[7.6/10] I initially rolled my eyes at this one. Another episode featuring The Pack wasn’t really my cup of tea, and the generic action of fighting the same crop of baddies in a new backdrop doesn't do much for me either. Egypt is cool and all, but that sort of aesthetic is strangely common in these 90s cartoons, so it doesn’t have the same oomph as some previous visits.
But this one ultimately won me over for two specific reasons. One, it’s one of the deeper Gargoyles episodes. It doesn’t just use the Emir’s desire to cajole Anubis, the Egyption God of Death, to comment on personal tragedy, but also on the very concept of death and our desire to undo it. Anubis isn’t just the grim reaper here, and his conversations with the Emir aren’t just the usual claptrap. Istead, he makes broad philosophical points about death as the ultimate fairness, a necessary thing for the world, and the terrifying notion of what would happen if the god of death played favorites. There’s plenty to interrogate about those ideas, but especially for a kids’ show, this one takes a more mature and even-handed view of mortality than I would have expected.
Then, in the third act, it turns into straight horror. Jackal intercepting the Emir’s mystic beam and becoming Anubis’s avatar leads to some pretty frightening stuff. Jackal using his new cosmic powers to reduce his former comrades to infants, and to age our heroes to the point that they’re decrepit is played for the horrific act it represents. HIs death beam sweeping the land is chilling. And the art shift for him obtaining and losing the powers adds a mystical, otherworldly sense to the transformation.
In the process, the Emir has an epiphany, now willing to intercede to stop Jackal and restore the status quo. His sacrifice drips with humility, and an air of “I flew too close to the sun.” This one has the tenor of an H.P. Lovecraft story, of man meddling with unknowable forces and wreaking a terrible vengeance in the process. That Gpliath is able to appeal to the Emir’s better nature and get him to intervene and even sacrifice himself for the good of all leads to a strong finish. Goliath’s last line in particular, that if there’s any justice, the Emir is with his son now, feels especially poetic.
Overall, this one takes a little bit to get going with some generic Pack nonsense to get through. But once it digs into the Emir’s plan, riding high on the chutzpah of building an episode around a character mentioned in a throwaway line, Gargoyles delivers one of its most ambitious concepts yet.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2021-07-29T22:27:46Z
[7.6/10] I initially rolled my eyes at this one. Another episode featuring The Pack wasn’t really my cup of tea, and the generic action of fighting the same crop of baddies in a new backdrop doesn't do much for me either. Egypt is cool and all, but that sort of aesthetic is strangely common in these 90s cartoons, so it doesn’t have the same oomph as some previous visits.
But this one ultimately won me over for two specific reasons. One, it’s one of the deeper Gargoyles episodes. It doesn’t just use the Emir’s desire to cajole Anubis, the Egyption God of Death, to comment on personal tragedy, but also on the very concept of death and our desire to undo it. Anubis isn’t just the grim reaper here, and his conversations with the Emir aren’t just the usual claptrap. Istead, he makes broad philosophical points about death as the ultimate fairness, a necessary thing for the world, and the terrifying notion of what would happen if the god of death played favorites. There’s plenty to interrogate about those ideas, but especially for a kids’ show, this one takes a more mature and even-handed view of mortality than I would have expected.
Then, in the third act, it turns into straight horror. Jackal intercepting the Emir’s mystic beam and becoming Anubis’s avatar leads to some pretty frightening stuff. Jackal using his new cosmic powers to reduce his former comrades to infants, and to age our heroes to the point that they’re decrepit is played for the horrific act it represents. HIs death beam sweeping the land is chilling. And the art shift for him obtaining and losing the powers adds a mystical, otherworldly sense to the transformation.
In the process, the Emir has an epiphany, now willing to intercede to stop Jackal and restore the status quo. His sacrifice drips with humility, and an air of “I flew too close to the sun.” This one has the tenor of an H.P. Lovecraft story, of man meddling with unknowable forces and wreaking a terrible vengeance in the process. That Gpliath is able to appeal to the Emir’s better nature and get him to intervene and even sacrifice himself for the good of all leads to a strong finish. Goliath’s last line in particular, that if there’s any justice, the Emir is with his son now, feels especially poetic.
Overall, this one takes a little bit to get going with some generic Pack nonsense to get through. But once it digs into the Emir’s plan, riding high on the chutzpah of building an episode around a character mentioned in a throwaway line, Gargoyles delivers one of its most ambitious concepts yet.