History Recap / GargoylesS2TheMirror

* FakeMemories: Puck's transformations are packaged with the belief that the victims have always been that way and everyone else has been changed. This seems to be to keep them from reacting to the transformation as strange, since their actual memories of events are untouched and it takes little scrutiny to notice a discrepancy between what they believe and what they remember.

* AnimationBump: The first episode in the second season to get an improvement in animation and the second over all after the [[Recap/GargoylesS1Awakening Awakening]] five part pilot.

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

* '''Enemy(ies)''' : Demona and Puck

Demona returns in the episode [[Recap/GargoylesS2Vows "Vows"]] and Puck's next appearance is in [[Recap/GargoylesS2FutureTense "Future Tense"]].

This Episode contains the following Tropes:

--> '''Goliath:''' "I never realized just how ''beautiful'' you are."\\
'''Elisa:''' "''*chuckle*'' Are you saying you thought I was ''ugly?''"\\
'''Goliath:''' "Uh, well, that--Careful, updraft!"
* BerserkButton: Puck puts up with a lot of crap from Demona over the course of the episode, but only visibly gets angry when - after he's freed - she rejects his offer for a gift in reward for his good time, at which point he curses her to become human during the day. [[GeniusBonus Which is very much a classic characteristic of the]] FairFolk.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: When Demona first summons Puck she says, "You served the human", referring to the fact that [[spoiler: Xanatos's assistant Owen and Puck are the same being]]. Other episodes would hint at the same thing, but this one was the first and most noticeable.
** Also the fact that [[spoiler:if you listen to Puck you can't help but feel you've heard his voice before. It's very similar to Owen's own, except Puck has none of the emotional restraint in it that Owen has.[[note]]even though Owen was voiced by Creator/JeffBennett and Puck was voiced by Creator/BrentSpiner, making this an interesting example of CastAsAMask.[[/note]]]]

* YouAreWhatYouHate: Demona hates humans with a passion, so she doesn't take becoming one at the end very well.

* PaperThinDisguise: Demona doesn't seem to recognize Elisa when she's disguised as a museum guard (with just a uniform, different hairstyle, and glasses).

* BullyingADragon: Demona in her case is not just mistreating any ordinary powerhouse, but a RealityWarper who could really make her life miserable if given the opportunity to be freed. Indeed, he would repay her by [[YouAreWhatYouHate having her turn into that which she hates most during daytime]].
** Somehow her shoving him around and making threats throughout most of the episode doesn't faze Puck, but her weary, aggravated "''Please'' leave" at the end offends him. Presumably he expected a level of coercion from similar-minded people who tried to use him in the past and took precautions, but Demona refusing to accept his sincere offer of thanks for the fun crossed a line.

** Shortly after Demona has summoned Puck and starts shouting commands, the latter protests this treatment by pointing to Titania's Mirror saying that "Does this look like WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'s lamp?". This line was confirmed by the creators to be an in-joke about Disney's version, of which [[WesternAnimation/AladdinTheSeries the spin-off series]] was also running at the time.

* BareYourMidriff: After her transformation into a gargoyle, Elisa's shirt inexplicably turns into a crop top.

* OffModel: When Elisa is posing in front of the mirror and then swiftly responds to Demona's break-in, her reflection doesn't change at the moment she ran from it. The creators stated that this was done deliberately in order to hint at the supernatural nature of Titania's Mirror.

* BareYourMidriff: Elisa after her transformation.

* {{Hypocrite}}: As usual with Demona. Puck turning all of New York into gargoyles would otherwise be exactly what she wanted, if she were that she genuinely wanted salvation for the gargoyle race. But since it doesn't satisfy her hatred, it instead incenses her and she demands he change them all back so she can kill them all properly. Puck, for his part, knows exactly how hypocritical Demona is and did it on purpose.

* ActionGirl: Elisa as a Gargoyle. She was able to fight on even footing against Demona and ''winning''.

** Somehow her shoving him around and making threats throughout most of the episode doesn't faze Puck, but her weary, aggravated "''Please'' leave" at the end offends him.

* ActionGirl: UpToEleven with Elisa as a Gargoyle. She was able to fight on even footing against Demona and ''winning''.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: When Demona first summons Puck she says, "You served the human", referring to the fact that [[spoiler: Owen and Puck are the same being]]. Other episodes would hint at the same thing, but this one was the first and most noticeable.

* TheFairFolk: They are introduced into Gargoyles' cosmology, of they are known as the "Third Race" and the "Children of Oberon". The first of their number to be revealed is Puck who debuts in this episode. He has the classic traits of amorality, trickery, doing thing for the fun of it, and weakness to ColdIron.

* {{Meganekko}}: Elisa wears glasses posing as a security guard at the museum.

** Also the fact that [[spoiler:if you listen to Puck you can't help but feel you've heard his voice before. It's very similar to Owen's own, except Puck has none of the emotional restraint in it that Owen has]].

** Shortly after Demona has summoned Puck and starts shouting commands, the latter protests this treatment by pointing to Titania's Mirror saying that "Does this look like WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'s lamp?". This line was confirmed by the creators to be an in-joke about Disney's Aladdin, of which WesternAnimation/AladdinTheSeries was also concurrently on-air at the time.

* InkSuitActor: The appearances the Manhattan Clan Gargoyles take when turned Human are based in large part on those of the voice actors who portray them, even having Goliath be AmbiguouslyBrown in reference to him being voiced by Black American actor Creator/KeithDavid. Though Creator/GregWeisman [[WordOfGod has said]] that the [[http://www.s8.org/gargoyles/askgreg/search.php?qid=11012 in-story reason for Goliath's darker Human skin color is actually to match that of Elisa's]].

* {{Foreshadowing}}: When Demona first summons Puck she says "You serve the human", referring to the fact that [[spoiler: Owen and Puck are the same being]]. Other episodes would hint at the same thing, but this one was the first and most noticeable.