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Gargoyles: Revelations
Reviewed: 09/14/2013
Of Matt Bluestone's Weird Fetish!
We are heading down the highway to the end of disc two and this one features the return of Matt Bluestone doing his one angle in life: Fetishing in the Illuminati conspiracy theory; only this time he wants membership. But it comes with a price: the head of a gargoyle. Yeah. So; let's rant on shall we...?!
This episode is written and story edited by Cathy Bates. Animation is done by Walt Disney Animation Japan with additional services done by Tama Pro and Jade Animation.
Opening Moment #1: Complete recap from The Silver Falcon with a hint of The Edge. This one is much more focused than the Outfoxed episode; so that is a win.
We begin this one we a pan shot of the Cabal Hotel (Oh yeah; that isn't a telegraph just waiting to happen?!) AFTER HAPPY HOUR (after dark) and then we head inside a mature lighting empty room and then the trapdoor opens and we see Goliath drops down on his belly. Huh? Goliath gets up as a old man's voice starts to taunt him and we see someone who looks similar to Dominic Dracon from the Silver Falcon, only he's 100 years old controlling a computer as we get a sequence of Goliath breaking through the hotel wall where the windows get iron slabbed. Then we get another sequence of Goliath trying for the door; but the door turns upside down slowly and the room is basically a room sized blender. Okay; that is a neat death trap! Surprised Mr. Fat didn't think of it first. Then we cut to the white haired old man who is thanking someone for this glorious bumpy night and we pan over and it's Matt Bluestone which doesn't surprise me in the least. We discover that the guy controlling the computer is in fact Mace Malone and Mace Malone is voiced by Efrem Zimbalist Jr. and according to IMDB: Hardly surprising that the son of concert violinist Efrem Zimbalist Sr. (1889-1985) and opera singer Alma Gluck (1884-1938) would desire a performing career of some kind. Born in New York City in 1918 and surrounded by people of wealth and privilege throughout his childhood, Efrem Zimbalist Jr. trained at both the Yale School of Drama and the Neighborhood Playhouse, and was an NBC radio page at the onset. Following war service in which he earned a Purple Heart, director and friend of the family Garson Kanin gave the aspiring actor his first professional role in his Broadway production of "The Rugged Path" (1945) which starred Spencer Tracy. With his dark, friendly, clean-scrubbed good looks and a deep, rich voice that could cut butter, Zimbalist found little trouble finding work. He continued with the American Repertory Theatre performing in such classics as "Henry VIII" and "Androcles and the Lion" while appearing opposite the legendary Eva Le Gallienne in "Hedda Gabler".
Zimbalist then tried his hand as a stage producer, successfully bringing opera to Broadway audiences for the first time with memorable presentations of "The Medium" and "The Telephone". As producer of Gian Carlo Menotti's "The Consul", he won the New York Drama Critic's Award and the Pulitzer Prize for best musical in 1950. An auspicious film debut opposite Edward G. Robinson in House of Strangers (1949) brought little career momentum due to the untimely death of his wife Emily (and mother of his two children) to cancer in 1950. Making an abrupt decision to abandon acting, he served as assistant director/researcher at the Curtis School of Music for his father and buried himself with studies and music composition. In 1954 he returned to acting and copped a daytime television soap lead. Famed director Joshua Logan was instrumental in helping Zimbalist secure a Warner Bros. contract. Despite forthright second leads in decent films such as Band of Angels (1957) with Clark Gable and Yvonne De Carlo; Too Much, Too Soon (1958) starring Dorothy Malone and Errol Flynn; A Fever in the Blood (1961) opposite Angie Dickinson and (his best) Wait Until Dark (1967) with Audrey Hepburn, it was television that made the better use of his refined, unshowy acting style. His roles as smooth private investigator Stu Bailey on "77 Sunset Strip" (1958) and dogged inspector Lewis Erskine on "The F.B.I." (1965) would be his ultimate claim to fame. A perfect gentleman on and off camera, Zimbalist's severest critics tend to deem his performances bland and undernourished. Managing to override such criticisms, he maintained a sturdy career for nearly six decades. In 1991, he made fun of his all-serious reputation and pulled off a Leslie Nielsen-like role in the comedy parody Hot Shots! (1991).
