Legion
"Legion" is the sixteenth televised episode of the series Gargoyles, and the third episode of Season 2. It originally aired on September 6, 1995.
- Produced by: Frank Paur, Greg Weisman
- Written by: Marty Isenberg, Robert N. Skir
- Story Edited by: Michael Reaves
- Directed by: Frank Paur
- Animation by: Sunwoo Animation Co., Inc.
- Storyboard by: Brad Rader
- Backgrounds by: Sunwoo Animation Co., Inc.
- Additional Production Facilities: N/A
Contents
Summary
Main Plot
Coldstone becomes functional again, and controlled by a program designed by Xanatos, raids the Goldencup Bakery Building building and unintentionally downloads a computer virus. "Othello" is awakened and reunites with Goliath, who invites the cyborg to join the clan. However, Coldstone becomes tormented by the voices of "Desdemona" and "Iago" in his head. At Ellis Island, Goliath uses RECAP to enter Coldstone's mind through a virtual reality hookup, where he encounters the virus emerging from a swirling vortex which is slowly destroying everything. Goliath, "Othello", and "Desdemona" team up against "Iago" merged with the Xanatos program to battle for control of Coldstone's mind. "Iago" is swallowed by the vortex and Goliath leaves his brother and sister to an unknown fate as the cyborg body temporarily shuts down.
Sub Plots
Matt Bluestone is in charge of RECAP and uses it to try to stop the rampaging Coldstone in the Goldencup Bakery building, but Coldstone destroys it. Elisa secretly lends RECAP's virtual reality hookup and visor to Lexington so that Goliath can go into Coldstone's mind. Despite Elisa's attempts to dissuade him, Matt begins to track the gargoyles down through the use of a homing beacon. He calls in a SWAT Team of police boats and helicopters. The Trio and Hudson are able to distract the police long enough for Goliath to return and the gargoyles escape notice.
A conflict between the four rookery siblings that has happened in the past resurfaces when "Iago", jealous over the love "Desdemona" has for "Othello", convinces "Othello" that Goliath is trying to steal her away from him. Angered, "Othello" knocks Goliath into the vortex and he is in danger of being pulled down by the virus strands. "Desdemona" reasons with "Othello" that not only is Goliath innocent, but that "Iago" has deceived him. Convinced, "Othello" saves Goliath before he can be pulled down.
Another Xanatos Tag reveals that Xanatos had given RECAP to the police, and also that he had awakened Coldstone in order for the cyborg to download classified defense specs for him in the Goldencup Bakery. Though Coldstone was unable to download them because of the virus, Xanatos is unphased, and decides that the virus itself is a deadlier weapon.
The Story
Previously on Gargoyles
- Recap: ("Reawakening")
Act One
Deep beneath the surface of the Hudson River, the lifeless husk of Coldstone lies when suddenly its eye opens as its operating systems come back online and initiate its repair sequece. As this happens, memories sporadically flash - memories of "Othello" and "Desdemona" embracing. Memories of Goliath comforting a tearful "Desdemona" in his arms. Memories of "Iago" fueling "Othello's" jealous suspicions of betrayal and encouraging "Othello" to attack his Rhydderch. Memories of "Desdemona" attempting to stop the fighting only to be swatted away by her enraged mate. With the internal repairs complete, Coldstone activates its jets and emerges from its watery grave, new program parameters initiated. Coldstone flies to the Goldencup Bakery Building, invading the government laboratory within. Well armed and equipped security guards open fire on the creature, but to no avail as their bullets merely bounce off of it.
At the Clock Tower, Elisa Maza tosses a headset into Lexington's hands, telling him that her partner just got the call to test RECAP. Goliath inquires and Lex explains to him that RECAP stands for "Reconnaissance Emergency Cyber-Automated Probe". Elisa tries to break it down just a machine for dealing with high risk situations, but the young gargoyle is too excited to just dismiss it as a mere machine, as far as he's concerned it's the latest breakthrough in robotics hooked to virtual reality. The curious Goliath asks about virtual reality, and Elisa breaks that down as "the next best thing go being there" and invites them to join her on her assignment.
Like a juggernaut, Coldstone makes its way through the halls of Goldencup as armed guards continue to fall back. It comes across a steel vault door and deploys its particle beam, blowing a giant hole in the door. The guards flee as the monstrosity enters. It eyes a terminal that it identifies as a weapons directory and plugs itself in to download all relevant files. While successful in its mission, the Coldstone shell cries out in pain as the soul of "Othello" emerges, taking control of the body. He has no idea where he is or how he came there. More armed guards arrive and open fire on him; but he defends himself by ripping a terminal from the walls and throwing it at them.
Outside, police officers are assisting injured scientists, escorting them to emergency vehicles. Matt Bluestone dons the RECAP visor a skeptical Elisa asks him if he's sure that he knows what he's doing. But Matt is quite confident, he's spent the last six months reading and studying the manuals and that it's simple, th virtual reality hook up links directly to the visor, he sees everything RECAP does. He operates a remote control as a robotic probe bearing the logo of the Scarab Corporation emerges from a police van and enters the building. Elisa, still skeptical, gently needles her partner hoping that she handles it better than a squad car. But Matt retorts that she wouldn't know as she never lets him drive. As this happens, Goliath and Lexington observe from a nearby rooftop.
