Long Way To Morning
"Long Way To Morning" is the eleventh televised episode of the series Gargoyles, and the eleventh episode of Season 1. It originally aired on January 20, 1995.
- Supervising Producer: Frank Paur
- Co-Producer: Greg Weisman
- Written by: Brynne Chandler Reaves
- Story Edited by: Michael Reaves
- Animation by: Sunwoo Animation Co., Inc.
- Backgrounds by: Sunwoo Animation Co., Inc.
- Additional Production Facilities: N/A
Contents
Summary
Main Plot
Demona attempts to poison Elisa in a ploy to lure Goliath to the Old York Opera House so that she could kill him and take over the clan. Goliath, hoping he could somehow get through to Demona, brings Hudson along to confront her. Demona shoots Goliath, badly injuring him, and Hudson is forced to protect Goliath while being pursued by Demona in the opera house, in an underground waterway, and in a graveyard. He's able to keep her at bay until sunrise so that Goliath is healed the next night. Demona flees, and Hudson realizes that despite his old age, he is still a capable warrior.
Subplots
Hudson dreams of a flashback from 984 when the Archmage poisoned Prince Malcolm, and Hudson fails to protect him. The young Princess Katharine blames Hudson, while the Magus declares the only cure can be found in the Grimorum Arcanorum.
The flashbacks continue while Hudson reminisces with Goliath to keep his spirits up. Intent on getting the Grimorum from the Archmage, Hudson enlists the young Goliath and Demona to go with him to the Archmage's cave. The three gargoyles battle with the Archmage, resulting in Hudson's scarred eye. Goliath saves the book before it falls into a chasm, and the Archmage seemingly falls to his death.
During the trek to the Archmage's lair, Demona argues against Hudson being leader of the Wyvern Clan to Goliath.
The prince is cured thanks to the gargoyles' efforts, and Hudson promotes Goliath to leader of the clan.
The Story
Act One
In 984, a thunderstorm rages over Castle Wyvern. An eight-year-old Princess Katharine protests being put to bed early by Prince Malcolm, wishing to stay up for the feast to see the troubadours and jugglers. Prince Malcolm replies that the gargoyles will get her if she doesn't behave. At that moment, Mentor appears, eliciting a frightened gasp from the child. Mentor calls Malcolm away to discuss urgent business.
Out on the balcony, Mentor advises the prince not to frighten Katharine with threats of gargoyles; they'd never harm a child. Malcolm brushes Mentor's concerns off by telling him that he is too sensitive. Malcolm changes the subject to that of the Archmage's recent banishment . . . concerned that the sorcerer is still a threat. As Malcolm all but dares the Archmage to return, the sorcerer appears on the balcony, declaring that he is not so easily disposed of. The Archmage fires a bolt of lightning at Mentor, revealing his intentions for vengeance. He then fires a dart from his staff; Mentor attempts to take the shot but isn't fast enough. The Archmage laughs and vanishes as Malcolm collapses. As Mentor tries to help the prince, Katharine emerges from her chambers and yells at the gargoyle to get away from her father before weeping over the downed prince.
In 1995 Manhattan, the Sun sets and the gargoyles awake on their perches at the Clock Tower. Broadway leads Brooklyn, Lexington, and Bronx inside after Brooklyn ponders breakfast and the larger gargoyle suggests blintzes. But Hudson stands on the balcony staring out at the Eyrie Building. Goliath observes that his old mentor seems introspective and asks if he is all right. Hudson responds that he is just "dreaming old dreams".
At Elisa's Soho loft, the detective places her gun on the dresser, and her badge inside her jacket. As she looks up into a mirror, she gasps at the sight of Demona swooping in. The gargoyle crashes through the skylight, armed with a dart gun. Elisa snatches up her weapon and orders Demona to freeze. But the rogue gargoyle is faster and pulls the trigger, nailing Elisa over her heart with a dart. Demona grabs Elisa's gun, crushing it in her hands, and victoriously informs the detective that she has been poisoned and will be dead in twenty-four hours. She follows this up with the offer of an antidote, saying she will be at the Old York Opera House (and punctuating it with a well-placed "ciao!" before taking off). Elisa then reaches into her jacket and removes her badge, discovering that it has literally shielded her from the poison-tipped dart.
