The Mirror
"The Mirror" is the eighteenth televised episode of the series Gargoyles, and the fifth episode of Season 2. It originally aired on September 11, 1995. It was adapted into a Radio Play and performed at the Gathering of the Gargoyles in 2006.
- Produced by: Frank Paur, Greg Weisman
- Written by: Lydia C. Marano
- Story Edited by: Brynne Chandler Reaves
- Directed by: Frank Paur
- Animation by: Walt Disney Animation Japan
- Storyboard by: Brad Rader
- Backgrounds by: Tachiko Kimura, Jade Animation Productions
- Additional Production Facilities: Nakamura Production, Studio Robin, Takahashi Production
Contents
Summary
Main Plot
Demona summons Puck from Titania's Mirror and restrains him in order for him to do her bidding. She is easily manipulated by the trickster, however, who minces her words to create havoc in the city by turning first Elisa, then all of the Manhattan humans into gargoyles in response to Demona's wishes to destroy them. Furthermore, Puck turns the Manhattan Clan gargoyles into humans when Demona orders him to turn the Manhattan citizens back to the way they were. The human-turned gargoyles and the gargoyle Elisa defeat Demona at Rockefeller Center, and Puck reverts everything back to normal in exchange for his freedom.
Sub Plots
Demona is confronted by Goliath and Elisa at the Metropolitan Museum of Art while attempting to steal Titania's Mirror. She leads them on a chase through the museum and Central Park while a pair of thieves steal the mirror for her.
Oberon's Children are first established in this episode with the appearance of Puck. The gargoyles explain to Elisa that Oberon's Children are one of the Three Races and that they possess inherent magical abilities.
When Elisa is turned into a gargoyle, she actually thinks the gargoyles have changed and she's always been that way. In an uninhibited moment, her true feelings for Goliath come out when she realizes that she and Goliath are the same species. Goliath takes her gliding to try to convince her that she is human. When the Manhattan populace are transformed into gargoyles, they also don't recognize the change. In a humorous role reversal, the gargoyle-turned humans are afraid of the human-turned gargoyles. A small group runs in fear from the human Trio when they make "scary" noises.
Elisa is afraid of gliding on her own, but when Goliath is transformed into a human while in mid-air, she jumps down to save him without a second thought.
Goliath first comes to the realization that he has feelings for Elisa after seeing her as a gargoyle. Though he had feelings for her before, he didn't realize it. Just before the Sun rises, Goliath attempts to discuss these new circumstances with Elisa, but she cuts him off before he turns to stone, as she believes they can never be together.
Demona's first request of Puck is to make it so she doesn't turn to stone during the day. Puck distracts her with the image of Goliath and Elisa in the mirror, causing the chaos that follows. After everything is back to normal, Puck offers Demona a boon for all the fun he had, but she brushes him off. Insulted, Puck grants her original wish . . . by transforming her into a human during the day for the rest of her life. When she realizes what he has done, Demona screams in horror and destroys the mirror.
The Story
Previously on Gargoyles
- Recaps: ("Awakening: Part Five", "Long Way To Morning", "Temptation")
Act One
On a nearby rooftop, Demona waits outside for the Metropolitan Museum of Art to close for the evening. Inside, one of the museum security guards informs another that with the front doors locked and the laser grids activated, they can begin their nightshift. As the second guard walks away, the first guard insists that she not get to close to the displays. She enters one of the exhibits, where there is a golden statue and a silver standing mirror on display in the center of the room. The guard takes a moment to pose in front of the mirror, but is soon startled at the sound of a snarl in the distance. The guard is distracted enough that she doesn't notice the mirror briefly maintains her reflection frozen in place. The security guard from before is suddenly thrown into a nearby shrubbery by Demona, which prompts the second guard to leave her post to investigate the commotion. Once the second guard has left, Demona runs in and throws the barriers around the mirror to the ground. Before she can advance with her plans, a flashlight is aimed at Demona's face and the second guard orders her to halt. Demona instantly recognizes the second guard to be Elisa, undercover. The gargoyle grows irate that this particular human is even considering trying to foil her plans. Goliath then steps into the room, surprising Demona.
