[7.4/10] Not quite as good as the other entries in this arc, but still good. I appreciate the continuity of Xanatos finding ways to meet the terms of spells without “mixing magicks” as he said. In the same way that the Gargoyles’ spell was broken by lifting the castle onto a skyscraper, his plan to set the sky ablaze to mess with Demona’s spell seems a little random, but at least consistent with how this show tries to literalize the poetry of various incantations.
Once again, I enjoy getting to see how life proceeds in the modern day in the midst of this spell. The fact that the humans turn back to life by day is a neat touch, and allows for some additional narrative movement rather than having only a handful of them not be turned to stone. The whole bit with Demona sneaking in at the end to disrupt Xanatos’s plan seems like an obvious fake out -- we know that Bronx is still in the castle and, more to the point, they're not going to kill of Elisa. But still, I like Xanatos and GOliath having to work together to stop all this.
I also continue to appreciate the flashbacks to Scotland portions of this episode. The show’s turned these sections into something of a “MacBeth Begins” type story. The beats are a touch stock, but there’s a sound idea of MacBeth as a noble and loyal man, turned to desperate measures when his paranoid kingly cousin turns on him in a doomed attempt to protect the throne. We see the decency of MacBeth, the mercy he shows to the gargoyles out of gratitude for when one saved his life, and his loyalty to his cousin and king, despite a certain obliviousness and naivete with regard to Duncan’s duplicitousness.
Still, I like the Weird SIsters here as makers of mischief, bending events seemingly for entertainment value more than anything, or at least deciding to tip the scales in ways they find interesting. Their varied appearances are a treat, and using them as a means to explain Demona’s reinvigorated youth, as part of a devil’s bargain, is a neat way to deploy their magic powers into the story.
It’s a cool episode for MacBeth and Demona as a team. I appreciate that despite her renewed anger now, at one point Demona had a bond with MacBeth and seemed to find a place where she and her kind were accepted by humans, even thanked for their bravery and courage in battle, something we never saw in Castle Wyvern. Heck, we even see how their bond is cemented by MacBeth giving Demona her name since she “fights like a demon.” The notion of these two people each trying to protect their clans, having crossed paths and found common cause, is a wholesome one, tinged with tragedy since we know the peace and rapport doesn’t last forever.
Still, this makes for a thrilling tale of MacBeth defeating his dastardly cousin and assuming the throne, at the cost of his youth but with a means to protect his family and a new ally. I’m not much of a swords and sorcery guy, but the mini-movie we get, a tale of Demona and MacBeth through the ages, compels me with its strong character work, exciting action, and slow-burning bond between man and gargoyle.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2021-07-11T04:37:12Z
[7.4/10] Not quite as good as the other entries in this arc, but still good. I appreciate the continuity of Xanatos finding ways to meet the terms of spells without “mixing magicks” as he said. In the same way that the Gargoyles’ spell was broken by lifting the castle onto a skyscraper, his plan to set the sky ablaze to mess with Demona’s spell seems a little random, but at least consistent with how this show tries to literalize the poetry of various incantations.
Once again, I enjoy getting to see how life proceeds in the modern day in the midst of this spell. The fact that the humans turn back to life by day is a neat touch, and allows for some additional narrative movement rather than having only a handful of them not be turned to stone. The whole bit with Demona sneaking in at the end to disrupt Xanatos’s plan seems like an obvious fake out -- we know that Bronx is still in the castle and, more to the point, they're not going to kill of Elisa. But still, I like Xanatos and GOliath having to work together to stop all this.
I also continue to appreciate the flashbacks to Scotland portions of this episode. The show’s turned these sections into something of a “MacBeth Begins” type story. The beats are a touch stock, but there’s a sound idea of MacBeth as a noble and loyal man, turned to desperate measures when his paranoid kingly cousin turns on him in a doomed attempt to protect the throne. We see the decency of MacBeth, the mercy he shows to the gargoyles out of gratitude for when one saved his life, and his loyalty to his cousin and king, despite a certain obliviousness and naivete with regard to Duncan’s duplicitousness.
Still, I like the Weird SIsters here as makers of mischief, bending events seemingly for entertainment value more than anything, or at least deciding to tip the scales in ways they find interesting. Their varied appearances are a treat, and using them as a means to explain Demona’s reinvigorated youth, as part of a devil’s bargain, is a neat way to deploy their magic powers into the story.
It’s a cool episode for MacBeth and Demona as a team. I appreciate that despite her renewed anger now, at one point Demona had a bond with MacBeth and seemed to find a place where she and her kind were accepted by humans, even thanked for their bravery and courage in battle, something we never saw in Castle Wyvern. Heck, we even see how their bond is cemented by MacBeth giving Demona her name since she “fights like a demon.” The notion of these two people each trying to protect their clans, having crossed paths and found common cause, is a wholesome one, tinged with tragedy since we know the peace and rapport doesn’t last forever.
Still, this makes for a thrilling tale of MacBeth defeating his dastardly cousin and assuming the throne, at the cost of his youth but with a means to protect his family and a new ally. I’m not much of a swords and sorcery guy, but the mini-movie we get, a tale of Demona and MacBeth through the ages, compels me with its strong character work, exciting action, and slow-burning bond between man and gargoyle.