Leader of the Pack
"Leader of the Pack" is the fourteenth televised episode of the series Gargoyles, and the first episode of Season 2. It originally aired on September 4, 1995.
- Produced by: Frank Paur, Greg Weisman
- Written by: Steven Perry
- Story Edited by: Michael Reaves
- Directed by: Frank Paur
- Animation by: Walt Disney Animation Japan
- Backgrounds by: Tachiko Kimura, Jade Animation Productions
- Additional Production Facilities: Nakamura Production, Studio Robin, Takahashi Production
Contents
Summary
Main Plot
Jackal, Hyena, and Wolf are broken out of Rikers Island by Dingo and the Pack's new leader, Xanatos's robot lookalike, Coyote 1.0, while Fox opts to serve out her time after stopping Hyena from killing a guard. The rest of the Pack escapes in a large air/water craft provided by Coyote, and motivated by his words, plan to get revenge on the gargoyles who they blame for getting them into prison. The clan finds out about the breakout from Elisa, and Brooklyn, Lexington, and Bronx walk into the Pack's ambush at PackMedia Studios, where they are defeated and taken hostage on an oil tanker in the bay. The rest of the clan learns from Owen their location, and the gargoyles fight the Pack on the ship, which goes up in flames when a stray blast from Coyote hits some oil barrels. The Pack retreats after Lexington destroys Coyote's body, and Fox is given an early parole.
Subplots
Lexington still holds a strong grudge against the Pack, so much so that Brooklyn is worried about him. He tries to remind Lexington what's really important, but the smaller gargoyle refuses to listen. During the battle on the oil tanker, Brooklyn is knocked unconscious and is in danger of falling into the water. Lexington gives up his chance to shoot down the escaping Pack's craft to save his brother, thus realizing his true priorities.
Coyote appoints himself leader of the Pack, which Wolf is not happy about. He tries to take Coyote down, but the robot easily sends him reeling.
Coyote reveals himself to the Pack as Xanatos. Dingo reminds his Pack-mates that Xanatos is the one that helped them, and it was Fox who got them into prison. Coyote comes up with the plan to lay in wait for the gargoyles at Pack Media studios, then has Owen instruct the others where to find them. He also supplies the Pack with uniforms and weaponry.
Hyena harbors an attraction to Coyote, even more so when she finds out he's a robot.
Bronx has a thorough dislike of Coyote from the beginning, attacking him when he gets the chance. It's Bronx who reveals that "Xanatos" is really a robot when the beast chews half the construct's face off, a trait that stays with Coyote for the rest of the series.
Picking Fox up from prison, Xanatos reveals that he was never really interested in revenge, as he had Coyote made to be, and staged the whole breakout and subsequent battles with the gargoyles to get Fox an early parole as well as test the prototype robot. He reveals that he's in love with Fox.
The Story
Previously on Gargoyles
- Recaps: ("Her Brother's Keeper", "The Thrill of the Hunt")
Act One
It is late afternoon at Rikers Island. A jumbo jet takes off from the neighboring LaGuardia Airport as a masked, armored figure scales the side of the main prison complex. Upon reaching the barred windows, the masked man melts the bars before being confront by the prison guard, Renqvist. Renqvist draws his gun, but the armored figure raises it's right arm and fires a vertigo beam. The guard drops his weapon and collapses into a fetal position as his assailant confiscates his keys.
Jackal stares out the window at the Sun setting behind Manhattan as his cellmate, Wolf, does pushups. As Wolf completes his two-hundred-sixth pushup, Dingo approaches the cell and plants plastic explosive against the bars. Blowing the cell door off, Wolf and Jackal follow exit their cell and follow their teammate down the corridor.
Meanwhile, in Rikers' women's wing, Hyena is shooting cockroaches with crumpled up papers and a rubber band while Fox lays on the bed reading the works of Jean-Paul Sartre. As Hyena nails another cockroach, a robotic voice compliments her and introduces himself as "Coyote". Coyote plants plastic explosives against the cell door, blowing up the door and urging Hyena and Fox to accompany him in his escape. He gifts Hyena with a pair of her clawed-gauntlets. Hyena, all too happy to receive them, "loves a man who brings her weapons." A prison guard breaks her nightstick on Coyote's armor before he throws her to Hyena – who intends to murder the guard. But Fox intervenes and saves the guard's life, refusing to participate in the escape. Fox says she wants to serve her time and pay her debt to society. Hyena decides to kill both but Coyote says there is no time as they make their escape.
