Wes's Guide to Gargoyles: Eye of the Beholder

Welcome everybody to a very special episode of Gargoyles. And no, I don’t mean in that “we’re going to ham-fistedly talk about an important or controversial issue” sort of way, I just mean that this episode is awesome. Let’s dive right in!

We open with Xanatos (Jonathan Frakes, Take a Shot) and Fox having dinner together at the castle, the caption making a point to tell us that this is October first, when suddenly Xanatos just blurts out a proposal of marriage. Xanatos, never one to wear his emotions on his sleeve, goes on to say “We’re Genetically Compatible, Highly Intelligent and have the same Goals, it makes Perfect sense to get Married.” Only Xanatos can take something as beautiful as a marriage proposal and make it sound like one of his dastardly schemes. Fox asks if love is a factor and David believes that he and Fox love each other “In as Much as Two People Such as Themselves are Capable of That Emotion.” Just make sure you keep all of this in the back of your mind, it will become important soon. Anywho, to “seal the bargain” as it were, Xanatos gives Fox the Eye of Odin, the jewel he donated and then stole back in The Edge, to Fox as an engagement gift.

It is now October thirtieth, and Elisa overhears a cry for help and what sounds like a monstrous creature tearing up a convenience store. Gun drawn, Elisa goes to investigate as the store owner runs for his life. Elisa makes her way through the store and finds, much to her horror, an enormous werewolf like creature, and from the tattoo on its eye and the Eye of Odin around its neck, we can immediately tell that this is Fox. Elisa is quickly overwhelmed by the monster, and only manages to get away with her life by smacking it with a sack of flour, causing a dust cloud. When the dust clears, the creature is gone.

We learn through a news report that this creature started showing up earlier in the month and since then the attacks have only increased in frequency. This report is seen by Xanatos who seems to suspect what’s actually going on, especially when Fox shows up wearing nothing but a trench coat and immediately excuses herself to the bedroom. Knowing, or at least being mostly certain, that Fox is the monster, Xanatos calmly tells Owen that it’s time for Plan A. That’s right, Xanatos is such a Machiavellian lunatic that he has a contingency plan for literally everything, including, but not limited to, “My Girlfriend is a Werewolf!” And keep in mind, he said “Plan A,” implying that there’s also a Plan B and possibly even a Plan C. So not only does he have a contingency plan for the unlikely event of his girlfriend becoming a werewolf, he also has contingency plans in place in case the first one fails. The fact that this is even a thought in Xanatos’ head is fascinating to me. I’d love to peek inside this man’s brain and see how it works, but knowing Xanatos, he’s probably prepared for that too and has set up some kind of psychic blockers so all I’m likely to find is a loop of Jumpin’ Jack Flash by The Rolling Stones with a hidden message that will render me catatonic if I listen too long. And yes, you’re Damn Right Xanatos is a Rolling Stones guy! Since we eventually learn that Xanatos’ true ambition is to become immortal and Keith Richards has been drinking, smoking, doing drugs and having promiscuous sex longer than some people have been alive, I’m willing to bet that Xanatos has been studying him for some time now.

Boy, did that turn into a rant. Where were we?

The next night is Halloween and The Gargoyles are seen waking up at the Clocktower. Brooklyn, Lexington and Broadway are all excited to join the festivities, feeling that this is the one night of the year where they can freely walk amongst humans. While the trio works on their costumes, Elisa arrives to tell Goliath about the monster. We also get some subtle moments of Goliath and Elisa’s budding romance. It’s brief, but it’s nice to see. Goliath says that he should have been with her when the monster attacked, but Elisa says that he can’t be there all the time any more than she can guard the clocktower all day long. Everyone is vulnerable, but it is nice that someone cares.

Back at the castle, Xanatos walks in on his bride-to-be and wishes to borrow the Eye of Odin to have it engraved. Fox refuses to part with it before going through her rather terrifying transformation. I do love the look of genuine shock and fear on Xanatos’s face during this scene. Not only is it one of the few times we see Xanatos truly terrified, but it is also one of the first indicators that Xanatos’ love for Fox is deeper than his rather impersonal marriage proposal would have you, or perhaps even him, believe. To suspect that your loved one has turned into a monster is one thing, especially for a man like Xanatos who’s been dealing with the supernatural for some time now. But, to see someone you love transform into a monster before your very eyes, that’s something else entirely. Watching the woman he loves writhe in pain as their form is twisted into an unholy abomination that knows only hunger, even a man of seemingly infinite stoicism like Xanatos can’t help but be horrified by what he sees. Xanatos and Owen hit Fox with some tranquilizer darts, but that only seems to piss her off. After an inadvertently comical scene where Xanatos and Owen try to subdue the beast by tying her up with bedsheets, Fox breaks free and escapes the castle. To make matters worse, according to Owen, the transformation has drastically accelerated Fox’s metabolism. If they don’t get to her soon, her system will burn out and she’ll die. Xanatos thinks it’s time for Plan B, wich apparently involves Owen calling Elisa with an anonymous tip about where to find the monster.

