Double Jeopardy
"Double Jeopardy" is the twenty-ninth televised episode of the series Gargoyles, and the sixteenth episode of Season 2. It originally aired on November 6, 1995.
- Supervising Producers: Frank Paur, Greg Weisman
- Written by: Cary Bates
- Story Edited by: Cary Bates
- Directed by: Frank Paur
- Animation by: Animal-Ya
- Backgrounds by: Animal-Ya, Morning Sun
- Additional Production Facilities: Morning Sun
Contents
Summary
Main Plot
In a last ditch effort to obtain a living gargoyle, Xanatos enlists the help of Sevarius to clone Goliath without his knowledge. The result is Thailog; a self-serving megalomaniacal gargoyle with a Xanatos-like temperament. Thailog manages to trick both Sevarius and Xanatos by setting up a plan for his own abduction during the day by Sevarius at the Eyrie Building, then has Sevarius demand a ransom of twenty million dollars from Xanatos, making it appear to the scientist and the billionaire that the other is behind the whole scheme. Thailog has them come to an abandoned oil rig, and lures Goliath there as well and chains him up along with Elisa and his other two fathers, planning to kill all four of them. They escape, however, and Thailog appears to perish when the oil rig goes up in flames, but Xanatos assumes (correctly) that the clone is still alive.
Subplots
Elisa receives an ominous anonymous call, and brings Lexington and Broadway along with her to investigate. They are attacked by Thailog, but in the darkness and rain can't see him clearly and mistake him for Goliath. After Goliath convinces them of his innocence, he and Elisa go to the place where the attack happened and spot Xanatos driving a motor boat to the oil rig. They see a confrontation between Xanatos and Sevarius before finding Thailog chained in an oil tank. Goliath finds out too late that Thailog's chains weren't locked and that the clone had made the anonymous call to Elisa in order to lure him there.
The story behind Thailog's creation is revealed to Lexington when he breaks into the Gen-U-Tech databanks; A year previous, Goliath was attacked at the Castle by a Steel Clan robot, and Owen collected his DNA under the guise of attending to the robot-inflicted injury. Sevarius created Thailog in his lab, aging him artificially, and implemented a subliminal education program designed by Xanatos.
Elisa convinces Goliath that he shouldn't take his anger out on Thailog, the apparent victim, after Goliath becomes angry at seeing him for the first time. She tells him that Thailog is almost like his son, before Thailog jumps Goliath and weakens him with a gas created by Sevarius. Thailog had planned for Goliath to meet with him at the oil rig in order to make an alliance, but Goliath's initial outburst turned the clone off to his "father".
Thailog tells his captives of his plan to take the money and ignite oil barrels on the rig to kill them. After he leaves, Elisa is able to get out of her shackles, and uses the electronic disk that Thailog used to short out Xanatos's armor to offset the gas used on Goliath. Goliath tries to appeal to Thailog to give up his ways and join the clan, but Thailog tries to shoot him with his flare gun, resulting in a fight and a fire on the rig. Goliath is knocked off into the water while Thailog gets away unseen with the money.
Goliath is disappointed in himself and feels partially responsible for failing his "son", and Xanatos feels true remorse at creating such a monster.
The Story
Previously on Gargoyles
- Recaps: ("Awakening: Part Five", "Metamorphosis")
Act One
One Year Ago: At the summit of the Eyrie Building, deep within the bowels of the Castle, a Steel Clan robot mysteriously activates. It's audio receptors pick up the voice Elisa Maza arguing "a thousand years ago this Castle was yours to protect, but it belongs to Xanatos now. Before he's released from prison you need to find a new home, this one is lost to you." When Goliath responds, the robot locks onto the sound and bursts through the floor beneath them and attacks.
The Steel Clan robot activates it's arm-mounted particle cannon and fires. Goliath pulls Elisa to safety. She is shocked to see the robot, believing Goliath had destroyed them all. "Apparently I missed one," Goliath says just before the robot attacks him, pushing the gargoyle into the parapet. As he struggles, the robot claws into Goliath's right bicep with its steel talons.
Regaining his strength, Goliath shoves the robot onto its back. Before the robot can fire, Goliath leaps to the air and comes down on the robot's head, crushing it. "You see, Elisa," he declares: "Xanatos will never drive us from our home!" But the detective is more concerned over the fact that Goliath has been wounded. The gargoyle shrugs it off as Owen Burnett approaches them with a First Aid kit. He apologizes for the robot's attack: "there was a brief overload in its power matrix. Before we could take the unit offline, it broke free." He opens the First Aid kit pulling out a cotton swab offering to attend to it. Goliath growls in protest, but Elisa agrees. Owen proceeds to tend to the gargoyle's wound.
