Wes's Guide to Gargoyles: Double Jeopardy

Welcome everyone, to Double Jeopardy, my personal favorite episode of Gargoyles. Oh, I’m just so excited to get into this one. Let’s dive right in.

Our episode opens with a flashback to sometime after the events of Awakening but before the events of Enter MacBeth, I.E. while Xanatos was still in prison and the Gargoyles were still occupying the castle. As Elisa argues with Goliath about finding a new place to live, we see a Steel Clan robot spring to life down in the castle dungeon. The Robot goes right after Goliath and even manages to give him a nasty scratch, but Goliath manages to smash the robot without a problem. Owen arrives with a first aid kit and explains that the robot’s attack was the result of some kind of malfunction. Owen tends to Goliath’s wound despite the big guy being none too pleased about it. I don’t know why, but the image of Owen playing Doctor here makes me laugh.

Anywho, we return to the present where Broadway, Lexington and Elisa are heading home after a 9-1-1 call that Elisa requested the Gargoyles' assistance with turned out to be a false alarm. Suddenly, something knocks Lex and Broadway out of the sky, something big. That same something swoops down in front of Elisa's car nearly causing her to veer off the side of a cliff. First Bluestone, now whatever this thing is, people just don’t seem to have any respect for Elisa’s car. Fortunately everyone is okay, but awfully confused about what just happened. Suddenly, maniacal laughter is heard in the distance as lightning strikes revealing the silhouette of… Goliath!? Well that was certainly unexpected. Back at the Clocktower, Broadway and Lex would like a word with Goliath, but, as far as anyone knows, he’s still out on patrol with Brooklyn. The sun is about to come up, so any sort of confrontation will have to wait until dusk.

We cut to Gen-U-Tech labs where we join our old pal Anton Sevarius, played once again by God of camp himself, Tim Curry. I’m surprised that this is only Anton’s second appearance. I could have sworn he popped up several other times before this episode. Oh well, I’m still happy to hear Tim Curry again. Anywho, it seems Sevarius is paying off some thugs to steal something for him. The thug seems to think the job will be no sweat though suggests it would be easier at night, but Anton says that in this particular case, he’d have a much easier time during the day.

At the castle, we see what appears to be Goliath in stone form atop the highest tower of the castle. Xanatos (Jonathan Frakes, Take a Shot) remarks that it’s nice to have him guarding the castle. Something weird is definitely happening here. But whatever it is will have to wait as the thugs that Sevarius hired show up and steal the statue. Owen goes for a laser rifle but Xanatos stops him from firing, not wanting to damage the Gargoyle. Owen wonders if this is part of some sort of elaborate plan that Xanatos has neglected to mention, but Xanatos insists it is not. Xanatos isn’t surprised that someone would be brazen enough to steal from him. After all, between Demona, MacBeth, Renard and no doubt countless others, it’s not like Xanatos is lacking in formidable enemies. But, whoever it is, they made one crucial mistake, they pissed Xanatos off.

At the Clocktower the following evening Brooklyn and Goliath return. Broadway and Lexington confront Goliath about what happened earlier but Goliath denies it, saying he’s not in the habit of playing childish pranks and he’s certainly not in the habit of laughing maniacally in the dark. I got a big laugh out of Hudson sarcastically asking if Goliath even knows how to laugh maniacally. Besides, even if Golaith could laugh maniacally, Brooklyn says that Goliath was with him all night and they never left mid-town. This begs the question, if it wasn’t Goliath, who attacked Lex, Broadway and Elisa last night, and for that matter, just who or what did Sevarius pay those thugs to steal from Xanatos? Well, we’re about to find out as the thugs make their delivery to Sevarius. Something breaks out of the crate and we see a Gargoyle who looks a lot like Goliath only with dark purple skin, white hair and piercing red eyes.