In addition to theater projects over the years, he has made fine use of his mellifluous baritone performing narrations and cartoon voiceovers. In 2003, he completed his memoirs, entitled "My Dinner of Herbs". The father of three and grandfather of four, he currently lives in Santa Barbara, California with longtime second wife Stephanie. Their daughter, also named Stephanie (Stephanie Zimbalist), is the well-known actress who appeared with Pierce Brosnan in the "Remington Steele" (1982) television series. He began his career in 1946 in the television movie Mr. and Mrs. North. Gargoyles is his DTVA debut and he also voiced Dr. Denton P. Hookerman in Mighty Ducks: The Animated Series. The Delivery is his most recent credit. He has 93 acting credits and 29 self credits to his resume. He'll be known to cartoon fans as Doctor Octopus in Spiderman 1995 and Alfred Pennyworth in various animated versions of Batman. So Mace is thanking him as he calls Matt a perfect Judas. Yikes! Matt smiles and then turns around acting confused pondering why he is working for a 100 year old man and capturing a gargoyle. Matt deduces that it all began with him visiting Martin Hacker (seen in the Silver Falcon) who was his ex-partner from the FBI as we head into Central Park in broad daylight as Martin is blowing off Matt for trying to get himself bounced from the NYC police force like he did in the FBI. Matt asks about Mace Malone's stepson and Martin keeps proclaiming that it makes no difference because Mace disappeared 70 years ago and Mace is probably dead anyway. Even worse; this wouldn't prove Matt's assertions that the Illuminati even exists nor is it powerful even if it did exist. Of course in Vows; we know it exists, but no one cares about history as usual. Matt continues to ask for information on the stepson (he sounds like your average scientist.) and Martin finally gives in and takes out a piece of paper and shows it to Matt; and explains that he has no idea what it took to get it and that the stepson of Mace Malone is in the witness relocation program.
Matt invokes the VOICEOVER OF DOOM (at least he is not full of himself like Drake Mallard; only merely full of it) as duty calls and the Illuminati would have to wait. So we head to the NYC police station and in the hallway as Matt is reading the paper Martin gave him standing opposite wall of the green door which opens and out comes Maria. This is interesting; Maria is being voiced by a different voice actress in this one. Maria Chavez is voiced by Elisa Pensler Gabrielli and she started her career in Alien Space Avenger as Red Riding Hood in 1989. Then she did little of note being in various bit roles in movies and television. Gargoyles is her DTVA debut and was Sarina Sanchez in WITCH. Saints Row The Third and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim as Maven Black-Briar are her most recent credits. She has 41 acting credits, 21 ADR credits (Magic Mike, House of D, Winning London, Meet The Parents, This Means War and Shopgirl among others) and did voice casting for Deuce Coupe; along with two self credits to her resume. She was in South Park as Paris Hilton at one point too. So Matt asks where Eliza is and Maria has no clue and assures Matt that Eliza was NOT in her office and hasn't seen her in the last 20 minutes. Maria walks away as Matt goes searching for Eliza and we see Eliza coming out of the room leading upstairs to inside the clock tower. Matt turns the corner and spots her closing the door and he asks where Eliza has been and Eliza claims that she was returning a mop to the storage room because the woman's locker room sink got screwed around and took 30 minutes to clean up. Even Matt is not buying this crap; but doesn't respond to it as she asks if something came up. Matt claims that he has a lead on Mace Malone which Eliza guesses that it's the Illuminati. And then she walked away as Matt's voice over proclaimed that he learned after the Silver Falcon never to leave his partner in the dark; but it was clear that she didn't believe in him one bit.
So we scene change to a white building which is a health club called V-Shape. We head inside as a blond haired female in all red is drinking water from the water fountain and we see a white haired fatass pumping iron in the background. Matt walks towards him as he blows off Matt claiming that he is a retired banker who just wants to stay fit. That sounds reasonable. Matt claims that he is not here for him addressing him as Jack; so I assume that his real name is Jack Danforth. Matt takes out a blue piece of paper which is folded in half as Matt claims that his mother is a silent film star named Flo Dane. There is no such person in real name; but there is a voice talent called Flo Di Re who I tributed in the Quack Pack episode The Really Mighty Ducks many months ago. So Matt shows Jack in front of the casket during the memorial service in which his mother died 15 years old and he wants Jack to note that two seats in the front are empty. Jack then calls Mace Malone a bum who walked out on him when he was five years old and disappeared. So Matt shows a second picture which is in the back row and there is Mace Malone in the flesh as Jack is surprised; but Mace is still a bum as Matt asks where Flora Dreidel is buried and Jack proclaims that it's at Forest Lawn. Matt leaves as Jack wants Matt to inform Mace that Jack called him a bum. You know what; Jack almost looks like a retired fat Jame Jonah Jamieson from Spiderman; and even uses the same voice (which is the same guy who voices Hudson in this series) from the 1995 edition of the series. Yeah. So we head to the clock tower as it's BEFORE HAPPY HOUR (sunset) as Eliza enters the clock tower and then hears some noise as she brings out her gun. So we head upstairs and it's...Matt Bluestone? WHAT?! So Matt is asking questions about Eliza's bending of regulations which is kind of pointless as Eliza grabs him by the arm and changes the subject around with the Mace Malone story. Matt and Eliza walk down the steps as Matt explains that someone lays a rose on Flora's crypt once every Thursday; which so happens to be tomorrow actually. Yeah.