Goliath and Elisa begin to corner Demona, but before they make any progress, Demona hurls the golden statue at Elisa, which Goliath quickly catches before any harm comes to Elisa or the artifact. Demona runs into another hall, continuing to knock precious works of art to distract and slow down her former love. As he catches another museum piece, Demona shatters a display case to grab a spear. Goliath pursues her to another hall where Demona breaks glass window open to escape the museum. Goliath continues to chase her, now on all fours. Service weapon in hand, Elisa follows them both. Back inside the museum, two burglars drop down from the museum roof. They quickly cover the mirror up and walk away with it, unnoticed.
Demona runs toward Cleopatra's Needle in Central Park. She hurls the spear toward Elisa, but once more Goliath interferes with her target, catching it. Demona proceeds to climb up the Egyptian obelisk and glides away, her fury crying into the night. Goliath is adamant to follow, but Elisa stops him, pointing out that they wouldn't be able to take her to jail anyhow; not "without answering a lot of complicated questions". Goliath sighs and is at least grateful she didn't take the mirror.
A red van pulls up to a gated townhouse and one of thieves from before buzzes the intercom outside. A security camera pivots to look at his disguised face. "Yes?" Demona's curt voice asks from the intercom. "Oberon sent me," the burglar cryptically answers. The gate opens and the van pulls up the driveway. The two thieves carry the mirror carefully up the steps to the entrance of the townhouse, which is flanked by security cameras from all sides. The second burglar asks who lives there, wondering if it's "Dracula's daughter", but is soon startled by a snarl from the door knocker. The first burglar insists there's nothing to worry about, pointing out he's worked for this employer before. A manila envelope slides out from the mouth of the door knocker, and Demona orders the two humans to take their money and go, while they still can.
Inside the townhouse, Demona fumes about how her plans are consistently thwarted. The mirror is behind her, now adorned with chains. Taking a silver bell and gold ring, Demona strikes the bell with the ring four times and casts a spell toward the mirror in Latin:
- Cum aescerat argenutum
- et aurum involare
She blows a single feather into the mirror, which is then absorbed into the reflection . . .
- Postea Puck ad speculum
- Titania penetrare!
A light swirls deep in the mirror's glass, spiraling out and the glow is blinding to Demona. As the light dissipates, Demona sees the chains now bind an individual. Neither human nor gargoyle, one thing is clear: Puck is not amused.
At the Clock Tower, Elisa reports to the clan that Demona was a diversion; according to Captain Chavez, thieves stole the mirror while Demona was pursued in Central Park. While Goliath is disappointed he didn't anticipate Demona's deviousness, Elisa wonders how much danger Demona can be with an antique mirror. Hudson informs her that it isn't just any mirror. It's Titania's Mirror. "Titania, Queen of the Third Race," he explains. Elisa is puzzled, "Third Race?" and Broadway matter-of-factly lists the three races as gargoyles, humans, and Oberon's Children. Lexington chimes in, saying he thought everyone knew this, and Brooklyn even points out that Shakespeare wrote a play about them. Goliath explains that the Third Race are shapeshifters; beings of pure magic. Possessions of theirs like Titania's Mirror are vessels of significant power. Elisa is in disbelief, "Shapeshifters, elves, fairies? You mean they're real?" Hudson quips, "As real as I am . . . if the stories be true."
"Is this how you treat all your guests?!" Puck complains. She corrects him: he's not Demona's guest, but her servant.
The Trio imagines what life would be like if they were shapeshifters. No need to hide, they could make new friends and maybe even love. Elisa and Goliath look at each other as Broadway mentions that last possibility. Hudson warns Broadway to be careful what they wish for.
Floating about impatiently, Puck is curious what Demona want from him. She isn't keen on being rushed, and eventually settles on the idea of not wanting to turn to stone anymore during the day. Puck dismisses her wish, taunting her about strolling down Fifth Avenue in broad daylight: "I'm sure you'll fit right in." She retorts that she could if there were no "blasted" humans. With that last outburst, she is reminded of a more intense desire of hers: she wants Puck to get rid of the humans. "All of them!" Puck remains non-commital: there are limits to his abilities. "What is it you really want?" He touches Titania's Mirror, and the glass glows green. Goliath ripples into the mirror's reflection. Puck grows amused at the revelation. "How quaint, after all these centuries, you're still carrying a torch." He offers to make Goliath love Demona again – evidently a simple feat for the magical being – but suddenly Elisa is seen next to Goliath in the reflection. Demona zeroes in on her hatred for the detective once more. "If you cannot get rid of all the humans, then at least rid me of that human! Elisa Maza!" Puck sees an opportunity for fun and begins to fulfill Demona's wish. Flying up to Titania's Mirror, he recites:
- Thy sight Demona doth offend,
- so Puck will hasten to amend.
