[7.4/10] I’ve realized that I tend to enjoy these flashback-heavy episodes better than the ones set in the modern day. That’s a little strange, since the whole swords and sorcery routine isn’t so much my jam. But I like it because it forces the show to get a little more creative in the storytelling and a little less Saturday Morning Cartoon-like in the delivery.
In fairness, a surprising number of individuals who were around at Castle Wyvern in 994 have always made it to the present by magic or other means. But there’s something neat about this one centering on TOm, the little boy from the first episode who seemed to admire and appreciate the Gargoyles, even when his countrymen feared and resented them.
His tale of helping to spirit the eggs away from the castle, along with his mother, Princess Katherine, and the Magus, is an exciting one. You have the clear stakes of preserving the not-yet-hatched Gargoyles, with the implicit fragility of eggs connote and the public fear of Gargoyles. You also have some political and romantic intrigue at play, as Katherine’s Uncle, King Kenneth, admires Lady Finella, who in turn admires Constantine, a power-hungry knave whom the monarch nevertheless trusts implicitly. The King’s son is not so trusting, though, which is tricky when Constantine’s lust for power ends up directed toward Katherine, much to her chagrin and that of the Magus, who seems to be carrying a torch for her as well.
That’s a lot! Things get all the more complicated when Constantine assassinates the king to take the throne. But the combination of personal and political stakes give this one a Game of Thrones-style intrigue. Turns in the narrative like the King’s song having to turn his back on Princess Katherine to preserve his political fortunes (and his life), and a spurned Lady Finella helping the Princess, Tom, and Tom’s mother to save the eggs in order to spite her former lover make for compelling decision points.
It’s also especially interesting to see the length Princess Katherine will go to protect those eggs. She had no love lost for the Gargoyles before all the unpleasantness went down. So watching her now, having learned her lesson, trying to make it right in some way, has some extra oomph and meaning.
To the same end, Tom’s a fun character to follow. He’s just a boy, but he’s full of pluck and determination. His devotion to the eggs and separation from his mom and caretakers make him a sympathetic protagonist from the jump.
Plus hey, we’re getting into some serious magic now! Oberon’s island, where time moves differently and no other magicks are allowed, makes for an alluring setting for the show. The prospect of more interference from the Weird Sisters, not to mention more gargoyles for Goliath and Elisa to encounter, makes for one hell of a cliffhanger.
Overall, this is hopefully the start to yet another thrilling Gargoyles multi-episode arc.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2021-07-20T21:33:00Z
[7.4/10] I’ve realized that I tend to enjoy these flashback-heavy episodes better than the ones set in the modern day. That’s a little strange, since the whole swords and sorcery routine isn’t so much my jam. But I like it because it forces the show to get a little more creative in the storytelling and a little less Saturday Morning Cartoon-like in the delivery.
In fairness, a surprising number of individuals who were around at Castle Wyvern in 994 have always made it to the present by magic or other means. But there’s something neat about this one centering on TOm, the little boy from the first episode who seemed to admire and appreciate the Gargoyles, even when his countrymen feared and resented them.
His tale of helping to spirit the eggs away from the castle, along with his mother, Princess Katherine, and the Magus, is an exciting one. You have the clear stakes of preserving the not-yet-hatched Gargoyles, with the implicit fragility of eggs connote and the public fear of Gargoyles. You also have some political and romantic intrigue at play, as Katherine’s Uncle, King Kenneth, admires Lady Finella, who in turn admires Constantine, a power-hungry knave whom the monarch nevertheless trusts implicitly. The King’s son is not so trusting, though, which is tricky when Constantine’s lust for power ends up directed toward Katherine, much to her chagrin and that of the Magus, who seems to be carrying a torch for her as well.
That’s a lot! Things get all the more complicated when Constantine assassinates the king to take the throne. But the combination of personal and political stakes give this one a Game of Thrones-style intrigue. Turns in the narrative like the King’s song having to turn his back on Princess Katherine to preserve his political fortunes (and his life), and a spurned Lady Finella helping the Princess, Tom, and Tom’s mother to save the eggs in order to spite her former lover make for compelling decision points.
It’s also especially interesting to see the length Princess Katherine will go to protect those eggs. She had no love lost for the Gargoyles before all the unpleasantness went down. So watching her now, having learned her lesson, trying to make it right in some way, has some extra oomph and meaning.
To the same end, Tom’s a fun character to follow. He’s just a boy, but he’s full of pluck and determination. His devotion to the eggs and separation from his mom and caretakers make him a sympathetic protagonist from the jump.
Plus hey, we’re getting into some serious magic now! Oberon’s island, where time moves differently and no other magicks are allowed, makes for an alluring setting for the show. The prospect of more interference from the Weird Sisters, not to mention more gargoyles for Goliath and Elisa to encounter, makes for one hell of a cliffhanger.
Overall, this is hopefully the start to yet another thrilling Gargoyles multi-episode arc.