Lexette writes...

This is a question about Owen/Puck that you've probably heard one million times before,(I'm sorry) but was Owen always going to come out as Puck eventually, or, in the beginning, was Owen just another mortal character and the idea of him being Puck came later while you were writing the series? (I hope you can understand this question. I've read it through and it doesn't make much sense, butI don't know how else to phrase it.)

Todd Jensen writes...

In "The Gathering Part One", when the Weird Sisters report to Oberon that Puck hasn't returned to Avalon for the Gathering, they speak his (Puck's) name in a very unfriendly and bitter way. Do the Sisters have some sort of strong grudge against Puck?

Mara Shinigami Cordova writes...

Quick Q...

In the FUTURE TENSE universe ( ie, had Goliath not realized that it all was a big hoax by the changeling Puck and it thereby became Goliath's reality)

1. Did Brooklyn and Demona have any eggs?
2. During the roof scene between Demona and Goliath, she begs him to save their daughter. I'm assuming off-camera he had explained the entire situation to the surviving clan... doesDemona at this point harbor any grudge towards Elisa or is she forgotten?
3. In Future tense... WOULD gargoyles make marks on hardwood floors?

suimasen, Weisman-sama

Todd Jensen writes...

In Puck's "Future Tense" illusion, was he attempting to use guilt as a weapon against Goliath to break him down, as well as shock and grief? Brooklyn and Lexington both berated Goliath severely for "running away" and leaving the clan and Manhattan defenceless against Xanatos, making it clear that in their eyes, it was all his fault that the city was in the condition that it was. Lexington also implied (at least, how I saw it) that Goliath's "abandoning" the clan was a reason for his turning evil. So, was Puck attempting to fill Goliath with guilt to weaken him all the more?

Matthew writes...

What would have happened to Puck if he broke the rules and simply taken the Pheonix Gate?

Brian writes...

When demona says "You are the tricky one, so you will stay put." to owen in city of stone is that a hint that owen is puck? What other hints are there?

Laura 'ad astra' Ackerman writes...

You mentioned the 4th wall and Puck having been an issue in Mirror, and several people have weighed in with their opinion. I might as well throw in my too {fill in the monetary unit of your choice}. I think it would work either way with Puck. The question is whether in being Puck is he playing to the audience around him or the one in his head. If the former he would direct his antics to those around him- he'd be the kind of being who says something outrageous and peaks at the reaction. If the latter, there is an imaginary audience he trusts to have the savvy to appreciate his act and will speak to them. [That is not to say he is delusional, just able to amuse himself.] Personally I think Puck is both, and in any given situation could go either way.

All this brings to mind The Gathering II. The first time I saw it I remembered his memorable, "Here's Puck!" to end with a pirouette to the various assembled beings. In later showings he ends filling the screen with his grin. It seems that later edits did tear down the fourth wall at that point. Despite having at least one friend who very much preferred the first version, personally I thought both worked.

Bråndeewine writes...

"Frank writes...
Why doesn't Elisa change her clothes?

Greg responds...

She has 102 black t-shirts. She changes three times a day.

Or were you looking for a real world answer? We couldn't afford to redesign her every episode. And the more different looks we gave her, the more we were inviting animation errors.

(No one mentions why Owen seems to wear the same suit every day?)"

The reason no one wonders about Owen is due to the fact, that we assume that he is so orderly that he has a suit for everyday that is identical. Think "The Fly" :oP

Blacklight Lara writes...

1)If Owen had not turned out to be Puck, but was rather just a regular human, what kind of backstory would you have developed for him ("Him" meaning Owen)?
2)Since Puck was Owen, what story was used when someone asked about Owen's background?

Todd Jensen writes...

I read (and very much enjoyed) your ramble about taking your kids to see "A Midsummer Night's Dream". I recall attending a performance of that play some years ago (I believe that it was early 1994), which I very much enjoyed. One particular feature of it (which seems almost like a forerunner of "Gargoyles" - which hadn't yet come out when I saw it) was that Philostrate, Theseus's "Master of Ceremonies", was played by a woman, who did the character with a style best described as a "female Owen" - very capable, efficient, and formal. (Makes one wonder if Vogel was Puck's only inspiration :)

(Another Shakespearean performance that I've seen, done by the same company, was a sort of "double feature" of "Hamlet" and Tom Stoppard's "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead", which did the two plays on alternate nights, but with the same cast and even the same stage business for those scenes from "Hamlet" that showed up in the Stoppard play - which made seeing the latter all the more an interesting experience after having seen "Hamlet" only a little earlier).

Entity writes...

Hi Greg,

I don't want for this to come off like a criticism, but regarding the "fourth wall" you wanted to break in THE MIRROR by having Puck directly address the audience... don't you think that would have really killed the integrity of the series?

That fourth wall keeps the series self-contained in its own little imaginary world, where gargoyles and fae and corporate CEO's like Xanatos exist. If Puck were to have addressed the audience, it would have poked a hole in that. Which isn't a good thing, IMO.