- Begone Elisa, human born,
- and be no more as you were formed!
Energy bursts forth from the Puck's eyes and mouth and into the mirror, rippling on Elisa's reflection. Back at the Clock Tower, Elisa is assuring the rest of the Manhattan Clan that Demona is no match against their united efforts, even if she does have Titania's Mirror. Energy suddenly surrounds the detective, yanking her mid-air to the center of the Clock Tower. Blinding light radiates from her that overwhelms and emanates from the four faces of the Clock Tower.
To shock of the rest of the Manhattan Clan, Elisa is now a gargoyle.
Act Two
Goliath walks up to the gargoyle Elisa, who suddenly smiles and rejoices that he's finally been changed into a gargoyle. Goliath is stunned.
Demona demands to know what happened. Flying about, Puck explains, "The human Elisa Maza is no more." Delighted, Demona is eager to do the same to the rest of the humans in the city. Puck cautions: "You don't know what you're asking. Believe me." But Demona only cares if the feat could be repeated, which Puck admits that it can, but not from the townhouse.
Goliath tries to explain to Elisa that he and the rest of the clan have always been gargoyles, and that it is she, not them, that has changed. He figures Demona must be responsible. Elisa is unfazed, claiming she would know if she wasn't always a gargoyle. Goliath walks with Elisa outside to the balcony of the Clock Tower, trying to get her to remember how they met. She remembers that she fell off the Eyrie Building, and he glided down to catch her. Goliath tries to reason with her; if she always had wings, why did she need rescuing? Elisa doesn't believe she can glide with her wings, but Goliath reassures her. Literally taking her under his wing, they jump off the balcony, swooping down into a glide. The rest of the clan looks on, still too stunned for words.
At the World Trade Center, thunder rumbles from above, and magical green lightning strikes the South Tower, revealing Titania's Mirror. A chained Puck leashed to Demona walk out of the mirror. Puck explains to Demona that he needs time to "marshal his forces" to accomplish his next endeavor. Demona scowls impatiently.
As they glide, Goliath shares with Elisa that when she was human, he never realized how beautiful she was. "You mean you thought I was ugly?" she teases. Goliath is thankful for the updraft to distract her. Reveling in the ability to glide, Elisa wonders why she never did so before. Goliath reminds her that she was once human. They glide lower to the city below – low enough, in fact, for some pedestrians to turn their heads. Elisa is surprised to see all the humans. Goliath can see he is not getting through to her, figuring it best to land and talk.
As the two land, the other gargoyles join them. Elisa asks the others if they saw that everyone in Manhattan has been turned into a human. Growing more frustrated, Goliath places his palm to face and mutters, "No, no, no, no, no . . ." Hudson interrupts when he sees an eerie scene happening in the distance atop one of the Twin Towers. Puck is ready for his next spell:
- All humans on this concrete isle,
- Demona finds your presence vile;
- So do you now as I command,
- and be not woman, child, nor man!
As he rhymes, energy radiates around him, ultimately blasting from his torso and hitting the mirror, which redirects the energy to a satellite dish on top of the skyscraper. The energy is then emitted throughout the island. Elisa wonders aloud what she just saw, and Hudson is convinced that it can only be Demona. The rest of the clan glide off to confront her, leaving Elisa alone on the rooftop. Elisa steps onto the ledge of the building, but can't will herself to jump off and glide like the rest of the gargoyles.
Demona is basking in the supernatural storm around her. She wishes Puck to take her to see her "empty city", but she finds him unconscious on the rooftop. She is suddenly tackled and knocked down by Hudson. She throws him off, relishing in telling him that he is too late to stop her. The others arrive and Hudson points out that she's no match for all of them. Demona grabs the still-unconscious Puck, cursing his inopportune timing, and flings Titania's Mirror off the skyscraper. Hudson catches it in mid-air as the others follow Demona.