So we head to the crypt in Forest Lawn as we see Mace Malone in a full trench coat and fedora hat lay a rose on the filing cabinet like perch of Flora's crypt. And then we see Matt with the Gruffi pose on leaning against a column holding up the mausoleum. So Matt talks like a gumshoe talking about how Mace had to stay dead in the eyes of everyone because the Illuminati deemed him irreplaceable and once the secrets came out; he was a marked man and had to disappear forever. Mace blows him off as being deluded as Matt grabs his hand and shows off the Illuminati tattoo which is a pyramid with a red beholder like eye who looks like he's Catastrophe from Final Fantasy V. Matt claims that Mace is well preserved for someone being 100 years old and apparently; in this world there is something called rejuvenation drugs. I see Larson & Gary are members of the Illuminati too! I'm more shocked that Larson & Gary would be interested in such conspiracy theories considering that they are scientists. Mace takes off the glasses and proclaims that Matt should see their dental plan. So we walk into the memorial gardens of death as we exchange notes for a while and Mace offers to give Matt a membership into the Illuminati Society as long as he passes a loyalty test as he pats the golf ball cane gently on his chest. Matt asks how Mace can prove his loyalty and Mace offers some information from a low level grunt of the Illuminati called David Xanatos. UH OH! I do not like where this is going. Matt proclaims that he is officially in on this as we head to a wavy road near the ocean AFTER HAPPY HOUR as Eliza is driving her car up and Matt is in the passenger seat. Eliza proclaims that their shift is almost over and he hasn't said three words since the shift started. Matt then finally sezs three words...Let...Me...Drive!
Eliza is confused about this; but Matt insists as they stop at a look off and then they open the doors and change positions. Matt is in the driver's seat (and his voice over talked about the lies and betrayal he felt) and he drives like a maniac bumping into the side barriers as his acting suddenly gets a lot better and he sounds PISSED. And I do mean PISSED. So he proclaims that he met the real Mace Malone and that he found out a lot more than just the Illuminati conspiracy as there is another conspiracy that is closer to home. Eliza is shocked as Matt proclaims that only her precious gargoyles can save them now and that shocks Eliza as Matt continues to bump into the side barriers to end the segment nine and a half minutes in. Well; that was really direct there. This is actually a really good media res type story thus far; mainly because Matt is finally starting to show me more than just being a conspiracy theorist guy. In Matt's own mind; Eliza has betrayed and lied to him about keeping stuff in the dark after telling him about keeping her in the dark with Martin Hacker. Lovely!
After the commercial break; we pan up from the water right up to the hairpin turn in the road as Matt is still driving like a maniac; so Eliza grabs the wheel and manages to get the thing to stop as it grinds against the side barricade. After the thing comes to a stop; Eliza blows off Matt for nearly getting them killed and Matt opens the door and storms out blowing her off because he has had it with this game as he yells for the Gargoyles to show themselves to him, right here, right now. And there is nothing...AND THE ROCK SEZS NOTHING! Eliza comes out and basically states that they don't always follow her. Eliza then decides to show Matt where the gargoyles are as we head back into the car and drive back to headquarters where it's sunrise now. Matt gets on Eliza's case on stalling on him; but Eliza points out that they have to wait ten minutes before sunset to meet them since he won't see them in the daytime. Eliza leaves and we scene change to a ferry boat and Matt's monologue as the rest of the day wasn't a total loss by a longshot. We cut to a blond haired guy looking through the binoculars from a tripod and then pan west to Mace and Matt exchanging notes on the situation. Matt proclaims that his information was accurate which begs the question: How did Xanatos know about the gargoyles hiding in the clock tower. I know Demona and Macbeth were in the secret location; but I don't recall David ever being there. Mace wants Matt to prove his loyalty and shows him a Hotel Cabal key (all red with black lettering) for room 13 and bring him a gargoyle. So we head back inside the clock tower with Matt and Eliza watching from the door as both humans open the door and walk towards the perch as they are still stone statues. Matt is not amused to see this so Eliza tells Matt to make room and despite not being quite nighttime; the gargoyles live again! Hudson notices that there is more company than usual as Goliath thinks that this was a long time coming.
