On this week’s retrospective of Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles, we’re looking at “To Serve Mankind” (aired November 30, 1996), which I can only describe as Zoolander without the jokes, and the return of the New Olympians in “Seeing Isn’t Believing” (February 8, 1997).
1. EGON PAX EGON PAX EGON PAX
Another truly awful episode, “To Serve Mankind” sees Goliath, Brooklyn, Broadway and Lexington get captured by the Illuminati, who torture the younger three to brainwash Goliath into assassinating his supposed captor – Egon Pax, a peaceful politician whose plans would scupper the Illuminati’s designs. This episode is just full of padding, with Goliath constantly struggling against the brainwashing as he hears the name “Egon Pax” over and over – it’s Zoolander‘s use of “Relax” five years later, but it’s not meant to be funny.
There’s no tension whatsoever to this episode, because we know Xanatos is the gargoyles’ man on the inside, and he frees the young trio, so they’re able to stop Goliath before he does something unforgivable. It is tedious, and as poorly animated as the other episodes aired in November 1996 (it even reuses footage from “Generations,” two episodes prior).
2. Cartoony But Fluid
“Seeing is Believing” sees the shapeshifter Proteus escape from New Olympus – with Taurus hot in pursuit – to seek revenge on Goliath by framing him for reckless behavior, driving a wedge between him and Elisa. Appropriately for an episode about a mimic, it’s something of a stylistic outlier: it’s got a wavy if cartoony aesthetic more reminiscent of Aladdin, The Pagemaster, Don Bluth or other early ’90s animation than Gargoyles proper.
According to animator Jozef Szekeres, this was the only episode produced by Disney Animation Australia, which explains why it’s so wonderfully fluid, and I will happily accept the trade-off of inconsistent character models over Nelvana’s stiff attempts to rebuild the show in the other Goliath Chronicles episodes. My only complaint is that there so many shots of Elisa focused on her rear end: she’s Elisa Maza, not Jessica Rabbit, you dogs.
3. Let’s Be Idiots
Proteus kidnaps Goliath, and before Elisa, Taurus, Hudson and Angela burst into the lighthouse he’s supposedly being held in, Taurus literally warns the group to be on alert. But they’re all none-the-wiser when they see Proteus posing as Goliath strapped into a chair, and it takes literally a moment for Taurus to realize it was too easy. Elisa should’ve asked Goliath something only he’d know the answer to: they really had dumbed down the show.
4. Another Star Trek Homage
The gang finds Goliath in a neighboring warehouse instead, but Proteus strikes, attacking Elisa while imitating her. Goliath is able to tell which is the real one by asking if she ever doubted him, allowing Taurus to fire an electric net at the doppelgänger. It’s a clear homage to Star Trek: The Original Series‘ “Whom Gods Destroy,” where Spock had to deduce who was the real Kirk and who was the impostor. It’s a smarter piece of writing taken from a show that also, funnily enough, suffered from a weak third and final season.
5. Why These Threads?
I’m surprised that when they got Michael Dorn back for this season, they had him reprise the role of Taurus and not Coldstone. Granted, if I knew Roddy McDowall (Proteus) was available, I’d probably jump at the chance to write back in his character, but I’m befuddled given what minor roles the New Olympians and the Illuminati had that they made returns over the Coldtrio or King Arthur and Griff. Granted, the season’s producers may have not known they were only getting 13 episodes, but regardless, it’s a strange choice.
Bonus thoughts:
– In more ugly character designs, the Illuminati scientist who brainwashes Goliath has a chin to rival Jay Leno.
– Those animals he uses to torment the younger gargoyles have glowing eyes, which is weird.
– Why is a local detective like Matt Bluestone assigned as part of the escort for EGON PAX?
– The giant gargoyle form Proteus assumes has baleen instead of teeth.
See you all next week for our look at the series finale, EGON PAX “Angels in the Night.”
