The Green

"The Green" is the fifty-first televised episode of the series Gargoyles, and the thirty-eighth episode of Season 2. It originally aired on February 15, 1996.

• Supervising Producers: Frank Paur, Greg Weisman
• Written by: Cary Bates
• Story Edited by: Cary Bates
• Directed by: Kazuo Terada, Takamitsu Kawamura
• Animation by: Walt Disney Animation Japan
• Backgrounds by: Jade Animation Productions
• Additional Production Facilities: Nakamura Production, Studio Robin, Light Foot, Studio Cats, Takahashi Production, Jade Animation Productions

Summary

Main Plot

Jackal's fantasy.

The travellers arrive at ChacIxChel, Guatemala, where they meet the four members of the Mayan Clan, who are embroiled in a war with a logging company in order to protect their forest home. Preston Vogel hires Jackal and Hyena to stop the gargoyles from terrorizing the loggers, and the twins formulate a plan for Hyena to destroy the magical sun amulet that prevents the Mayan gargoyles from turning to stone at dawn, while Jackal distracts the gargoyles by destroying trees and setting a fire in the forest. Jackal plans to destroy all of the stone gargoyles at dawn at his leisure. Their plans fail however, and Vogel decides to cancel the Cyberbiotics rainforest operation.

Subplots

Halcyon Renard's illness is worsening, leaving Vogel in charge of Cyberbiotics.

Elisa and Goliath have differing opinions on the Mayan gargoyles' plight. Elisa thinks they should find out who legally owns the rainforest, while Goliath agrees with the others that the humans must stop cutting down trees.

Hyena goes back to Manhattan to destroy the Mayan Sun Amulet at the American Museum of Natural History. Broadway and Lexington prevent her from doing this, and bring the amulet to the clock tower.

Elisa comes up with an idea to help the Mayan clan by transporting two of them to Avalon so that they could transplant selected samples from the rainforest there.

The Story

Previously on Gargoyles

• Recaps: ("Awakening Part Four", "Grief")

Act One

The skiff carrying Goliath, Elisa, Angela, and Bronx emerges from the mist. The travelers find themselves on a small river surrounded by trees. Angela, looking at the massive trees, wonders where in the world they are. Elisa, removing her jacket, remarks that it feels like a sauna. Suddenly, the sound of gunfire catches their attention and Elisa adds that it sounds like a warzone.

The travelers leave the skiff and make their way into the forest to investigate the sounds they are hearing. They discover "a warzone indeed..." Trees have been felled and there are several vehicles present, some of them destroyed. Humans in construction gear wielding guns are firing at a bulldozer. Behind the bulldozer are two gargoyles! Angela is shocked to see them. Elisa asks if a clan in the middle of the rainforest is even possible. Goliath tells her that long ago there were gargoyle clans all over the world, but that he wasn't aware any of them had survived. Angela adds that they still might not survive and points out two new figures who fly in from the rainforest canopy. It is Jackal and Hyena. Elisa and Angela point out that they don't know why the pair are here, but it can't be for good reason. Goliath climbs a tree to get height for an attack. Meanwhile, Jackal and Hyena gleefully begin their attack. Hyena shoots an electric shot at the bulldozer which throws the two new gargoyles through the air. jackal reminds her to take care not to do too much damage since they need to find out how many more of the "vermin" gargoyles remain. He shoots a net at the two stunned gargoyles and the two cyborg siblings land nearby. Suddenly, Goliath dives at them from a nearby tree branch and knocks them both to the forest floor. The pair recovers; Jackal complains that Goliath follows them everywhere (Manhattan, Egypt, and now Guatemala), but Hyena jokes that he's a fan and they always make time for their fans. Angela leaps out of the undergrowth, tackling Jackal to the ground, while Bronx does the same to Hyena. One of the armed humans aims his gun at them, but Elisa knocks him away. More humans quickly surround her and start to take her into their custody. Goliath approaches angrily and snatches all of their guns away from them. He throws the guns aside as the humans flee into the forest. Meanwhile, Jackal tosses Angela aside with a kick and Hyena gets away from Bronx. She uses her bladed mechanical foot to kick him, slicing one of his claws. The beast howls in pain. Jackal and Hyena use their rockets to take flight again. They prepare to fire on the gargoyles and Elisa since they have too much money at stake to let them interfere. Goliath rips the massive shovel off the bulldozer and throws it at the villains. It catches them both and they land in the water nearby. They are defeated for now. Goliath turns his attention to the two gargoyles that are still netted to the ground. As they stir back to consciousness, they are shocked to see the travelers. Goliath frees them from the net, reassuring them that they need not be alarmed as they too are gargoyles. The red male gargoyle introduces himself as Zafiro and his female companion as Obsidiana. Obsidiana thanks them all for their help. Elisa points out that Jackal and Hyena are down, but not for long. Goliath agrees that they can't stay there. Zafiro says that "The Green" is safe for now and tells the travelers to follow him.