While investigating the site where our heroes were attacked, Lexington finds a Gen-U-Tech tracking device like the ones we saw back in Metamorphosis. This must mean that whatever it was they saw must have been one of Sevarius’s experiments. Goliath orders Lex and Broadway to head to Gen-U-Tech to see what they can find out. Elisa also deduces that if Sevarius is involved, that must mean Xanatos is involved as well.

Speaking of Xanatos, we join him in his office where he receives a phone call. It’s Sevarius, using a machine to disguise his voice. He demands a ransom of twenty million dollars to be delivered in person on an offshore oil rig or else his “prized specimen” will be destroyed. After Anton hangs up, it doesn’t take long for Owen and Xanatos to figure out who’s behind this whole thing. The oil rig specified as the rendezvous is owned by Xanatos Enterprises and besides Owen and himself, Sevarius was the only one who knew about “Project Thailog.” Xanatos is naturally pissed as all hell, but still manages to remain calm about it. Twenty million is pocket change to a guy as rich as Xanatos, but you all should know by now that this isn’t about money, it’s about principle. Sevarius betrayed him, and Xanatos must respond. Naturally, a practical man like David Xanatos hates to waste a recourse as valuable as Anton’s brilliant scientific mind, but if Sevarius is going to betray him and then make ransom demands like an amateur, clearly, keeping him around is more trouble than it’s worth. As such, an example must be made.

At Gen-U-Tech, Lex and Broadway break in and, after hacking into Sevarius’s computer, find a video log labeled Project Thailog. Turns out that the attack from the rogue Steel Clan robot was part of a plan to acquire a DNA sample from Goliath, enough to facilitate a successful cloning procedure. Over the course of the past year, Sevarius grew the clone in a tube, accelerating its growth rate so that it quickly reaches maturity. While in the tube, the Gargoyle was subjected to a subliminal education program written by Xanatos himself, meaning that this clone is likely every bit as intelligent and cunning as the man who wrote that program, and also likely shares in his world view. As Broadway says, this is bad news.

At the Oil Rig, Xanatos, wearing one of his Battle suits, has brought the briefcase full of money and is likely contemplating beating the creepy little weasel to death with it. Anton arrives and is his usual slimy self, gloating like this is all some sort of game. Xanatos says that he’s not a vengeful man by nature, but since Anton has betrayed him so blatantly, he’s willing to make an exception, just this once. Xanatos grabs Sevarius by the throat and slams him against the wall, but curiously, Sevarius seems to think this is all some sort of act. Anton lays on the whole evil mad scientist act really thick believing that Xanatos is acting in this manner because they’re being watched. This odd development seems to catch even Xanatos off guard.

Meanwhile, Goliath and Elisa, who spotted Xanatos heading to the oil rig and followed along, swoop in and see Xanatos with his hand around Sevarius’s windpipe. Goliath opts not to intervene, being far more concerned with what he may find inside the rig. Besides, it’s not like Goliath is going to shed any tears if Xanatos and Sevarius kill each other. The two land and hear a strange sound coming from the oil tank. Inside, we finally meet Thailog, Goliath’s clone. Thailog is Goliath spelled backwards in case you were wondering. Apparently, they came up with the name during an audio mixing session and Greg Weisman liked the sound of Keith David saying "Goliath" backwards. At the moment, Thailog appears to be being held captive. Thailog seems happy to see Goliath, but Goliath can’t exactly say the same. Goliath sees Thailog as an abomination and feels violated by his very existence. Elisa gets Goliath to back down. Yeah, Goliath has a right to be upset, Xanatos and Sevarius stole his DNA without his consent and used it to create a monster in his image. However, as Elisa points out, Thailog had no say in his own creation and regardless of how he came into being, he’s still every bit a Gargoyle as Goliath and the others. In a way, he could almost be considered Goliath’s son. This calms Goliath down and he agrees to free Thailog, but turns out there’s no need, Thailog’s shackles were never locked. Thailog frees himself and attacks Goliath, knocking him out with some sort of gas. Thailog states for the record that he’s more of a Gargoyle than Goliath will ever be before letting loose an evil laugh.

