[7.5/10] I like antagonists who are motivated by principle rather than the usual brand of evil. Say what you will about Halcyon Renard, a reclusive billionaire who acts as a counterpart to and antithesis of Xanatos, but he believes in the values of honor and personal responsibility. It leads him to both oppose and work with Goliath as necessary, forging a mutual respect between these two old souls who have a surprising amount in common. I’m always compelled by those types of characters, who have internal values that can take them anywhere, depending on the situation, rather than folks who fit neatly onto the good/bad alignment.
The show sets up Renard nicely as a follow-on to the series premiere. It turns out he’s the CEO of Cyberbiotics. He’s launching a new airship after GOliath and demona destroyed the last one, and he’s staffed it with robots, blaming the past failures on human error. When Goliath goes to investigate, the two men have to settle their different accounts and resolve blame over what happened the last time.
It’s a good setup! The whole “personal responsibility” ideal has taken on water in recent years, as folks have warped it into an excuse not to address systemic problems. But I like GOliath and Renard working out their different views over what went down with the past airship. Goliath ultimately accepts responsibility for the destruction of the last vessel and, in the process, manages to earn Renard’s trust. The show tells a simple story, but one that explains how these two seemingly different individuals are closer in temperament and principle than either might think.
That comes to a head when Preston Vogel, Renard’s lieutenant, is prepared to sabotage him in the hopes of getting a grand payday from Fox. It leads to the usual action-y resolution, where Goliath has to fight a bunch of hokey-looking robots in order to save the day. But the cinch is that despite Vogel trying to get Renard off the vessel in hopes of concocting the accident that would sink Renard’s fortune, Renard resolves to go down with the ship.
His choice is enough to inspire Vogel to recant and help save the vessel (not to mention prevent it from crashing into a building, an uncomfortable image post-9/11) rather than aid in its destruction. Renard’s integrity gives him common cause with Goliath, and even convinces a would be saboteur to follow his lead instead. The dialogue drives home the point without much subtlety, but it’s a strong throughline and unique way to paint a new foil on the series, which I appreciate.
I’m less enamored with the reveal that he’s Fox’s dad, something easy to guess given some sizeable hints in the episode. I’m a little tired of every character in this universe having a secret longstanding connection to all the other characters. But it does create an interesting dynamic between the two moguls du jour in the show, and the reveal that Fox is pregnant adds further complications. I’m at least willing to see where the show goes with it.
Overall though, there’s a strong character idea at the core of this one, and that introduction and his ideological north star fuel this one well.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2021-07-13T22:14:07Z
[7.5/10] I like antagonists who are motivated by principle rather than the usual brand of evil. Say what you will about Halcyon Renard, a reclusive billionaire who acts as a counterpart to and antithesis of Xanatos, but he believes in the values of honor and personal responsibility. It leads him to both oppose and work with Goliath as necessary, forging a mutual respect between these two old souls who have a surprising amount in common. I’m always compelled by those types of characters, who have internal values that can take them anywhere, depending on the situation, rather than folks who fit neatly onto the good/bad alignment.
The show sets up Renard nicely as a follow-on to the series premiere. It turns out he’s the CEO of Cyberbiotics. He’s launching a new airship after GOliath and demona destroyed the last one, and he’s staffed it with robots, blaming the past failures on human error. When Goliath goes to investigate, the two men have to settle their different accounts and resolve blame over what happened the last time.
It’s a good setup! The whole “personal responsibility” ideal has taken on water in recent years, as folks have warped it into an excuse not to address systemic problems. But I like GOliath and Renard working out their different views over what went down with the past airship. Goliath ultimately accepts responsibility for the destruction of the last vessel and, in the process, manages to earn Renard’s trust. The show tells a simple story, but one that explains how these two seemingly different individuals are closer in temperament and principle than either might think.
That comes to a head when Preston Vogel, Renard’s lieutenant, is prepared to sabotage him in the hopes of getting a grand payday from Fox. It leads to the usual action-y resolution, where Goliath has to fight a bunch of hokey-looking robots in order to save the day. But the cinch is that despite Vogel trying to get Renard off the vessel in hopes of concocting the accident that would sink Renard’s fortune, Renard resolves to go down with the ship.
His choice is enough to inspire Vogel to recant and help save the vessel (not to mention prevent it from crashing into a building, an uncomfortable image post-9/11) rather than aid in its destruction. Renard’s integrity gives him common cause with Goliath, and even convinces a would be saboteur to follow his lead instead. The dialogue drives home the point without much subtlety, but it’s a strong throughline and unique way to paint a new foil on the series, which I appreciate.
I’m less enamored with the reveal that he’s Fox’s dad, something easy to guess given some sizeable hints in the episode. I’m a little tired of every character in this universe having a secret longstanding connection to all the other characters. But it does create an interesting dynamic between the two moguls du jour in the show, and the reveal that Fox is pregnant adds further complications. I’m at least willing to see where the show goes with it.
Overall though, there’s a strong character idea at the core of this one, and that introduction and his ideological north star fuel this one well.