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Xanatos, Petros

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Tyler Reznik writes...

Hello yet again, Mr. Weisman. Today, I'd like to talk about Gargoyles, particularly David Xanatos.

In relation to Xanatos' desire for immortality, I've noticed that, on two seperate occasions, an older, wiser man managed to pierce David's figurative armour through fairly simple methods (the methods themselves being simple, rather than the effect, meaning, or characters being so).

First, Petros, David's father, succeeded in giving his son pause through a few well-chosen words and "a simple American penny". Then, in "The Price", Hudson is able to discern and point out Xanatos' fear of growing old and dying (here, he cracks Xanatos' cool demeanor, but doesn't quite break it), and by the end of the episode, he had managed to escape Xanatos alive, simultaneously posing a question that, like Petros with the penny, gave David pause, and, I think, something to ponder.

Now, my point is that both of the aforementioned characters were, as I said, older and wiser than Xanatos, which makes me think (perhaps incorrectly; you'd know better than I would) that one of Xanatos' flaws is his inability to truly appreciate the values of age and experience, which ties in to his desire to be immortal.

However much he denied it to Hudson, Xanatos IS terrified of growing old and dying. It's something unknowable, uncontrollable, to a point, unpredictable (who knows when and how they're going to die?), and, barring a means of becoming immortal, it's unavoidable. The value of age and experience, as well as the wisdom that comes from it, is something that he, quite simply, does NOT want to learn firsthand. In fact, he even brushes off Hudson's descriptions of the downside to immortality, remarking that death and old age have a price, one too steep for him to pay. It is this unwillingness to accept his own mortality that makes Xanatos vulnerable to the metaphorical defeats he received from Petros and Hudson. The fear of mortality he possesses makes him blind to the wisdom that only comes from the passage, and indeed, the ravages (of which Hudson is all too aware) of time.

1) Do you agree with my assessment of this aspect of Xanatos' personality?

2) Is it possible that as he grows older, Xanatos will learn to appreciate the wisdom that accompanies age?

Whether you agree with my perspective or not, thank you for taking the time to read and respond to my post, and have a good day, sir.

Greg responds...

1. I do. Very much so.


Response recorded on December 05, 2012

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Harlan Phoenix writes...

Er, I just realized my Stargate question is irrelevant because you DON'T have it at Warner Bros; I must've misread the archives when I was inspired to write that question.

Whoops. Sorry about that.

Though, I do have a question. Petros Xanatos, besides being one of the few people to truly dominate the Xanatos Tag, also takes what happens to his son with ALARMING calmness. While I don't want to ask why (since that would, quite rightfully, give me a "No comment" response), I do want to ask: in whatever terms you'd be comfortable with, how broad is Petros's knowledge of the supernatural or magical (prior to or without counting "Vows" or "The Gathering")?

Greg responds...

Pretty much zero.

Response recorded on December 03, 2010

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This day in Gargoyles' Universe History....

January 26th...

The Emir's son is killed in a pointless car accident.



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This day in Gargoyles' Universe History....

November 7th...


Petros returns to Bar Harbor, Maine.

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This day in Gargoyles' Universe History....

November 5th...



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This day in Gargoyles' Universe History....

November 1st...