Hyena and Coyote run down the corridor towards a dead-end, which Coyote rectifies by firing a particle beam from his left arm, taking her into his arms and leaping down to the ground – coming to a clean landing. The duo then rejoin Dingo, Wolf, and Jackal. Their escape almost seems thwarted before Coyote tears the prison's iron gate from its hinges and throws it at pursuing guards. The four Pack members follow Coyote down to a beach – they now have their backs against the ocean. Jackal thinks they're trapped but Coyote summons a flying vehicle from the depths of the river. They all board and make a clean getaway!
The Sun sets and the Manhattan Clan awakens at the Clock Tower. They are greeted by Elisa Maza who informs them that the Pack has just escaped from Rikers Island. Lexington, without hesitation, is determined to track them down before the trail gets cold. Lex is adamant that they'll go back to PackMedia Studios and he'll be waiting for them. Elisa tells him that the studio is the first place the police are checking. Brooklyn volunteers to accompany Lex (mostly to keep his rookery brother out of trouble) and they take Bronx with them. As Goliath watches them leave, he's certain that the Pack wouldn't be foolish enough to return to the studio. Hudson and Elisa agree – they'll need to trace this problem back to it's source, the man who created the Pack: David Xanatos.
Aboard the Pack Attack Vehicle, Coyote activates the autopilot before addressing the team. Wolf immediately demands to know who died and put him in charge. Coyote folds his arms having appointed himself leader in Fox's absence. Wolf won't hear of it and attacks the armored figure, but is shocked - literally. Wolf gets back to his feet and renews his attack but is, once again, put down. The rest of the Pack are impressed, but won't follow him unless they know who he is. Coyote unmasks revealed the face of David Xanatos.
Act Two
Jackal is less than enthusiastic about the reveal of Coyote's identity but Dingo reminds him that while Fox got the team put away, "this guy" busted them out. Coyote adds that it was Fox who sent them to assassinate Xanatos and, with her out of the picture, that no longer matters. The gargoyles are their real enemy, they'd put Xanatos in prison once and he won't let them go unpunished. Coyote then gifts the Pack with their weapons and uniforms. They don't need to find the gargoyles – the gargoyles will find them.
Goliath, Hudson, and Broadway arrive at the Eyrie Building and confront Owen Burnett in the Great Hall demanding to see Xanatos. Owen tells them that Xanatos is unavailable, but, at any rate, their business is with the Pack. Their social calendar shows them arriving at PackMedia Studios any time now. Goliath leads his two companions away, promising to speak with Xanatos later.
Watching over PackMedia Studios, Brooklyn attempts a heart-to-heart with Lexington, understanding his rookery brother's contempt toward the Pack and that he feels the same way any time someone mentions Demona and advises Lex not to let his anger consume him. But Lex won't hear of it. Once the police leave the studio, Lex dives down to investigate. Brooklyn grabs Bronx and follows. Like the police, they initially find an empty studio, but suddenly the floor opens up and the Pack Attack Vehicle rises. Wolf, Jackal, Hyena, and Dingo exit. Brooklyn holds back a vengeful Lexington telling him that they need a plan, but Lex pushes him away and attacks Wolf. So much for any plan.
Coyote rises from the airship and is attacked by Bronx, but he swipes the beast away knocking him unconscious. Brooklyn gets a few good hits in on Hyena but is taken out by an electrical disc tossed by Dingo. Lex continues to outwit Wolf but is knocked out by Coyote's vertigo beam. The Pack stand over the three victorious.
Act Three
Goliath, Broadway, and Hudson arrive at PackMedia Studios. The building is deserted, but Hudson uses his tracking skills and picks up on all the signs that there was recently a struggle. The phone on the wall rings, Broadway hesitates but Goliath nods for him to answer. Owen speaks to the gargoyle providing an invitation to "an intimate soiree the Pack is having tonight" on the oil tanker, Otoshiana Maru. Owen then adds that some of them are already there before hanging up.