So we head inside the clock tower with the goofballs of doom playing video games as Goliath, Eliza and Matt have a long talk about loyalty to Eliza, the gargoyles mission in life and Matt being a righteous police officer. Yeah; that last time has a not so good meaning nowadays. Eliza wants Matt to keep it a secret and Matt agrees to it; but he wants one favor which Goliath proclaims the FCC MORAL OF THE DAY (loyalty is not bartered with which is stupid because loyalty is usually bartered all the time. How else do you can trust?) . Matt would like to talk to Goliath man to beast and they both agree to talk on the perch outside. More monologs from Matt as he proclaims that Goliath is no one's fool but he needs a gargoyle for the Illuminati as Hudson and Eliza walk out and Eliza wants answers to this favor. Matt proclaims that Mace has a condemned building at the Cabal Hotel; and if he can reach it, he'll be able to expose the Illuminati for good. Hudson wants in; but Goliath claims that they are not laying siege on the building; as he wants to sneak in and out. Eliza wants in; but Matt wants Eliza to stay out of this and that will prove her trust to him. Matt is pushing his weight around today as Eliza backs up and lets him have his place.
So we see Goliath flying with Matt in his arms as they land on the roof of the Cabal Hotel. Matt offers to shoot the lock of the door open; but Goliath rips the door off it's hinges anyway. Matt and Goliath walk down the steps with Matt going first as they are clearly being watched by Mace Malone on the computer somewhere in the building. Then the stairs turn into a ramp and they slide down as a fork is created in the middle with Matt going left and Goliath going right. Geez; even in this cartoon, the Illuminati is considered "liberal". Go figure. And WE COME FULL CIRCLE~! So we skip most of this as they finally do the logic break which happens with all media res stuff as they have to cut to inside Malone's office as there is banging on the steel door and Malone answers it to find Matt who is blowing off Malone for losing the key on the way down; coming in protesting the chute. Mace claims that he did that because that would have made the gargoyle think that Matt might be turning heel. Mace proclaims that the fun now begins and he welcomes Goliath to the Hotel Cabal and that ends the segment 14 minutes in. Still better than Darkwing Duck's attempt of media res by the way; so HUZZAH~!
After the commercial break; we have Matt leaving us where they left off with Goliath hanging from the coffee table with the room sized blender blade below him. So he flips below the table and breaks it off and pushes it into the blender blades and that kills them. Then we get a long sequence of Goliath breaking down doors as Mace explains that he wants to break him down so much that he can strip the gargoyle of it's darkest secrets. Then when he is done with him, he'll be a mindless cretin. So Goliath goes through a hallway containing doors and an "open window" which Mace taunts him with. Goliath runs like a dog as the doors open to reveal flamethrowers, electric shock waves which Goliath sells; but then he stops selling and nearly gets crushed by the same device Scrooge used to squash Beagle Boys in one of the multi-part episodes; I forgot which one. This is turning into one sick cartoon which is funny considering how Gargoyles fans keep insisting that this is a "mature" cartoon. It's as "mature" as a show in ECW! AHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Goliath claws at the "window" which is clearly not an open window as we discover that Goliath has the key. Matt asks about him going down the wrong chute and Mace claims that it's bad news because a warm body is all he needs to trigger the traps and only a key (Mace has #23 by the way) can mess them up. And then Goliath disappears as noted by Matt as Mace goes through footage of every single trap and trick in the hotel; but no Goliath. Then the security alarm wails and Mace proclaims that this makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. So what did Mace see in the television monitor that made no sense? The odds if you please....
[1.] My rants on
this show – 6:1
[2.] Watched an episode of Fanboy & Chum
Chum – 3:1
[3.] Jack calling him a bum – 2.5:1
[4.]