One Year Later: On a stormy night as Elisa's car skidded on Riverside Drive bordering a cliff overlooking the river. Elisa speaks into the communicator on her collar, apologizing to Lexington and Broadway for bringing them out into this storm. Lex tells her it's okay because if some mysterious voice told him the power plant was going to melt down tonight, he wouldn't take chances either. As Elisa thanks them, the two gargoyles are accosted midair by a mysterious figure. Their mysterious attacker knocks the duo out of the sky before swooping down in front of Elisa's windshield and back up again. Elisa grabs the wheel and swerves the car to a stop, nearly driving off the cliff.
Elisa exits her car as Broadway and Lexington land and ask what happened. Elisa's not sure, but they are interrupted as lightning strikes and a figure resembling Goliath is briefly illuminated. The figure's maniacal laughter echoes through the sky.
At Gen-U-Tech Systems, Dr. Anton Sevarius hands a stack of $50,000 in cash to the leader of a band of mercenaries promising the balance upon completion, and hoping the group will deliver. The mercenary leader brags that for the right price, he and his team could lift the Venus de Milo out of the Louvre but expresses concern that his mission would be easier at night. "No it wouldn't, and trust me on that," Sevarius retorts as he leans back in his chair.
Back at the Clock Tower, Elisa finishes describing the incident to Hudson. Lexington makes a point to mention that menacing laugh. Hudson is concerned, this doesn't sound like the Goliath he knows. Broadway demands an explanation from Goliath himself. Hudson reminds them that Goliath and Brooklyn are out on patrol... at least that's where he said they'd be and with dawn fast approaching they'd probably find a ledge to spend the day on... somewhere Goliath would feel safe. The gargoyles take their place and enter stone sleep as the Sun rises.
At the Eyrie Building, Xanatos gazes with pride at the sleeping gargoyle a top the highest tower, the form of the sleeping Goliath. "It's nice to have him here guarding the Castle", Xanatos says. Owen agrees as they enter inside to begin the day's business. Owen informs his boss that the Emir is having trouble meeting his deadline, but Xanatos silences him. The sound of a helicopter is way too close for comfort. The two of them quickly rush back into the Courtyard in time to witness mercenaries descend from a helicopter and steal the sleeping gargoyle. Owen reaches for a weapon, but Xanatos won't allow the gargoyle to be damaged. Owen asks if this is a plan that Xanatos failed to mention. Xanatos denies it and lists Demona, Macbeth, and Halcyon Renard as suspects. Regardless of the culprit, that individual is going to pay.
The mercenary leader calls Sevarius to confirm he was successful in his mission, and that they were spotted, but, as expected, Xanatos held his fire. Sevarius is pleased and promises the merc the rest of what's coming to him tonight before instructing him to meet at the rendezvous point after dark. The merc, however, is unable to shake the feeling that Sevarius gives him the creeps.
After sunset, Goliath and Brooklyn return to the Clock Tower to be confronted by the rest of the clan. Goliath is confused, surely they know he's not in the habit of playing childish pranks or laughing maniacally in the dark. Hudson wonders if Goliath even knows how to laugh maniacally. Elisa interjects that they heard and saw him, but Brooklyn as Goliath's alibi claims they never left Midtown. Broadway then wonders who it was that had messed with them last night.
The mercenaries land their helicopter at the Black Rock Point oil rig when Sevarius approaches with a tranquilizer gun. The lead merc is confused; he's never seen a statue that needed to be put to sleep. "You have now . . ." Sevarius says as the steel crate explodes open and a large, male gargoyle emerges, eyes burning red as he roars to the heavens.
Act Two
Goliath accompanies Elisa, Broadway, and Lexington back to the spot on Riverside Drive where they were attacked the previous night. Standing on the spot where the mysterious gargoyle stood, Broadway finds a metal band on he ground. It's one of the tracking devices that Gen-U-Tech uses. Lexington hypothesizes that the creature they saw might have been one of theirs. Goliath assigns the two gargoyles to pay Gen-U-Tech a visit to see what they can find out. Elisa reminds Goliath that if Gen-U-Tech is involved, then so is Sevarius and that she doesn't need to remind him who the scientist works for. Goliath understands that and they investigate the area to see if they can find the creature.