Elisa rendezvouses with the Manhattan Clan at the Clock Tower. Brooklyn ponders what Demona was up to, and Goliath is determined to find out. Elisa urges him not to go, but Hudson wisely tells her that if he didn't, Demona would know her plan failed and inevitably go after Elisa again. Broadway, ever protective of Elisa, cries out that they need to stop her, but Goliath is unsure how. Locking Demona in the Clock Tower isn't an option, and he will not discuss the alternative (killing her). Hudson then reminds Goliath that, as leader, he's responsible for all of the gargoyles. Goliath ponders his hope of reaching her. Although Brooklyn volunteers to come, hoping to settle the score from "Temptation"", Goliath orders him and Bronx to remain and guard the Clock Tower. Then he orders Broadway and Lexington to escort Elisa home and stay with her until sunrise, before finally surprising Hudson by ordering the old soldier to accompany him.
A the storm rages on, Goliath and Hudson approach the Old York Opera House. Hudson suggests that they should have brought the others, but Goliath wishes to keep Brooklyn away from Demona, needing someone he can rely on. They land and Hudson spots fresh claw marks, using his tracking abilities to deduce that she has been there within the last few minutes. The two gargoyles search the rooftop, finding more fresh claw marks. But they're startled by Demona's roar as she leaps to the ground and fires at them with her particle beam cannon. Goliath faces her, she smirks, and Hudson tries to intervene as she pulls the trigger blasting her former mate in the chest. Hudson draws his sword, putting herself between his two rookery children.
Act Two
Demona pulls the trigger once again, but the particle beam bounces off of Hudson's mirrored sword right back at her, knocking her off the roof. She digs her talons into the walls to slow her fall, grabbing her gun in the process. Hudson lifts Goliath up and carries him to safety. Demona recovers, and taunts Hudson, calling him "Old Soldier" and warns him that all he's doing is delaying the inevitable. Hudson replies that the same goes for her; it's almost sunrise and once Goliath awakens fully healed, he'll make short work of her. But Demona promises that they won't make it to sunrise. She fires another shot, but Hudson and Goliath leap through the skylight inside the Old York Opera house, falling through the stage into the cellar. Demona pursues them, advising Hudson to give up and stop prolonging Goliath's suffering. Even Goliath urges Hudson to leave him. But Hudson refuses to do so as Demona follows them into the cellar.
In 984 Scotland, Prince Malcolm lies on what may very well be his deathbed, attended to by the Magus. The young sorcerer tells him that the Archmage poisoned him and that, unless a cure is administered, he will die by sunrise – ultimately, the cure lies within the pages of the Grimorum Arcanorum. Katharine blames Mentor for her father's predicament. Malcolm orders a handmaiden to take Katharine back to bed, but the child glares at Mentor with nothing but contempt as she is led out. Malcolm assures Mentor that he is not to blame and that Katharine doesn't understand, but Mentor agrees with her, that he failed in his duty to protect the Prince.
Mentor summons Goliath and Angel to his side, and both are ready to follow his commands. Mentor lays out the mission: find the Archmage and retrieve the Grimorum. When Angel thinks Mentor is out of earshot, she suggests to Goliath that perhaps Mentor should step down, that he's old. But Goliath believes that Mentor's age brings wisdom, which is why he leads. The gargoyles take off into the night in pursuit of the Archmage.
In the Old York Opera House, Demona continues to mock Hudson for his age in 1995, offering him a chance to surrender to her as she could just rake the entire room with her laser anyway. Hudson spots a window and quietly drags Goliath towards it as Demona declares herself the leader now. When Hudson doesn't surrender, she begins blasting everything in sight. But Hudson has already maneuvered Goliath outside onto the street. Again Goliath urges Hudson to leave him and save himself and, again, Hudson refuses. He pulls open a grate of the storm drain. After blasting everything in sight, Demona spots the window and pursues them outside into the storm drain, a little surprised that he'd be foolish to go underground where they can't use their wings. Inside the storm drain, Hudson carries Goliath onward, keeping his spirits up, and reminding him of the search for the Archmage a millennium ago.
