Gargoyles/Awesome

• "Awakening, Part 2" - YMMV as always on if this goes into Mundane Made Awesome, but the moment where the gargoyles awaken from their 1000-year sleep in Manhattan. As a YouTube comment put it; "most epic yawn ever."
• This troper just rewatched the Disney XD brodcast of "Posession", and hooo boy, does it ever have a slew of CMOA's for characters, especially ones who normally don't receive one (I.E. Lexington's rather epic Plan at the end, the fact that Xanatos's still-infant child finally Took a Level in Badass, to a ridiculous extreme, Coldstone's (as well as the other Cyborg gargoyle's alliances drawn permanently), and Puck going from chaotic to true neutral at the end, actually helping the Five-Man Band out for a change is rather epic.
• "Kingdom" - when you realize it's the climax of a Story Arc of the "boy" Brooklyn becoming a "man" in the best possible sense of accepting his responsibilities as a leader. For instance, you see him wrestle with a powerful temptation to turn down Maggie's plea for help after rejecting his love, only to make the right choice even as he growls "This has nothing to do with what I want!" This especially applies at the episode's climax where the master tactician Brooklyn shows he's perhaps the only hero who could turn his own romantic jealousy into an advantage to resolve a hostage situation.
  • This episode also has Owen's awesome moment when he slugged Talon with his stone fist, while Xanatos compliments him on making the best of his disability.
  • This episode also had another one; when the gargoyles are on their way to rescue Talon you already know that there's going to be an awesome action scene. But what you don't expect is the combat-ready main cast of gargoyles bust into the bad guy's lair from the ceiling tiles, all of them looking extremely badass.
• Brooklyn had an earlier moment where his talent for tactics arises when he is fighting both Demona and a mind controlled Goliath. After wrestling for the Grimorum Arcanorum, Demona orders Goliath to kill Brooklyn but even though she holds the book necessary to make that command, he does not respond. Brooklyn instantly quips, "You hold the book, but I hold the spell" as he reveals that he tore out the exact page for that spell while Demona just fell into his trap to make herself vulnerable to Goliath.
  • In that same episode, Elisa gets one of her own, when she frees Goliath from the spell despite there being no way to break it: "All right, big guy. I'm holding the spell. That means you have to do what I say. I order you to act for the rest of your life exactly as you would if you were not under a spell."
• In "Avalon, Part One", the Magus (last seen back in "Awakening") establishes himself as anything but the near-effeminate annoyance he once was when, defending a few boats full of people, he single-handedly defeats the Weird Sisters in a magical duel.
  • He defeats them again in "Avalon Part Three" when he's a much older man. Unfortunately, the magic he uses against the Sisters drains all his energy, and ends up killing him.
• In "The Gathering Part Two", Owen gets his other major moment when he reveals himself to actually be Puck in disguise. And then proceeds to casually beat up the King of the Fey, while engaging (or pretending to engage) in casual exposition.
  • Puck himself has an extended sequence of Crowning Moments of Awesome in his first appearance, "The Mirror", based on his continual 'inability' to understand what Demona is asking of him, ruining all her plans and twisting the city around just for his own amusement. Best of all, of course, is his absolutely delicious 'reward' to Demona at the end of the episode. (Brent Spiner is awesome. ^_^)
• Of course, Goliath himself has an awesome moment in the first story, "Awakening" when Demona has a rocket launcher pointed at him and ranting about how she betrayed the castle and her reasons for it. Even though the safe thing would be to placate the lunatic by agreeing with her, Goliath does not hesitate for a second to stand up to her and refute her hate with reason and moral authority with ""There is good and evil in all of us, human and gargoyle alike. You should know that more than anyone!"
• There's also Oberon's assault on Xanatos Enterprises, where he stands up against the combined resources of the gargoyles, Xanatos, Xanatos' father, Fox, Renard and Puck. He throws out every bad guy battle line in the book, and makes every one of them cool.

Oberon does not compromise. Oberon COMMANDS!!!!
I am vulnerable to iron. You have hurt me. Hurting me was a MISTAKE!!
This altercation is OVER!
You cannot thwart the will of Oberon!

