Wes's Guide to Gargoyles: Heritage

I think it’s important that you all understand the mindset from which I’m approaching this article. For you see, this is what I consider to be my least favorite episode of Gargoyles (excluding the non-canon third season of course). Why will hopefully become clear in the preceding article. So, if I seem a bit angrier and more sarcastic than usual, it’s only because I am. Now, I have said it many times before and will likely say it again, a bad episode of Gargoyles is still better than a good episode of some modern shows. That said, if you take all sixty-five episodes of the first two seasons and rank them from best to worst, one of them still has to come in last, and for me, that’s Heritage. Watching this episode is a lot like accidentally walking in on your parents having sex, in that it’s seeing someone or something you hold in high regard in an embarrassing and possibly uncomfortable position. You just want to forget it ever happened and do everything in your power to scrub the memories from your mind. However, when I started this series, I said I would examine each episode based on its individual merits and since then I have been heavily critical of episodes I remember fondly from my childhood and have found new appreciation for episodes I only remember as being just okay. Each episode, particularly the ones from the polarizing World Tour arc, will be given as fair a shake as possible. As such, Heritage will have its day in court. All rise, court is now in session.

We open with our heroes on the Avalon Skiff, excited about returning to New York. Unfortunately, it seems they haven’t gotten with the whole “Avalon sends you where you need to be” program just yet and discover that they are not bound for Manhattan, but rather, what we’ll eventually learn is an island off the coast of Canada. However, our heroes don’t have a ton of time to process what’s going on since they’re promptly attacked by a Sea Monster. A rather silly looking sea monster I should mention. It’s mostly fine design wise, but what makes it difficult for me to take it seriously are those goofy pencil thin arms it’s got. Anywho, Goliath fights the monster off, but in the chaos, Elisa was separated from the Gargoyles. Our heroes swim their way to the island and find a totem pole with carvings that resemble Gargoyles. No time to dwell on this development as sun rises and our heroes turn to stone as a Raven watches them ominously.

Meanwhile, at a Native American village elsewhere on the island, we see that families are leaving in droves to find work on the mainland due to a trout killing off all the plane life on the island. An old pointy-eared woman whom the natives refer to as “Grandmother” pleads with Nick, the chief of the tribe, to restore the land but Nick, who also happens to be a Harvard educated scientist, has run every test and can’t seem to figure out why the island is dying. Grandmother insists that Science is not the solution here. To save the land from this horrible drought, Nick needs to climb to the top of the Volcano and win a duel to the death with an ancient evil spirit called Raven who has placed a curse upon this land. Well, obviously right. Nick thinks that Grandmother is little more than a superstitious old woman, much to Grandmother’s dismay. However, the argument is put on hold when Nick spots Elisa washed up on shore. She’s unconscious and barely breathing so Nick and Grandmother carry her inside. Nick insists that Elisa needs a hospital, but Grandmother shoots that idea down in favor of making a potion out of roots and tree bark, admonishing Nick for disrespecting the ancient ways of his people. Uh… lady, fuck you! Respecting the ancient ways is one thing, but this woman clearly needs a hospital. Don’t yell at the man for trying to do the sensible thing! It’s a moot point anyway since there are storms up on the mainland and the hospital chopper can’t reach them. Isn’t that always the way. Besides, Grandmother’s potion seems to work and Elisa comes to.

Elsewhere, the sun goes down and Goliath and the others break out of the stone sleep. Upon awakening, they are greeted by a Gargoyle named Raven, one with an admittedly cool design what with the head of a Raven and the body of a Gargoyle. Raven says that he saw Goliath battle the Sea Monster but was unable to reach them before morning. When Goliath reveals that they’re searching for their human friend, Raven responds with anger. It seems the humans of this island slaughtered his clan in their sleep, something Goliath is all too familiar with. Raven agrees to take the others to see the rest of his clan but warns them that there is an evil sorceress named Grandmother living on the island. Seems Raven’s clan resides inside a Volcano. Goliath greets the other members of Raven’s Clan, who also seem to be Gargoyle/Animal hybrids like Raven, with excitement, but according to Raven, they’re all too crippled with grief to talk. Raven agrees to help search for Elisa, and Goliath thanks him for his assistance. However, as Goliath and the others glide off, the other members of Raven’s clan vanish.

Back at the village, Elisa thanks Nick and Grandmother for looking after her and, while she hasn’t quite fully recovered yet, heads off to find her friends despite Nick’s protestations. Elisa spots the totem pole from earlier and asks if it’s based on Gargoyles. Wow, just blurting out that Gargoyles are a thing, eh Elisa. Maybe you hit your head harder than you think. Grandmother claims to know of Gargoyles but claims that they have never lived on this island. Nick has just about had it with all this talk of Ravens and Gargoyles and magic potions made of tree bark and can’t wait to talk to someone rational again. Elisa heads out, only to be attacked by a huge bear. Fortunatley, the Gargoyles come to her rescue and Goliath and Elisa share a sweet embrace. The two parties bring each other up to speed, Goliath becoming upset at the mention of Grandmother, whom he’s been told is an evil sorceress.

