bodies is no different. With Iago in Brooklyn, Desdemona in Angela, and Othello in Broadway, we’ve got a mess to fix. Plus, there are a few other souls floating around: Alex and Puck. Who’s going to sort this out? Leave that to the trickster fey and the 3-month-old Alex. Today’s episode is brought to you by subterfuge!
Miss last week’s? Read The Possession episode review.
Spoilers are in the 20/20 moments. Info from Ask Greg is in the According to Greg bits.
Coldstone connects a controller to his system. He commands Coldsteel and Coldfire to attack. Coldfire takes Hudson, and Coldsteel takes Goliath.
They are not your average robots. Heck of an upgrade from the Coldstone model and especially from the Steel Clan. I wonder if Xanatos has a shutdown built into them? I’m sure he does.
Brooklyn, Lexington, Broadway, and Angela arrive. Lexington says that everything has been in a haze since Goliath brought Coldstone in.
He and Brooklyn find the lab. But while there are definite signs of a struggle, there is nothing else. As Lex is still wandering about in confusion, Brooklyn attacks him, knocking him out. Ah, so the evil one is in Brooklyn. I guess it’s supposed to be a mystery who’s in Coldstone. I’m thinking it’s Puck, since I doubt it’s Alex.
Brooklyn and Angela are walking around aimlessly in the great hall. Othello thinks they should destroy Coldstone’s body. Desdemona points out that they will be stuck in Angela and Broadway. Naturally, she has some moral issues with taking over another garg’s body. Othello, however, is not so choosy. He’s darn desperate, and who can blame him?
The elevator opens. Coldstone says they should come on in. Not questioning how Coldstone would have access to the elevators or the intercom, and apparently not remembering that Iago is supposedly in Coldstone, they do. They end up in the atrium, that glassed-in section below the castle but above the building proper. But what they find isn’t what they were expecting. Goliath and Hudson are tied up to a tree limb. Coldstone is standing guard.
Broadway tackles Coldstone. But Coldstone reaches back and rips a tree out and smacks Broadway into the ground with it.
In the lab, Lexington is waking up. He comments this is the second time tonight. And then he “could use some help.” A soul enters him then. Now who is this? And where’s Alex through all this?
Back in the atrium, Brooklyn says that Coldstone should destroy them. He just wants the girl.
At this point that Broadway, or rather Othello, the main soul of Coldstone, realizes the evil Iago is in Brooklyn.
Now Coldstone explains what the deal is: Xanatos had done all this to reward them for saving Alex. (Though I know he’s gotta have ulterior motives.) He wanted to sort out the souls.
Side Note: I still find it interesting that he chose this as a way of saying thank you. I guess it’s the most tangible thing to do, since it is directly related to them. And maybe it does kind of bother him slightly that he revived three souls, then locked them in a fake universe to eternally do battle. And this is also after he used them as a means to get data from the Golden Cup secret military lab.
Coldsteel takes on Brooklyn. Angela fights Coldfire. Meanwhile, Lexington arrives to help Hudson and Goliath. He gets them out of the tree, but not gently.
Finally Iago says Coldsteel is pretty good, and that Brooklyn…isn’t. So his soul goes into Coldsteel. With, of course, the help of Alex!Lexington.
Desdemona agrees to go into Coldfire, while Othello returns to Coldstone.
Outnumbered, Iago flees.
Puck reveals himself and Alex. He explains this was a magic lesson, and Alex has passed with flying colors. Lex says the kid had some help. Really, Lex? Yeah, maybe in controlling your body, but you sure didn’t help him do any magic.
20/20 moment: This sets up Alex and Lex’s bond.
According to Greg: In the Gargoyles 2198, Lexington would go into business with Xanatos Enterprises. This would be at the will of Alex. That’s a smart move for both.
Goliath wonders what all the subterfuge was about. Does he really need to ask?
Puck says that he lives for subterfuge. No wonder gets along so well with the Xanatoses.
He explains that soul transfers are tricky, and they require willing participation of the souls. Well, that’s comforting, because it lets me know that the fey can’t rip your soul out of your body and slap it into something else. It’s disconcerting that they have the power at all.
I wonder if the magic lesson includes a course on cleaning up? Because they did a number on the atrium and the lab.
Back in the living quarters, Puck is putting Alex to bed. When he hears the Xanatoses arrive, he shifts back to Owen. It’s interesting that he doesn’t stay as Puck. It’s not like it’s a secret. And he was training and instructing the boy, so it’s totally fine. He looks a little annoyed at having to go back to being Owen.
He tells Fox and David that Alex has been a good boy. And that by the way, the Coldstone issue has been resolved.
David probably thinks Owen found a new way with the circuitry. So he thanks him.
But Owen says he should thank Alex. Pretty cool how Puck set it up that the kiddo could help his dad and be part of the thank-you present for the gargs. And unlike most kids, Alex really DID help.
Final Thoughts
As I said earlier, it’s interesting that Xanatos picked this project. I wonder if he has any more projects up his sleeve? Or does he think that if he straightens Coldstone out, he and the gargs will be even? I kind of doubt it. He might, though, settle for the idea that no action is an action itself. That is, him not being aggressive toward them is a good reward after he fixes Coldstone. It’s hard to say what he’ll do, but I’m sure it will be a surprise, both for us and for the gargoyles.
I want a little fic that shows how Owen explains the soul transfer. Did he go into detail? Xanatos might find soul swapping a good way to gain immortality. And how does Xanatos feel about his son having the ability to switch souls, or even possess others? I’m sure he’s proud, but it’s a little freaky to think your 3 month old knows how to perform exorcisms, so to speak.
What does Fox think of all this? Sure, she knows about magic and gargoyles and all, but I don’t think she’s as familiar with it as Xanatos is. He knows all the nitty-gritty. I’m sure she’s cool with it, since she sees the benefits of magic. But as a mom, she probably worries more. Having magical abilities is bound to cause problems. Remember Harry Potter, before he went to Hogwarts? He could use his magic, but he couldn’t really control it. I guess that it’ll be Puck’s job to keep it in check.
Now that Xanatos has proved at least partly that he will keep his word, how will the gargoyles handle this? Goliath believed Xanatos’s word earlier. G is a pretty good judge of character. For the most part. Not as good as Bronx, though!
Since we won’t see Puck again in the series, it was nice that this was his wrap-up episode. It let us see how he trains Alex, and how well he and the boy get along. That kid’s going to have one heck of a childhood.
Since Coldsteel has flown away, we have to wonder what’s become of him. Well, we won’t find out in the TV series. But there is a continuation in other media (a story called “The Rock” and a few others).
As far as Coldstone and Coldfire, they’re off to track him. It would be nice if there was a little tracking unit that allowed each one to see where the other one was. Or at least for Coldstone and Coldfire to see where Coldsteel was.
I’m still wondering if Xanatos has an auto destruct or auto shutdown on the bots. Just shutdown Iago and keep him imprisoned there. Or an auto-destruct that will send him back to the grave. But it’s typical of Xanatos that he doesn’t want to waste a possible resource. This gets him in trouble on and off, but overall it seems to work out.
As far as Coldsteel goes, he’s your typical villain. He wants the girl. He wants revenge. The usual. He’d be the type twirling his mustache as he ties the heroine to the railroad tracks.
Tune in Monday as we start the three-part season finale, Hunter’s Moon. Demona is back, and she has big plans for the clan – and for the world.
Thoughts? Comment!