"IT'S ALIVE, ALIVE!! ... I've always wanted to say that."
February 12, 2014 10:52 PM   Subscribe

"It's an epic Urban Fantasy, a sci-fi thriller set Twenty Minutes into the Future, and a gritty crime-drama. And a tribute to William Shakespeare, where Puck, Oberon, Titania, and the Weird Sisters have prominent roles, and Macbeth kicks ass in a trenchcoat with a laser gun."
Plus, Star Trek alums lend their voices to many regular characters and guest stars. On the eve of its 20th anniversary, Gargoyles is now being offered legally on YouTube by Disney.

The Catch
Videos in this post are only available in the US. All other countries are restricted.


Playlists
* Season One
* Season Two
* Season Three, "The Goliath Chronicles"


Background
Gargoyles was a Disney animated series about a clan of nocturnal creatures brought from medieval Scotland to modern New York. Billed as Disney's first dramatic animated television series, 78 half-hour episodes were produced between 1994 and 1996, of which 74 can be seen (legally) online. The show featured a "relatively dark tone, complex story arcs, and melodrama; character arcs were heavily employed throughout the series, as were Shakespearean themes," particularly Macbeth and A Midsummer Night's Dream. There is a Gargoyles wiki: Grimorum and TV Tropes has an extensive page on the show

The show was uploaded by Disney over a year ago, but apparently went relatively unnoticed until the official "Oh My Disney" blog posted a 'News Flash' at the end of January.

How can you not love a show that has a character voiced by (the late) Paul Winfield say, "The written word is all that stands between memory and oblivion. Without books as our anchors, we are cast adrift, neither teaching nor learning. They are windows on the past, mirrors on the present, and prisms reflecting all possible futures. Books are lighthouses erected in the dark sea of time."


Episodes
Season One
1. Awakening
2. Awakening, Part Two
3. Awakening, Part Three
4. Awakening, Part Four
5. Awakening, Part Five
6. The Thrill of the Hunt
7. Temptation
8. Deadly Force
9. Enter Macbeth
10. The Edge
11. Long Way to Morning
12. Her Brother's Keeper
13. Reawakening

Season Two (Episodes 34 and 39 missing.)
1. Leader of the Pack
2. Metamorphosis
3. Legion
4. A Lighthouse in the Sea of Time
5. The Mirror
6. The Silver Falcon
7. Eye of the Beholder
8. Vows
9. City of Stone, Part One
10. City of Stone, Part Two
11. City of Stone, Part Three
12. City of Stone, Part Four
13. High Noon
14. Outfoxed
15. The Price
16. Revelations
17. Double Jeopardy
18. Upgrade
19. Protection
20. The Cage
21. Avalon, Part One
22. Avalon, Part Two
23. Avalon, Part Three
24. Shadows of the Past
25. Heritage
26. Monsters
27. Golem
28. Sanctuary
29. M.I.A.
30. Grief
31. Kingdom
32. The Hound of Ulster
33. Walkabout
34. Mark of the Panther (Not included in the Disney upload.)
35. Pendragon
36. Eye of the Storm
37. The New Olympians
38. The Green
39. Sentinel (Not included in the Disney upload.)
40. Bushido
41. Cloud Fathers
42. Ill Met By Moonlight
43. Future Tense
44. The Gathering, Part One
45. The Gathering, Part Two
46. Vendettas
47. Turf
48. The Reckoning
49. Possession
50. Hunter's Moon, Part One
51. Hunter's Moon, Part Two
52. Hunter's Moon, Part Three

Season Three, "The Goliath Chronicles" (Episodes 9 and 11 missing.)
1. The Journey
2. Ransom
3. Runaways
4. Broadway Goes Hollywood
5. A Bronx Tail
6. The Dying Of The Light
7. And Justice For All
8. Genesis Undone
9. Generations (Not included in the Disney upload.)
10. ...For It May Come True
11. To Serve Mankind (Not included in the Disney upload.)
12. Seeing Isn't Believing
13. Angels In The Night

Links
* Station Eight's Gargoyles Site. They have a nice 'About Page' on the show.
* The Ask Greg archive. Answers to fan questions posted to show creator Greg Weisman.
* The Gargoyles Fan Website

Previously On...
* Ask Greg
* Religious Studies 101: A Handful of Thorns
posted by zarq (51 comments total) 98 users marked this as a favorite
 
Gargoyles is now being offered legally on YouTube by Disney.

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

Videos in this post are only available in the US. All other countries are restricted.

