Wes's Guide to Gargoyles: Eye of the Storm

Welcome back to Gargoyles!

We open to the familiar sight of the Avalon skiff emerging from the fog. Only this time, it’s a lot colder than what they’re used to. So much so in fact that the skiff hits ice. When our heroes reach the snow-covered shores, an old one-eyed man in a black cloak welcomes them to Norway. It’s also clear that this man is well-versed in matters of myth and legend and is familiar with the existence of Gargoyles. The old man sees that Elisa is not doing well in the extreme cold and offers her a coat in exchange for something of Goliath’s, The Eye of Odin. Dream on pal, the last thing Goliath wants is another sorcerer with superpowers going around eating books. Indeed, both Goliath and Elisa agree that the Eye is too dangerous for anyone to use, and so Goliath refuses. The man tells Goliath that he will live to regret his decision, but with the temperature rapidly dropping, Elisa may not.

Out on the snowy road, we meet a man named Erik and his son Gunther, two normal folks heading home for the evening who are almost run off the road when they spot Bronx. Fortunately, Goliath saves them from going over a cliff and puts Elisa in their path. Erik isn’t sure where Elisa came from, but he’s not about to leave someone out in the cold so offers her a ride back to his farmhouse. Once Goliath and Angela know that Elisa is safe, they can focus on other things, like how the old man even knew Goliath had the Eye of Odin to begin with. However, no time to dwell on that as the Gargoyles are attacked by a massive bear. The Bear tosses Goliath around for a while until Goliath punches it square in the face. Well, looks like this series is over. No, I’m serious, there is no way in hell it’s ever going to get cooler than Goliath punching a bear. The bear recovers from Goliath’s blow, tosses the Gargoyles around some more and then steals the pouch containing the Eye of Odin. Goliath wrestles the pouch away from the bear and the bear seems to vanish without a trace. Goliath notes that that was no ordinary bear. The Bear had one eye, just like the old man from earlier. Goliath believes that they were likely one and the same.

Back at Erik’s farmhouse, Elisa is settling in when suddenly, the old man from earlier breaks through the walls on horseback like some kind of Scandinavian Kool-Aid Man. Dude, you know there’s a door, right? Anywho, the old man kidnaps Elisa and finds the Gargoyles. It is here where we learn that this is no human sorcerer we’re dealing with, but Odin himself. That’s certainly something, but what concerns me is the fact that The Eye of Odin isn’t just a fancy name for a magical jewel as many of you likely thought, but Odin’s ACTUAL EYE! That makes certain scenes from past episodes unintentionally gross when you think about it. Anywho, Goliath knows that with the Eye, Odin will be unstoppable and without it, he’s still too powerful for Goliath to defeat alone. So, in order to save Elisa, Goliath does something drastic and uses the eye for himself, becoming Super Goliath! I must say, Super Goliath looks cool as hell. The viking armor and the starfield pattern on his wings really completes the look. That, combined with the fact that he’s more than twice the size of regular Goliath, who’s already pretty damn big. Goliath easily snatches Elisa from Odin’s clutches and tells the old man that if he comes back to bother them, he’ll destroy him. In a really nice moment, Goliath gets to see the sunrise for the first time, no longer being bound by the limitations of the stone sleep thanks to the Eye. Elisa suggests Goliath take off the eye, but Goliath insists keeping it until Odin is no longer a threat. Erik and Gunther arrive and spot Goliath, understandably confused. Goliath says he’s going to scour the area for Odin and promises that if they are friends of Elisa, no harm will come to Erik or his son.

Back at the Farmhouse, Angela has brought Erik up to speed on everything and he seems to be taking everything, including the fact that a Norse God pulled a Randy Savage on his wall, rather well. The storm is worsening and according to Goliath, this is likely Odin venting his wrath. Elisa and the others likely won’t survive unless they find stronger shelter. Erik suggests a nearby cave and Goliath feels that should be ideal. The gang packs up the essentials and, humorously, tie the stone statues of Angela and Bronx to the hood of the car and head out. Our heroes reach the cave and many seem to note that Goliath seems a little obsessed, especially when, after the storm has passed, Goliath still doesn’t permit his friends to leave. Later that night, Angela discovers something disturbing. It’s actually Goliath, not Odin, who’s causing the storms. I love when Goliath returns to the cave and everyone is giving him the stink eye. Goliath insists that he did what he did in order to better protect them. Clearly the eye has gone to the big guy’s head and corrupted him but Goliath refuses to listen, sealing Elisa and the others inside the cave with a boulder under the pretense that it’ll keep them safe.

Goliath flies away and calls out Odin. Odin appears and the fight is on, and what a fight it is. It’s more or less everything you’d expect from a Norse God fighting an uber powerful Gargoyle. It’s like I’m watching a fight straight out of one of the Thor movies, it’s amazing. Odin is indeed powerful, but Super Goliath overwhelms him. However, before Goliath can deliver the final blow, Odin uses his magic to release Elisa from the cave. While Elisa tries to talk some sense into him, Angela tries to steal the Eye. Enraged, Goliath attacks Angela, causing her to fall into a chasm. Realizing what he’s done, Goliath saves his daughter and willingly removes the Eye. Goliath wakes up in the cave, now back to his old self. Odin is there too, having regained his eye, and apologizes for the trouble he caused. Goliath apologizes as well. Seems he’s unaccustomed to dealing with Gods or being one himself. Odin says that there’s no hard feelings and is glad that Goliath was able to gain some enlightenment as Odin rides away across the Rainbow Bridge.

This was a fun episode and, in my opinion, the best use of the Eye of Odin thus far. With Fox, I’ve always theorized that she wasn’t fully conscious of the fact that the Eye was affecting her and so it turned her into a beast. With the Arch-Mage, he was a one-dimensional evil sorcerer, and so, surprise surprise, the magical talisman that’s supposed to amplify one’s true self turned him into a more powerful one-dimensional evil sorcerer. With Goliath however, he used the eye out of a desire to do good, but even someone as disciplined as Goliath isn’t immune from the corruption that comes with such power. It wasn’t a terribly ground-breaking episode, but it was a fun one with great animation, a cool new, albeit temporary, look for Goliath, and a pretty cool fight at the end. Good stuff all around. Next time, the World Tour takes our heroes to their strangest destination yet as they meet The New Olympians.