The Cage
"The Cage" is the thirty-second televised episode of the series Gargoyles, and the nineteenth episode of Season 2. It originally aired on November 16, 1995.
- Supervising Producers: Frank Paur, Greg Weisman
- Written by: Lydia C. Marano
- Story Edited by: Brynne Chandler Reaves
- Produced & Directed by: Dennis Woodyard
- Animation by: Toon City, Inc.
- Backgrounds by: Toon City, Inc.
- Additional Production Facilities: Moving Images International, Inc.
Contents
Summary
Main Plot
Xanatos begins to lose control of the mutates who are living at the Eyrie Building with him when Talon finds out from Elisa, and later for himself, that Anton Sevarius had faked his death. Goliath, out of fear that Talon would kill Sevarius before he could make a cure, but more concerned about Elisa's emotional turmoil over the whole ordeal, kidnaps Sevarius at Gen-U-Tech labs. Goliath brings Sevarius to the abandoned underground Cyberbiotics facility and threatens to hold him captive until he creates a cure for the mutates. Talon, under the false impression that Goliath and Sevarius are in cahoots, storms the lab with the other mutates, and comes close to killing Sevarius along with Goliath until Xanatos arrives just in time to save the geneticist. Talon finally learns the truth about Xanatos, and he and the other mutates stay in the facility and create the Labyrinth.
Subplots
Elisa's family is worried about Derek, who's gone missing, and Elisa is unsure how to handle the situation. She learns from Goliath that the mutates have been residing with Xanatos, so she has Goliath take her to the Eyrie Building. Talon greets them with an attack, since he partially blames Goliath for his predicament since the gargoyle supposedly killed Sevarius, obliterating any chance for a cure. Xanatos succeeds for a while in keeping Talon in line by reinforcing that delusion.
Xanatos is under the impression that Talon has captured Sevarius and asks him to release the doctor. There's some confusion until Owen receives the surveillance footage of Goliath abducting Sevarius. Xanatos uses the footage to continue to manipulate Talon into believing that Goliath and Sevarius are working together. Owen deduces Goliath's location at the lab, and Talon races there, letting his anger overcome reason. Elisa sees the same surveillance tape at Gen-U-Tech and is shocked, but makes the same conclusion as to where Goliath is.
Maggie reluctantly leads Fang and Claw to the Clock Tower, and they take down Hudson and Bronx. Talon sent them there to confront Goliath, who was still at the Cyberbiotics lab. The tables are turned on the mutates when the Trio arrive back from a concert. They immobilize Fang and Claw, while Brooklyn tries to convince Maggie of Xanatos' treachery, but Maggie is in denial because she believes Xanatos will cure her. Brooklyn gives up and releases the mutates.
Elisa arrives at the lab before the others, and talks Goliath into releasing Sevarius in the same moment that Sevarius has supposedly completed the antidote. Talon bursts in and overpowers Goliath while Sevarius uses the antidote as a bargaining chip for his life. Maggie wants the antidote, but Sevarius makes a suspicious comment that leads Elisa and Talon to believe that the "antidote" might actually be poison. Maggie tries to take the substance anyway, but Talon stops her, admitting that he can't get through his ordeal without her.
Goliath offers to let the mutates join the clan, citing that Elisa is already a part of it, but Talon politely declines. Elisa finally tells her family about what happened to Derek, and they see him for the first time since his transformation and accept him.
The Story
Previously on Gargoyles
- Recap: ("Metamorphosis")
Act One
A winged figure flies over SoHo, coming to a landing on the balcony of Elisa's Loft. Inside, Elisa Maza is serving Chicken Molé to her mother, father and her sister, Beth who is visiting from college. Beth reminds them of when Derek used to call dibs on the pot and Elisa is crestfallen which causes Beth to apologize. Peter asks again if Elisa has heard anything from Derek, but Elisa says no... attempting to assure her father that Derek will check in when he's ready. But Peter will give it just one more week before he files a missing persons' report. As Elisa tries to talk Peter out of doing that, Beth gasps at the sight of a winged silhouette in the window which quickly vanishes before anyone else can spot it. Elisa downplays it, and Peter cracks a joke which changes the subject.