The six of them make their way deeper into the forest, but Bronx lags behind due to his injury. He whines, which attracts the attention of the others. They examine his wound. It is deep, but will heal at sunrise. Zafiro points out that sunrise is six hours away and the wound could become infected by then. Elisa wishes that they had a first aid kit. Obsidiana emerges from the forest with "something much better". She sprinkles pollen from a flower on Bronx's wound to soothe the injury and wraps the claw in a leaf to protect it from infection. Bronx is pleased and Goliath is impressed. Obsidiana points out that their domain is full of curative wonders, but more are lost forever each time humans cut down more of the trees. They carry on and Goliath says he understands now why the forest needs gargoyle protection. He asks if there are many in their clan. Zafiro replies that there were many once, long ago, but now they total a mere four, the other two of which they will meet at the pyramid. "Pyramid?" wonders Angela. Then they step into a clearing, revealing the massive and impressive stone structure. Obsidiana tells the travelers that the pyramid was built by the Mayan people who ruled this domain over a thousand years before. The clan can watch over the entire forest from the summit day and night. Goliath questions how they can watch over the forest during the day and Obsidiana reveals that they wear magic pendants which prevent the sun from turning them to stone. Suddenly, two surprised roars are heard and the other two Mayan gargoyles dive down at the party from atop the pyramid. Zafiro reassures Jade and Turquesa that all is well and that the newcomers are "amigos, even the human".

The group walks alongside the pyramid looking over the hieroglyphics while Turquesa explains how eons in the past, a Mayan sorcerer took extreme measures to ensure that the pyramid was guarded throughout the day. He forged a golden amulet and used sapphire, obsidian, jade, and turqoise to cast a spell. The result was the four pendants which would prevent their wearers from turning to stone. As she explains this, a cybernetic eye (belonging to Jackal) and a cybernetic ear (belonging to Hyena) eavesdrop from the nearby forest. Zafiro continues to explain that one day, three years ago, the four pendant wearers returned to discover that poachers had raided the pyramid. The rest of the clan had been destroyed and the Mayan Sun Amulet was gone. Goliath expresses his sympathy and Angela is surprised to hear that they still function in daylight. Jade explains that they never found out where the Amulet had gone, but it must still be intact as they have yet to turn to stone. Jackal and Hyena have heard the whole tale and Hyena advises wiping them all out now that they've found their lair, but Jackal disagrees. As they reel in their eye and ear respectively, Jackal explains that attacking now would be a lot of "toil and effort" and instead offers fighting smart instead of fighting hard. Hyena wants to know what he's talking about and Jackal says he will tell her on the way back to the Villa. There is a computer there and he has an plan.

Dawn comes over the forest. At the pyramid, Goliath, Angela, and Bronx turn to stone. Obsidiana watches on. Below, Zafiro and Elisa head off into the forest. Obsidiana emerges from the pyramid and asks Jade and Turquesa where they are going. Jade explains that Elisa wanted to join Zafiro on patrol to see more of the forest. Obsidiana is pleased and remarks that Elisa is unusual for a human. She likes her.

At the Villa, Jackal works at the computer while Hyena eats a piece of fruit nearby. Jackal has put an image of the Sun Amulet he took from the pyramid into the computer and runs a search for any matching 10th century Mayan amulets. He finds a match and works to find out where the Amulet has ended up. Hyena walks behind him and as the data is revealed she is pleasantly surprised. Jackal tells her to go to the airport and he'll book her a flight (first class, of course).

Meanwhile, near a small farm in the forest, a man and a boy use axes to chop at the base of a tree. Zafiro leaps out of the shadows above and roars at the humans. He grabs their axes as the flee into the forest. Elisa emerges and admits that even she was scared for a moment. Zafiro, breaking the axes, explains that they make it a practice to never harm the local humans, only to frighten them. Elisa tells him that these people are farmers and need to cut down at least a few trees to feed their families. Zafiro replies that there is "no such thing as a few trees". He moves away into the forest.

Far away, it is night time in Manahattan. Hyena, in disbelief at being back in New York City of all places, perches on the roof of the American Museum of Natural History. She uses her laser cannon to cut a hole in the roof. Two pairs of glowing eyes watch her from nearby.

Act Two

Broadway and Lexington glide down to the roof of the Museum to investigate the hole Hyena left there. Broadway notes that she was in and hurry and Lex agrees they need to find out why. They descend through the hole and find themselves in a large gallery. Hyena spots them and excitedly attacks. During the attack she mentions an amulet and remarks that what she came there for won't take long. She continues her attack.

