Shadows of the Past
"Shadows of the Past" is the thirty-seventh televised episode of the series Gargoyles, and the twenty-fourth episode of Season 2. It originally aired on November 23, 1995.
- Supervising Producers: Frank Paur, Greg Weisman
- Story by: Michael Reaves
- Teleplay: Michael Reaves, Brynne Chandler Reaves
- Story Edited by: Michael Reaves
- Director: Kazuo Terada
- Animation by: Walt Disney Animation Japan
- Backgrounds by: Walt Disney Animation Japan
- Additional Production Facilities: Nakamura Production, Studio Robin, Light Foot, Studio Cats, Takahashi Production, Jade Animation Productions
Contents
Summary
The Story
Previously on Gargoyles
- Recaps: ("Awakening: Part Two", "Avalon" Part Three)
Act One
Waves crash off the coast of a nearby cliff. As a storm brews from above, a skiff emerges from the fog. Onboard, Angela steers the rudder against the elements, commenting that she's never seen such weather; on Avalon it was always summer. Realizing she's not returned to Manhattan, Elisa asks where they are. Goliath instantly recognizes the cliffs on the coastline: "It's home. MY home."
Lightning crashes and the waves grow stronger. The winds pick up into two separate funnels on either side of the skiff. Elisa and Goliath hold onto the sides and skiff's figurehead, respectively. Lightning and thunder continue as Bronx covers his head. Rain begins to pour with intensity. The rudder Angela is holding onto has little impact in directing the skiff at this point. It tosses about and spins wildly in all directions on the open waters until the four travelers are pushed into a cavern between the cliffs and are swiftly grounded. "Now THAT was an E-ticket ride!" Elisa quips as she hops out of the vessel. Angela figures they should rest here and wait out the storm before returning to Avalon to make another attempt for Manhattan, but Goliath points out the cavern will be underwater when the tide comes in. Therefore they will need to go to higher ground, pointing to the cliffs above. Rain begins to pour again and Elisa points out they will be "under water either way". She helps Bronx hop out of the skiff as he and Angela disembark. Goliath then begins his way up the steep, wet cliffside, with Angela, Elisa, and Bronx following from behind. Elisa briefly loses her footing but quickly catches herself.
They eventually emerge from a cave on the cliffside, overlooking the sea. As rain pours down, Goliath points out where Castle Wyvern originally stood. Without waiting for the others he begins to climb, explaining that they must see the sight of their "ancestral home". Elisa shrugs off Goliath's behavior and hops onto Angela's back. Bronx begins to climb after them. Goliath makes it to the cliff's edge, as do the others. As he walks, he is stunned to see Castle Wyvern – as it once stood – lit up by the lightning. Goliath can't believe his eyes, and a blink and lightning flash later, and the cavity left by Xanatos's handiwork in transporting the Castle to the Eyrie Building is all that remains.
Angela notices the shock on Goliath's face and asks what he saw. "Nothing . . . just shadows," he grimaces. Bronx sniffs out a lizard while Angela orients herself with where their clan once lived. She notices an opening and asks what was there. Goliath recognizes it as an opening to the Wyvern rookery, where he and his brothers and sisters were hatched. He explains to Angela that she and rest of the Avalon clan were only eggs when Princess Katharine, the Magus, and Guardian took them under their care. Angela contemplates all that once was: "It must have been beautiful."
Lightning continues to clash in the sky as a familiar, haunting voice echoes, "Goliath . . . come to me . . ." Sensing something, Bronx howls at the storming night sky. Goliath is frozen; practically catatonic to Elisa's questions. Lighting strikes a nearby tree above the travelers, splitting it in two and setting it aflame. Burning bark fall on all them, and its enough to stir Goliath from his state. Angela tells Goliath that can't stay outside and Elisa reminds him that she once heard him describe that there were caves in the area. Though responsive to the others, Goliath remains distracted. Noticing Goliath's changed demeanor becoming more prominent, Elisa and Angela give each other knowing looks, before following him. The walk until they reach the cave. "Not exactly home-y," Elisa quips. Goliath explains that, until the recent bout on Avalon, this was where he thought the Archmage made his last stand. He picks up an ancient battle axe and recalls that the Vikings camped here years later when they sacked Castle Wyvern. He explains to Angela that he had to choose between saving Princess Katharine or seek revenge against Hakon and the Captain of the Guard. The latter two fell to their deaths, but not due to Goliath's hand. Angela quickly assures Goliath that he chose correctly, because saving Princess Katharine ensured the survival of "The Eggs". Still, Goliath wanted revenge. Elisa asks if he's all right, but before he can answer he hears the echoes from yon cliff and time:
- "It was not supposed to be this way!
