- Story Arc: Demona and the Hunters
- Characters: The Manhattan Clan, David Xanatos, Owen Burnett, Demona, The Hunters
- Enemy(ies): Demona, the Hunters
The Hunters, last seen in the flashbacks of "City of Stone," continue to exist in the present day and are as determined to kill Demona as their ancestors were centuries ago. Their leader Jason Canmore nearly kills Angela, mistaking her for Demona, and thereby provokes Goliath to swear homicidal revenge.
Demona, too, fights the Hunters as she has done throughout the centuries, leading to an unlikely alliance with the Manhattan Clan. But she has also hired Dr. Sevarius to engineer a deadly disease, with which she intends to cast a spell to eliminate every human being on the planet.
As the Cycle of Revenge spins, inflicting what Goliath believes to be severe damage on the Hunters, destroying the gargoyles' clock tower, and nearly killing Jason Canmore and Elisa, Demona prepares to unleash her deadly plague in the light of the Hunter's Moon.
This episode contains the following tropes:
- Big Damn Kiss: After two long seasons of Ship Tease we finally see Goliath and Elisa share a brief, yet tenderly romantic smooch.
- Bittersweet Ending: The Manhattan Clan's existence has been revealed to the world and many see them as monsters, but they save the world, achieve a tenuous peace with Xanatos, and are restored to their ancestral home. Goliath and Elisa also come to terms with their relationship.
- Break the Cutie: Angela in particular takes being regarded as a monster badly.
- CPR: Clean, Pretty, Reliable: Elisa performs this on Angela, keeping her breathing just long enough for the day to come and turn her to stone, allowing her injuries to heal during stone sleep.
- Dramatic Unmask: Jason reveals to the audience that he's one of the Hunters by removing his mask while badgering Jon for questioning their mission.
- Fantastic Racism: The Hunters' driving motivation. While Demona has been the primary target of their vendetta for the past 1000 years, they are quick to extend their wrath to the Manhattan Clan once they learn of them, simply by virtue of them being gargoyles as well.
- Freudian Trio: The three modern-day Hunter siblings. Jason, who is the most violent and revenge-fueled Hunter, is the Id. Jon, who's the least enthusiastic about the mission and the dangers it involves, initially wanting to avoid escalating the conflict with the gargoyles, is the Superego. And Robyn, who's the most emotionally controlled and objective-oriented sibling, is the Ego.
- Heel–Face Turn: While Xanatos has been less antagonistic towards the gargoyles since they helped save his son, he decides to officially bury the hatchet by letting them return to their castle. Eliza suspects another trick, but he declares he's done with his battle with Goliath's clan.Elisa: What’s the catch, Xanatos?
Xanatos: No catches, no tricks, no strings. The feud is over, Detective. - Hero with Bad Publicity: The gargoyles are framed for blowing up the clock tower and thus deemed fearsome monsters.
- Ignored Epiphany: After accidentally shooting Jason while trying to get Goliath, Jon (much like Demona) is in shock over what he's done before "realizing" it's somehow not his fault.'''Jon:''' What have I—what have they done?
- Just Friends: Elisa attempts to invoke this, referring to Goliath specifically as her “best friend” in an attempt to hide her true feelings for him.
- Last Episode, New Character: The Canmore siblings are introduced in this three-part season finale.
- Leaning on the Fourth Wall: After moving back to their ancestral castle, Brooklyn says "So it begins, Gargoyles Chapter 2. Or Chapter 3? I have lost count."
- Love Confession: Goliath and Elisa have theirs at last come this episode's conclusion.
- Love Triangle: Between Elisa, Goliath and Jason.
- Mistaken Identity: The Hunters attack and critically wound Angela, believing her to be Demona due to their obvious resemblance. Jason only realizes afterwards that they attacked the wrong gargoyle, since Angela was younger and had different coloring.
- Mugging the Monster: Almost. Elisa goes undercover on a subway while it is being hijacked by armed crooks, but this is just a ploy to lure the crooks out before the Manhattan Clan save the day.
- Never Say "Die": Though the overall series has several notable instances of death and killing, the characters would still often avoid outright usage of the term. This is intentionally subverted at the end of Part 1, when Goliath flat out states that he will “kill” the Hunters for the attack on Angela, showcasing just how serious the situation is becoming.
- No One Gets Left Behind: After emerging from the rubble of the clock tower, an injured Hudson tells the others to leave him behind before the next attack occurs. The others won't even consider it and carry him to safety.
- Not Good with Rejection: Thinking that Elisa will not return his feelings after seeing her with Jason, Goliath tries to take his frustration out by attacking the Hunters' ship head on, despite the misgivings from Brooklyn and Lexington
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Goliath is usually a level-headed leader and a Gentle Giant. But after the Hunters hurt Angela, he loses his common sense and becomes obsessed with vengeance.
- Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping: Subverted quite nicely. While the Canmores are in their civilian attire, they can effectively hide their Scottish accents quite well. When they are in private or suited up as Hunters, they speak plainly with their Scottish accents.
- Sealed with a Kiss: Elisa officiates her and Goliath's new relationship by surprising him with a kiss.
- Trash the Set: The Hunters destroy the gargoyles clock tower home, their refuge after losing their castle to Xanatos near the start of the series.
- Villainous Rescue: Pinned down by police and an angry mob, the Clan is suddenly approached by Xanatos in one of his helicopters.Xanatos: Could I interest you in a ride?