Owen approaches Xanatos's desk and answers the ringing phone telling Xanatos that this is the call they've been expecting. Xanatos answers and a voice muffled by electronic masking speaks: "At 2 a.m. you will come alone to the offshore oil rig at Black Rock Point with the sum of $20 million in cash. Failure to pay will result in the immediate extermination of your prized specimen." Xanatos packs a briefcase with the cash and wishes the voice stayed on the line for three more seconds. Owen, however, had been doing his own investigation. He's uncovered that Xanatos Enterprises currently holds the lease on the Black Rock Point oil rig. Xanatos is not surprised, it has to be Sevarius – the only other person with intimate knowledge of Project Thailog. While Xanatos would hate to lose a resource as fertile as Anton's mind, he can't tolerate this kind of behavior and is resolved to make an example.
Lexington and Broadway enter Sevarius's office at Gen-U-Tech and access his computer. Lex narrows down the search by guessing what it was they saw and types in the word "Clone". He uncovers the Project Thailog logbook. The Steel Clan robot attacking Goliath a year ago allowing Owen to use it as an excuse to extract living cell samples, enough to facilitate a successful cloning procedure. Sevarius's accelerated growth process altering the gargoyles' normally slow aging rate with the only side effect being an odd skin and hair pigmentation. Further, the artificial maturation rate has been augmented by an ongoing subliminal education program . . . personally designed by Xanatos to teach "his own unique slant on things". But now the subject is been fully grown and left the nest to take it's place in the world. The two young gargoyles know that this is bad news and depart.
Meanwhile Goliath and Elisa have found nothing, but Goliath has grown curious of the seemingly abandoned oil rig which someone else has found a new use for it as they spot Xanatos heading out there in a speedboat.
Xanatos arrives at the oil rig and is greeted by Sevarius; the industrialist sets the briefcase on a nearby crate and Sevarius takes a peek and is stunned to see cash in $10,000 denominations. Xanatos removes his overcoat revealing his compact armor and grabs Sevarius. While he's not by nature a vengeful man, the scientist's behavior has forced him to make an exception.
While Goliath and Elisa watch this from overhead, they deign not to interrupt them just yet; the gargoyle wants to look inside.
Sevarius stares down at Xanatos in utter bewilderment wondering what he did wrong. "Kidnapping, extortion, betrayal? Where would you like to start?" Xanatos replies. Sevarius thinks he understands . . . someone must be watching them, so he plays along and delivers the most over the top, scene-chewing confession of betrayal he can muster before whispering, "there, how was that?" leaving Xanatos the one now confused.
Goliath and Elisa land on the platform and hear screaming coming from inside the oil tank. He opens the door and the two of them enter and meet a gargoyle chained to the wall. The gargoyle is pleased to meet Goliath at last and introduces himself as Thailog. Elisa is stunned, but Goliath is shocked: "What kind of abomination are you?" he growls. Thailog barely suppresses a snarl: "the same kind as you – it was your blood that spawned me." "My blood?!" Goliath shouts. Elisa figures it out – Thailog is a clone grown from a piece of Goliath like a cutting from a plant. But Goliath is now furious. "A piece of me?" he roars, "this thing is me! First Xanatos steals my home and now he pieces out my soul!" Elisa agrees that Goliath has every right to be angry, but no right to take it out on Thailog. How he came to be no longer matters as now he is just as much a gargoyle as Goliath. "In a way he's almost your son, how can you reject him?" Goliath calms down and agrees: "If there's anyone to blame, it's Xanatos" and he chooses to release the clone.
But Thailog opens his shackles and grabs a mask attached to a tank and pounces on Goliath, pinning him to the ground... the mask held over Goliath's face. "That won't be necessary," he says "the shackles weren't locked." Elisa cries out for Thailog to stop, but Goliath passes out and Thailog rises to his feet, eyes burning red. "And just for the record, I'm more of a gargoyle than he'll ever be!" he declares as he menacingly advances on Elisa, his maniacal laugh echoing through the oil tank.
Act Three
Xanatos hasn't released Sevarius yet, but asks why the doctor thinks this all just an act. Sevarius explains that he received instructions from Xanatos's office computer. "Prepping the rig, hiring the mercenaries, the ransom call, you planned every detail." The scientist assumed it was all part of a Machiavellian scheme against one of Xanatos's enemies. Finally, Xanatos releases him and says he assumed incorrectly. Sevarius, however, wonders who was calling the shots and suggests Owen and Fox as suspects, but Xanatos won't hear of it. "Who else had access to the Castle?" Sevarius asks. But Xanatos has already figured it out and beams with pride. "Well, what do you know? The kid turned out to be a real chip off the old block." Thailog agrees as he swoops down on Xanatos and plants an electronic disc on his armored chest knocking the billionaire out: "Indeed he did – all the old blocks." Xanatos briefly passes out.