GARGOYLES is as memorable as it is because it retained an integrity akin to a live-action series. I know, it never happened, Puck never did address us, but even so... what was your rationale behind it?

Again, I don't mean for this to sound critical, which I KNOW it does. But I would've lost a lot of respect for the series in THE MIRROR had someone not cut out those lines you inserted.

Todd Jensen writes...

When and how did Owen/Puck find out about the gargoyles living in the clock tower? He clearly knows by "Possession", since he knew where to find them when he was taking Coldstone to the clock tower (and also clearly knows in "Hunter's Moon Part Three" when he comments that obviously the clan wouldn't have destroyed their own home). I'm assuming that he found out from Goliath during "Future Tense" when Goliath talked about getting back to the clock tower near the beginning; am I correct on that one?

LSZ writes...

What was Puck's position during the Mab-Oberon war, if he was even around at the time?

Todd Jensen writes...

Another "Lighthouse in the Sea of Time" question that I just remembered. When Goliath angrily confronts Owen at the castle and demands that he (Owen) take him (Goliath) to wherever Xanatos, Hudson, and Broadway are, Owen replies, "You should know that I can't do that." Was this line, by any chance, a subtle foreshadowing about Owen's true nature as Puck - who, under the restrictions of his Owen-body, indeed cannot magically take Goliath to where others are?

Emmlei writes...

Read your outlines for 'The Mirror'. Personally, I think that was one of the best episodes of the series. It was light enough to be entertaining, but not so much that it made it stand out as odd from the overall series. I loved Puck, and I think you did a good job of introducing him, successfully avoiding some problems you pointed out. And Brent Spiner was excellent as Puck, and his performance made a good impression on me.
So, here are my questions:
In later episodes, were you going to do much more development of Puck/Owen? I mean, we only saw puck in a handful of episodes, so we didn't see how much Oberon's punishment affected both aspects of Owen/Puck.
Secondly, what about his training of Alex? I have a feeling that as Alex gets older, he might actually prove a little difficult to handle, especially with magic involved.(I'm sorry if I'm vague, but I can't figure out how to word it any better)

Scott Iskow writes...

On Fae Magic:

1) It's been a while since I've seen "Mark of the Panther," so I'm a little unclear on how Anansi "spins his wishes." Can you describe the process, please?

2) Did Oberon remove Puck's magic, or was it merely suppressed? If removed, where did all the energy go? Did Oberon absorb it into himself, or did he do the fae equivalent of throwing it into the garbage?

3) On a similar note to 2, how much energy does it take to strip another fae of magic? My guess would be some amount equal to the magic being removed, but I'm not well versed in cartoon magic. (I can't even rhyme well.)

Punchinello writes...

Hello.
I see you are making progress with your backlog of questions. This question is kind of an ammendment to another question of mine.

A couple of months ago I asked if your idea for Owen was influenced by an archetype I referred to as being "a supernatural charachter indentured to a human master." I made reference to djinn being bound within oak or silver. Now, I dont recall if I was thinking this at the time, but...

I had just recently viewed "Prospero's Books" by Peter Greenaway again. There is a rather disturbing scene therin, of Ariel, bound in his "cloven pine." Spitting out splinters of wood and carring on. It's all rather ghastly. I had, in the past, made the observation that Ariel could be an other example of this archetype. I think, however, that I needed the emphasis Greenaway placed on certain elements to make some connections apparent to me. Of some peripheral interest is the fact that ariel is another spirit bound in a tree, but of greater interest is the stress placed on the characters servitude to Prospero. It was not much of a stretch to *read Owen* into the character.

OF GREATER INTEREST was how easy it became to read Xanatos into Prospero. I was struck by several things in this vein. The first being the parallel between the two men's status as "mortal's" who had aquired great power through supernatural means; particularly through the service of a captive spirit. (I realize the term "captive" does not really describe Owen's situation.) Further, Xanatos' collection of supernatural artifacts (The Eye, the Grimorrim, even the Gargoyles) could be a reflection of Prospero's robes and staff. The artifacts which empower him.

I also considered (perhaps on the heels of watching an adaptation that placed such emphasis on Pospero's Books) that the Grimorrim might be a volume Xanatos "valued above his dukedom."

I wonder also if a reading of Xanatos as *the exiled duke* would be too far off. Milan is in rather close proximity to Greece. I believe you placed Petros Xanatos as a native, there. While Xanatos may not have been physically exiled from his place of birth, it could be argued that his distance from his father and their conflicted relationship could be read as a kind of exile.

Now, I realize you have your reasons for not wanting to confirm or deny ideas that you had for the show, but were not able to elaborate on before it's cancellation. I read the anecdote about the guy who thought you had stolen his idea. (Wasn't he asking about the characters from "The Tempest," actually?) At this point, however, I think you have rather concretely established that Shakespeare plays a rather prominent and consistent theme in "Gargoyles." I cant imagine that anyone would not be inclined to believe that you were going for this reading from the beginning.