Holding Puck in her arms, Demona is shocked to see the city populated with gargoyles. Aided by Puck, Demona uses the absurdity of the situation to get lost in the crowd, gliding into a subway terminal. In their chase, the Trio promptly crash just past the terminal's entrance. As Demona lands on a train platform, a subway arrives and she hops in to make her escape. Broadway laments that finding Demona now is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. The Trio briefly enjoy some complimentary looks from three female gargoyles, and they can't help but get a kick out of their current circumstances. Goliath reminds them all that Demona's involvement is demonstration enough of the danger she wields.
Demona chastises Puck, "I wanted you to destroy the humans, not give them the gift of being a gargoyle!" She orders him to change the gargoyles to humans. Puck claims he's too tired, but she calls him out on still having enough energy to make himself invisible to all the pedestrians. Annoyed, he sees another opportunity for mayhem, and assures her that he'll "do exactly as you asked". He looks at the side mirror of an abandoned car, and his reflection magically ripples away.
Goliath and the Trio have rejoined with Elisa and Hudson. They compare notes and recall that Demona called Child of Oberon Puck, a name Elisa recognizes as a harmless trickster from Shakespeare's play. Goliath explains that what he saw was not harmless. He declares that they must continue to search for the two. As Goliath hops on the ledge, Elisa hesitates once more, commenting that she'll never get used to jumping off rooftops. Goliath assures her that he'll always be there to catch her. He glides just feet from the ledge to demonstrate how easy it is. Magical lightning suddenly erupts from Titania's Mirror, striking Hudson, Lexington, Brooklyn, and Broadway . . . and finally Goliath, who is still mid-air. Suddenly human, he plummets to the street below.
Act Three
Elisa jumps after the still-falling Goliath. A human Brooklyn and Broadway look on from the ledge. Elisa manages to catch him mid-air and take hold of the side of the building to stop her own fall. Brooklyn and Broadway help them up, where they now see a human Lexington and Hudson as well. Hudson takes a bedsheet from a clothesline and drapes it over the mirror, hoping to prevent anything else from jumping out. Sitting down, Goliath is shaken; he's never fallen before. He suddenly notices Elisa and is thrilled that she's changed back to normal, but she corrects him; they've changed into humans and Goliath fell because he doesn't have wings anymore. Brooklyn gently explains that they've always been human. Hudson doesn't recall ever needing wings to glide before, but Lexington sees the error in that line of thinking – how else could they glide? Goliath is finally convinced and realizes they should be gargoyles and everyone else human. Thanks to Demona and Puck, they are not.
Demona demands to know from an exhausted Puck if he fulfilled her wish, and while he explains that he did, she is furious to still see gargoyles crowd the streets of Manhattan. Suddenly spry, Puck relishes in the confusion: "Oh you meant these gargoyles? I thought you meant Goliath and his clan. My mistake." Demona threatens that is his last mistake, but Puck clarifies the situation – Goliath is a human now. And at her mercy.
As they walk, Goliath and the rest inadvertently scare off some New Yorkers. Giving Demona too much credit, Goliath figures she changed them all human to make them vulnerable to her attack. They run to Rockefeller Center, and descend to the lower plaza. Goliath then orders Hudson to unwrap Titania's Mirror and almost instantaneously Demona and Puck fly out of it. Demona lets go of Puck's chained leash and takes aim at the human Goliath with her particle beam blaster. Her shot misses Goliath, but hits a medieval shop, suddenly supplying Goliath with a sword and shield. Demona continues to take aim at Goliath while she orders Puck to deal with the others. The Trio have also picked up melee weapons, which are significantly useless against the Child of Oberon. A simple rhyme and suddenly Broadway's spear turns into a constricting sunflower, Brooklyn's mace rockets from the handle (flying him into a hungry table umbrella), and Lexington's axe begins to spin like a paper pinwheel. Meanwhile, Hudson struggles to move with his feet tarred to the ground. As Puck delights in the chaos, Bronx charges at him from behind, but Puck manages to direct a magical hit at the gargoyle beast, turning him into an Irish wolfhound. Bronx still continues his attack, to which Puck quips that he "should've tried the chihuahua!" As he continues to run from Bronx, he runs into the constricting sunflower, severing it from its base. Once held by the flower in mid-air, Broadway lands with a thud. The severed flower stem jams Lexington's pinwheel axe long enough for him to get out of the way. Shortly after, Brooklyn manages to free himself from the ravenous umbrella. Hudson remains stuck where he stands.