Saw him looking like Michael Eisner – 4:1
[5.] Nothing but
stupid pet tricks - 1.8:1
And he notices....a map with a red dot showing Goliath going through the maze unharmed as Mace finally gets the LIGHT BULB OF BLOODY CLAIRTY and realizes that the key dropped in Goliath's hands. Mace stands up and goes to a mirror which opens to reveal the weapons that we saw in Deadly Force as he grabs the one which looks like it is a bullet shooting weapon; but probably shoots lasers. Matt asks if this is a bad thing to have wasted a gargoyle; which Mace admits that he will get a slap on the wrist for. However; if he allows him to escape, then his 75 year pension is down the drain so to speak. So we discover that the door Matt went through is also a mirror and they both walk through it when it opens. So we head to the elevator with Goliath climbing up the ladder as Mace and Matt arrive at the elevator as I discover that Mace's key responds to the Illuminati symbol on the wall above the elevator doors (similar to the mirror door Mace opened in the previous scene) as a section of wall opens up to reveal a computer and a one way mirror showing Goliath climbing up. Mace goes over to the computer as Mace shows Matt the one way mirror and then starts fiddling with the controls. We then get a sequence where Goliath notices the bottom of the elevator coming straight down at him so Goliath flies backwards and lands on top of the second elevator which is heading for a spiked mace roller. Goliath manages to jump off which was screwed up a bit by WD-Japan; but Goliath manages to claw the side wall while the spike roller destroys the second elevator. Now the smart thing to do would be to bring the second elevator up and try again; but Mace has had enough games as Goliath slowly climbs up and Mace uses the gun to aim straight at Goliath as he has no idea what is going to happen since the mirror is one way. Mace proclaims that it's checkout time; but Matt finally turns on Mace and tackles him through the mirror after it was shot through (and misses Goliath by a mile). Mace manages to grab the elevator wires in time; while Matt free falls and Goliath swoops down and manages to grab Matt on the way down and claw the wall to save him. HA!
Goliath throws Matt into the air and allows him to carry him on his back as Matt acts like he never betrayed Goliath one bit. Mace blows him off for playing him like a fool and claims that he and Goliath were in on the charade all along and Matt claims that Mace right about that. So Mace climbs up the elevator wire and then goes over the glass mirror and somehow manages to do this without cutting himself once. That is some logic break there guys! Mace swears that no one double crosses Mace Malone and swears revenge as he walks through the hallway as Matt monologs while Goliath climbs up and they exit through the roof door as we find out that Mace dropped his key during the elevator free fall sequence as Goliath gives Matt the key and they give their thanks together. Matt monologs that he lost his big chance to expose the Illuminati (I thought exposing Mace Malone did exactly that?); but at least he got the better of Mace Malone who we see looking for the way out and his traps and tricks are working as he planned. HAHA! So we head back to the clock tower as the gargoyles all get on their perch and morning arises and we get a sequence of the gargoyles turning to stone which Matt just stares in awe. Eliza walks into the clock tower as Matt follows her and asks why she kept them from him for so long and Eliza claims that she thought she was special and didn't want anyone to see them since she was the only human they trust. Matt claims that he stood out because of his hunt for the Illuminati as they come out of the clock tower together and right in the hallway is Maria Chavez looking happy to see them together. Eliza and Matt greet as they go their separate ways; and Matt walks out of the police station...And then we see Martin Hacker coming up to him and he walks over and pins an Illuminati pin on Matt proclaiming that he passed the loyalty test. SWEVERE! Yep; Martin Hacker was a member of the Illuminati all this time and that's why he partnered up with him in spite of Matt getting fired from the FBI. Matt is rightfully shocked, appalled and pissed off of this too as Martin claims that Matt's insistence of continuing this exposing of the Illuminati proves that he deserves to be a member as Matt asks why since Goliath got away. Martin points out that he was only supposed to get him there and that it was Mace's fault for Goliath escaping. Martin leaves as Matt proclaims that they will meet again and that is a promise which ends the episode at 21:15 approx. This was a better attempt at media res than Darkwing Duck was and mostly a fun ride; but not much in the way of awesomeness outside of the twist ending. Matt managed to come out as a tweener still in spite of being more babyface towards the gargoyles. The twist ending deserves a * on it's own. *** 3/4 (75%).
THE REVIEW LINE
Well; there wasn't much to say about this episode other than it was another fun romp with Matt Bluestone. In spite of my mocking of Matt as Maria's driver, he has come out looking better and better when he is getting focus episodes. I found Mace Malone quite maniacal at times with his Hotel Cabal; but the whole thing reeked of Scrooge's security system; only it was used as torture. The animation was really good for a change and everything was set up nicely; only to have one of the better endings to the series as we discover that Martin Hacker was in on the whole thing; which turned Matt into a babyface tweener instead of a netural tweener who just has a fetish for conspiracy theories. The ending was an 18* ending and I loved that twist because even I didn't see this coming. I also thought the Eliza/Matt stuff was goofy; but Matt's voice acting was much better than usual now that they have given Matt some emotion. Although he still sounds like a monotone during it. So; overall, a near thumbs up episode that was fun with a twist ending. So next up is Double Jeopardy as Goliath meets his worst nightmare: A mutant of himself that has a TNA-ish name. Then we end disc two with Upgrade as Fox and Xanatos decide to have THE PACK~ and the clan fight each other in a game of wits. Ooooookkkkaaaayyyyyy...So....
Thumbs in the middle pointing up for this episode and I'll see you all next time.