The robotic probe approaches the enraged Coldstone as Matt orders him to stand down before firing a canister of tear gas as the cybernetic stone creature advances. Matt attempts to hit the cyborg with a tazer which inflicts pain, but Coldstone fires back with a particle beam destroying the probe. The shock rebounds on Matt who removes the visor and tosses it aside. Coldstone blows a hole in the side of the building before tossing the flaming wreckage of the probe down to the street. Crying "freedom!", the cyborg activates its rockets and takes to the sky.
Lexington spots the fleeing Coldstone and Goliath is surprised to see him "alive" and the two gargoyles pursue. Coldstone lands on a rooftop and looks out over the East River, attempting to make sense of surroundings. When Goliath lands, Coldstone acts on instinct as he attacks him before recognizing his rookery brother ending the fight. Lexington re-introduces himself to Coldstone with his new name. A distraught Coldstone doesn't know where he is or what he's doing, he's lost. Goliath assures his wayward brother that his memory will come to him in time and invites him to rejoin the clan in their new home. Coldstone is touched by the invitation and agrees, following the two gargoyles as they soar to the Clock Tower. Lexington, however, is not entirely on board with this reminding Goliath that Coldstone hadn't always been his friend; but Goliath reminds the younger gargoyle that without trust there can be no clan.
Within the Clock Tower, Bronx regards Coldstone with suspicion but Hudson is all too happy to see one of his Rookery children come home and welcomes him back. Coldstone, in turn, is happy to see that his Mentor survived but grows melancholy as there is only one other he misses more but before he can finish that thought, the robotic eye flashes. Suddenly Coldstone asks where "he" is, turning and surprised to see Goliath whom is surprised is addressing "him" as "brother". Coldstone grows more anxious realizing that "his" voice is different and that they aren't in the castle. Goliath reminds his brother that this is their home. Coldstone asks again why Goliath keeps calling "him" "brother" before catching sight of "his" reflection in the television. Coldstone screams in panic before running, activating the rocket thrusters and flying out of the Clock Tower with Goliath and Hudson in pursuit. A stunned Brooklyn asks what that was all about and Broadway has no idea. Lexington hypothesizes that there is something wrong inside Coldstone's head and he knows how to find out what.
Coldstone continues to rocket across the Hudson River in a panic, Goliath and Hudson in pursuit. The cyborg's robotic eye flashes and the jets power off as the revived corpse falls to the ground in front of the museum on Ellis Island. Goliath and Hudson land before the cybernetic re-animated stone monstrosity as its eye flashes once more. Coldstone smirks and stands up. Goliath, concerned, asks him what's wrong. Coldstone says nothing is wrong but Hudson, suspicious, encourages Goliath to stay back. But Goliath approaches, assuring his rookery brother that he trusts him. "Do you?" Coldstone smirks. "Pity", he says as he fires a particle beam.
Act Two
Act Three
Featured Characters and First Appearances
| Gargoyles | Humans | Others |
|---|---|---|
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Quotes
- "I just hope you handle that vacuum cleaner better than a squad car."
- "How would you know? You never let me drive." - Elisa and Matt
- "Are you sure this is a good idea? He hasn't always been your friend. To invite him into our home; into our clan..."
- "Without trust, there can be no clan." - Lexington and Goliath
- "Welcome. Surely you didn't expect to explore Coldstone's mind without my permission." - Xanatos program
- "If you can't trust me, then trust your heart." - "Desdemona"
- "Someday I trust, you'll find your way back my brother; my sister. And when you do, I want you to be among friends." - Goliath
Continuity
The other two souls besides "Othello" that inhabit Coldstone ("Iago" and "Desdemona") are introduced in this episode. Pieces of the three stone gargoyles were used to create the cyborg, and through Demona's sorcery in "Reawakening", all three souls are trapped inside it.
The Goldencup Bakery Building reappears in "Vows" (where Goliath and Xanatos meet at the very beginning of the episode), and "The Reckoning" (where this time Demona breaks into it). Its real-life model was Silvercup Studios in Brooklyn.
After being reactivated, Coldstone rises out of the Hudson River below the George Washington Bridge, where he had disappeared at the end of "Reawakening".
Elisa continues the trend of walking the fine line of helping the gargoyles while keeping her partner Matt in the dark.
The Manhattan Clan stores Coldstone's comatose body at the Clock Tower at the end of this episode, where it remains until "High Noon".
Tidbits
The episode's title is (like "Her Brother's Keeper") ultimately drawn from the Bible: to be precise, a story in the Gospels when a demon-possessed man says to Jesus Christ, upon being asked his name, "My name is Legion: for we are many". (Mark 5:9) The immediate source, however, was a movie adaptation of Frankenstein which Greg Weisman had seen as a boy, where the hypnotized Frankenstein monster (composed of the remains of many bodies) utters the same line; since Coldstone was the Gargoyles version of the Frankenstein monster, such an element was obviously irresistible to Greg. [1]
The names "Desdemona" and "Iago" occur only in the ending credits, not in the actual episode. The names are an obvious derivation from William Shakespeare's Othello, fitting in with the parallel situation to that of the play (with Goliath in the Cassio role).
The audience is carefully prepared for the revelation at the end that RECAP's role in confronting Coldstone at the Goldencup Bakery was all part of Xanatos's plan; when RECAP rushes into the building at the beginning, the familiar scarab logo from "Awakening" can be glimpsed on its side.
Marty Isenberg & Robert N. Skir wrote an episode of Batman: The Animated Series, "What is Reality?", where Batman goes into a virtual reality world and battles the Riddler. [2]
Toon Disney/Disney XD Edits
In the Golden Cup building, the part where Coldstone popped a sort of Robocop claw to download the information from the computer was cut out.
DVD Release
See Also
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