• David Xanatos' moment is in "The Price" when he has Hudson held captive to test a magic cauldron that could make him immortal. When Hudson observes that Xanatos is terrified of growing old, Xanatos responds with a brilliant mix of his monumental arrogance and hidden mortal fear: "Nothing terrifies me, because nothing is beyond my ability to change!"
  • Of everything awesome about Xanatos, THAT'S the moment you pick?! (Although the plan that let him get Hudson in that situation without arousing suspicion was utterly genius.)
  • The moment that gains Xanatos genuine respect and loyalty from the viewer like a good CMOA should is protecting Owen from Demona in "City of Stone."
  • You know you're dealing with a Magnificent Bastard when a conversation revealing that he created his own fortune with a Stable Time Loop is treated as an aside.
    • His father deserves one for the same episode. After all that happens, he simply snarks, "Well riddle me this, Mister Big-Shot Time Traveller. How are we going to get home?" (Unsurprisingly, Xanatos has a plan for this.)
  • The entirety of "Eye Of The Beholder" deserves a mention in Xanatos' Moments of Awesome. The most romantic un-romantic marriage proposal ever, Going through plans A, B, C, and D, throwing all his efforts behind finding and helping the werewolf'd up Fox, all while doing his best not to let on just how much he cares for her until it becomes an asset, rather than a liability. Someone give that millionaire a medal. Or a hug. Or both!
  • Xanatos has a Moment of Awesome in "The Cage" when he double whammies Talon for almost turning him into a bored and sad villain by killing his one and only Arch Enemy, Goliath: he shoots the floor when Talon tries to attack him and boasts at him, "He's the scientist, you're just the experiment".
  • Xanatos' best Moment of Awesome has probably got to be in the episode "The Gathering" Part One. In their first confrontation, Oberon complements Xanatos on fighting to keep his son against 'impossible odds.' Xanatos' response? An angry yell as he punches the gargoyle dog pinning him down and sends it flying, all so he can try and charge Oberon again. His Papa Wolf moment is cut short however as Oberon immediately turns him to glass.
  • Arguably, one of his definitive moments is in the second episode - where he travels to the UK, disassembles an entire castle, transports it across the ocean, and mounts it atop the biggest skyscraper in the world (so tall it reaches above the clouds). Why? Because he's David Xanatos, and he freaking can.
  • Let's not forget his line there: "Pay a man enough...and he'll walk barefoot into Hell."
• Hudson has his own moment in that same story when he is about to get dunked and Xanatos mocks him how he's helpless without his sword. Hudson responds "Swordless maybe, but helpless never!" and then stabs a steel clan holding with a shard from his own skin, then jumping on the rim of the cauldron, tackling Xanatos to get his sword and then immediately making the charging Owen Burnett back off with a condescending "Behave yourself, boy!"
  • Hudson has another that takes up most of the episode "Long Way to Morning," in which he spends a night holding Demona off of himself and the badly-injured Goliath by the use of clever tactics.
    • Hudson's Determinator-like qualities are best shown in his response to Goliath's point that he can't face Demona (who at this stage has a Laser rifle). His response? "Oh, I can face her. I just can't beat her." On paper, it sounds dull, but trust me.
• Like most of the main cast, Elisa has a few, beginning with the morning she spends in "Awakening" leading a bunch of mercenaries away from a defenseless Goliath and defeating all of them despite being outnumbered and outgunned.
  • Similarly, in "High Noon" she goes to face Demona, Macbeth, and Coldstone, in spite of being exhausted and having recently suffered a head injury, in order to protect the gargoyles -and succeeds.
• And then there's Fox's Mama Bear moment when she blew Oberon into a wall with suddenly-present magic. All Puck could say was, "You hurt him with that one... Do it again!"
• Broadway has always been this troper's favorite Gargoyle, but his Moment of Awesome occurs any time he sees someone use a gun after the episode where he shoots Elisa, accidentally.
  • My favorite line:

Broadway: What's this?! A new kind of gun? A new way to KILL PEOPLE?

• • An Elisa Moment of Awesome may be when she admits (despite all of the above) that she erred in leaving her service weapon in its holster hanging on a stand in another room and will be more safe with it in the future.
    • A Moment of Awesome for the show as well since she does in all episodes afterwards.
• Lexington's creepy turn as villain in the All Just a Dream episode "Future Tense". "All gone....Bye-Bye. Sorry about that!"
  • Another Lexington moment is that scene in "Leader of the Pack" where a huge hole is shot through Coyote, and we see Lex through the hole holding a big ass gun, asking "Who's next?"
• "Eye of the Beholder," where Goliath catches Xanatos in one of his trademark gambits (in this case, tricking the Clan into doing what he wants). "I don't suppose you have a Plan D?"
  • And Xanatos, of course, does. He asks politely.
• Reynard gets one in "Outfoxed". After Goliath goes into angry gargoyle mode after receiving a lecture from him, what does he do? Why, he shoots him of course. Made even more badass by the fact that he used a gun built into his wheelchair.