The gang confronts Grandmother and no sooner does Elisa say “Does That Look Like a Sorceress to You” does Grandmother transform into a massive and hideous Thunderbird. The Thunderbird has a stomach face. I don’t like that it has a stomach face. Anywho, Goliath and Angela glide after the monster and try to bring it down. Raven’s clan arrives to help, but during the fight, Angela notices that the Thunderbird’s wings go right through the other Gargoyles in Raven’s clan like video game graphics clipping through each other. After Goliath slashes its wing, the Thunderbird goes down. Raven said that he was unable to locate Goliath’s friend. Angela lies to him saying that they have not found her either and insists that he and his clan return to protect their home, revealing to Goliath once they’ve gone that those Gargoyles are not what they seem.

Later, our heroes confront Grandmother again, demanding answers. Grandmother insists she did not attack. She only wanted to Nick to witness a creature of legend, which is why she posed as the Sea Monster and the Thunder Bird. Did not attack huh, then what do you call wrecking the skiff and knocking Elisa out. Hell, Nick wasn’t even there when you attacked you idiot! Angela inquires about the false Gargoyles, and Grandmother reveals that they were illusions created by Raven, the trickster spirit. Speak of the Devil, Raven appears and reveals his true form, which Frankly looks like DC's Black Adam dressed up like a renaissance fair pirate. Boo! Go back to the cool looking Crow Gargoyle! Turns out that both Raven and Grandmother are Children of Oberon like Puck and the Weird Sisters, Raven and Grandmother being the names of spirits from Native American Folklore. You see, the Children of Oberon have been around a while and have formed the basis for many mythologies around the globe. So, a good rule of thumb going forward, assume any magical creature of myth we run into from here on out, unless explicitly stated otherwise, is a Child of Oberon. Anyway, Raven spells out what’s actually going on here. Seems that Raven has some kind of vaguely defined pact with the people of this island that once a generation, their chief must battle with him, and if they don’t, the island is his. Unfortunately, Nick is a man a of science and doesn’t believe the old legend so Grandmother went all Thunderbird to try to convince him. Apparently as a Child of Oberon, Grandmother is forbidden from just revealing her true nature to Nick. Yeah, about that, pretty sure that the Oberon’s Children we’ve seen up until this point and several of the ones we see in the future break this rule and it seems to me that this is some lazy writing in order to prevent an easy resolution to the plot. Anywho, Raven flies off and Elisa has an idea for how to deal with him.

Back at the village, Elisa introduces Nick to the Gargoyles in the hopes of proving the existence of the supernatural to him. Nick can hardly believe his eyes, and what’s more, he has an even harder time believing that he’s supposed to battle a legendary trickster spirit armed only with a wooden stick. He’s no chief, he’s a scientist, and he’s not quite ready to turn his back on everything he believes in, to which Elisa condescendingly responds, “Maybe it’s time to get some new beliefs.” I absolutely hate that line, but I’ll save that rant for the end.

Goliath arrives at the volcano to challenge Raven himself, but Raven has no quarrel with him. Nick then arrives in full traditional Native American chief apparel and challenges Raven himself. Wow Nick, that was easily the quickest one eighty I’ve ever seen in my life. I counted, less than a minute passes between the previous scene where Nick proclaims himself a man of science who isn’t prepared to fight Raven and this one where all of a sudden, he’s freaking Nightwolf from Mortal Kombat. Raven is unimpressed and animates wooden versions of his false Gargoyle Clan to battle Goliath and Angela while he goes to fight Nick. Raven mostly wipes the floor with Nick until, inexplicably, the ancient ancestral weapons Nick is using start shooting lightning. Goliath and Angela make easy work of the Wooden Totem Beasts while Nick subdues Raven, who retreats. Nick says that the people of the tribe will return now that Raven’s curse is over and our episode ends with Grandmother using her magic to restore fertility to the land. God I hope that wasn’t something she could’ve done the whole time.

This episode pisses me off. Our main characters seem dumber and more gullible than usual. Raven is not a terribly interesting antagonist, often coming across as the poor man’s Puck. Grandmother is meant to be wise but comes off as condescending and ends up doing more harm than good. It’s never explained why Raven wants the island to begin with nor is a good reason given for why the island is worth defending. However, that’s all inconsequential to my real beef with this episode. I really hate how this episode frames Nick being a Harvard educated man of science as a bad thing. Sure, Nick’s constant eye-rolling gets a little tiresome after a while, but Grandmother just expects Nick to swallow this whole magical world thing with absolutely no proof. The episode constantly chastises him for being a believer in science and doing the sensible thing instead of following the ancient ways, when in reality, all he’s doing is what any rational human being would do in his place. And then, in the end, his character does a total one eighty out of nowhere simply because the plot needed it. Watching this, I couldn’t help but be reminded of a similar work, the 2010 film The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. The film was panned by critics upon release, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t see why, but I enjoyed it for its unique approach to how magic works and the simple fact that I’ll literally watch anything with Nicholas Cage. The point is, like Nick, the film’s main character, Dave, is a science prodigy who learns that he lives in a world of magic and is destined to fight a great evil. The difference being, Dave’s penchant for science is never disparaged like it is with Nick. In fact, in the film’s climax, Dave uses his knowledge of science in tandem with his newly acquired magical abilities to defeat the big bad. Imagine how much more interesting this episode would be if Nick used his knowledge of Science combined with the ancient ways of his people to bring Raven to a more permanent end. Well, sadly that’s not what we got. What we got was a lame episode, nothing more, nothing less. Next time, our heroes return to Scotland where Anton Sevarius is after a creature even more legendary than the Gargoyles themselves. The World Tour Continues in Monsters.