Back in 984 Scotland, the trio of gargoyles land on the ground, spotting a trail of hoofprints. Using his tracking skills, Mentor quickly deduces that the Archmage isn't trying to hide his trail, favoring speed over stealth (which means the Archmage could be setting a trap). Mistakenly believing they're out of earshot, Angel again opines that, being younger and stronger, Goliath should lead. Again, Goliath disagrees, with both unaware that Mentor can hear every word. They follow the trail to a cave where Mentor prepares a torch as they enter. Angel points out that their wings will be useless inside this cave and against the Archmage's magic. But Mentor refuses to fail the prince again, Goliath refuses to let him do it alone, and Angel ponders who the biggest fool is: Mentor for going, Goliath for following, or herself for not leaving them both.
They journey deeper into the cave, into a hallway full of runes, which Angel briefly studies before gasping in fright at the sight of a carving depicting the Archmage impaling a gargoyle. They enter the main chamber, featuring a skull carved into the rock, where the Archmage blasts them with lightning.
In 1995, Hudson carries Goliath through the storm drains, again refusing to leave Goliath. Demona catches up and fires a blast, narrowly missing. The gargoyles quickly come upon an exit, water pouring into the East River. Demona aims her weapon, promising to make it quick, but Hudson pulls Goliath down with him into the river.
Act Three
Hudson and Goliath land in the river with a splash. Demona spreads her wings to follow when a bolt of lightning strikes at her feet, knocking her back. Hudson, dragging Goliath, swims for shore towards Brooklyn (the borough). Hudson wraps his wings around Goliath, paternally comforting his son, reminding him they've been in worse scrapes than this.
In 984, the Archmage blasts lightning at Mentor, directly into the gargoyle's left eye, and then attacks Angel, knocking her to the ground. Goliath growls and takes to the air, narrowly evading blast after blast before pouncing on the Archmage. The sorcerer loses hold of the Grimorum and the book tumbles into the chasm, but Goliath leaps down and grabs it, climbing back up. Angel asks if he's all right and helps him up. Goliath says he is and so will be the Prince. But the Archmage shouts, "Filthy beast, give it to me!" and runs at them with a stalactite, with intent to impale one or both gargoyles. Goliath pulls Angel aside, and the Archmage loses his footing, falling into the chasm and out of sight. Mentor gets to his feet, clutching his eye and congratulating them for their good work, but Angel tells him to not talk and save his strength. Mentor uncovers his eye, revealing a scar over his now blinded left eye.
In 1995, Hudson carries Goliath into a cemetery. He spots Demona continuing to pursue him and pulls Goliath into a mausoleum, telling him to hide until he returns. Goliath tells Hudson that he cannot face Demona, but Hudson disagrees. He can face her . . . he just can't beat her. He exits the mausoleum, determined to keep Demona away from it, using the reflection from his sword to spot Demona emerging from behind the statue of an angel. She pulls the trigger, but he narrowly evades her attack. Demona, once more, urges Hudson to join her or to join Goliath in death, saying that together they can rule this world. Hudson, sword in hand, attacks her but she retaliates with her weapon and loses sight of the old warrior.
Demona stalks the cemetery in search of him and narrowly avoids being sliced in half herself at one point. Goliath watches the battle from the mausoleum as Demona leaps atop a small building and again fires a shot. She misses and Hudson knocks her down. Goliath, knowing he can't let Hudson do this alone, gets to his feet. Thoroughly losing her temper, an enraged Demona is now determined to make Hudson suffer, and begins to use her gun as a club with the intention to bludgeon her rookery father to death. She has the upper hand when Goliath manages to grab the butt of her gun and briefly pleads with her. But she smirks and attacks the clan leader. Once more, Hudson puts himself between them saying she can't win. Demona snarls that she's smarter, stronger, and younger. But Hudson declares that he knows something she doesn't, something that only comes with age: he knows how to wait. The clouds part. The Sun rises, the gargoyles, including an infuriated Demona, turn to stone.