Deep within the empty oil tanker, Brooklyn, Lexington, and Bronx are trapped within many feet of solid steel. Lexington is adamant that they had the upper hand. Brooklyn again tries to calm Lex down, but Lex shouts that he doesn't need Goliath's help and that he can defeat the Pack by himself.
Up top, the Pack open crates of particle beam weapons as the remaining Manhattan Clan soar in from the side. Broadway knocks over Dingo, Wolf, and Jackal, before making his way toward the hatch while Goliath pursues Coyote. As this takes place, Hudson draws his sword as he is surrounded by Dingo, Jackal, and Hyena. He draws his sword as they attack, fighting each of them off and throwing Hyena towards Broadway... the momentum allowing Broadway to tear the hatch right off, freeing Lexington, Brooklyn and Bronx. The small gargoyle attacking Dingo.
Coyote fires his vertigo beam at Goliath and as he is prepared to finish the gargoyle off with a particle beam blast, Goliath bashes the deck beneath them causing the blast to hit a trail of oil igniting the entire ship. Goliath then shoves Coyote against the wall, outraged to see the face of Xanatos. The two grapple as the rest of the clan takes on the rest of the Pack. Coyote gets the upper hand and is about to finish Goliath off before Bronx pounces on him, knocking him to the ground and begins chewing on the left side of his face. Coyote kicks the beast off and rises, revealing his true nature as a robot – much to Hyena's delight.
As Coyote prepares to renew its attacks, Lexington blows a hole through its torso with a particle beam. The robot collapses vowing revenge as Goliath leaps into the air and comes down with a kick, severing the robot's head from the rest of the body. Lex brandishes his gun, asking "Who's next?", but as more of the ship continues to explode, the Pack make their escape towards the airship.
Brooklyn is knocked out by an explosion and Lexington has to choose between saving his rookery brother's life or shooting down the Pack as they fly away. Lexington ultimately chooses life and Brooklyn is saved. Coyote's head also rockets off as the ship floods and slowly sinks to the bottom of the bay. Goliath swoops down and saves Bronx as Brooklyn thanks Lex for saving his life. Lex admits it helped him get his priorities straight.
At Rikers' Island, the parole board convenes and, taking into consideration Fox's exemplary behavior and her decision to serve her time and save the guard while her former accomplices escaped, she is granted an early parole. Fox exits Rikers' and enters a waiting limousine where she's greeted, with a kiss, by her lover: David Xanatos. Xanatos explains that the entire escape was planned to give her a shot at an early parole. Plus, as a bonus, he was given a chance to test his prototype humanoid robot. Fox asks Xanatos about his revenge and laments that his robot was destroyed, but Xanatos doesn't care; revenge is a suckers' game. Further, he could build a dozen more robots like Coyote. True love, however, is so much harder to come by.
Featured Characters and First Appearances
| Gargoyles | Humans | Others |
|---|---|---|
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Quotes
- "Why do you read that stuff?"
- "Because Nietzsche's too butch, and Kafka reminds me of your little friends over there." - Hyena and Fox
- "Well! I like a man who brings me weapons!" - Hyena
- "Coyote, huh? When I get through with you they'll call you Road Kill!" - Wolf
- "Your business, I believe, is with the Pack. As it happens, their social calendar shows them arriving at PackMedia Studios any time now." - Owen
- "Look, Lex, I know how you feel. You trusted them and they used you, nearly got you and Goliath killed. I feel the same way every time somebody mentions Demona. But you can't let it consume you! You need to remember what's really important; family, protecting our home!"
- "You have your priorities, and I have mine." - Brooklyn and Lexington
- "That's no way to treat a lady!"
- "That was no lady!" - Jackal and Brooklyn
- "Uh, Hello?"
- "Good evening, uh, Broadway, is it? I've been instructed to invite you to an intimate soiree the Pack is having tonight. If you and your friends are free around midnight, please consider attending." - Broadway and Owen
- "We almost had 'em!"
