[7.5/10] It’s interesting how Gargoyles keeps returning to the seminal events at Castle Wyvern in one form another. We’ve already resolved the actions of Princess Kattherine and The Magus, so now it’s time to do the same for the Captain of the Guard who betrayed the gargoyles and Hakon, the Viking invader who destroyed Goliath’s brothers and sisters.
I generally like the form that takes here. Maybe I’m reading too much into this, but you get the sense that Goliath’s haunting when he returns to what was once his home is an allegory for PTSD. He’s practically assaulted with scenes from his past, racked with guilt over the loss of his comrades, and doesn’t trust himself not to hurt those close to him when he’s in the throes of one of his episodes. The show isn’t exactly subtle about Goliath’s response to all of these occurrences, but it does a good job using impressionistic means to dramatize Goliath feeling pangs of guilt and anger over what happened so many years ago.
I also like the sheer plotting of the main premise. Hakon and the Captain remaining on this mortal coil after death, either due to hate or the magic of the caverns or both, is a good setup. The noto that they’ve been stuck there for a thousand years, plotting revenge and trying to steal Goliath’s life force as recompense, is a wild Twilight Zone-esque premise. And the actual set piece of them utilizing a glowing temple to complete their plan while GOliath trembles before representations of the fallen and lost is striking to say the least.
I also like how “Shadows of the Past” resolves all of this. The Captain was always a more conflicted than evil character. Him choosing redemption rather than revenge by helping Goliath and stopping Hakon in the end adds a twist to the proceedings. But it’s an earned turn in the narrative, given what we know about the Captain from past stories. The fact that he’s freed to ascend to the next plane of existence, while Hakon is trapped “alone, with no one to hate” lays it on a little thick, but it’s still satisfying in its way.
Overall, this is another quality stop on the “wrapping up what went wrong in Scotland” tour, to the point that I wonder how much energy the show will spend on that period of the gargoyles’ lives going forward, considering how much has been put to bed. This is also one of the scarier and, frankly, freakier episodes of the show, which gives it a few extra points in my book.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2021-07-23T21:30:30Z
[7.5/10] It’s interesting how Gargoyles keeps returning to the seminal events at Castle Wyvern in one form another. We’ve already resolved the actions of Princess Kattherine and The Magus, so now it’s time to do the same for the Captain of the Guard who betrayed the gargoyles and Hakon, the Viking invader who destroyed Goliath’s brothers and sisters.
I generally like the form that takes here. Maybe I’m reading too much into this, but you get the sense that Goliath’s haunting when he returns to what was once his home is an allegory for PTSD. He’s practically assaulted with scenes from his past, racked with guilt over the loss of his comrades, and doesn’t trust himself not to hurt those close to him when he’s in the throes of one of his episodes. The show isn’t exactly subtle about Goliath’s response to all of these occurrences, but it does a good job using impressionistic means to dramatize Goliath feeling pangs of guilt and anger over what happened so many years ago.
I also like the sheer plotting of the main premise. Hakon and the Captain remaining on this mortal coil after death, either due to hate or the magic of the caverns or both, is a good setup. The noto that they’ve been stuck there for a thousand years, plotting revenge and trying to steal Goliath’s life force as recompense, is a wild Twilight Zone-esque premise. And the actual set piece of them utilizing a glowing temple to complete their plan while GOliath trembles before representations of the fallen and lost is striking to say the least.
I also like how “Shadows of the Past” resolves all of this. The Captain was always a more conflicted than evil character. Him choosing redemption rather than revenge by helping Goliath and stopping Hakon in the end adds a twist to the proceedings. But it’s an earned turn in the narrative, given what we know about the Captain from past stories. The fact that he’s freed to ascend to the next plane of existence, while Hakon is trapped “alone, with no one to hate” lays it on a little thick, but it’s still satisfying in its way.
Overall, this is another quality stop on the “wrapping up what went wrong in Scotland” tour, to the point that I wonder how much energy the show will spend on that period of the gargoyles’ lives going forward, considering how much has been put to bed. This is also one of the scarier and, frankly, freakier episodes of the show, which gives it a few extra points in my book.