- "He's the one you want! He shattered them! He Shattered them! He Shattered them!"
Hearing the cry of Princess Katharine slipping off the cliff, Goliath calls out to her. Elisa and Angela both look at him, concerned. Bronx growls behind them. The storm continues to rage outside and Elisa comments that's "its creepier than the morgue at midnight." Angela notices that Bronx is bothered by something and notices the ancient runes that mark the entrance to the Archmage's secret lair. Elisa asks Goliath what the carvings mean, but Goliath suddenly sees himself striking at his fellow gargoyles in the carving, hearing his ancient outburst to the Captain: "YOU ARE THE BETRAYER?!" He stumbles back, asking the others what they see. Angela tells him that she sees the Archmage attacking a gargoyle. Elisa asks what he sees. Goliath answers that he only saw "old fears" but the others aren't convinced. Angela is shocked that he isn't more forthright, but Elisa explains that this place is full of bad memories; that, "old wounds bleed as bright as new ones sometimes." Elisa goes to Goliath and tells him that they don't have to stay – the storm is dying and they can find shelter somewhere else. Goliath agrees: "Too much of the past is still alive here." The four travelers begin to leave, and after Goliath takes one last look at the cave, he turns to see not Elisa and Angela, but Hakon and the Captain, laughing at him. Eyes glowing, Goliath roars in anger and lunges at his fellow travelers. Still seeing Hakon and Captain, Goliath slams Elisa and Angela against a rock wall, despite their pleas for him to stop.
Act Two
Goliath howls at anger at the sight of the slaughterers of the Wyvern Clan in his grasp, but Bronx pounces on Goliath to free Elisa and Angela and snapping Goliath from his latest delusion. Elisa calmly kneels next to Goliath, who seems himself once more. But no sooner than she says Goliath's name does he once more see the face of Hakon, laughing maniacally. Angela once more returns to looking like the Captain of the Guard. Panicked, he tells them to stay away from him and hears his own echo once more: "YOU ARE THE BETRAYER?!" He runs away toward the Archmage's Cave, telling them that he's a danger to them. As he goes deeper into the labyrinth that made up the Archmage's lair he comments to himself that he doesn't know what's real anymore. Elisa, Angela, and Bronx have followed him despite his efforts, telling him to stop. As they all go deeper inside the cave, two mystical energies float near the cave roof. Elisa quickly asks Bronx to find Goliath before they get lost trying to find him.
Goliath arrives in the cavern where the Archmage plummeted to his apparent doom. Exhausted from the memories tormenting him, Goliath cries out, "No! Leave me alone!" to the voice asking to join him in the darkness. But the voice persists and now he sees the faint shades of Angel, "Othello", and "Desdemona". The illusion of Angel asks Goliath not to abandon them. The others have caught up, but Goliath is not reassured. Worried he could confuse them for others, he tells them that he might hurt them. Angela tries to reassure him that he wouldn't hurt his friends – his clan – but Goliath, can't trust what he sees and runs off again. The illusions of Angel, "Othello", and "Desdemona" now shift to specters of Hakon and the Captain.
Still running away from him, Goliath warns them to be careful. They could fall into any of the fissures. Elisa asks Angela if she could rescue Goliath should he fall, but Angela points out the fissure might be too narrow for anyone to glide. A fall could mean death for any of them. "Swell," Elisa concludes.
Goliath sees a light ahead of him, and cries out for it to stay back. The light grows into the specter of Hakon and the sight makes Goliath stumble backwards. He begins to lose his footing and begins to fall. Bronx rushes forward and bites on Goliath's arm just in time, but the gargoyle is too heavy for the beast alone. Elisa and Angela race to help and grab Goliath's other arm. They all begin in effort to get Goliath back on the ledge, but as soon as Goliath comes to is he faced with the sight of Hakon and the Captain holding on to his arm, declaring him a murderer, killer, and betrayer. Goliath's shock is enough for everyone to lose their grip and he tumbles down, hitting the sides of the fissure but not enough to stop his fall.
