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DuckTales Season 3, Episode 4 Review

I may not have liked last week’s episode, but I loved this week’s episode of DuckTales. Mainly, because it touched on an important life lesson in a hilarious fashion. That lesson being the importance of telling the truth, no matter how hard it may be. And, I might add, it does it while referencing some of Disney’s past work.

The Lost City of Hippie Merfolk

This episode sees the Duck Family (minus Launchpad) try to solve the first mystery from the journal of Isabella Finch. Legends speak of Mervana, a city home to people who turn into merpeople in water, and of a magic talking harp that is there treasure. However, when they find Mervana, they learn its people are underwater hippies. They live under the sea in honor of their King, Honestus, who left to find his “truth” in the sea.

When I first saw Mervana, I immediately thought of The Little Mermaid. The inhabitants and the aesthetics just screamed this Disney classic. Heck, Webby even quotes the first line from the movie’s song “Part of that World.” It also helps that Aletheia, one of their guides, is voiced by Hynden Walch. She has a history of playing Princesses. And to sweeten the hippie vibe even further, their other guide, Vero, is voiced by Greg Cipes. He’s got a history of playing vegan hippies.

Gushing over guest actors aside, Mervana seems too good to be true. At least, to the more cynical members of the Duck family like Beakley or Louie. However, they don’t want to voice their thoughts in front of the ever-optimistic Webby. Her enduring optimism is one of her defining traits, and Mrs. Beakley doesn’t want her to lose that.

Hearing Some Hard Truths

As it turns out, Beakley and Louie were right, as Mervana has a dark secret that not even its people know about. When they find the Harp of Mervana, she explains what happens to Honestus: he ignored the Harp’s brutal honesty and went to live alone in the sea away from his problems. As a result, he turned into a Lovecraftian-esque fish-monster. Worse, the Harp also tells Webby that her grandmother was lying to her about her suspicions regarding Mervana.

This dual-realization hits Webby pretty hard. Like, it almost shatters her worldview. As a result, she briefly becomes more of a cynic than Louie. It stinks seeing the upbeat and optimistic Webby devastated like this. However, an important part of life is learning that not everyone has the best of intentions.

Ironically, it’s Louie of all people who ends up getting Webby’s groove back. He basically tells how that while it’s important to always see the positives in life, you shouldn’t let it blind you to potential danger. It’s a balancing act, and a truth that Webby had to learn sooner or later. I’m honestly glad she learned it now, though, as it could end up hurting her even more in the future.

Speaking of learning some hard truths, once the Duck family brings Honestus to his senses, Mervana learns some hard truths. By running from their problems, they wound up making them worse. So, they have to work to fix them. And it starts by fixing Mervana. Or as Scrooge hilariously calls it “get a job, you hippie’s!” Classic Scrooge.

One Mystery Solved

So, one big mystery gets solved by the Duck family, and Webby learns a valuable life lesson about truth. Beakley said she did as well, but the Harp claims in the final moments that she’s still keeping secrets from her granddaughter. Which begs the question: what sort of secrets is she keeping?

It certainly makes for an interesting plot thread to pick up on as the season progresses. I, for one, am looking forward to seeing where this leads. With F.O.W.L. on the hunt for the Duck Family, this is the kind of tension that could spell disaster in the end. I can’t wait to see how it turns out over the summer!

I Give “The Lost Harp of Mervana” A 4/5

Stray Observations

• I found Della’s hatred of fish to be hilarious. She was stuck on the Moon for ten years, but she still hates fish.

• Donald’s never looked so peaceful before. Too bad it didn’t last.

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DuckTales! Season 3, Episode 2 Review

Well, we only just started it, but I think I already have my favorite episode for the third season of DuckTales. At the least, it’s going in my top five list. At its heart, the show’s been about two things: family and adventures. The show does great at balancing the two, but what happens when they clash? What happens is we get a hilarious but heartfelt parody of 90s sitcoms named after a part of the Donald Duck mythos fans to want to forget about: Quack Pack.

Quack Pack

From the very start, the episode doesn’t bother hiding that something’s off. And if the new clothes didn’t tip us off, it was everyone’s personalities. Each member of the Duck family had their biggest personality traits cranked up to 11, which managed to be both hilarious and cringe at once. That, and Donald’s voiced once again by Don Cheadle.

As it turns out, during one of their family adventures, Donald finally cracked and wished they could deal with normal family problems. That wish got granted by a genie in a lamp; thus, everyone’s trapped in a 90s sitcom. When the family calls him out on making such a wish, though, Donald fires back and says what he’s been wanting to. That he doesn’t want to always go on crazy adventures and just wants a normal life. It’s a pretty empowering moment for the character, and we know that he makes a good point. Their lives are not what many would consider normal. He’d rather stay in the “Quack Pack” than leave the illusion.

