[7.1/10] This is a fun idea, albeit with a silly means of making it all work. Imagining how gargoyles might have impacted the dogfighting above the skies of London is an entertaining thought experiment, and the show finds neat ways for Goliath and Griff to get involved in these aerial battles.
But again, I’m a little tired of this show going back to time travel again and again. Thankfully, this outing is a little more forgivable, since it’s a means of injecting Goliath into past events he had nothing else to do with, rather than altering or recontextualizing events the audience has already seen.
But my favorite part of this one is the emotional trajectory of Leo and Una. They’re mad at present day Goliath for getting Griff killed and Goliath, naturally, has no idea what they’re talking about since...well...he’s yet to travel to the past at that point. (It’s admittedly a little confusing to talk about tenses and order of events here, as the close of the episode acknowledges.) So they kidnap and subdue Elisa, Angela, and Bronx as retribution.
The real issue, though, is their own guilt at not having gone out to fight with Griff. Griff wanted to go aid the humans, while Leo and Una dismiss WWII as a “human problem.” They blame Griff’s apparent death on Goliath’s “human problems soon become gargoyle problems” speech, which convinced Griff to join the fray. I like where they end up, realizing that they’re wrong to blame GOliath, that he’s an outlet for them to avoid blaming themselves for their inaction, a brand of inaction that cost them their friends (or in Una’s case, the man she loved).
Goliath going back to the past to try to protect Griff makes for an interesting dynamic, especially when Griff is understandably throwing himself into combat situations. It’s not exactly an escort mission, since Griff can hold his own, but it creates an added urgency for Goliath, especially considering he seemingly needs to keep Griff safe in order to free his friends.
There’s catharsis, then, when it turns out Griff didn't die in WWII, but rather that Goliath brought him to the future to reunite with Leo and Una, thereby explaining his absence. Griff’s reappearance and Leo and Una’s epiphanies lead them to take action to stop the thugs hassling people in their neighborhood (bothering a brown-skinned individual for being foreign, no less), showing they’ve been ignited out of their past complacency. It’s a nice way to illustrate their change of heart, and bring Griff’s enervating spirit back in the fold.
Again, the design work here is cool, with some neat depictions of London and cool designs for the more animalistic English gargoyles. I like the idea that gargoyles from different geographic areas look different. Griff commenting that Goliath seems to be “of Scottish stock” is a nice bit of worldbuilding.
Overall, some of the fights here can get a little monotonous, but Goliath’s mission adds a unique urgency, and the tale of caring about your fellow man, be they human or gargoyle, is a strong one.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2021-07-28T19:29:45Z
[7.1/10] This is a fun idea, albeit with a silly means of making it all work. Imagining how gargoyles might have impacted the dogfighting above the skies of London is an entertaining thought experiment, and the show finds neat ways for Goliath and Griff to get involved in these aerial battles.
But again, I’m a little tired of this show going back to time travel again and again. Thankfully, this outing is a little more forgivable, since it’s a means of injecting Goliath into past events he had nothing else to do with, rather than altering or recontextualizing events the audience has already seen.
But my favorite part of this one is the emotional trajectory of Leo and Una. They’re mad at present day Goliath for getting Griff killed and Goliath, naturally, has no idea what they’re talking about since...well...he’s yet to travel to the past at that point. (It’s admittedly a little confusing to talk about tenses and order of events here, as the close of the episode acknowledges.) So they kidnap and subdue Elisa, Angela, and Bronx as retribution.
The real issue, though, is their own guilt at not having gone out to fight with Griff. Griff wanted to go aid the humans, while Leo and Una dismiss WWII as a “human problem.” They blame Griff’s apparent death on Goliath’s “human problems soon become gargoyle problems” speech, which convinced Griff to join the fray. I like where they end up, realizing that they’re wrong to blame GOliath, that he’s an outlet for them to avoid blaming themselves for their inaction, a brand of inaction that cost them their friends (or in Una’s case, the man she loved).
Goliath going back to the past to try to protect Griff makes for an interesting dynamic, especially when Griff is understandably throwing himself into combat situations. It’s not exactly an escort mission, since Griff can hold his own, but it creates an added urgency for Goliath, especially considering he seemingly needs to keep Griff safe in order to free his friends.
There’s catharsis, then, when it turns out Griff didn't die in WWII, but rather that Goliath brought him to the future to reunite with Leo and Una, thereby explaining his absence. Griff’s reappearance and Leo and Una’s epiphanies lead them to take action to stop the thugs hassling people in their neighborhood (bothering a brown-skinned individual for being foreign, no less), showing they’ve been ignited out of their past complacency. It’s a nice way to illustrate their change of heart, and bring Griff’s enervating spirit back in the fold.
Again, the design work here is cool, with some neat depictions of London and cool designs for the more animalistic English gargoyles. I like the idea that gargoyles from different geographic areas look different. Griff commenting that Goliath seems to be “of Scottish stock” is a nice bit of worldbuilding.
Overall, some of the fights here can get a little monotonous, but Goliath’s mission adds a unique urgency, and the tale of caring about your fellow man, be they human or gargoyle, is a strong one.