Booooooooooooooo!
posted by figurant at 10:56 PM on February 12, 2014 [9 favorites]


Sorry.
posted by zarq at 10:57 PM on February 12, 2014


Oh, I appreciate the warning. I just really remember Gargoyles fondly, and this got my hopes up.

Off to the proxies!
posted by figurant at 11:00 PM on February 12, 2014 [2 favorites]


Oh god YES, something to fill the void after exhausting all animated versions of Batman!
posted by Mizu at 11:01 PM on February 12, 2014 [4 favorites]


On the eve of its 20th anniversary, Gargoyles is now being offered legally on YouTube by Disney.

Oooooh, so this is what that feels like.
posted by heathkit at 11:03 PM on February 12, 2014 [19 favorites]


Huh. This was off my radar almost completely, as during the mid-90s I was one of those I Don't Watch TV people. I just assumed this was another kids' show, had no idea there was some depth to it. Interesting that this was a Disney joint; the early and mid 90s were when they had a kind of rebirth with actually good-quality films, and this must've been part of that wave.
posted by zardoz at 11:05 PM on February 12, 2014 [1 favorite]


You can also now purchase the second half of the second season on DVD. Disney had refused to release then for years. The third season, by the way, is not Greg Weisman approved.
posted by cman at 11:18 PM on February 12, 2014 [1 favorite]


When I watch them as an adult, there's basically three categories of cartoon that I watched as a kid: Terrible shows that I'm embarrassed to have watched, okay shows that I'm still vaguely embarrassed to be watching, and that portion of The Real Ghostbusters before they reoriented the show around Slimer. I'm going to have to make a new category between two and three for this.
posted by Pope Guilty at 11:23 PM on February 12, 2014 [4 favorites]


This makes me far too happy.

I have loved the first two seasons of Gargoyles for the last 20 years with all my fangirlish heart. Especially the episodes about characters who are actually OTHER characters.
posted by RainyJay at 11:30 PM on February 12, 2014


I know this is punishing Disney for doing something good, just not good enough, but I'm not in the US, and I look at my DVD shelf where a long line of Disney reminds me what a sucker good customer I've been, and I can't help thinking, "Fuck you right back. " I can prioritise just fine, too.
posted by hat_eater at 11:33 PM on February 12, 2014 [1 favorite]


Oh, cool. I've heard this is good!
posted by brundlefly at 11:43 PM on February 12, 2014


For those looking for a relatively easy way of accessing US-locked content from outside the US, or indeed non-US content (BBC and UK Channel 4 programming, primarily, IME) from inside the US, I've found Tunnelbear to be pretty hassle-free, albeit "freemium" (the free account offers 500MB of data a month, which would probably cover a few episodes at low resolution, but the next step up - $4.99/month - adds unlimited data). I've heard good things about the free Hola plugin, also, but have limited experience of it...
posted by running order squabble fest at 11:48 PM on February 12, 2014 [3 favorites]


Gargoyles was also responsible for the most pernicious and pervasive trope ever to worm its way into the fannish group consciousness. If I never hear the term Xanatos Gambit again, it will be too soon.
posted by happyroach at 12:19 AM on February 13, 2014 [3 favorites]


20 years?
Oh my.
Cartoons that came out when I was legally old enough to drink (in America) are now almost old enough to drink in America?
posted by Mezentian at 12:40 AM on February 13, 2014 [1 favorite]


Gargoyles was also responsible for the most pernicious and pervasive trope ever to worm its way into the fannish group consciousness. If I never hear the term Xanatos Gambit again, it will be too soon.

"Xanatos Gambit" and "Deadpan Snarker" are the two phrases that I will never, ever forgive TVTropes for introducing into the public consciousness.
posted by Pope Guilty at 12:45 AM on February 13, 2014


I wish i had the time to watch these. I have to check out "Future Tense" at least, because i remember that one episode being incredibly, incredibly epic in every way.

Hope it holds up.
posted by ELF Radio at 12:54 AM on February 13, 2014 [3 favorites]


For those looking for a relatively easy way of accessing US-locked content from outside the US, or indeed non-US content (BBC and UK Channel 4 programming, primarily, IME) from inside the US

Mediahint, for Firefox (works very well) and Chrome (not so well) is a really low hassle way of getting around country locks.
posted by MartinWisse at 2:42 AM on February 13, 2014 [6 favorites]


Neat. Just started watching this again with some friends who own the DVDs. It claims there's a 720p version available, but the player always stops working when I chose it. Does 720p work for anyone else?