Angela is unsure of what they can do, but Elisa remains level-headed: "Climb down after him." The three begin their descent down the fissure.
Goliath remains in free fall, but regains consciousness to claw at the fissure wall, slowing his descent until he comes upon a cavern entrance that looks like the face and mouth of some creature. He climbs up on the lower jaw and walks up the stone steps.
At the Megalith Dance, the voices of Hakon and the Captain echo about. Hakon explains that they finally have Goliath; that the magic is strongest here. The Captain is more unsure – what if Goliath suspects? But Hakon is unworried. The steps lead Goliath to the enormous subterranean structure. Goliath doesn't notice the mystical energies floating above him. Hakon's voice emits from one of them, explaining that if there's any fight left in Goliath, his next ploy should do the trick. Goliath walks up the steps at the center of the Megalith Dance. When he goes to one of the columns to observe the ancient runes, the lowest level from each column begin to glow purple. Stalactites fall from the cavern's ceiling, piling around the Dance. The rubble begins to assemble itself into clawed feet and torsos, and eventually into fully winged gargoyles growling at Goliath. Still stone, the massacred Wyvern Clan begin to make their way toward Goliath.
Act Three
Through the animated stone gargoyles, the voices of Hakon and the Captain cry out: "Murderer! You destroyed our clan! Now you will pay! Death to Goliath!" Goliath tries to reason with the "zombie" clan, but the ghosts of Hakon and the Captain ramp things up by possessing two of the animated stone gargoyles. The gargoyle possessed by the Captain grabs Goliath and picks him up, repeating that Goliath betrayed them. Throwing him at the other stone gargoyles, they push and shove and toss him about. The gargoyle possessed by Hakon activates more runes from the Megalith Dance, announcing that now he'll have his revenge. The columns from the Dance are nearly fully lit when the Hakon-possessed gargoyle charges at the worn-down Goliath. The two phantoms then leave their stone hosts: The Captain tells Hakon to "make an end to it" but Hakon wants to savor Goliath's suffering. After all, he's waited a thousand years. But the Captain insists: if Goliath is too weak, he won't serve their ultimate purpose. Hakon relents and prepares his last ploy.
Goliath barely manages to get back on his feet when he sees the stone "zombie" of his Angel of the Night. "Goliath, after all these centuries we meet again." While the sight of his old love is certainly upsetting for Goliath, he recalls that Demona is still very much alive and that she fled before the attack . . . even as the "zombie" Demona begins to draw her arm into a mace. It's enough for Goliath to snap to his senses and convince him that none of the animated stone gargoyles are his fallen clan members. The stone Demona attacks, but Goliath takes her by the mace-arm and throws her at the Megalith Dance steps where she shatters. Goliath turns to face the rest of the phoney-zombie clan, but each of the animated stone gargoyles just crumble back into rubble around him.
The mystical energies descend and the voice of Hakon concedes the Goliath "finally figured it out". The gargoyle recognizes the Viking's voice and the two energies shift into the phantoms of Hakon and the Captain. Hakon laughs at Goliath's predicament, figuring the gargoyle won't make it out of the cavern alive (or dead, for that matter). Goliath is confused. Didn't Hakon and the Captain fall to their deaths? The Captain confirms this but points out that for the past millennium they have languished in this cavern, thanks perhaps to the magic of the Megalith Dance or perhaps the strength of their combined hatred that kept the spirits alive. Hakon agrees: "As much as we hated each other, we hated you a thousand times more!" With that, Hakon invokes the final part of his plan and the Megalith Dance glows once more. Goliath begins to cry out in pain as the Captain explains that the magic will drain Goliath of his life force and restore the two spirits'.
Goliath struggles to keep standing as he tries to remind the Captain that he was not responsible for either of their deaths. Further, his clan was slaughtered thanks to the Captain. The Captain insists that he never wanted that to happen. The Megalith Dance is now radiating light across the entire cavern. The spirit of Hakon walks up the steps of the Dance and attempts to touch a column. He is amazed that, after a thousand years, he can feel again. His body begins to manifest enough to knock Goliath backward. He begins to toy with the dying Goliath once more. Lightning begins to grow around the Dance as the Captain contemplates his new lease on life.