Meanwhile, back at the Villa in Guatemala, sunset approaches. Jackal is relaxing in a hot tub. Preston Vogel approaches and asks if Jackal will rust in the water and the cyborg informs him that "a waterproof sealant was included in our last upgrade." Vogel hopes Hyena is putting hers to better use. Jackal counters that as they speak, Hyena is in New York tying up a lose end for him. Vogel is surprised she is in New York since Cyberbiotics is paying the duo to put an end to the gargoyle-generated vandalism that is a problem for them in Guatemala, but Jackal retorts that that is exactly what Hyena is doing. They take a walk together while Jackal explains that Hyena's mission is to destroy the Mayan Sun Amulet that is keeping the Mayan Clan awake during the day. Without the amulet's magic, every gargoyle in the rainforest will be stone the following morning. Jackal imagines shattering all of the gargoyles and carving his own face into Goliath's sleeping form and laughs. Vogel thinks that Renard would probably not approve, but his employer's illness has left Vogel in charge of this operation. If Jackal gets the results stipulated in their contract, his methods are not his concern. Still, he notes that it is generous of Jackal to let the gargoyles live until the dawn, since any damage they do that night will come out of their fee. Jackal considers this.

Night has fallen at the Pyramid and Elisa and Zafiro have returned. Obsidiana informs them that Goliath, Angela, and Bronx have agreed to join in the defense of the forest. Elisa is shocked. Goliath explains to her that the forest is irreplaceable and requires protection. Elisa opines that they should find out who legally owns the land. Turquesa tells her that the forest is not meant to be owned, it is a resource that belongs to everyone and human laws threaten to steal it form future generations. Elisa tells them that whether the law is good or not, she is sworn to uphold the law. He implores Goliath not to join the Mayan Clan, telling him that there are other ways to protest an injustice. Goliath tells her that that may be the case in her world, but not in their rapidly dwindling world. Elisa apologizes and tells him that she can't be a part of this and Goliath understands. Jade tells her that she may instead keep watch at the Pyramid with Turquesa and himself: since the poacher's raid, two of the clan always stay to protect their home. The rest of the group heads off into the forest, but Goliath and Elisa share a long look as they diverge.

Back in New York, Hyena continues to battle Broadway and Lexington at the Museum, causing significant damage to various exhibits in the process. Hyena runs off to finish her task and the gargoyles are uncertain on what this might be. Lex remembers that she mentioned an amulet and the two rush to follow her. Hyena has arrived in the Mayan Wing and has found the amulet. She takes aim with her forearm laser, ready to destroy it and dooming the gargoyles in Guatemala to die at dawn.

First Appearances

Characters

• Zafiro
• Obsidiana
• Jade
• Turquesa

Locations

• Guatemala
• Mayan Pyramid
• ChacIxChel
• Villa
• American Museum of Natural History

Object

• Mayan Sun Amulet
• Jade and Turquesa's Raft

Miscellaneous

• Rain Forest

Quotes

• "There's nothing like the smell of new meat." - Jackal

• "What were the odds that I would end up in the Big Apple tonight? It must be an omen." - Hyena

• "As you may recall, our contract with Cyberbiotics only says we must end the vandalism. It doesn't say how." - Jackal

• "Leave our mothers out of this!" - Broadway

• "It's a start. I just hope we wake up in time." - Elisa

Continuity

Jackal and Hyena appear for the first time since "Grief", acting separately from the rest of the Pack for the first time since "Her Brother's Keeper".

Preston Vogel appears for the first time since "Golem". He next appears in "The Gathering Part One". This episode is the only one in which Vogel appears without Halcyon Renard.

Lexington and Broadway appear for the first time since "Pendragon". They next appear when the Avalon Travellers reach home in "The Gathering Part One".

The Manhattan Clan takes possession of the Mayan Sun Amulet. This is the third time that the clan has taken a magical item in order to keep it out of the wrong hands (after the Grimorum Arcanorum in "Enter Macbeth" and the Eye of Odin in "Eye of the Beholder"). Goliath also made a similar vow to protect the Eye of Odin and the Phoenix Gate in "Avalon Part Three" (although Goliath has already used both items prior to this episode, and the Eye has been effectively destroyed).

Officer Morgan is one of the policemen who arrest Hyena at the end of the episode. (Hyena will be broken out of prison, off-stage, by Jackal at the end of "Phoenix".)

Tidbits

Zafiro's serpent-like design is modelled after the figure of Quetzalcoatl the Feathered Serpent in Mesoamerican legend, suggesting yet another mythical being inspired by gargoyles. It is worth noting, however, that in Mesoamerican art and myth the Quetzalcoatl only has the feathers of a quetzal bird, not wings.

Greg Weisman had further plans for the Mayan gargoyles' adventures in the series. They would have eventually gotten the Mayan Sun Amulet back from the Manhattan Clan (it survived the destruction of the clock tower in "Hunter's Moon"). Turquesa and Jade, who ended the episode on the skiff to Avalon, would probably have experienced a few "World Tour" adventures of their own before Avalon sent them back to Guatemala. Also, a namesake descendant of Zafiro would have been one of the regulars in Gargoyles 2198.

Zafiro and Obsidiana also re-appeared in the apocryphal "Religious Studies 101: A Handful of Thorns".

Toon Disney/Disney XD Edits

Hyena hitting her head against a statue and being knocked out at the end of her battle with Broadway and Lexington is cut. Instead it cuts from Broadway throwing her straight to the next scene.

DVD Release

• Gargoyles: Season Two, Volume Two

Links

• Greg's Ramble
• Extensive Synopsis and Review

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