I'm a little surprised they included Deadly Force in the upload - it was controversial when released, and they banned the episode from the air until they could release a censored version.

Of the third season, Greg Weisman approves of the first episode - the others, not so much.
posted by dragoon at 3:18 AM on February 13, 2014


Kind of surprised they didn't go with Netflix, given the existing deal they have. But either way, YAAAAAAY!
posted by kewb at 3:21 AM on February 13, 2014


Shoutout to Gargoyle's Quest, the original Game Boy title, even if it had nothing to do with the show. Because Gargoygles and 1990
posted by lordaych at 4:20 AM on February 13, 2014 [1 favorite]


Take it from someone who knows: country restriction isn't generally done just on a whim. You can assume that there is a complex web of exclusive rights that Disney has sold to international distributors, and making these available world wide would violate contracts.

I don't know what YouTube's geoblocking options are, but at some point it becomes too much hassle to say "It can be available in the US, Azerbaijan, Burkina Faso, Moldova, Mozambique and Vanuatu. Oh, El Salvador. Add El Salvador to the list."

Followed by "Oh shit! The Rights Manager just noticed that the South African distributor has right of display in Mozambique, too. Block Mozambique ASAP, please! If anyone notices, we'll get sued."
posted by Mayor Curley at 4:21 AM on February 13, 2014


Not to be pedantic, but I think you mean Media Hint, old chum. It took me some time to find it.
I had to go to the googles!
posted by Mezentian at 4:32 AM on February 13, 2014


country restriction isn't generally done just on a whim

I guessed as much. Although the series has never been available in my country, Disney might have included the option to license it in some package sold to the local distributor or simply may still have plans that involve airing it here.

Nevertheless, from my point of view, as long as the series isn't available here, Disney keeps playing a dog-in-the-manger, while mice get the grain anyway.
posted by hat_eater at 5:44 AM on February 13, 2014


ElfRadio: I wish i had the time to watch these. I have to check out "Future Tense" at least, because i remember that one episode being incredibly, incredibly epic in every way.
Just watched it. Yep, EPIC!.
posted by AndrewStephens at 5:46 AM on February 13, 2014 [1 favorite]


I was a medium-level BNF in Gargoyles fandom back in the day, when I was 16 or so and the immensely satisfying second season was wrapping up. The first artwork I ever posted online was of Goliath and of the sister I'd invented for him.

I had a website on Geocities, and learned how to code a form so that visitors could make "requests" for characters of theirs they wanted me to draw, which I would then post on my site. I drew dozens of colored pencil illustrations for other fans -- for free of course, because what did I know? -- and invented my own Gargoyle self, as was the fashion at the time.

I used to spend hours hanging out on an HTML-based "comment" board on a site called Station 8, which functioned as a very slow chat room. You had to manually reload it to show new comments, and regulars had custom avatars which the site owner had to upload for them and add to the drop down menu on the comment form. That's where I met the friends who would teach me how to use IRC, the beginning of the end of my ever getting to bed at a reasonable hour.

This culminated in my joining in on The Gargoyes Saga, a collective effort to continue the series in a comprehensive and carefully planned fashion via fanfiction and illustrations. I was very active in planning via the mailing list, but a little flakey on delivery -- it's amazing the others put up with me, as I was at least six years younger than most of them.

I attended the first Gathering of the Gargoyles convention in New York City, to which my mom accompanied me because I was SIXTEEN. The show had been cancelled for a while by then, and I ended up sitting in a hotel room with Greg Weisman and a handful of other people while he explained his intricate plans for future Gargoyes seasons that would now never be made, until my mom found me at 2am or so and made me go to bed. (I ultimately went to at least three more Gatherings over the years, and made a GREAT MANY poor decisions.)

In addition to all the Gargoyles fan community stuff, I also ended up spending a great deal of time on my at-that-time-friend Aimee Major's forum, Aimee's Studio. Aimee was a prolific and talented artist who was attending CalArts at the time, and had one foot in the door of the animation industry already (she ultimately went to work on Futurama, I believe.) It wasn't a Gargoyles fan site exactly, but that's how most of us knew each other and Aimee. And because the community was big and healthy and active (and moderated) it attracted a lot of younger artists who wanted to make friends and ask questions about school or working in the industry. That's where I first got to know Dylan Meconis, Erika Moen, Vera Brosgol, and Shing Yin Khor as well as LOADS of other amazing women artists.