The Trio charge and tackle Demona to the ground, who moments before had Goliath's head in her claw. Though their efforts save Goliath, gargoyle-pedestrians see the commotion of the Trio trying to pin Demona and from witness "monsters attacking that woman" and rush to Demona's aid. The Trio see the angry crowd run toward them and, in the confusion, Demona slips away from them. She takes her blaster and once more takes aim at Goliath, but Elisa glides down to kick Demona to the ground. The Trio are unsure how to take on the mob of angry gargoyles, but Brooklyn reminds them all that they're the "monsters", and the three begin to growl and brandish their arms about as threatening as their human bodies will allow. The gargoyle pedestrians stop in their tracks and run away scared from their terrifying stances.
Demona recovers, not realizing who she received the blow from. Recognizing Elisa in gargoyle form, Demona's rage is now all-consuming: "What does it take to destroy you!!" As the two struggle, Elisa punches her to the ground. Goliath joins her in the effort as Demona reaches for her blaster once more. She fires at the two, hitting the wall of the plaza behind them. Elisa takes to the air and swoops down to deliver another blow from behind. Goliath also tackles Demona from behind, but Demona grabs him by the arm and flings him to the upper part of the plaza. Demona climbs to the upper level, preparing to finish off the unconscious Goliath, but Elisa takes Demona's blaster and fires at the awning of the storefront above the murderous gargoyle. The blow finally knocks her out.
Meanwhile, Bronx has Puck so preoccupied, he doesn't notice Hudson and the Trio surrounding him from behind. Hudson takes a trash can traps the trickster. "Party's Over," Brooklyn cracks.
Back at the South Tower of the World Trade Center, everyone has materialized through Titania's Mirror. Demona now joins Puck also bound in chains. Goliath orders him to change everyone back to as they were before he was summoned. If he does, he earns his freedom. Puck is all too ready to oblige, insisting that he's going to need "a real long nap".
- First the humans I'll attend,
Puck's energies strike the needle of the North Tower, which diverts the magical lightning to all the inhabitants of Manhattan, turning them all to humans once more. He turns his gaze on Elisa, who transforms back to a human as well. Goliath helps her to her feet, and the two share a moment before Puck continues:
- Then the gargoyles will I mend.
- If his efforts you commend,
- Free Puck; let him homeward wend...
With the the Manhattan Clan's return to form as gargoyles, Goliath breaks Puck's chains and the trickster and Demona vanish with Titania's Mirror.
The two return to Demona's townhouse, where Puck is merry from the various antics throughout the night. Demona, meanwhile is utterly exhausted from the debacle. Puck insists that he give her a boon for the wonderful night on the town, but Demona has no more patience for the Child of Oberon. Discontented of her attitude, Puck casts his last spell for the night, declaring her to remain her gargoyle self at night, but no longer will she be stone by day. Demona snarls as the trickster vanishes.
Recovering from their part in the night's escapades, the Manhattan Clan prepare to rest at the Clock Tower. Hudson is wistful, explaining he would like to see the Sun just once. Goliath tries to explain his feelings to Elisa, but she pivots the conversation in time for him to turn to stone before he can express anything significant.
Demona is meanwhile basking in the morning light. She can't believe that Puck actually granted her wish. As she walks away, amazed at how she never dreamed the day's warmth to feel this good, she catches a glimpse of her human form in Titania's Mirror. In her shock, she smashes the mirror.
Featured Characters and First Appearances
| Gargoyles | Humans | Oberon's Children |
|---|---|---|
|
| Places | Objects | Magic | Media | Miscellaneous |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Quotes
- "You serve the human, now you can serve me."
- "Serving humans is fun; they have a sense of humor. You have none!" - Demona and Puck
- "Yes, Puck. I want you to get rid of the humans; all of them!"
- "Does this look like Aladdin's lamp? I have limits after all." - Demona and Puck
- "Well if that's what you want, I can make him love you again, piece of cake; given your charming personality." - Puck
- "Thy sight Demona doth offend, so Puck will hasten to amend. Begone Elisa, human born, and be no more as you were formed!" - Puck
- "Goliath! This is wonderful, you've been changed into a gargoyle!" - Elisa
- "The human Elisa Maza is no more."