Goofy’s Words of Wisdom

As crazy as all this is, that’s nothing compared to the episode’s surprise guest star, Goofy. When the show writers announced that Goofy would appear in season three of the show, fans flipped out. Like the Duck family, Goofy and his son Max were stars of their own 90s cartoon, the Goof Troop. That show led to A Goofy Movie and An Extremely Goofy Movie, the former of which I have vague but fond memories of. 

While Goofy spends most of his time being his lovable self, when it comes down to it, he ends up giving Donald the words of wisdom he needs the most: that the idea of a “normal family” is different for everyone and they won’t all be the same. What’s normal for one family may be weird for another. It’s a genuinely sweet moment that I think everyone can take a page from in an age where the idea of a “traditional family” is getting replaced by a non-traditional one. 

That, plus it’s Goofy. Believe it or not, the guy can be very wise at times.

The 90s Meta-Humor and Jabbing at the Quack Pack

Since its inception, the reboot of DuckTales has drawn on every source of inspiration available to it. Whether that be the DuckTales comics, the video games, or even the original cartoon itself, however, it’s also given shout-outs to all the Disney Afternoon shows of the 90s as a sort of meta-mythology joke. Of all the episodes thus far, though, I think “Quack Pack” may be the most meta.

Firstly, the name itself is a callback to Quack Pack, a short-lived cartoon from 1996 that seemed to be a spiritual successor to the original DuckTales. Only this time, Huey, Dewey, and Louie were all teenagers. Needless to say, the show didn’t last past season one. It’s a nice shout-out to a forgotten chapter in the franchise, though.

Secondly, there’s Gene himself. He first appeared in the 1990 DuckTales movie, where he befriended the Duck family, and to see him return after thirty years is enough to make hardcore fans squeal. Gene even mentions that the last time he was out was in 1990.

Finally, can we all acknowledge what Goofy’s presence in the show means? That Max Goof and his girlfriend Roxanne also exist in the reboot universe! HOW AWESOME IS THAT? It pretty much solidifies the DuckTales reboot as being a shared universe for the Disney Afternoon shows.

The long and short of it is, I thought this episode was awesome. It was amazingly well written, hilarious, and a thoughtful and a tribute to the cartoons a lot of the show’s writers probably grew up on. If this is what we can expect from the rest of the season, then I think we’ll be in for an amazing ride.

I Give “Quack Pack” A 4.5/5

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DuckTales Season 3, Episode 1 Review

Here’s another positive thing that we have to look forward to this Spring: a new season of DuckTales! If you’ve been following my blog, then you’ll know that I think the reboot of DuckTales! is one of the best cartoons in recent years. It’s both nostalgic due to its art style and call backs to the Disney Afternoon shows, while also being modern and original. Given all we’ve learned, this looks to be the show’s most ambitious season yet!

From this moment going forward, I’m abandoning the “Recap/Review” formula I use for cartoons. I’ll be using it for anime and manga, but not other cartoons.

Huey’s Time to Shine

Each season of the show has had a different member of the triplets undergo an important character arc. Dewey’s was learning the truth about what happened to his mom. Louie tried to figure out his role in the family and learned a lesson on humility. By that logic, this season will see Huey get center stage. He certainly does in the premiere where he has to come to terms with that he can’t always be the best.

If you know Huey in the reboot, then you know that being the best Junior Woodchuck he can be means a lot to him. So when he learns that both he and Violet have to compete to see who becomes a Senior Woodchuck, he’s visibly shaken. When she continually proves to be a better Woodchuck, Huey briefly abandons his teachings to win, an action that he regrets.

Fortunately, Violet’s there to give him a valuable lesson. She’s already tried to make Senior Woodchuck three times, only to fail. But failure can give birth to success, a lesson that Huey seems to take to heart as he gracefully concedes defeat. It’s an important life lesson for kids to know that, while they may fail, they can still learn and grow from it.

Dewey and the Dancing Bird

Meanwhile, Scrooge tries to take the rest of the family on a treasure hunt using a map left by his hero and legendary Woodchuck, Isabella Finch. Only, the rest of the family’s uninterested in following a map when their entire thing is to explore the uncharted. Plus, they’re more focused on this weird, colorful bird that Dewey starts dancing with.

Ultimately, Scrooge learns an important lesson: you can look up to your heroes, but you shouldn’t try and copy what they do all the time. Plus, that bird ends up leading them on the right path, anyway. Turns out it’s a descendant of Finch’s pet bird that serves as the Woodchuck’s mascot.