Ultimately Aimee made a few of us mods, as the board was too big for her to manage on her own. I was a mod for maybe a year, but alas! Politics, my leaving for college, the growing popularity of Livejournal and my slide into Harry Potter fandom all conspired to edge me out of the Studio, until I finally stopped going entirely.

I'm still friends with loads of people I met in Gargoyles fandom. They were and are fabulous and I'm glad to know them.

I went by "Al =)" at the time -- YES with the smiley face -- if any of you folks were around.

And that is the SHORT version of my five years in Gargoyles fandom.
posted by Narrative Priorities at 6:14 AM on February 13, 2014 [26 favorites]


"Xanatos Gambit" and "Deadpan Snarker" are the two phrases that I will never, ever forgive TVTropes for introducing into the public consciousness.

Ugh, why did you have to mention TV Tropes? I just lost my morning.
posted by Foosnark at 6:28 AM on February 13, 2014


Also DO NOT WATCH the third season, it's appallingly bad and none of the original writing staff worked on it.
posted by Narrative Priorities at 6:30 AM on February 13, 2014 [2 favorites]


Also I have probably seen Future Tense at least fifty times. I recorded it off TV, and would go through it frame-by-frame to watch the excellent animation.

Also Goliath was super dreamy in that episode, SO.

(....there should be a Top Ten Dreamy Goliath Episodes list....Eye of the Beholder and Hunters Moon III would DEFINITELY be on it....)
posted by Narrative Priorities at 6:36 AM on February 13, 2014 [1 favorite]


Am I the only person who never heard the term "Xanatos Gambit" before this thread?
posted by Steely-eyed Missile Man at 6:36 AM on February 13, 2014 [1 favorite]


Also I CANNOT overstate the degree to which Hunters Moon III was like an ATOM BOMB going off in that fandom, in the BEST POSSIBLE WAY.

(SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!!)

I mean, think about it. It's the mid-90s, you're watching a children's television show, and you want a giant purple monster and a human woman to shut up and kiss SO BAD. But you know this will never happen (especially if you're an adult and not an idiot teenager like I was at the time) because cartoon characters never meaningfully kiss AT ALL because cartoons are not a vehicle for any sort of romantic closure.

AND THEN THEY TOTALLY KISSED.

AND WE ALL SCREAMED.

AND KEPT SCREAMING AS OUR MODEMS DIALED UP SO WE COULD SCREAM IN TEXT ON THE INTERNET.
posted by Narrative Priorities at 6:42 AM on February 13, 2014 [8 favorites]


CONvergence, a science-fiction/media convention, seems to have an implicit Gargoyles theme this year, with some guests of honor from the show.
posted by ZeusHumms at 6:43 AM on February 13, 2014


Weisman also penned a comic book series in 2006 which picked up after Season 2. I don't remember a ton about it, iirc it had a problematic printing run.
posted by themadthinker at 7:53 AM on February 13, 2014 [1 favorite]


Am I the only person who never heard the term "Xanatos Gambit" before this thread?

Well I figured that if someone hadn't heard of it, I would have the joy of informing them. On the other hand, if everyone knew of it, I would have the pleasure of commiserating with them...
posted by happyroach at 8:12 AM on February 13, 2014


I used to spend hours hanging out on an HTML-based "comment" board on a site called Station 8, which functioned as a very slow chat room. You had to manually reload it to show new comments, and regulars had custom avatars which the site owner had to upload for them and add to the drop down menu on the comment form

Wow, i totally remember doing the same, in lord of the rings (Highglade?), Andromeda, and Harry Potter themed rooms.
posted by rebent at 9:05 AM on February 13, 2014


Take it from someone who knows: country restriction isn't generally done just on a whim.

Yeah, but I could care less.
posted by MartinWisse at 9:16 AM on February 13, 2014 [1 favorite]


For convenience purposes, I wish this was on Amazon or Netflix, but I'll definitely take Youtube!
posted by Atreides at 11:16 AM on February 13, 2014 [1 favorite]


Me too Atreides. My kiddo was looking for a new cartoon series (we've watched all the Avatars, Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, Danny Phantom, and Jumanji). He's watching the Avengers cartoons for the moment, but I'd love to show him Gargoyles. Youtube videos don't play well on our TV. I guess we can watch on his laptop, but it's not the same.
posted by emjaybee at 12:23 PM on February 13, 2014


If you have a smart phone and a Roku, you can use Twonky Beam to cast the Youtube onto your tv. It's not perfect, but it's generally easy to use compared to setting something up like Plex (I really need to try that again). But yah, Twonky Beam app plus Roku Twonky Beam Channel, and voila, Youtube on your tv tube. Likewise, I think the Google Chromecast also has Youtube ability, if you have one of those.