The Magus administers the antidote to Prince Malcolm in 984, assuring him that he will recover. Prince Malcolm thanks Mentor for bringing the Grimorum in time, but Mentor confesses it wasn't him. Out on the balcony, Angel continues to argue that the clan needs a younger leader. Goliath insists once more she's wrong, but Mentor emerges and says that Angel is, in fact, right and steps down, appointing Goliath as leader. Goliath argues that he cannot take command now, but agrees to do so as long as Mentor stays by his side and uses his wisdom to guide him. The two gargoyles clasp hands and the torch passes.
The Sun sets in 1995 and Demona once again swings her gun as a club, but Hudson grabs it and a recovered Goliath stands up. Demona gloats that they didn't win; the poison she infected Elisa with has run its course, and, furthermore, the antidote she spoke of was a ruse. She takes off into the night with a banshee-like cry. Goliath muses that it's probably best that Demona doesn't know Elisa is alive . . . for as long as it can be kept a secret. Goliath thanks Hudson for keeping him alive, reminding him there's no one else he'd rather have at his side. Hudson admits to have forgotten that, thinking his warrior days were over. Goliath assures him that he has years of fighting left in him, but the old soldier doesn't find that particularly reassuring either. The two gargoyles chuckle and then take to the air, returning home.
Featured Characters and First Appearances
| Gargoyles | Humans |
|---|---|
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Quotes
- "Hush now. The gargoyles will get you if you don't behave." - Malcolm
- "What do you want, sorcerer?"
- "Why, revenge of course." - Malcolm and Archmage
- "This game is futile. You were too old to play it a thousand years ago." - Demona
- "I don't know who's the bigger fool; him for going, you for following, or me for not leaving you both." - Demona
- "You can't face her."
- "I can face her. I just can't beat her." - Goliath and Hudson
- "Join me, or join Goliath in death!" - Demona
- "But I know something you don't, something that comes only with age. I know how to wait." - Hudson
- "I thought my warrior days were over."
- "Nonsense. There are years of fighting left for you."
- "Now there's something to look forward to." - Hudson and Goliath
Continuity
Flashback scenes
The Magus (here ten years younger than in his original appearance in "Awakening: Part One") and the Captain (in a non-speaking role) both have cameos in the flashback scenes.
Prince Malcolm, Princess Katharine's father, is introduced for the first time in this episode. It is revealed that, although Malcolm himself is on friendly terms with the gargoyles, he is partly responsible for Katharine's disdain towards them shown in "Awakening: Part One". A younger Malcolm appears in the episode "Vows".
The Archmage is introduced in this episode as a Dark Ages antagonist of the Wyvern Clan. Although the Archmage apparently falls to his death, "Avalon" Part Two reveals that he survived by means of a time-travel loop.
Hudson is blinded in one eye by the Archmage, and subsequently appoints Goliath to be leader of the Wyvern Clan.
Modern day scenes
Brooklyn displays a strong element of bitterness towards Demona stemming from "Temptation", strong enough that Goliath thinks it better to leave him behind at the clock tower.
Hudson's remark to Demona that his age has taught him how to wait takes on a new meaning after "City of Stone" Part Four, in which it is revealed that she has been alive for a thousand years and has still not learned that lesson.
At the end of this episode, Demona believes that Elisa is dead, and she will not encounter Elisa onscreen again until "Reawakening".
Tidbits
Hudson reveals in this episode that gargoyles dream while in stone sleep.
On the DVD set, this episode is titled The Long Way To Morning.
This episode was adapted as a novelization titled Gargoyles: Demona's Revenge.
Toon Disney/Disney XD Edits
They cut the scene where Hudson makes a torch. Instead of showing him wrapping the rag around the stick and knocking two rocks together, it cuts from a view of the Archmage's cave to the glow of torchlight on Hudson's face.
Adaptation
VHS/DVD Release
See Also
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