- "Then let's do the same to every human in the city!"
- "You don't know what you're asking, believe me." - Puck and Demona
- "I never realized when you were human, how beautiful you are."
- "You mean you thought I was ugly?"'
- "Well, uh...careful, updraft!" - Goliath and Elisa
- "All humans on this concrete isle; Demona finds your presence vile; so do you now as I command, and be not woman, child, nor man!" - Puck
- "It's too weird! Kinda fun...but weird!" - Lexington
- "I wanted you to destroy the humans, not give them the gift of being a gargoyle!" - Demona
- "I'll never get the hang of jumping off rooftops."
- "I'll always be there to catch you." - Elisa and Goliath
- "Now to end this farce!" - Demona to Goliath
- "I would like to have seen the Sun; just once." - Hudson
- "Elisa, I..."
- "Yeah I know. You're relieved as I am that things are back to normal."
- "That's not what I was going to say..."
- "I know. But that's the way it is." - Goliath and Elisa
- "I don't believe it. He actually did it! And the Sun is so warm; I never dreamed it would feel this good...NOOOOO!!" - Demona
Continuity
This is the first time that the Third Race, also known as Oberon's Children, is mentioned in Gargoyles. Greg Weisman is not entirely happy with the name Oberon's Children, as it has been taken too literally by many members of the audience, who interpreted it as meaning that the Third Race are the biological offspring of Oberon. (They are "Oberon's Children" in the sense that the subjects of a ruler might be seen as his children.) [1] He considered many other names for them, all of which were rejected, including Oberati (which was discarded on the grounds that it sounded too much like the name of an Italian car). [2]
Puck also appears for the first time.
Brooklyn and Elisa both allude to A Midsummer Night's Dream, the play by Shakespeare that was the source for Puck (and also Oberon and Titania, who are mentioned in the dialogue but do not appear on-stage until "Ill Met By Moonlight" – unless you count Titania's alias as Anastasia Renard in "Walkabout").
The first hint about Puck's alter ego as Owen (a notion that occurred to Greg Weisman and a few other members of the production team independently and simultaneously) appears when Demona says to him, "You serve the human; now you can serve me." The "human" in question, of course, is Xanatos, though Puck immediately says "Serving humans is fun", shifting the word to plural in order to prevent the audience from becoming suspicious too early.
Demona refers to Hudson as "Old Soldier", as she did in "Long Way To Morning".
At the end of the episode, Puck casts a spell on Demona so that she will become human during the day, instead of turning to stone. This spell remains in effect for the rest of the series.
Tidbits
The production team briefly considered calling Puck by his Shakespearean alias of "Robin Goodfellow" instead, out of fears that the name "Puck" might be misheard as a certain four-letter-word that rhymed with it. In the end, however, they decided to simply be very careful about how they pronounced it. [3]
At the beginning of the episode, when Elisa in her museum guard disguise responds to the sound of Demona's break-in, her reflection in Titania's Mirror does not copy her movements. This was deliberate on the production team's part, to hint at the mirror's magical nature. This pose was later mirrored by Demona in "High Noon" after turning human in front of Elisa.
Puck's line to Demona, "What does this look like to you, Aladdin's lamp?" was an in-joke reference to the then-running Disney animated series Aladdin, based on the movie. The series/movies are referenced again next in "Masque" and "Bash" with Elisa's Halloween costume.
The gargoyles' human forms were modeled partly on their voice actors, with appropriate changes made for their most distinguishing characteristics that would cross over during the transformation (such as Hudson's beard). Goliath's human-form's skin tone is darker than that of the other human-form gargoyles, again to match his voice actor Keith David. Greg Weisman has commented that the in-universe explanation for his darker skin tone is actually to match that of Elisa. [4]
According to the Timeline, the episode starting from Demona's summoning of Puck occurred on September 28, the eve of Michaelmas. [5] According to an earlier outline, the story was initially set to take place on Midsummer Night. [6]
DVD Release
See Also
- Background Memo #1
- Background Memo #2
- Greg's Ramble
- Extensive Synopsis and Review
- Voices from the Eyrie Deep Dive
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