Maybe I'm completely wrong about all of this, but I'm sure it will elicit some interesting commentary from you.

Puck<40> writes...

Puck related and such. And hope to see you at AX. By the time you read this, you just might've. <oddball with a drawing of himself taped to his back>

1) Okay... I know you don't do pure power, measuring up one person to another... But do you think Puck would've survived an iron spear shot to his chest? I don't really think of him as a "lesser fae" that it'd kill instantly, as you put in one of your posts, so just curious. And I also don't really think he's *that* cocky to stand up to Oberon and not think he's got somewhat of a chance to win. Course this is Puck so I could be wrong.

Puck<40> writes...

Back again. ^.^ Say hi to Jen for me.

<still Puck, following a different mindset topic>

1) Did Puck or Owen ever meet a timedancing Brooklyn? <thats a question repost, got wiped in one of the screw ups>

2) Do you in your opinion think Puck would try to interfere with a time paradox intentionally? :)

Faieq Ali writes...

Before the Gathering, did Fox know about Owen being Puck?

Abigail Thorne writes...

I asked this way back in March, but I think the question got lost, so let me try again.

Were you ever going to reveal just how Demona and Xanatos teamed up? Xanatos is not exactly a trustworthy individual, and Demona's track record with humans has not been stellar. It's not like she would just go up to him and say "I'm a thousand-year old gargoyle with a grudge against humanity. Want to help me reawaken my clan?" And was she the one who gave him the Grimorum? Because if he got it from someone else, and Demona found out about it, then she would have obviously wanted to reclaim it, which would explain how they met, but not how they decided to work together. So what's the story?

Thanks for listening, and sorry if you have read this already.

Puck40 (repost by Aris) writes...

Ooooooh, thought myself up a couple of questions. I was thinking, Puck... he always seems to be one step ahead of everybody, with the possible exception of Titania <who I don't know if *anyone* is more clever than>. I mean, one step ahead of Oberon in The Gathering, Demona in The Mirror. Probably one of the most clever beings in the show, with more secrets than most. I'm sure he has a bag full of em more.

I mean, he did the whole Goliath being lost for 40 years, when it would've actually been Brooklyn for Timedancer, I doubt its a freak chance. To me, this shows him being one step ahead. Xanatos naming his son Alexander <though given he could've confided in Owen ahead of time>. Thailog dying in the "Clone Wars", if that wasn't an outright finger pointing at the amusement park clone episode, I don't know what is.
So my question.....

Sure... Puck wanted to get the Pheonix Gate from Goliath. But given that he seems to have more knowledge than most of the future<putting his own fun spins on it>....
1) Did Puck mind that Goliath threw the Gate in the Time Portal?
2) Did Puck intend the Gate for that ultimate destination in the first place?
3) If 2 is no.... Was one of Pucks reasons for trying to snag the gate from Goliath, Just so he could try and cheat the time paradox of where the Gate was supposed to ultimate end up<being lost>?

and last but not least....

4) Did Puck have any encounters with a Timedancing Brooklyn in his past? <that would explain *so* much>

Thanks for answering the questions. Or giving smart ass responses, either or, thanks for taking the time to read em.
~puck40

Lexy (repost by Aris) writes...

Nope..still not done yet..

Ok, I put this in a separate post _just_ in case.

1) Could you tell us what the episode, "Ransom" would have been like if you had had more control over it?

I put this in a separate post cuz..as you may notice you have answered this one from me before. I admit that. Its just that when you did it was awful vague. I was just wondering if right now you could tell us something more besides, "It was pretty much the same plot except the kidnappers were from Avalon." Ok they were from Avalon?

2) Would we have seen these characters in any episodes after Ransom?

We never saw Puck in TGC. But im SURE Alex getting kidnapped would have warrented a Puck episode;)

3) Would Puck have been the first one to know and not his parents?

Everyone got together trying to figure out how to go about getting Alex back

4) In the ep you had planned, would it have been more of a Puck/Lex teamup?

5) Where would've the mystery characters from Avalon taken our lil prince?

U know..Q's like that?

Pulezz?;)

Taleweaver writes...

While watching City of Stone and Mirror something Demona said struck me. She knew about Owen's alter ego, Puck. How did she figure it out?

Todd Jensen writes...

I've recently read a book on Shakespeare's famous "history play" cycle (the eight history plays from "Richard II" to "Richard III" about the Wars of the Roses) called "Shakespeare's Kings" by John Julius Norwich, which focused on the relations of Shakespeare's cycle to actual English history. And that inspired a fresh question on my part.

In your vision of the Gargoyles Universe, did any of the immortal characters (Demona, Macbeth, Puck, etc.) get involved in any way in this period of English history that Shakespeare was drawing on for his cycle, from Richard II's deposition in 1399 to Richard III's death at Bosworth in 1485? (We know, of course, where Demona was in 1495, ten years after Bosworth, and that it wasn't in England).