Enjoy the discussion!
I’ve always had a soft spot for Matt Bluestone, which is why I’ve always had a soft spot for Revelations. As far as I was concerned when I first watched it, it was about time he got to find out the truth about the clan. Particularly after the events of The Silver Falcon, which is, more or less, the prequel to this episode.
If you need a refresher, for The Silver Falcon, the discussion post can be here. Either way, enjoy the discussion here.
Points of Interest
(I’m just highlight a few bits and pieces here. Feel free to take the discussion in any direction you like!!)
Matt and Elisa
“It’s not that I didn’t trust you. I guess I just didn’t want to share them.”
According to Greg’s episode memo, the theme of the episode was ‘trust’. You only have to look at Elisa and Matt to see that that rings true. This time, however, it is Elisa’s deception that is causing trouble. (In The Silver Falcon, it was Matt’s secrecy that got him into trouble. He learned a lesson from it, but Elisa apparently hasn’t.) Do you think he was entitled to feel betrayed? If theirs roles had been reversed, would he have told Elisa about the clan?
I was surprised by the opening of the episode. Not only because the commentary was unexpected – although it worked well when it came to getting Matt’s thoughts across – but because Matt was playing the bad guy. Did you think he was really on the wrong side? I did. Which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, of course, since I love a great many of the gargoyle villains. The scene in the car was alarming. His voice and his facial expression – switching from permanent scepticism, for once – did a great job of conveying just how betrayed he felt. I wasn’t sure how far he’d actually go to get Elisa to realise the truth.
At first, I wondered why Matt believed Mace so easily. But we’d already been shown that he knew Elisa had been lying to him. Showing that little scene at the beginning of the episode was a good idea. (I knew why Elisa was lying, and I understood why Elisa was lying, but I still felt sorry for Matt.)
In this episode, Matt went up a great deal in my estimation. His reason for pursuing Mace Malone was more than just the Illuminati aspect. He was interested in organised crime. Less of conspiracy nut and more of a police officer willing to pursue unexpected pathways.
And, conversely, Elisa went down in my estimation. At least for a little while. I was disappointed that she’d kept them a secret in order to feel special. For a long time, and as a child viewer, I tried to convince myself that she’d done it for a noble reason. Because, even though she trusted Matt, she could guarantee their safety more easily if she was the only one in the know. But then I grew up and realised that flawed characters were more interesting, and Elisa’s show of humanity made her a bit more human and a bit less perfect.
Matt and Goliath
Just a small section here, but, given that the theme of the episode was ‘trust’, I thought it warranted mentioning. I love Goliath’s initial reaction to Matt – and his reaction to Matt asking him for a favour in exchange for his silence. After all, he’s been watching Matt for a long time. He knows what Elisa’s partner is supposed to be like. The bartering Matt isn’t the Matt he knows, and it isn’t the Matt we know either.
I’m glad it was just a front.
The Illuminati
“You should see the dental plan.”
The Illuminati are interesting not because of their place in the real world, but because we never get to find out what they’re really up to. Demona wants revenge on humanity, Xanatos wants immortality, but we never get to find out what the organisation’s purpose really is. I’m going to go out on a limb and say ‘sinister’, though.
In fact, I’m definitely going to go for ‘sinister’. How else could you describe the Hotel Cabal? I wasn’t surprised to learn that it was initially supposed to be linked to Disney’s Tower of Terror ride. The idea of breaking people is such a horrible, psychological way is very like something out of a horror movie. Greg’s memo spoke about wanting it to look like something out of an Escher painting, which means that you’d never know where you were and every exit would be another trap and another corner. I don’t know about you, but that’d scare me more than blades and guns. (Probably, anyway.) We know Goliath can hold his own in most fights, but how could be possibly fight against something like that? Mace’s ending was definitely highly unpleasant. I know he was the bad guy, but … ouch.
Speaking of Illuminati members, what are your thoughts on Hacker? I liked the day he book ended the episode, which Greg drew attention to in the memo. First he told Matt that the society wasn’t real, then he invited him to join at the very end. I don’t know, he struck me as fairly innocuous on the outside. I always wanted to know if he was actually more than he seemed.
Episode Roundup
Gargoyles Defying the Laws of Physics: The entire segment in the hotel defined the laws of physics!
Star Trek Voices: Not today!
Dramatic Awakening Scenes: 1
New Minor Returning Characters:
- Mace Malone
- Jack Dane
Handy Links
- GargWiki
- Greg’s Episode Ramble
