Monsters
"Monsters" is the fortieth televised episode of the series Gargoyles, and the twenty-seventh episode of Season 2. It originally aired on November 28, 1995.
- Supervising Producers: Frank Paur, Greg Weisman
- Written by: Cary Bates
- Story Edited by: Cary Bates
- Directed by: Frank Paur
- Animation by: Hong Ying Animation
- Backgrounds by: Hong Ying Animation
- Additional Production Facilities: N/A
Contents
[hide]Summary
Main Plot
Angela is captured by Anton Sevarius at Loch Ness and befriends the Loch Ness Monster, Nessie, who has also been captured by Sevarius in order for him to use the creature's DNA to create his own monsters. Sevarius involves Angela in his plot to capture Nessie's mate Big Daddy, but Goliath, Elisa, and Bronx come to the rescue, and the Loch Ness monsters are liberated.
Subplots
Angela learns from Sevarius that Goliath is her father.
Elisa is unsuccessful when she tries contacting Matt Bluestone about her predicament.
The Story
Previously on Gargoyles
- Recaps: ("Avalon" Part Three, "Avalon" Part Two)
Act One
The mists part and the skiff emerges. Elisa Maza quickly observes that they're not on Avalon anymore. Angela asks if this is Manhattan, but Goliath points out that it isn't. Elisa adds that it's both too quiet and the water is way too clean. A large object in the water approaches the Skiff and Bronx is the first to notice as he begins barking. Angela embraces the beast in an attempt to calm him. The mysterious object descends beneath the water, brushing under the Skiff; Goliath's oar scratching against it as if it was metal. Once the water calms, Elisa asks what it was but Angela isn't sure, just that it was probably made of metal and it was huge. Goliath steers the skiff towards the shoreline to get a better vantage point. Once they arrive there is no sign of what they saw, it seems to have moved on. Angela sighs that they might as well do the same, return to Avalon and try once more to find Manhattan. Elisa spots the lights of a town in the distance and says she'll head into town to call Matt Bluestone so he can tell Brooklyn and the others they're okay. Goliath says they'll wait.
Elisa heads into the town and realize they're on Loch Ness. A local tour guide calls out to her to board his boat to tour the Loch and try to get a glimpse of Nessie - why his rates are low and he'll even throw in a free camera rental. Elisa declines telling him that she's really not the adventuring type. She finds a phone booth and places a call getting Matt's answering machine, asking him to tell her parents, Captain Chavez, and "all her friends in Brooklyn" that she and the "big guy" are fine, that she'll explain everything when she returns. But, unfortunately, the tape on Matt's answering machine is full.
Elisa and the gargoyles board the Skiff, but having heard stories about the Loch Ness Monster from Princess Katharine, Angela is excited to stay for a little while. But Goliath insists they must return home. Elisa is less excited, she points out a boat filled with tourists and tells Angela that for some people this is strictly business. The Monster Tours guide gives his passengers a fact here and there about the loch as another giant mystery object approaches the boat. Tourists, Brendan Quarters and Margot Yale spot it, excitedly calling out that Nessie is coming straight towards them. Watching from afar, Elisa postulates that Nessie is just a submarine in disguise, that all the boat companies chipped in to give the tourists a thrill. The Monster Tours boat is damaged and begins taking on water. The tour guide, nervous, tells his passengers they're headed back early. But Elisa again tries to convince her companions that it's a show when the same giant object rams the Skiff... capsizing it. Goliath, Elisa, an Bronx quickly surface but Angela doesn't. A giant metal neck and head explode from the water and observe Elisa, Goliath and Bronx, before spotting the other giant in the water and descends to continue it's pursuit.
Goliath dives beneath the water and nearly collides with one of the giants before spotting Angela unconscious in the water. The metal giant approaches, opens it's mouth and captures Angela. Goliath breaks the surface but Angela still hasn't come up. Bronx and Elisa dive into the water to help search.
The metal giant, a submarine enters a cave and surfaces inside a subterranean base. Its mouth opens and Bruno emerges with his commandos. A voice starts lecturing them from a PA inside a nearby office. He's disappointed, once again they've failed to capture Big Daddy and without his companionship their current guest isn't long for the world. Bruno tries to assure his boss that they almost had Big Daddy but they encountered interference. Their boss is tired of Bruno's excuses and is inclined to send him and his team back to Mr. Xanatos before inquiring about the interference. "Gargoyles, doc", Bruno replies, "they were aboard some kind of raft." Their boss is suddenly interested and asks if they got a good look but Bruno has something better, they captured one in the net. Their boss, Anton Sevarius emerges from his office marveling at the sight of Angela on a stretcher. He runs his fingers through her hair before ordering them to extract the customer cell samples and put her in the grotto.
A soaking wet Goliath rests on the beach refusing to believe that Angela drowned and that all they need to do is find the strange vessel to find her. Elisa assures him that a submarine requires maintenance and supplies and must dock somewhere. Goliath vows to find this place no longer how long it takes.
Inside the grotto, Angela regains consciousness as something brushes under her. Nessie EXPLODES from the water and Angela watches in shock.