Elisa rendezvous with Goliath later at the Clock Tower, distraught at continuing her lie by omission to her family about Derek but unable to figure out how to tell them that he's been transformed by David Xanatos into a bat-winged mutate named Talon. She then tells Goliath to be more careful as Beth spotted him tonight outside her window, but Goliath wasn't at her window. Elisa then figures it was one of the others but Hudson and Bronx are watching television while the Trio are at the concert in the park. When Elisa suggests that it was Derek, Goliath is the one crestfallen and confesses his lie by omission. He tells her that Talon and the other Mutates have returned to Xanatos and that he's seen them flying to and from the Eyrie Building. When Elisa asks why he didn't tell her, Goliath rationalizes that there was nothing either of them could do, and he had hoped to spare her this pain. Elisa, however, refuses to accept this and is determined to get her brother away from Xanatos and demands to go see him now.
Goliath and Elisa soon alight on the castle's battlements, but Talon was waiting and orders Fang and Claw to attack. Goliath manages to break free of their grip before he is attacked by Talon. Elisa draws her gun trying to end the fight, but Talon blasts Goliath in the chest with a blast of electrical energy. Elisa rushes to Goliath's side as Talon demands she step away from him, determined to take vengeance by destroying his enemy. But at this point, Maggie the Cat intervenes asking if Talon plans to attack his own sister, reminding him that she hates all the fighting. Xanatos the steps out of the castle assuring Talon that the violence isn't necessary and that Goliath and Elisa are always welcome, they're not the enemy. Elisa cuts in shouting that Xanatos is the actual enemy. But Maggie still believes Xanatos to be their only chance to be human again. Elisa again attempts to convince the Mutates that Xanatos is the cause of their problems, not the cure. But Talon will hear none of it, as far as he's concerned Goliath and Anton Sevarius caused this and with Sevarius dead, there is no chance of them becoming human ever again. Elisa is surprised to hear this, Sevarius isn't dead and nobody died that night. Talon insists that he saw it, but Elisa knows that where Xanatos is involved what you see is isn't always the truth. But Talon digs in, as far as he's concerned Goliath has his sister snowed and that he needs her to protect him from his vengeance. Goliath gives up on this conversation and prepares to leave with Elisa, while Talon taunts the gargoyle that Elisa won't be there to protect him forever and he's coming for him. As his sister and the gargoyle leave, Maggie asks what if Sevarius is alive? Talon, angry and vengeful, promises her that if Sevarius is alive then he won't be for long.
Xanatos visits Owen Burnett in his office, as Talon departs the castle, ordering him to "tell Sevarius to disappear for a little while." But Owen's warning comes too late, as Sevarius departs Gen-U-Tech Headquarters, waving at a security guard while he heads out to his car. But before he can get in, a winged figure dives down and grabs the doctor, taking him away as he drops his briefcase. Moments later, Elisa Maza pulls up in her car, asking to see Sevarius, but is told that she just missed him. As it starts to rain, Elisa gazes at a rooftop spotting a winged-silhouette happy to see Goliath, her guardian angel. When the guard asks what she said, she just asks to take a look around and the guard admits her. She quickly finds the discarded briefcase.
Deep beneath the streets of Manhattan, someone has forced their way into Cyberbiotics' abandoned research facility and imprisoned Sevarius in a cage. Sevarius shouts that what his captor demands of him is impossible, but the one that keeps him prisoner growls. Sevarius continues to shout that he won't do it.
