In the eighteenth episode of the second season of Gargoyles, Goliath and Broadway discover that Elisa does not seem to be who she says she is. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Gargoyles.Â
You know, this is an awesome episode that deals with a frightening reality. This show for kids just had an entire plot centered around a protection racket. The script explained what one was, and then it used the gargoyles – who dedicate their lives to protecting others out of duty – to demonstrate why it was such a bad thing. Amidst this, we’re challenged by the bewildering turn of Elisa, who suddenly rejects all the morals and ethics that comprise her character so that she can run a protection racket of her own.
Thus, it made sense to me that Goliath wondered what sort of spell or sorcery she was under. I wondered the same thing! Her characterization in “Protection” was bizarre and contradictory. Granted, I actually figured this one out before it was confirmed onscreen, but that didn’t dilute the experience. I went from confusion and shock to joyous wonder as I watched all of these people – Elisa, Bluestone, their boss, and the gargoyles – conspire to trap Dracon and his men in the act of committing a crime. In hindsight, it was such a good idea to have Elisa go undercover: she was much more believable as a corrupt cop, especially since it was in great contrast to her “normal” personality. The idea was infectious: a do-gooder cop who finally fell from grace and did so hard. AND SHE WAS SO GOOD AT IT. She’s a natural at this!
But this was also a great respite from the more emotionally heavy stories that we’ve been getting lately. Or the straight-up horrifying ones. It’s not until the end of the episode that there’s any sort of growth, but that’s okay. This episode was pure fun, right up until Elisa and Goliath vowed to protect one another and the city, and then the ~wave of emotions~ came. I used the word “pure” to describe the joy of the episode because ultimately, there is a goodness at the heart of “Protection.” Many people lost their hard-earned income to Dracon because of his destructive practice; others lost everything when Dracon retaliated. The show paints this man as demonstratively evil, and then shows us how a dedication to being a force for good in this world results in evil losing. Dracon is taken down by his own arrogance and pride. (And a really sweet swooping tackled from Goliath, LET US NOT FORGET THAT.) Even after successfully taking out Dracon and his men, though, these characters don’t give up. They recognize that fighting evil is a journey, an unending path that twists and turns. It doesn’t always end in victory, and these characters know that well, too. But those victories do happen, and some times, you can make the world a better place.
The video for “Protection” can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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