Act Two
Nessie storms roaring and approaches Angela with curiosity. The young gargoyle returns Nessie's curiosity with wonder. Angela introduces herself admitting she's nervous because she's never been this close to a real life Loch Ness Monster before, but then wagers that Nessie has never been this close to a gargoyle either. Nessie comes in close and Angela pats her nose before embracing Nessie. Observing Angela and Nessie from their office, Sevarius says, with disgust, that if it gets anymore saccharine in there he's going to put a finger down his throat.
Sevarius updates his log, yesterday he downgraded Nessie's condition to critical as the isolation was having a dire effect on her - all the signs were that she wouldn't survive another twenty-four hours in captivity. But tonight thanks to Angela, Nessie is eating again and her vital signs are strong. Sevarius is fascinated by Angela, suspecting she belongs to a new clan of gargoyles and her DNA profile should prove most illuminating.
After helping Goliath and Bronx find a place to hide during the day, Elisa promises she'll be back tonight to pick up the search. Goliath says at sundown they can't afford to waste a single moment - and Elisa doesn't intend to as the sun rises and the gargoyles turn to stone. Making her way back into town, Elisa buys a map from the tour guide when she is bumped into by the Female Commando carrying a bag of supplies to Bruno's waiting pickup truck. Elisa immediately recognizes them and sneaks into the back of their truck. After some time passes, she leaps out as the truck enters the crumbled remains of an old castle, checking her watch.
Shortly before sunset, Sevarius and the commandos enter the grotto and tranquilize Nessie before shacking the sleeping Angela with "no a heartbeat to spare" as Sevarius closes his pocket watch. The sunset and Angela awakens, quickly noticing she's been shackled and roars with anger and rage. Sevarius emerges from the shadows and introduces himself. He assures Angela that Nessie will only be out for a few minutes and begins to interrogate the young gargoyle.
Above, Elisa has returned to the remains of the old castle with her companions, Bronx seeming to find something.
Sevarius scoffs that he was ready to think there was an unknown group of gargoyles resting at Loch Ness to protect the monsters before oozing with sleeze "thank heaven for little girls - and DNA markers!" Angela asks what he's talking about and he sneers that not only does she belong to Goliath's clan but that he's her biological father. "You are his very own flesh and stone." Angela is shocked - Goliath is her father. "Not that it matters", Sevarius scoffs. Angela then notices them strapping a device to Nessie's neck. A sonar tag. Now that Nessie's condition has stabilized, Sevarius is sending her back into the Loch, once she leads them to Big Daddy they'll capture both of them and start a little creature form. "With so much rich genetic material - the array of monsters I'll be able to spawn makes even my mind boggle." "You're the only monster here!" Angela cries before being restrained. "I see you have inherited papa's short fuse," Sevarius says as the alarm sounds "and speak of the devil!"
The ground beneath Goliath, Elisa, and Bronx's feet starts to lower. "So that's it, an underground elevator? But who pushed the Down Button?" Elisa asks. "Someone who knows we're here", Goliath replies. "Amazing deduction, Goliath!" Sevarius retorts, mocking them over the PA. "I see gargoyle gray matter is as razor-sharp as always!" "SEVARIUS!" Goliath cries, but the elevator tilts and sends Elisa and the gargoyles down a tube. "That's Dr. Sevarius to you."
Act Three
Featured Characters and First Appearances
Gargoyles | Humans | Others |
---|---|---|
|
Quotes
- "How aggravating it must be to wake up in chains first thing in the evening." - Sevarius
- "Amazing deduction, Goliath. I see gargoyle gray matter is as razor sharp as ever." - Sevarius
- "If it gets any more saccharine in there, I'm going to put a finger down my throat." - Sevarius
- "Some creatures in this world are meant to remain legends." - Elisa
Continuity
The DNA samples that Sevarius takes from Angela reappear in "Louse".[1]
The Loch Ness Monster will have a brief cameo in "Rock & Roll", when Shahrizad mentions the legend of how Saint Columba tamed it.
Tidbits
Brendan and Margot are among the passengers on the tour boat (even when they're away from New York on vacation, they can't stay away from the gargoyles, although at least, this time they didn't meet them face to face!).
Although the alpha-male Loch Ness Monster's name is given in the dialogue as "Big Daddy", and his reunion with Nessie parallels Goliath and Angela's reunion (as Angela herself comments at the end of the episode), Greg Weisman's own view on the matter was that the two "Loch Ness Monsters" were mates rather than father and daughter.
Sevarius initially believes Angela to be a member of a clan of gargoyles living in Loch Ness and looking after the "Nessies". He soon discovers his error, but according to Greg, an actual Loch Ness Clan does secretly exist in Loch Ness – though somehow it avoided coming into contact with both Goliath and his clan, and Sevarius and his henchmen, during the entire adventure! (Which also means that Demona was mistaken when she claimed that her clan during the events in the "City of Stone" flashbacks were the last surviving gargoyles in Scotland, aside from the six gargoyles frozen in stone sleep atop Castle Wyvern's battlements.)
The Xanatos Goon Squad name is coined by Elisa. All of the squad members (aside from Bruno) drown when the Loch Ness Monsters attack Sevarius's submarine, including the single female member.
DVD Release
See Also
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