Thailog finishes shackling everyone to the wall inside the oil tank. Xanatos is impressed with what the clone accomplished, but wonders why Thailog didn't simply just ask for money, they could have come to an arrangement. "Maybe on your terms, not mine," Thailog retorts declaring he had no plans to live his life as Xanatos's stooge and Sevarius's guinea pig. In any event, it's time for him to go as he has plans of his own and $20 million to see them through. Sevarius asks how he intends to spend it; stroll into a bank and open a checking account? But Thailog is confident that he'll find a way to make it work for him.
Goliath interjects and begin pleading with Thailog not to go down this path as money is a necessary evil in Xanatos's world and asks Thailog to join his clan. Thailog scoffs at the idea of playing guardian angel night after night to a "decrepit city infested with inferior humans; where is the profit in that?" Goliath tries to reach him, life for a gargoyle isn't about profit, it's about protecting those you care for. Thailog confesses that he considered caring about Goliath; in fact, he arranged for Goliath to be here so he could share the money with him. "But our little family reunion disappointed me, father – so I've decided to hate you, too."
Thailog then turns his attention to Elisa and strokes her hair, saying she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. When Sevarius wonders what that means, Xanatos informs the scientist that Thailog means for them all to die. Thailog confirms this, the rig isn't empty, there are two-hundred gallons of stored oil topside, and, on his way out, he'll open the tanks and flood the platform with oil before using his flare gun to ignite them, looking forward to seeing all three of his proud fathers go up in a fiery blaze of glory. He laughs once more as he leaves them to their fate.
Once they are alone, Elisa slips her hand from her shackles, to the amusement of Xanatos. "You work with handcuffs as much as I do, you pick up a few tricks." But Sevarius protests that this doesn't help them – she can't break their chains. Xanatos says Goliath can, but Anton insists that he can't: he designed the gas that Thailog used on Goliath and it was designed to keep him weak and helpless for hours. Ready to give up, Goliath agrees and urges Elisa to flee, but she refuses to leave him to die with Xanatos and Sevarius. Xanatos points out that the magnetic disc Thailog hit him with shorted out his armor, leaving him powerless. Sevarius has a eureka moment and says the disc could be their salvation if it still carries a charge. Xanatos pieces it together and agrees that it could adrenalize Goliath enough to offset the gas and restore his strength. Elisa takes the disc; she's reluctant to use it, but Goliath insists they have no choice.
Outside, as Thailog opens the barrels, he hears Goliath's screams. "Now I know where I got the temper," he chuckles to himself as Goliath regains his strength.
Goliath tears the door to the tank off and they spot the oil covering the deck. Taking one look at Thailog's handiwork, Elisa points out, "One spark and the whole rig goes up like a Roman Candle!" Xanatos leads them back to his speedboat. Goliath sends Elisa with them, but she refuses. Goliath pleads with her again – he has to face Thailog alone. "He is of my blood – he is my son."
As Thailog's work is nearly complete, Goliath approaches him, arguing that it's not too late and they can start over. But the clone refuses. "Over my dead body or, better yet, yours!" as he draws the flare gun. Goliath attacks him and in the commotion Thailog loses grip of his briefcase of money. Struggling for the flare gun it fires off, igniting the oil.
Xanatos fires up the speedboat and puts himself, Sevarius, and Elisa at a safe distance before stopping and waiting.
Goliath spots Thailog in the midst of the flames and calls for him. "Thailog, come with me! The water is out only chance!" But Thailog is defiant: "Not without my money!" But Goliath again pleads that there is no time. Thailog finds the briefcase and smiles, but the two are separated by an explosion, the force knocking Goliath into the water.
Elisa watches the successive explosions, horrified and buries her face in her hands. Xanatos places a comforting hand on her shoulder, which she shoves away when Goliath emerges alive and safe. The gargoyle swims for the boat and joins them. "Well, I should have known that no copy could stand up to the original," Xanatos quips as he hands Goliath a towel. Goliath refuses the towel and glares at his enemy: "That copy was a living being," he says before his voice fills with regret, "and we've all failed him."
Lexington and Broadway arrive shortly after and land on the boat saying they learned plenty about Thailog. "So did we, guys," Elisa says with disappointment. "So did we."
