[6.3/10] I think I’ve settled on my problem with The Pack. They feel like generic Saturday morning cartoon villains in a show that aspires to more than that. Granted, Jackal and Hyena don’t really have much to do here. They’re just elevated mooks there to provide an external threat to Xanatos as part of his plans. The duo have a bit of personality, but they’re plot devices more than characters, which is perhaps necessary, but not terribly interesting.
The main focus here comes down to the family issues for Maza family, and Xanatos’s efforts to drive a wedge between Elisa and her brother Derek. I honestly like the scheme. Xanatos continues to play chessmaster here, finding creative ways to interfere with Elisa and the Gargoyles’ lives, rather than coming directly at them all the time. The whole notion of creating a threat to where Xanatos has need of Derek’s services as a helicopter pilot and body guard are a little convoluted, but that’s the name of the game for Xanatos, and creating emotional friction between Elisa and her brother is good psychological warfare.
But the issues with the Mazas play more like melodrama than genuine intra-family concerns. The idea isn’t bad, but the execution is a little too hammy. It doesn’t help that the plot built around it feels far too G.I. Joe/Cobra. (There’s also a strange little side quest about Lexington learning to repair and fly helicopters, which feels like another toyetic addition to the show.) You can see what the show’s going for with Elisa debating whether to tell her brother the truth about the Gargoyles to keep him from getting too close with Xanatos, and ultimately respecting him enough to make his own decision. But this is a cheesy, jumbled up way to try to accomplish that.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2021-06-26T20:56:45Z
[6.3/10] I think I’ve settled on my problem with The Pack. They feel like generic Saturday morning cartoon villains in a show that aspires to more than that. Granted, Jackal and Hyena don’t really have much to do here. They’re just elevated mooks there to provide an external threat to Xanatos as part of his plans. The duo have a bit of personality, but they’re plot devices more than characters, which is perhaps necessary, but not terribly interesting.
The main focus here comes down to the family issues for Maza family, and Xanatos’s efforts to drive a wedge between Elisa and her brother Derek. I honestly like the scheme. Xanatos continues to play chessmaster here, finding creative ways to interfere with Elisa and the Gargoyles’ lives, rather than coming directly at them all the time. The whole notion of creating a threat to where Xanatos has need of Derek’s services as a helicopter pilot and body guard are a little convoluted, but that’s the name of the game for Xanatos, and creating emotional friction between Elisa and her brother is good psychological warfare.
But the issues with the Mazas play more like melodrama than genuine intra-family concerns. The idea isn’t bad, but the execution is a little too hammy. It doesn’t help that the plot built around it feels far too G.I. Joe/Cobra. (There’s also a strange little side quest about Lexington learning to repair and fly helicopters, which feels like another toyetic addition to the show.) You can see what the show’s going for with Elisa debating whether to tell her brother the truth about the Gargoyles to keep him from getting too close with Xanatos, and ultimately respecting him enough to make his own decision. But this is a cheesy, jumbled up way to try to accomplish that.