Back on the platform, Xanatos asks Sevarius what gave him the impression that this was all an act. Turns out, Sevarius received instructions from Xanatos, or someone claiming to be him, via e-mail to set this whole thing up. Anton went along with it assuming it was part of one of Xanatos’s many elaborate Machiavellian schemes against one of his enemies. Now, ordinarily, that’s not a bad guess, since at any given time Xanatos has about seven elaborate schemes in progress and that’s on a slow day, but for once, Xanatos is not the mastermind behind the complicated plot. But if Xanatos wasn’t calling the shots, then who was? Owen and Fox would never betray Xanatos, so that just leaves the only other person who knew about Thailog, Thailog himself. I absolutely love the expression of pride on Xanatos’s face when he learns that his creation managed to outplay him. He almost looks like a proud father. Guess the kid turned out to be a chip off the old block. Xanatos’s moment of pride doesn’t last however as Thailog swoops down and plants and electrified disc on Xanatos, disabling his suit and knocking him out cold.

Later, we see Goliath, Elisa, Sevarius and Xanatos all chained up in the oil tank. Xanatos is impressed with how Thailog managed to play everyone, including himself, like a harp. However, if all Thailog wanted was money, Xanatos says he could have just asked and they might have been able to come to some sort of arrangement. However, according to Thailog, any arrangement would have likely been on Xanatos’s terms, not his own. You see, Thailog has no interest in living his life under the thumb of Xanatos or Sevarius. Thailog plans to strike out on his own, and now, he has twenty million dollars with which to carry those plans out. Sevarius notes that Thailog can’t exactly walk into a bank and open a checking account, but if Thailog is good enough to outsmart even Xanatos, finding a way around that particular obstacle should be a breeze for him. Goliath pleads with Thailog not to go down this dark path and even offers him a chance to join his clan but Thailog is having none of it, seeing no profit in playing guardian angel to a city infested with “inferior humans.” Hmmm, I wonder if a little Demona got into the mix when they made Thailog. It seems Thailog was initially planning to ask Goliath to join with him, but upon meeting his progenitor, Thailog found him to be weak-minded, soft, and ultimately, a disappointment, so he’s leaving the big guy here to die with the others. Oh, did I forget to mention, Thailog plans to flood the rig with oil and then blow the place to hell with a flare gun as he leaves. Thailog exits the tank to start the process of his planned triple patricide, laughing maniacally yet again as he does. Fortunately for our captives, Elisa is able to slip her shackles, but that doesn’t exactly help the others. Elisa isn’t strong enough to break their chains and Goliath is still too weak from Thailog’s gas to do anything. However, Xanatos still has the electrified disc that Thailog used to incapacitate him. If they zap Goliath with it, it could adrenalize him and shock him back to full strength. It's amazing. After all these episodes of our heroes getting zapped by literally everything, they're only now getting the idea of using it to their advantage. Anywho, this works and Goliath sets the others free.

Up on the platform, Goliath tells Elisa to evacuate with the others while he faces Thailog alone. Goliath offers his clone one last chance to turn back from the path of evil, but Thailog isn’t having it. They fight and, in the scuffle, the flare gun misfires and the rig starts to go up in flames. Goliath tries to save Thailog but Thailog won’t leave without his briefcase full of money which was knocked from his hands during the fight. Elisa, Xanatos and Sevarius watch the rig explode and Elisa is overcome with grief at the thought that Goliath didn’t make it. In a moment I really like, Xanatos tries offer Elisa some words of comfort. I believe those words to be genuine. After all, we’ve seen plenty of evidence that Xanatos respects and even admires Goliath. He probably hates to see him die just as much as Elisa. Fortunately, the big guy is okay, having managed to dive into the water at the last minute. Thailog however, is nowhere to be found.

