In the tenth episode of the second season of Gargoyles, Demona’s life is saved by a surprising person, but in the present day, her rampage reaches new heights. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Gargoyles.Â
Oh, Demona. DEMONA. If I understand the chronology at this point – and granted, I am still working without the full story – then Demona guaranteed that the Hunters would track her forever. Sort of? I still don’t get how we get from Prince Duncan donning the Hunter mask to… Macbeth? BECAUSE THAT’S TOTALLY MACBETH IN THE PRESENT, ISN’T IT???
At the very least, it’s clear that the three weird-ass sisters (the Wyrd Sisters, eh??? Eh???) have been pushing these characters to meet, though I cannot figure out why. Why was it so important for Demona and Macbeth to ally with one another? Why are they are in the present timeline? Why are they only speaking to Goliath?
I know I’m jumping around a lot at the start of this because “City of Stone, Part II” provided me with a lot of information. It’s somehow denser than the first part, namely since more time is spent in the flashback developing the situation between Macbeth, Prince Duncan, Gruoch, and Gillecomgain. (I’ve literally never seen that name ever, y’all.) Within this, Demona has her own grudge against Gillecomgain, the man who was once the young boy who she slashed in the face over food. That man then dedicated his life to hunting down Demona and killing her kind. And it’s not like we can’t understand that; Demona seriously harmed that kid, and she unknowingly set him on this path of vengeance.
Of course, he didn’t have to do this, and it most certainly doesn’t give him the right to be the main assassin of Prince Duncan. The guy still has agency, yet it’s undeniable that his choices were influenced by what Demona had done to him. So while he does his best to hunt down gargoyles, Prince Duncan also employs him to get what he wants. Initially, that’s the death of Macbeth’s father. Surprisingly, though, Gillecomgain balks at assassinating Macbeth, which then makes Prince Duncan turn Macbeth against his assassin out of spite. IT’S VERY TWISTY AND POLITICAL. Part of me believes that the Sisters wanted this, but I can’t even hazard a guess as to why. What do they have to gain? The joy of chaos?
Regardless, there’s a fascinating moment amidst this political nightmare. In the previous episode, Demona had saved Macbeth’s life. Here, the reverse happens, and it felt so odd because, just for a fraction of time, we’re reminded that gargoyles have long helped humans. Demona doesn’t lash out at Macbeth when he pulls her to safety, and she actually thanks him. SO HOW THE HELL DO THEY END UP AS SWORN ENEMIES?
You know, I am gonna make a guess here, and it’s based mostly from the scenes in the present time. Demona uses people. Always. Humans are only there for her to get to her ultimate goal, and so she’ll ally with anyone who will get her closer to the eradication of all humankind. It’s a complicated and messy thing, isn’t it? Yet Demona has betrayed Xanatos before, and she doesn’t think highly of him at all. The events of this arc also show us that she’s willing to hurt him, too. She doesn’t care about Fox, who is turned to stone, and the same goes with Owen. Xanatos is a means to an end. Thus, I’m guessing that somewhere along the way, Demona used Macbeth and betrayed him. That has to be the case, right? Why else would he decide to be a Hunter? (As you can see, I’m committing to this theory of mine, and I’ll be real embarrassed if that isn’t even Macbeth.)
It’s because of this that the gargoyles find themselves in a strange predicament. As it stands, their main villain is Demona, which puts them on the same side as Xanatos. Stopping her is absolutely necessary because she’s started killing people. (Right? All those smashed people are dead, aren’t they???) How many more people will get crushed by the time the sun rises? Thus, ENEMIES ARE NOW ALLIED, WHICH INVOKES ONE OF MY FAVORITE TROPES OF ALL TIME.
My body is ready.
The video for “City of Stone, Part II” can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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