Some time later, Owen brings Xanatos an expense report as his boss is having breakfast saying that it's unfortunate Xanatos couldn't have prevented the ransom money from burning up as that $20 million would cover a more secure computer system for the corporation. "What makes you so sure the $20 million went up in smoke?" Xanatos asks. Owen is perplexted, but Xanatos explains that it just occurred to him that, had he been in Thailog's shoes, he would have had a contingency plan for escaping the oil rig; that faking his own death would be the optimum means of escaping scot-free with all those millions.
Astonished, Owen asks, "You mean that creature is still out there? It has the money? It's as powerful as Goliath? And it's smarter than you?"
Xanatos looks out over the city and, with regret, replies, "Owen, I think I've created a monster" imagining the maniacal laugh of his malevolent creation. Laughing at him. Laughing at having gotten the better of him.
Featured Characters and First Appearances
| Gargoyles | Humans | Others |
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| Places | Objects | Media | Miscellaneous |
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Quotes
- "You should have heard his laugh! Make my hair stand on end! If I had any." - Lexington
- "Surely you know I am not in the habit of playing childish pranks, or laughing maniacally in the dark."
- "Do you even know how to laugh maniacally?" - Goliath and Hudson
- "I've never seen a statue that needed to be put to sleep."
- "You have now." - Mercenary and Sevarius
- "This is bad news, isn't it?"
- "You can say that again."
- "This is bad news." - Broadway and Lexington
- "Oh, we're being watched, is that it? Very well . . . Yes! I betrayed you!! You robbed me of my greatest creation; my ultimate achievement! I only took back what was mine.. . . There how was that?" - Sevarius
- "What kind of abomination are you?!"
- "The same kind as you! It was your blood that spawned me!" - Goliath and Thailog
- "They grew him from a piece of you like a cutting from a plant!"
- "A piece of me?! This thing is me! First Xanatos steals my home, and now pieces off my soul!!" - Elisa and Goliath
- "And just for the record, I'm more of a gargoyle than he'll ever be!" - Thailog
- "Typical. You do and do and do with them, and what happens? They twist the knife in you!"
- "Don't tempt me." - Sevarius and Thailog
- "I love a woman with delicate wrists."
- "You work with handcuffs as much as I do, you pick up a few tricks." - Xanatos and Elisa
- "He is of my blood; he is my son." - Goliath
- "Well, I should have known no copy could live up to the original."
- "That copy was a living being . . . and we all failed him." - Xanatos and Goliath
- "You mean that creature is still out there? It has the money? It's as powerful as Goliath? And it's smarter than you?"
- "Owen, I think I created a monster." - Owen and Xanatos
Continuity
Thailog is introduced for the first time. At the end of the episode he escapes with $20 million. He reappears in "Sanctuary", having used the money to finance Nightstone Unlimited.
Goliath's initial reaction to Thailog is similar to his reaction to seeing Coldstone for the first time in "Reawakening" though Goliath quickly recants his opinion in both cases.
Owen makes a fresh mention of the Emir to Xanatos (the first mention being in "The Edge"); by this time, Greg Weisman was thinking of turning the Emir into an on-stage character, which would be achieved in "Grief".
Xanatos includes Demona, Macbeth, and Renard on his list of suspects behind Thailog's "kidnapping", even listing Renard twice (the second time comes when Owen reports that the oil rig named as the rendezvous for the ransom money is secretly owned by a large corporation, and Xanatos immediately asks, "Cyberbiotics?").
Broadway spells out the word "clone" carefully while watching Lexington hacking into Sevarius's files on the Thailog Project, another indication that he is slowly learning how to read (a process he began in "A Lighthouse in the Sea of Time").
Anton Sevarius appears for the first time since "Metamorphosis". He reappears in "The Cage".
Owen mentions the need for the installation of a newer security system at the Castle to Xanatos. This system will be in place by "Kingdom", though it is rather easily bypassed by Talon and the Trio.
Tidbits
The concept of Thailog was initially inspired by Greg Weisman's hearing Goliath's name spoken backwards while rewinding the voice acting tapes during the making of the first season. (It helped, also, that Greg was favorably impressed with Keith David's voice acting talent, and wanted to give him the opportunity to stretch that by playing a thoroughly villainous character as well as the noble Goliath.)
The dates given in Sevarius's video documentary about the cloning and education of Thailog are all dates of personal significance to Greg Weisman (the birthdays of himself and various family members, his wedding anniversary, etc.). [1]
Thailog arranging to receive the $20 million mirrors Xanatos sending himself the coin from the year 975 (in "Vows"), which was worth $20,000, and separating from his father afterwards. Whether this was intentional on Thailog's part or if he even knew of how Xanatos got his start is unknown.
DVD Release
See Also
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