GARGOYLES: FUTURE TENSE (TV)
Summary
One in this animated series about a cadre of centuries-old gargoyles living in secret in modern-day New York City. The episode opens as Goliath, Elisa, Bronx, and Angela are attempting to return to Manhattan from Avalon. Goliath is struck by lightning and they emerge to find Manhattan has become a ruined city dominated by a complex centered on Xanatos's headquarters. Xanatos's robots spot them and attack, capturing Elisa and Angela. Goliath and Bronx are rescued by Matt Bluestone and Claw, both much older than when Goliath last saw them. He finds out he has been gone for forty years. Bluestone takes Goliath through the city, where a gigantic hologram of Xanatos announces his plan to take over the world. Goliath vows to stop his reign. Bluestone takes Goliath to a secret base where he finds his friends; they have also been changed drastically in his forty-year absence. Hudson was the first to perish in the battle against Xanatos, and Goliath finds his petrified body. Brooklyn is now the embittered leader of the rebellion against Xanatos and is now Demona's lover since Thailog died. Broadway had his eyes taken during a battle to prevent the last few free humans from becoming Mutates. Lexington is a cyborg who designed a sonic collar allowing Broadway to "see." Brooklyn realizes that Goliath has the Phoenix Gate and wants to use it to go back in time to prevent Xanatos from coming to power, but Goliath refuses, reasoning that history cannot be changed. The rebels receive a signal from within Xanatos's central pyramid, where Xanatos and his son Alexander are battling each other on a cyberspace landscape. Alexander tells his father that he is broadcasting their position to the rebels, but Xanatos anticipated this and is using the signal to trace the rebels' location. He then kills Alexander. Brooklyn decides to launch a preemptive strike against Xanatos. Bluestone detonates charges on the ground as a distraction while the gargoyles fly up and infiltrate Castle Wyvern. Bluestone, Bronx, and Claw are killed in the process. Thailog's shock troops surround the gargoyles and a fight ensues. Lexington is captured and Broadway is shot, dying in Goliath's arms. Only Goliath, Demona, and Brooklyn are left to enter the great hall of the castle, where they are immediately transported to the cyberspace landscape, where Elisa and Angela are being held. It is revealed that Xanatos was killed by Hudson 32 years ago, but that his mind was uploaded onto his computer system, which has been ruling the city ever since. He plans to download himself onto every computer on earth, thus becoming the new ruler of the planet. The chamber they are in can project the computer-Xanatos's thoughts as reality, and with this power he kills Brooklyn and Angela. Demona is killed as well, but not before revealing that Goliath can use his own will to influence the "reality" of the chamber. He does so and battles Xanatos, killing him. He and Elisa return to the great hall of the castle, only to find Lexington waiting for them. He reveals that he was the one controlling the computer-Xanatos all along, that he merely used Xanatos's memories and image to allay suspicion so he could rule the city in secret. He activates the download of the Xanatos program, noting that it is impossible to stop. An enraged Goliath hurls Lexington into a computer terminal, causing the entire castle to explode. He and Elisa barely escape, but he is seriously injured in the process. Elisa points out that the Xanatos program has spread to every computer on earth and insists that the only remaining option is to use the Phoenix Gate to change the past. Goliath is too weak and she asks him to give it to her, but Goliath realizes something is amiss and refuses. It turns out Elisa is actually a disguised Puck. Puck reveals that the future Manhattan was all an elaborate illusion designed to get Goliath to hand over the Phoenix Gate; he had hoped to trade it to Oberon so that he would not have to return to Avalon with the rest of Oberon's Children. The "rules" stated that Puck could not take it by force, so he hoped to trick Goliath into giving it to him. Goliath realizes everything was just a dream, but Puck hints it might have been a "prophecy." Goliath awakens on the boat out of Avalon with Elisa, Angela, and Bronx. Fearing that Puck may come for the Phoenix Gate again, Goliath casts it into a time portal, leaving it to drift through time forever. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: Syndicated
- DATE: April 25, 1996 4:30 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:23:48
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:44860
- GENRE: Animation; Drama, fantasy/science fiction
- SUBJECT HEADING: Animation; Drama, fantasy/science fiction
- SERIES RUN: Syndicated - TV series, 1994-1996; ABC, 1996-1997
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Frank Paur … Supervising Producer
- Greg Weisman … Supervising Producer
- Lisa A. Salamone … Associate Producer
- Bob Kline … Director
- Terada Kazuo … Director
- Matsukawa Tomomichi … Director
- Jamie Thomason … Voice Direction
- Marsh Lamore … Animation Director
- Woody Yocum … Animation Director
- Takeuchi Kazuyoshi … Animation Director
- Kudo Masaaki … Animation Director
- Yasue Madoka … Animation Director
- Hara Atsuhiko … Animation
- Ohmame Kazuhiro … Animation
- Wakabayashi Sachiko … Animation
- Matsuo Yuko … Animation
- Tatenaka Junpei … Animation
- Sagawa Kazumi … Animation
- Tanaka Heihachiro … Animation
- Matsumoto Masayo … Animation
- Tsuchiya Kenichi … Animation
- Yamamoto Yasuichiro … Animation
- Nakamura Harumi … Animation
- Minami Shizuko … Animation
- Marty Isenberg … Writer
- Robert N. Skir … Writer
- Carl Johnson … Music by, Theme Music by
- Thom Adcox Hernandez … Voice, Lexington
- Brigitte Bako … Voice, Angela
- Jeff Bennett … Voice, Brooklyn
- Keith David … Voice, Goliath
- Bill Fagerbakke … Voice, Broadway
- Jonathan Frakes … Voice, David Xanatos, Alexander Fox
- Salli Richardson (See also: Salli Richardson-Whitfield) … Voice, Elisa Maza
- Marina Sirtis … Voice, Demona
- Brent Spiner … Voice, Puck
- Frank Welker … Voice, Bronx
- Tom Wilson … Voice, Matt Bluestone