Renard: No excuses, creature. Learn to take responsibility for your actions, and stop. Whining!
Goliath: A gargoyle doesn't whine. He ROARS!
[proceeds to break out of the cell and smash a security cybot]
Renard: I am trembling in my chair.

• Many consider the Moment of Awesome of the whole series is the last two minutes of the last episode of season 2, "Hunter's Moon", when Elisa jumped up to Goliath and kissed him on the lips.
• And another thing... STOP CALLING ME ANGIE!
• I know, I know - we're not supposed to talk about the Goliath Chronicles - but the last episode, in which the gargoyles save a train full of people (including the police chief) and finally gain the acceptance of the New Yorkers? Awesome.
  • Especially Goliath's final line to Castaway: "Go ahead, coward...show me exactly how you feel about Gargoyles! This is your big chance....SHOW ME!"
• Another awesome moment from Chronicles series came near the end of the episode "Genesis Undone". When Thailog of all people shows up for a Villainous Rescue / Big Damn Heroes moment near the end of the episode, awesome!
• Everyone gets one in the battle with Oberon but my favorite is when Titania hints that it all might have been The Plan on her part.
  • Titania's Moment of Awesome is definatly the following exchange:

Titania (Oberon's wife): In Avalon, Oberon's word is law.
Kathrine: Does that mean he's always right?
Titania: Not while he's married.

• After pretending to be willing to work for the mobster Tony Dracon in "Protection", Goliath carries hm into the sky after Dracon tries to kill Elisa, then drops him, only to catch him at the last moment.

Goliath: I would never join with the likes of you! You blackmail the innocent and call it protection! I should drop you right now, down into the gutter where you belong! (drops Dracon, then catches him) But gargoyle justice is not human justice.

• Although it probably was crossing the Moral Event Horizon for some, This Troper started to find Jackal from the Pack awesome when he became the avatar of Anubis in "Grief", aged Goliath, Angela and Elisa, destroyed Coyote, turned Wolf and Hyena into babies and destroyed an entire town. He gets a similar moment in the episode "The Green" where he fantasies about shattering the Mayan gargoyles during the day and reshaping Goliath's stone face to look like his.
• Princess Catherine entering Mama Bear mode, and fighting off the Archmagus' forces with a laser gun. Seriously, is this the same woman who used to be such a prejudiced spoiled brat toward gargoyles? I guess, like her friend the Magus, she Took a Level in Badass.
• "The Hound of Ulster" gives one to Bronx, with his attack on the Banshee's One-Winged Angel form. Eventually he gets a death grip on her nostrils and forces her to open her mouth, leaving her vulnerable to a magic spear attack.
• Matt Bluestone's Batman Gambit against Mace Malone, though it takes a turn to Nightmare Fuel at the end.
• Vinnie in "Vendettas." While it was a Non Sequitur Scene and a Breather Episode, Vinnie definitely got his crowning moment here. He buys a BFG, hauls it halfway across the city, gets in a variety of unfortunate mishaps, and all to shoot Goliath in the face with a banana cream pie to get revenge for the ways that the gargoyles affected his life, though they weren't aware of it. Sure, it may not sound like much, but remember—he's the only one to ever swear revenge on Goliath and then succeed in carrying it out. Not only that, but the episode shows that he can be quite a Determinator when he wants to be.
  • Also, Vinnie standing up to John Castaway in "The Journey" and telling him flat-out that "this isn't right...this just isn't right."
• After seeing the Stable Time Loop in "Vows" that shows how Xanatos used one antique coin to start his fortune, Xanatos' father Petros gets one of the most awesome "The Reason You Suck" Speeches anywhere and the only one in the series that really seems to get through to Xanatos and make him doubt his values and methods rather than smugly dismiss his critic.

Xanatos: (confidently) Well, pop, did you have a good time at the wedding? (his father flips him a coin from his pocket) What's this?
Petros: A simple American penny. It's not worth much now, but in a thousand years, who knows? It's my wedding present to you -- because it's all you seem to care about.

• Constance's "delimbification" of a Steel Clan robot in the comic. "Like I need the gun."
• Goliath and Xanatos' VR battle in the All Just a Dream episode "Future Tense". Xanatos Cues The Sun, triggering the gargoyle's natural stone sleep. Goliath realizes that it's not the real sun, and doesn't even bother shedding the stone, he just attacks. Xanatos fights back with a jackhammer, reducing Goliath to a disembodied stone head and a cloud of rock dust. Xanatos hold up the head and says Alas Poor Goliath, and is taken by surprise when Goliath combines Pulling Himself Together with Reverse Shrapnel, winning the fight, and then he strikes a Victory Pose by breaking free of his stone skin.