- "Oh yeah, yeah they were begging for mercy. How come whenever you and I take Bronx out, we wind up like this?" - Lexington and Brooklyn
- "Come on then. We're none of us gettin' any younger." - Hudson
- "Thanks for saving my bacon before it got fried."
- "Hey, I'm used to it. Besides, it helped me get my priorities straight." - Brooklyn and Lexington
- "Revenge, as they say, is a sucker's game. Robots are nothing, Fox my dear; I can build a dozen more like this one. True love is so much harder to come by." - Xanatos
Continuity
Fox, Wolf, Jackal, and Hyena are all released from Rikers Island prison in this episode (although only Fox does so legally). Fox and Wolf have been in prison since "The Thrill of the Hunt", and Jackal and Hyena have been imprisoned since "Her Brother's Keeper".
Fox effectively quits the Pack in this episode, and the role of leader is occupied by new recruit Coyote.
Hyena and Jackal allude to the events of "Her Brother's Keeper" when they learn (incorrectly) that Coyote is really David Xanatos.
Brooklyn alludes to "Enter Macbeth" when he asks Lexington, "How come whenever you and I take Bronx out, we wind up [in trouble]?"
The Xanatos Tag for this episode reveals that Fox and Xanatos are a couple. This was hinted at in Fox's dialogue in "Her Brother's Keeper". Xanatos soon proposes marriage in the episode "Eye of the Beholder".
Coyote 1.0's head survives this episode, and reappears in "Upgrade" (first on its own, then as a part of Coyote 2.0). The half-robotic and half-human face of Coyote 1.0 after Bronx attacks him becomes a recurring image through all of Coyote's incarnations.
Tidbits
Originally, Coyote was to be called "CY.O.T.I.", short for "Cyber Operational Technical Intelligence", and imagined as a robotic head which could fit onto various robotic bodies of differing shapes. Both concepts were lost in the process of developing the series (though a trace of the latter can be found in "Upgrade" with the flying head of Coyote 1.0, which becomes a component of Coyote 2.0). Coyote's name, of course, is doubly appropriate, in light of his introduction into the series. On the one hand, it fits the "wild canid" imagery of the Pack's names; at the same time, it also recalls the Coyote of Native American legend, a celebrated trickster figure – and Coyote is playing a trickster role, both in masquerading as Xanatos (himself a definite trickster by his own admission) and in carrying out a strategy based on deception and misdirection (just what a trickster would do). This aspect would become especially prominent in "Cloud Fathers", many episodes later.
Coyote also was influenced by Wile E. Coyote of Warner Brothers' animated cartoons, in his suffering from numerous cataclysmic misfortunes (being shot through the middle by Lexington, run over by a train, reduced to rust by Jackal-as-Anubis's-avatar, being crushed by a falling set of girders, and blown up by Coldstone).
Bronx suspects Coyote to be a robot from the start, singling him out for attack during the first fight that he, Brooklyn, and Lexington have with the Pack in this episode. (It helps to have a strong sense of smell.)
The title of this episode is most likely a reference to the 1964 song, "Leader of the Pack", by the Shangri-Las. [1]
Fox makes a reference to Franz Kafka while Hyena is tormenting an insect. Most likely, she is referring to The Metamorphosis, a novella by Kafka where the main character, Gregor Samsa, changes into an insect. "Metamorphosis" is the title of the next episode.
The shots of Goliath knocking off Coyote's head and the head subsequently flying through the air were edited out of the Toon Disney broadcast of the episode.
Hyena's remark to Jackal, ". . . and you said there ain't no Santa Claus!" hints at another legendary figure Greg Weisman intended to include in the Gargoyles Universe. [2][3]
Toon Disney/Disney XD Edits
- Brooklyn punching Hyena in the face is cut.
- Goliath kicking off Coyote's head, after which the gargoyles gathering around it before it flies away is cut. Also as it then fires up and flies off into the sky as Hudson says "Blast! They got away – all of them." is cut.
DVD Release
See Also
- Season Two Ramble
- Background Memo #1
- Background Memo #2
- Background Memo #3
- Greg's Ramble
- Extensive Synopsis and Review
- Voices from the Eyrie Deep Dive
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