I'll be doing one or another of those two to get my big screen fix.
posted by Atreides at 12:49 PM on February 13, 2014


That show was something rare and special.
posted by moonlight on vermont at 12:51 PM on February 13, 2014


I also liked that the show respected the viewers' intelligence and had real life guns that really kill and injure people you care about, and not laser cannons that always missed like most other action cartoons of the day.
posted by Space Coyote at 2:29 PM on February 13, 2014 [2 favorites]


This is great. I watched the hell out of this show at the ages of 17-18, and went so far as to record just about every single episode onto good old-fashioned VHS tape. Still have them in a box somewhere, now that I think about it. One of Disney's better series.

Now if only they would release the second half of the second season on DVD, already...
posted by zbaco at 4:56 PM on February 13, 2014


It was easy to miss, but Season Two Volume 2 came out a while back, although in a very weird Disney-Movie-Club-centric way.
posted by Narrative Priorities at 9:21 PM on February 13, 2014


Man this post and the comments have made me feel both old and way young, since I was 11 when the show first aired, we didn't have internet, and my fabric never went beyond my own notebooks.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 11:06 PM on February 13, 2014


Narrative Priorities: I used to spend hours hanging out on an HTML-based "comment" board on a site called Station 8 ...

I was pretty obsessed with Gargoyles in high school and spent quite a bit of time on Station 8, too. Though I'm embarrassed to share my old username because a Google search of it still turns up badly written Gargoyles fanfic.
posted by The Great Big Mulp at 8:41 AM on February 14, 2014


Oh my God, I was just reminded of how much time I spent role-playing a Gargoyle in AOL chat rooms.

Yes, I was in the Red Rose Tavern. And the All Creatures Tavern.
posted by The Great Big Mulp at 9:13 AM on February 14, 2014 [2 favorites]


I was pretty obsessed with Gargoyles in high school and spent quite a bit of time on Station 8, too. Though I'm embarrassed to share my old username

HEY FEEL FREE TO MEMAIL ME. We can roll around in our humiliation together.

I'm pretty sure if you google my name you can still find the porny fanart I drew for a friend of mine.
posted by Narrative Priorities at 10:46 AM on February 14, 2014 [1 favorite]


It was easy to miss, but Season Two Volume 2 came out a while back, although in a very weird Disney-Movie-Club-centric way.

Aaaand that's what I get for not taking an extra 30 seconds to google it before clicking Post. Ah well, at least now I can have the complete series* and not worry that it will disappear off of Youtube someday.


* Yes, complete series, Season 3 never existed, I can't hear you, la la la la la...
posted by zbaco at 4:33 PM on February 14, 2014 [1 favorite]


(double posted, my bad)
posted by zbaco at 4:38 PM on February 14, 2014


Man, I love Gargoyles. Human/monster romance, mythological creatures, Shakespearean themes. A plot which questions gun use and violence, champions environmentalism, has a diverse cast (the main protagonist is a strong woman of color), where the battles frequently rely on wit and strategy due to uneven odds. It asks philosophical questions about ethics and morality and brings up topics not generally considered for children like the grey goo scenario. Also so many Star Trek voice actors. It was a kid's show but it didn't pander or belittle the viewer's intelligence, which is one reason it's held up so well.

I am not ashamed to say it's one of my favorite series even today and I've rewatched it some three times. I'll probably watch it again someday.

One of my favorites is The Green.

However, the third season was after it got sold off to ABC and they decided it was too complicated or something. The multi-show plots were culled, anything which added nuance or subtlety was silenced, and the intelligence level dropped to simplistic good/evil superhero type bullshit with everybody acting completely out of character (Xanatos and Fox, true sociopaths, as the good guys/deux ex machina?). Ick. No wonder the creator doesn't consider it canon.

I'm still sad I never got to attend one of The Gathering conventions before they stopped running in 2009.
posted by Feyala at 2:03 PM on February 15, 2014 [1 favorite]


Whoa - I totally never knew that Xanatos was from Bar Harbor, Maine. There's something about wearing too much L.L.Bean that just turns you evil.
posted by XMLicious at 12:02 AM on February 21, 2014


I'm still sad I never got to attend one of The Gathering conventions before they stopped running in 2009.

What were they like?
posted by ZeusHumms at 4:51 PM on March 9, 2014


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