In his battle-suit, Xanatos tracks Fox to a meat locker, his theory that Fox must now eat constantly to maintain energy proving correct. Fox gets the drop on him, manages to damage his battle-suit and is about to finish him off, but hesitates, the monster’s eyes being replaced with Fox’s human ones for a brief second meaning that the Fox we know is still in there somewhere. Disoriented, the Fox-Creature heads outside, only to get attacked by Goliath and Elisa. All the horrific implications aside, I just want to say, seeing Goliath wrestling with a werewolf is one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen in my life. Goliath knocks the creature out, but Xanatos interferes before he can deliver a finishing blow. Xanatos tries to remove the Eye of Odin but since Fox has been bonded to it so long, it won’t come off and Xanatos gets zapped for his trouble. Fox escapes and Xanatos flies off, deliberately acting cavalier about the whole situation. Elisa assumes that the creature is another victim of Xanatos and Sevarius’ experiments like her brother Derek and, realizing that Xanatos wants the Eye of Odin, suggests gathering the Gargoyles in order to get the Jewel before he does. Goliath, on the other hand, isn’t so sure.

At the Castle, we learn that Xanatos’ cavalier attitude was all part of Plan C, which involved getting the Gargoyles to deal with Fox for him. However, Goliath has been around Xanatos long enough to have figured out how he operates and has caught on to Xanatos’ manipulations. I actually really love this scene. Yes, Xanatos is truly the master of manipulation, but Goliath is no idiot, and if you play the game against the master long enough, eventually you learn his strategies. It’s just nice to see Goliath outplay Xanatos for a change. I especially like the bit where Goliath sarcastically asks if Xanatos has a Plan D. Now, in a normal situation, Xanatos would have to invent new letters in the alphabet just to accommodate all his plans within plans within plans, but this time is different, and the woman he loves is running out of time. Desperate, Xanatos has no choice but to tell the Truth and admits to Goliath what’s going on. We also learn that, according to legend, the Eye of Odin is meant to grant power and insight, but Xanatos swears he had no idea that it would affect Fox in this way. Elisa doesn’t believe Xanatos for a second, seeing all of this as just another manipulation. Goliath is inclined to agree but hearing Xanatos admitting to loving Fox seems to momentarily catch him off guard. Still, Goliath has no love for Xanatos or Fox and decides to leave them to their fate as he glides off.

That night, there’s a huge Halloween party on the streets and the Gargoyles are in attendance. The trio have all dressed up for the occasion, Broadway even sporting his adorable Humphrey Bogart ensemble from the previous episode, Nice! The humans are all seem to love these guys wearing costumes over costumes. I guess the Gargoyles invented mashup cosplay. As the trio has the time of their lives, Elisa, dressed as Belle from Beauty & The Beast, strolls down the city street arm and arm with Goliath, something that she claims she’s wanted to do for a long time. In the moment this episode is perhaps best known for, Elisa and Goliath begin to dance in a direct homage to Beauty & the Beast, and while the moment is brief, it is absolutely beautiful. Truth be told, growing up, I wasn’t a huge fan of Beauty & The Beast and that remains the case today, so I actually found this scene to be more romantic than its counterpart in the actual film, even if it does lack the awesomeness that is Dame Angela Lansbury’s beautiful singing voice. These two, who have had to keep their friendship and their romance a secret from the world, finally get to express both for all the world to see. I love it. Still, Goliath is troubled. What if Xanatos was telling the truth and Fox is dying? Elisa insists that Goliath can’t trust Xanatos, but even so, there’s still a monster running around and it’s a threat to his new home. He may not like helping Xanatos, but in this case, it’s the right thing to do. Besides, if even someone as wicked as Xanatos can love, perhaps there is hope for this world yet. Speaking of Xanatos, the man himself comes walking out of the shadows, having followed Goliath using a tracking device. Old habits die hard I guess.

Now that everyone’s on the same page, Xanatos, Goliath and Elisa hunt down Fox, finding her in an empty building. Goliath throws down with her, chasing her to a rooftop while Elisa and Xanatos follow. Xanatos tries to reach Fox’s humanity, and while it briefly looks like he’s getting through to her, Fox lunges at Elisa only to be intercepted by Goliath and slammed into a neon sign, electrocuting her and weakening her long enough for Xanatos to remove the Eye of Odin. The creature let’s out one last horrific roar before reverting to human form and passing out. Goliath insists on taking the Eye of Odin and seeing as how Goliath just did him a pretty big solid, Xanatos agrees.

So Now You Know My Weakness

Only You Would Regard Love as a Weakness

And so, with everything put right, both parties decide that it’s time to go home. Owen remarks that Xanatos actually looked heroic, but Xanatos assures him it was merely a momentary lapse. And so, with his fiancée’s life having been saved, Xanatos boards his helicopter to head for home and even Owen manages a smile as the episode fades to black.

This episode may not be my absolute favorite, we actually haven’t gotten there yet, but it is definitely an extremely close runner up. This is a fan favorite episode and it’s very easy to see why. It is one of the first times we show that, while Xanatos is the antagonist, he is still a human being, just as vulnerable as any of us. Xanatos is a man who prides himself on always being in control, never showing weakness to anyone, even those he most cares about. It’s a mask he wears so tightly, that he’s convinced everyone, even himself, that it’s his real face. However, when the life of someone he holds dear is suddenly put in danger, it causes that mask to slip. His admission to Goliath after the Gargoyle outsmarted him is an extremely rare moment of vulnerability for Xanatos, and Frakes nails it perfectly. Combine all that with some nice moments between Elisa and Goliath, the trio having some Halloween fun, some above average animation that really makes the characters feel alive and this is definitely one of the best episodes in the entire series. Boy, if the engagement is this crazy, I can’t wait to see what goes down at the actual wedding. And lucky us, next time it’s the wedding of Xanatos and Fox, and we learn how Xanatos made his fortune. All that and more, in Vows