[6.2/10] I’d like to care about Bluestone! I really would! I appreciate giving a tertiary character the spotlight for an episode and trying to add more depth and texture to your world and characters. But I just didn’t connect with it. The whole Illuminati thing isn’t exactly farfetched in a world of magic and time travel, but the secret society routine is simply not that interesting (at least in the hints we get of it.)
More to the point, I didn’t vibe with the vaguely noir-ish elements at play here, and I love noir homages. Bluestone’s voiceover and dogged detective routine fell flat. I’m also tired of the whole “start with the third act action sequence and then flash back to how it all began” structure. It’s become a big cliché at present, in a way it wasn’t necessarily in 1995, but I still almost instinctively roll my eyes at it.
It was also predictable that Bluestone was doing the double bluff when he seemed to hand Goliath over to Mace Malone, and in actuality, he was still trying to nail the Illuminati. I’ll give the episode some credit, since the idea of a booby-trapped hotel used to test initiates and enemies is a neat idea, but this one doesn't come up with much especially interesting to do with it. (I did get a kick out of the room we see that’s actually a shark tank.) And I suppose there’s some poetic justice to Malone ending up trapped in his own endless obstacle course.
God help me, I don’t know why the episode is hinting at possible romance between Elisa and Bluestone. I don’t buy it for a second and it seems to come out of nowhere. It’s especially unnerving for the show to point things in that direction when Bluestone engages in abusive behavior with Elisa by driving her car recklessly to try to get the Gargoyles’ attention. I get that Bluestone’s a little hot under the collar about secrets, but he comes off pretty unlikable there.
I did appreciate the tease that his old FBI partner was with the Illuminati and intentionally trying to throw him off the scent. I can't say I’m looking forward to a lot more development of this storyline, but it’s a good twist at least.
Overall, while I admire Gargoyles for trying to give Bluestone a life and interests beyond the gargoyles’ immediate needs, this wasn’t the best realization of that idea.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2021-07-15T23:01:36Z
[6.2/10] I’d like to care about Bluestone! I really would! I appreciate giving a tertiary character the spotlight for an episode and trying to add more depth and texture to your world and characters. But I just didn’t connect with it. The whole Illuminati thing isn’t exactly farfetched in a world of magic and time travel, but the secret society routine is simply not that interesting (at least in the hints we get of it.)
More to the point, I didn’t vibe with the vaguely noir-ish elements at play here, and I love noir homages. Bluestone’s voiceover and dogged detective routine fell flat. I’m also tired of the whole “start with the third act action sequence and then flash back to how it all began” structure. It’s become a big cliché at present, in a way it wasn’t necessarily in 1995, but I still almost instinctively roll my eyes at it.
It was also predictable that Bluestone was doing the double bluff when he seemed to hand Goliath over to Mace Malone, and in actuality, he was still trying to nail the Illuminati. I’ll give the episode some credit, since the idea of a booby-trapped hotel used to test initiates and enemies is a neat idea, but this one doesn't come up with much especially interesting to do with it. (I did get a kick out of the room we see that’s actually a shark tank.) And I suppose there’s some poetic justice to Malone ending up trapped in his own endless obstacle course.
God help me, I don’t know why the episode is hinting at possible romance between Elisa and Bluestone. I don’t buy it for a second and it seems to come out of nowhere. It’s especially unnerving for the show to point things in that direction when Bluestone engages in abusive behavior with Elisa by driving her car recklessly to try to get the Gargoyles’ attention. I get that Bluestone’s a little hot under the collar about secrets, but he comes off pretty unlikable there.
I did appreciate the tease that his old FBI partner was with the Illuminati and intentionally trying to throw him off the scent. I can't say I’m looking forward to a lot more development of this storyline, but it’s a good twist at least.
Overall, while I admire Gargoyles for trying to give Bluestone a life and interests beyond the gargoyles’ immediate needs, this wasn’t the best realization of that idea.