Temptation
"Temptation" is the seventh televised episode of the series Gargoyles, and the seventh episode of Season 1.
- Written by Brynne Chandler Reaves.
Summary
Act One
Inside of an abandoned building, Lexington is working on a custom motorcycle with his brothers' help. Brooklyn and Broadway wait impatiently as Lex finishes up. Brooklyn punches holes into a helmet for his horns, wraps his wings around his body, and dons a jacket, eager to look the part of a biker. Lex tells him that the bike is ready. Brooklyn gets on, put on a pair of sunglasses to complete the look, and takes off. His brothers cheer him on, but then begin wondering when he'll be back to let them take a turn.
Brooklyn is enjoying his joyride around the city, unaware of a shadowy winger figure following him overhead. He zooms past Officer Morgan and another cop in a police cruiser. Brooklyn is presumably going well over the speed limit as the cops turn their siren on and begin pursuit. Brooklyn sees them coming in his rearview mirror and escapes by driving up a ramp former by some trash, spreading his wings, and gliding over a wall, bike and all. Morgan chalks the strange sight up to too many doughnuts and both cops agree that they haven't seen anything they can call in.
Safe from the police pursuit, Brooklyn refolds his wings and spots some fellow bikers driving by. He drives up along side of them and the complement him on his motorcycle. But when Brooklyn removes his helmet, the motorcycle gang calls him a "monster"and attacks him. Brooklyn fends them off until one of them pulls out a gun. The shadowy figure that's been trailing Brooklyn swoops down and strikes the biker's arm with its tail. The shot goes wild, missing Brooklyn, but hitting the bike, which explodes into flame. Enraged, Brooklyn take on the biker gang, now joined by the mystery gargoyle. When the one biker pulls his gun again and starts firing, Brooklyn's unknown friend pulls him out of the line of fire and into a back alley. They climb up the side of a building to safety. Now out of bullets and the only one still conscious, the biker hops on his motorcycle and drives away.
Brooklyn lands on a rooftop where he spots the mysterious gargoyle, still in shadow. He assumes it's one of his rookery brothers, but the figure steps forward and he see that Demona came to his rescue. Demona tries to calm Brooklyn, saying that she just wants to talk. Remembering his last encounter with her at the business end of a bazooka, Brooklyn doesn't want to hear it. Demona tells him that she was crazed with rage and fear from hundreds of years dealing with humans. Brooklyn is confused; he thought she had been asleep for a thousand years like the rest of them. She offers to tell him more and argues that saving his life should buy her a few minutes of his time. Brooklyn agrees to hear her out.
Back at Castle Wyvern, Broadway and Lexington are just returning. They join Goliath, Hudson and Bronx in the TV room. Goliath asks where Brooklyn is and Broadway replies that their brother is "out joyriding", a term Goliath doesn't quite comprehend.
Elsewhere, Demona asks Brooklyn what caused the biker gang to attack him. Brooklyn tells her it was unprovoked and Demona replies that all humans are like that. When he argues that Goliath says humans only need time to get used to gargoyles, she counters that gargoyles and humans coexisted a thousand years ago, but their clan was still slaughtered. She tells Brooklyn that her centuries of dealing with them have shown her how horrible humanity is and offers to educate him. He takes her hand and they soar off together into the night.
Act Two
Demona takes Brooklyn to a roof overlooking an alley where a woman is being mugged. The mugger runs away with the woman's purse and she calls for help. Brooklyn moves togive chase, but Demona tells him that it's pointless; "human justic" will put him back on the streets in a day. She takes Brooklym to a family home. The husband and wife argue and their son runs out the door in tears. Demona remarks that humans can't even live together without fighting; how can they be expected to live peacefully with gargoyles? Finally, Demona shows Brooklyn a crime scene. A chalk outline of a body is drawn on the pavement. A gun is placed inside an evidence bag. Figures load a corpse wrapped in a sheet into an ambulance. This, says Demona, is how little humans value each others' lives. Still not entirely convinced, Brooklyn points out that Elisa has befriended them, so maybe not all humans are irredeemable. Demona agrees that Elisa may be an exception, but she cannot protect them from all the humans who would not accept the clan. She reminds him that Lexington and Goliath were nearly killed because Lex trusted the Pack. Brooklyn asks her how she knows this, but she ignores the question, instead inviting him to reveal himself to the humans below if he thinks she is wrong about them. He makes no move and she compliments his decision, telling him the humans would shoot him down like a dog. Still a little hesitant, Brooklyn asks what they can do when Goliath still thinks humans and gargoyles can coexist peacefully. Demona tells Brooklyn to bring her the Grimorum Arcanorum so that she can cast a spell of truth on Goliath and make him see humans for what they are. Brooklyn takes a last look down at the departing ambulance and Demona smiles, knowing she's won him over.
Brooklyn returns to the castle shortly before dawn. Goliath asks him how the "joyride" went and Brooklyn tells him it was "illuminating". Elisa comes up the stairs and tells Goliath that Xanatos is due to be released from jail in a month. She still wants them to move and thinks she has found a good location. But Goliath will have none of it; Xanatos was defeated and the castle belongs to his clan. Brooklyn protests that it isn't a sure thing; Xanatos could try to reclaim the castle. Goliath remains firm. They wll confront Xanatos again if necessary, but they will not leave. Brooklyn begins to argue, but sunrise prevents him from saying more.
The sun sets once more and the gargoyles awaken. Brooklyn turns down an invitation for breakfast with his brothers. He slips into the castle, breaks the lock on the case holding the Grimorum, and steals the book. He flies with it to the Cloisters and tells Demona he will handle bringing Goliath there. She says not to hurry, as the spell is complex and she will need time to study it.
Back at the castle, Brooklyn approaches Goliath and tells him about the Cloisters and its medieval architecture. He offers to show it to Goliath and they glide off together. They land at the Cloisters and Demona steps out from her hiding place. Brooklyn goes to her side and Goliath realizes that he has been betrayed.
Act Three
(in progress)
Continuity
Officer Morgan makes his second appearance in Gargoyles, the first being in "Awakening" (Parts One and Two).
The Grimorum Arcanorum, which appeared previously in "Awakening", is named for the first time.
Demona's betrayal of Brooklyn's trust in this episode sets up Brooklyn's animosity towards her in later episodes.
At the end of the episode, Demona tears a handful of pages out of the Grimorum Arcanorum before escaping. These pages reappear in "Reawakening" and "City of Stone".
Tidbits
Demona says that the mind-control spell she uses on Goliath is complex and requires much time to study. Since the actual incantation consists of only three Latin words, two of which are short ones, this would suggest (unless Demona was lying to Brooklyn - which, considering her record, is possible) that the complexities lay elsewhere, maybe in correct pronunciation or accompanying gestures. Remarks elsewhere in the series (such as "City of Stone Part Three" and "The Price") that one has to be an experienced wizard to be able to use magic properly would confirm the theory that spell-casting in the Gargoyles Universe consists of far more than just saying the right words.
Brooklyn's motorcycle was designed to be adapted into a toy vehicle for Kenner's line of Gargoyles action figures - although it is doubtful that Kenner was amused when the same motorcycle was blown up in this episode before the end of Act One!
Links
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