RJ Writing Ink

DuckTales! Season 3, Episode 15 Review

What do you when you fire someone from a job because they’re not good at it, or because they’re jerks? You look for people to replace them. As it turns out, the same thing can happen with Gods in the Disney Afternoon-verse (that’s right, that’s the name now.) When a position in the Greek Pantheon suddenly opens, the kids find themselves competing to be the new Olympian Idol.

Good Riddance to Ya, Zeus

I want you to remember the version of Zeus that Disney gave in the 1997 film Hercules. Now, I want you to throw that in the trash, because the Zeus from the Greek Myths is nothing like that. To sum the mythological Zeus up: he’s a pig-headed jerk who tries to date any pretty girl he sees and acts like a sore loser. So take out the womanizing, and you’ve got the DuckTales! version. And after one too many misdeeds, the gods of Olympus decided to strip him of his power and rule.

I don’t know why I enjoy it so much, but there’s something so satisfying about seeing jerks get what’s coming to them. And seeing this version of Zeus become a butt-monkey is just so satisfying to see. I quite a good kick out of seeing him come up with a convoluted scheme to earn back his power; it works, but no one respects him anymore.

Oh, and there’s the matter of who’s going to take his place.

The Kids Prove their Self Worth

Connecting this back to the Olympian Idol thing, the Duck Boys and webby are in a rut when they fail an adventure with Scrooge. Worse, Scrooge’s drive to succeed leads him to disregard the signs that they need his approval and try again with another team. Ergo, when Selene comes to offer Della the chance to take Zeus’ place, they each try instead.

The results are as predictable as they are hilarious, in my opinion. Louie learned that the “Midas Touch” is a curse for a reason. Huey couldn’t handle that big brain of his. Webby was less a Princess and more a demon of friendship; and Dewey? Don’t ask, but let’s just say that he was my favorite fail.

I enjoyed seeing the kids suffer this crisis of confidence, and when Zeus’ plan ended up going awry, they’re the ones that saved the day. When all’s said and done, though, they realize that being a god isn’t as great as it sounds. I don’t blame them, either. As much as I’d want to use the power to end climate change and cure cancer, I know it would backfire somehow!

Donald and Daisy…Plus Storkules

So, remember how Donald met Daisy earlier this season? Well, now they’re dating, and it’s going great. Or at least it does until Storkules shows up and acts as a third wheel during their date night.

We all know that Donald and Daisy are meant to be, regardless of the incarnation; ergo, any strife that happened in this episode would get resolved with little trouble. Still, it’s nice to see Daisy react to how crazy Donald’s life can be and learn to accept him, either way. Not to mention, Tress Macneille.

Olympian Idol: A Fun Filler Episode.

So, “New Gods on the Block!” Didn’t advance the over-arching plot involving F.O.W.L. at all this week. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned form watching cartoons with serialized elements, it’s that not every episode needs to move the plot along. They can have self-contained stories that, when the show ends, will likely be remembered just as fondly as the bigger story. I enjoyed this episode, and I just like DuckTales!

I Give “New Gods on the Block” a 4/5

Click here to see my other animation stuff.

Ducktales! Season 3, Episode 5 Review

When it comes to shows like DuckTales, it can be hard to pick a favorite character. There’s just so much great talent behind the show and the characters, ranging from Ben Schwartz as Dewey to David “The Tenth Doctor” Tennant as Scrooge himself. After today, though, I think one of my new favorites has to be Daisy Duck in her premiere on DuckTales! 

Louie’s Latest Scheme and Meeting Daisy Duck

Donald and the Three Cabarellos team up with Louie to get into this party held by famed blogger Ms. Glamora. She writes this blog that decides what’s “IT” every year, and the Cabarellos think it’s their ticket to fame (and Louie gets a cut of the profits. I didn’t know what’s more surprising: how well thought out Louie’s scheme is, or that his family goes along with it. He doesn’t have the best track record with schemes.

I wasn’t really paying attention to watching Louie’s scheme fall apart due to Ms. Glamora’s genre savviness, though. I was paying attention to Daisy Duck, voiced by the legend herself, Tress Macneille. As Daisy’s VA for twenty years, it wouldn’t be Daisy Duck without her. She’s witty, intelligent, and doesn’t deal with anyone’s nonsense. And once she and Donald meet, we can see sparks fly.

At first, Daisy is annoyed by Donald messing with her chance with Ms. Glamora, but once the two start talking, they hit it off. She can even understand what Donald’s saying just fine. Donald, if you meet someone who can understand what you’re saying, I only have one piece of advice: marry them, NOW!

Oh, and it turns out can be just as angry as Donald. Some things are meant to be. 

My Second Favorite Episode of the Season

I know we’re only five episodes into the new season of DuckTales and there are plenty more great moments to come, but I can’t help it. This is on my top five best episodes of the season. It’s just hilarious in all the right ways, and it makes good use of a lot of secondary characters. I hope we see more of Daisy Duck and the Cabarellos this season because DuckTales is on fire right now.

I Give “Louie’s Eleven” a 4.5/5

Stray Observations

• I knew right away that Ms. Glamora was related to Mark Beaks. Called it!
• I wish my blog was as big as Ms. Glamora’s. Oh, well, got to earn it. 

Awesome Quotes

• “Internet Fame. The most important fame of all” That’s not untrue
• “Our brotherhood is the greatest scheme of all!”

Click here to see my other animation stuff.