Gargoyles Season 2, Volume 1

Rating NR Formats DVD Genre animated Starring Keith David, Salli Richardson, Jonathan Frakes, Edward Asner, Marina Sirtis, Jeff Bennett Directed by Saburo Hashimoto, Yeun Young Sang Publisher Buena Vista Home Entertainment External Links Buena Vista Home

It's a little stupefying how great shows get the axe all too soon. In fact, any great show that appears on the Fox network seems to get the axe sooner than others. Given that knowledge, how is it that a certain unnamed cartoon about a family from Springfield ends up with fifteen seasons and a show as great as Gargoyles ended up with maybe a third of that airtime?

But I digress.

Nothing completely against the previously unnamed cartoon, but this DVD collection is enough to remind old fans about, and introduce new viewers to, a great set of stories that actually have something to do with one another. This is simply something that not every long lasting animated series accomplishes. Gargoyles hearkens back to a time when Disney was actually interested in telling great stories through the boundless medium of animation.

After the season's first thirteen episodes, the creators were approached by Buena Vista to write a pickup for the second season. They were shocked to discover that they were commissioned to create a stunning fifty-two episodes for the show's second season. So they expanded, and the expansion was good. More characters, more character establishment and plot tie-ins. In the end, everything worked out into its own fleshed out universe. The end of Volume 1 marks the beginning of what they call the Gargoyle's World Tour, where Goliath, Bronx, Angela and Elisa Mazza are sent by the magic of Avalon to where they are most needed. The series split allows for a more intimate knowledge of these four characters as well as how Brooklyn handles his responsibilities as second-in-command.

The bulk of Season 2, Volume 1 rests on two of the shows major storylines, referred to as "tentpole episodes." "City of Stone" chronicles the origins of Macbeth, a key villain in the series, and his connection with Demona. "Avalon" proves to be a defining link of the missing millennium as well as the introduction of Angela, who happens to be the daughter of Goliath and Demona. Aside from this, there are some great stand alone episodes and awesome character development. One of the great strengths of Gargoyles lies in its ability to keep in-depth character development while still being an action-packed show.

Extras are a little short. Each episode has an introduction by co-creator Greg Weisman, Disc 2 has commentary on a few episodes, but the real treat is the featurette about the cast and crew on the making of the second season. If you love behind-the-scenes information, watch this. If you don't, watch this and learn to love it.