Elisa, Angela, and Bronx finally arrive at the literal mouth of cavern face leading to the Megalith Dance. Angela hears the electricity from beyond the stone steps and all three can see the light emitting from the tunnel.
Hakon continues to attack Goliath until he can't land a punch anymore: Goliath is losing his physical body. Hakon rejoices that the transference is nearly complete. He gloats that he and the Captain will finally be free while Goliath will haunt the cavern until the end of time. His fate nearly sealed, Goliath tries to attack Hakon, but falls right through him. Helpless, he asks the Captain, "What good . . . is life . . . without honor?" The Captain suddenly realizes that history is about to repeat himself. "No – I can't let this happen again!" he cries out, diving into Hakon and forcing him up the steps to the center of the Megalith Dance, which now turns a violent green with energies swirling erratically about it. Hakon is furious that the Captain has broken the "lines of power", which seem to be enough to restore Goliath's life force and body. He turns to the sound of Elisa, Angela, and Bronx arriving, who are ecstatic that he's alive after his fall. But there is little time to celebrate, the Megalith Dance continues to grow more and more unstable. Hakon tries to reason with the Captain, trying to remind him that they've hated him for a thousand years, but the Captain disagrees: he's hated himself for all this time and finally has a chance to atone.
Elisa barely has a chance to ask Goliath what this is all about when he calls out to everyone to get back. The four travelers manage to get far enough away to avoid the Dance's destruction. The columns and beams splinter, shatter, and crumble in an explosion of light. The whole cavern grows dark. Angela comments that she saw two men at the center of the Dance before the whole thing gave way, and Elisa concludes that there was no way they could have survived the collapse. Goliath walks towards the ruins of the Dance.
As they approach the rubble, Elisa asks, "Who were they, Goliath?" Pensively, he responds, "One enemy. And one friend." A moment later, energies and light swirl and the spirit of the Captain forms once more. He thanks Goliath for helping him break "the shackles of hate and guilt" that kept his spirit in this cavern. Before finally leaving the cave, he wishes his "old friend" a farewell. Elisa figures Goliath has a long story to tell, and he describes it as "centuries long" before proclaiming that they finally leave.
As they exit the Archmage's cave, Elisa explains to Goliath how worried she was that he was losing his mind. Angela wonders what happened to Hakon, but all Goliath knows is that Hakon made his fate, "whatever that might be." The storm long since past, dawn finally arrives and the gargoyles and Elisa rest for day.
Stuck on the face of a stone slab in the rubble of the Megalith Dance, Hakon cries out, "Don't leave me here alone!! Not without anyone to hate!!"
Featured Characters and First Appearances
| Gargoyles | Humans |
|---|---|
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Quotes
- "It's home. MY home." - Goliath
- "Now THAT was an E-ticket ride!" - Elisa
- "This place is creepier than the morgue at midnight" - Elisa
- "Old wounds bleed as bright as new ones sometimes." - Elisa to Angela
- "Who were they, Goliath?"
- "One enemy. And one friend." - Elisa and Goliath
- "Farewell, old friend" - The Captain to Goliath
- "Don't leave me here alone!! Not without anyone to hate!!" - Hakon
Continuity
In this episode we see Wyvern Hill for the first time since Castle Wyvern was relocated to Manhattan in "Awakening: Part Two".
The Archmage's Cave appears in this episode, having previously appeared in "Long Way To Morning" and during the Archmage's time travelling in "Avalon" Part Two.
When Goliath and his companions explore the Archmage's Cave, Goliath unearths a battle-axe left over from the Viking encampment long before. This same axe will later on play a major role in "Vendettas" (though Greg Weisman now regrets making it an axe, wishing that it had been the mace Hakon used during the Wyvern Massacre instead). [1]
Hakon and the Captain of the Guard appear together for the first time since they fell to their deaths in "Awakening: Part Two", although the Captain appeared in flashbacks in "Long Way to Morning" and "City of Stone" Part One. The Captain of the Guard "ascends" at the end of this episode, having found peace. Hakon next appears in "Vendettas".
Tidbits
Alongside the appearance of a "zombified" Demona in the cavern where the megalith stands, there is also, earlier, a glimpse of ghostly images of Demona, "Othello", and "Desdemona" (speedily replaced – though Goliath does not know it – by Hakon and the Captain of the Guard, to show the true culprits behind the hauntings).
DVD Release
See Also
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