As the rain clears, Owen approaches Xanatos in the library and tells him that Dr. Sevarius is unreachable. Xanatos assumes that means Talon got to him first. While out on the battlements, Claw, Fang, and Maggie are trying to enjoy their dinner but Fang chooses to make jokes at the expense of Claw's muteness. Maggie reminds him that Claw hasn't spoken since his transformation but Fang brushes it off as just a joke. Talon arrives and fills them in on Sevarius's death scene being an act, and that he must have had help to pull it off. Fang asks who he figures and Talon accuses Goliath as he was the one to kick him into the eel tank. Maggie doubts it and recalls when the gargoyles tried to help her. When she mentions that they took her to their home, Talon demands to know more.
Maggie lands on the balcony of the Clock Tower and is greeted by Hudson who had wondered what became of her. But the trap is sprung as Claw and Fang fly in and subdue Hudson and Bronx. Maggie looks on in horror and apologizes.
Act Two
Act Three
Featured Characters and First Appearances
| Gargoyles | Humans | Others |
|---|---|---|
|
Quotes
- "Where Xanatos is involved, what you see isn't always the truth."
- "Same song, same tune. Goliath has you snowed. He and Sevarius are both to blame, and he needs you to protect him from me!" - Elisa and Talon
- "So Claw, how do you like the chow? What's the matter? Cat got your tongue!?" - Fang
- "Goliath said he'd be gone for a few nights."
- "Sure he did. Guess I'll just have to clear my social calendar!" - Hudson and Fang
- "Maggie, you know I wanted to be...your friend." - Brooklyn
- "I don't know if this will work. I'm not used to working in such primitive conditions."
- "Just get back to work, before conditions really do get primitive." - Sevarius and Goliath
- "I really dislike working with someone hanging over my shoulder." - Sevarius
- "Goliath, you've kidnapped this man! What were you thinking?"
- "You were in so much pain, I couldn't stand by and do nothing!" - Elisa and Goliath
- "Even if it works, the ends can't justify the means! That's the way Xanatos behaves, not you." - Elisa
- "Please, Derek. Is your vengeance more important than our humanity?" - Maggie
- "We'd all be happier if you remained in the dark, but I can't let you damage Anton. He's a bit of a bother, but his mind represents infinite possibilities. He's the scientist. You're just the experiment." - Xanatos
- "Oh, hello Goliath. Didn't even notice you there." - Xanatos
- "I can't live this way!"
- "I couldn't either, not without you. Maggie, we're not strong alone, we're strong together." - Maggie and Talon
- "You-you would accept us? After how I've treated you?"
- "Elisa is already part of our clan. That makes you all...family."
- "Thank you, Goliath. But it seems I have my own clan, and my own family." - Talon and Goliath
Continuity
Vinnie appears as the Gen-U-Tech security guard (with the full consequences of his being the one on duty during Goliath's kidnapping of Sevarius surfacing in "Vendettas").
The Mutates appear for the first time since "Metamorphosis". In this episode they discover that Sevarius has survived (following his "death scene" in "Metamorphosis") and that Xanatos has been lying to them about searching for a cure. They move into the Labyrinth, forming the Labyrinth Clan. They next appear in "Kingdom".
Beth Maza appears on screen for the first time. She next appears along with Peter Maza in "Cloud Fathers".
Tidbits
Talon, Maggie, and Fang assume new character designs here which the production team liked better than the "Metamorphosis" ones (the in-story justification used was that they hadn't finished mutating by the end of "Metamorphosis"). Talon's new design was briefly seen in "Upgrade" when Coyote was offering genetic engineering to the pack, which suggests that he was using footage from sometime after "Metamorphosis".
Maggie's nickname, "Maggie the Cat", is a reference to Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
Two flashback scenes were used from "Metamorphosis" to bring the story up to full length: Goliath's 'killing' Sevarius, and Maggie waking up to find herself at the Clock Tower.
When Goliath and Elisa arrive at the castle and Talon tells Fang and Claw to attack, Claw's fur color matches Fang's.
When Brooklyn lets the mutates go after the fight at the Clock Tower, Maggie and Claw are seen holding Talon rather than Fang before leaving.
Dr. Sevarius carries (and drops) a briefcase on which his name is misspelled "Servarius".
DVD Release
See Also
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