The next morning at the Castle, Xanatos is sipping his morning coffee while deep in thought. Xanatos realizes that if he had been in Thailog’s place, he’d have had a contingency for escaping the oil rig. Xanatos also would’ve faked his own death as he knows it would have been the best means of getting away scot-free with all those millions. Since Thailog was literally educated from birth to think like Xanatos, the conclusion should be obvious. As Owen cryptically remarks, Thailog is still out there somewhere, he has twenty million dollars, he’s just as powerful as Goliath and he’s even more cunning than Xanatos. As Xanatos himself said, he's never lacked formidable enemies. Now, he may have one that even he can't defeat. Xanatos hangs his head, believing that he’s created a monster as Thailog’s sinister laugh is heard one last time.

One can’t really discuss this episode without discussing Thailog, and we can’t very well do that without first understanding the relationship between Goliath and Xanatos, one of my favorite hero/villain dynamics in all of fiction. It’s no coincidence that their names are literally David and Goliath, it was even mentioned in Awakening that our Goliath was named after the biblical giant, but I think that’s meant to be more ironic than anything else. Allusions to the story of David and Goliath are normally used to describe someone facing overwhelming odds, but if you’ve been paying attention over the course of these thirty episodes, you’ll know that the Xanatos/Goliath dynamic is anything but a David and Goliath story. I wouldn’t say that Xanatos and Goliath are evenly matched per se. It would be more accurate to say that they cancel each other out and just barely at that. Let’s start with Xanatos. We’ve seen many times that Xanatos is actually a competent fighter. He trains daily in the martial arts and was easily able to take down the bandits back in Vows. I think it’s safe to say that Xanatos could probably take down any normal human who tries to pick a fight with him. However, as skilled as he may be, he doesn’t stand a chance against the sheer brute strength of a Gargoyle, at least not without the aid of technological augmentation like his battle suit. Now let’s look at Goliath. We’ve seen time and time again that Goliath is no dummy. He’s a gifted combat strategist, well read and very adaptable. However, compared to a Machiavellian genius and master manipulator like Xanatos, Goliath is out of his league, especially when you factor in his general lack of knowledge when it comes to the 20th century. Both Goliath and Xanatos are masters of these previously described advantages over the other and, as such, their rivalry seems to be in a constant state of stalemate.

Now let’s talk about Thailog. Thailog was specifically designed to be a being with the strength of Goliath and the cunning and intelligence of Xanatos. Such a being represents a massive threat on its own, but now add a third ingredient to the mix. Remember, Thailog had three “fathers.” I like to think that Thailog also inherited Sevarius’s total lack of morality and restraint. Now, we have a problem, one if left unchecked could end up ruling the world if he so desired and there would be nothing that Goliath or Xanatos could do to stop him. While I maintain that Xanatos is my favorite character, I don’t necessarily consider him a villain. If you want my favorite villain in the series, look no further than Thailog, who is given an absolutely brilliant introduction in this episode. I love the mystery early on when we thought he was Goliath. I loved how Thailog easily managed to outplay everyone, even Xanatos. I love the potential that Thailog has as a recurring villain as well as the enormous threat he represents. I loved seeing Xanatos actually losing his cool thanks to Thailog’s manipulations. I loved the ending when Xanatos admits he created a monster and for once, we hear a hint of fear in his voice. But most of all, I LOVE Keith David’s performance as Thailog. David is an extremely talented actor, and while his performance as Goliath is always wonderful, he really got to shine brighter than usual as Thailog. There’s something very sinister about Thailog’s voice, making it distinct from Goliath in a deliciously evil way. And of course, that evil laugh gives me goosebumps every time I hear it. Thailog would go on to appear two more times in the series, and while he’s always used brilliantly, it’s sadly not nearly enough for my taste. And before you say anything, no, Genesis Undone doesn’t count, season three isn’t canon. Fortunately, Thailog would go on to become the major antagonist he deserved to be in the Gargoyles comics from the unfortunately named Slave Labor Graphics imprint. Either way, Thailog is awesome and this, his introductory episode, is my favorite in the entire series. Next time, The Pack is back, and they’re looking to even the score with the Gargoyles, even if it costs them their very humanity. Join me tomorrow for Upgrade.