A Good Segue to New Season

So, this first episode was not my favorite by far. If I’m being honest, I lost interest about halfway through the whole thing. However, this does set the show up for the main plot of the season. As it turns out, the treasure of Isabella Finch is her adventuring journal, complete with a list of mysteries that she could never solve! So Scrooge and the Duck family decide to solve these mysteries for themselves!

However, they’re not the only ones interested. At the end of last season, we learned of the existence of F.O.W.L., a crime syndicate that sees the heroes escapades as threats to their power. They spy on the family and decide to beat them to these ancient treasures and artifacts.

With that, we’ve got our plot for the new season of DuckTales!, and it sounds like it’s going to be the most entertaining one yet! I’m giddy with excitement just thinking about it!

So, this season opener wasn’t a very memorable one for me, but considering how fun even the worst episodes of this show can be, I’m going to give it a pass. Here’s to another season of unbelievable adventures!

I Give “Challenge Of The Senior Junior Woodchucks” A 3/5

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Stray Observations

• Did you see how Della’s now a part of the introduction to the show? She’s really here to stay!

• Can we all just acknowledge the reveal that Violet has two dads? I love the fact that we’ve gotten to the point where kid’s shows can casually have same-sex couples. Love knows no bounds!
• According to the show’s staff, Violet’s dad’s adopted Lena some time ago.

Ducktales, “The Duck Knight Rises” Review

When there’s trouble, you call DW! DARKWING DUCK! I may not have been alive when the show came out, but that doesn’t diminish the fact that I am a fan of Darkwing Duck! It also helps that he’s voiced by Jim Cummings, a man with a thousand voices. I ended up watching the show years later online, and I fell in love with it almost right away. So when I heard that DW was going to make an appearance in Ducktales, I was over the moon! No offense to Della!

After watching the new episode of Ducktales, and then rewatching it at least half a dozen times, I conclude that this episode was a love letter to Darkwing Duck. The thing that stood out the most to me, though, was the conflict that I saw between the different aspects f Darkwing Duck’s fandom. I’ve seen how these conflicts can tear a long-lasting fan base apart, and it’s not pretty.

First, we have the old guard, the original generation of fans and actors personified by Launchpad and Jim Starling. Launchpad has always been Darkwing’s biggest fan, be it the reboot or the original. So when he hears they’re rebooting the show as a film, he’s esctatic beyond belief. The same goes for Jim Starling (played by Jim Cummings). They’re overjoyed, but for different reasons. And when they discover that they hate the movie, it’s also for different reasons.

In Launchpad’s case, he’s mad because the director’s idea of Darkwing’s channeling the worst aspects of the DCEU’s Batman. He’s worried that what he loved will be tarnished. Jim, whose channeling the worst apsects of the classic DW (his giant ego), is only made because he’s lost his one chance at winning back his fame. So they team up to save the movie.

Then we have the writers and directors and the people who have to make sure the film sticks the landing. None of them see all that cut out for it, though. The director’s a copy of Francis Ford Coppola, because he’s overbudget, wants to make this a psychological look “at the inhumanity in humanity” or whatever, and the trailer he made is pure nonsense. And Scrooge (who owns the studio) is of no help, for once. He’s the old guy who has no clue about what the film’s based on and only cares about money. He insists that the villain has a mustache! And there’s Dewey, who doesn’t get what the director’s trying to do and wants to add in things that he thinks are cool, but has no idea what he’s doing. He’s the problem with trying to make a film appeal to the youngest target audience when they don’t know what makes a good movie! It’s a recipe for disaster that almost always angers fans.

Then, we have our third party, the new guy who’s playing Darkwing Duck, played by Chris Diamntopoulous . While some people may only take the role for the fame or money, his reasons are more altruistic. He’s a true fanboy of the show, and most important, he took the lessons of the show to heart. He got bullied a lot as a kid, but it was seeing Darkwing that taught him to always get back up and keep fighting. He truly loves the role he’s gotten, and he wants to pass that love and inspiration to the next generation. Make it his own while respecting where it came from.

When Launchpad how much the young actor cares about the role, he realizes that he’s the best person to take up the role. I see this as a reconciliation between the two generations of fans, united by a common love for something. It doesn’t have to be the same thing in each iteration. Look at Batman or Doctor Who. Countless people have played them over the years. The fans may not always like them, but they still love the character.

Jim Starling… doesn’t see it like that. He ends up going crazy with jealousy and starts a fire on the set.

That’s when the new Darkwing appears to save the day from the original. The fight between these two was by far the best part of the episode. And the Chris Darkwing proves to everyone that he owns the role, matching the Jim Cummings Darkwing in hamminess, determination, and ability to handle slapstick. It was EPIC! And then that tragic explosion that seemingly claims the life of Jim Starling.
Fed up, Scrooge pulls the plug on the film, and it seems like Darkwing’s days are done. But in a meta twist, Launchpad inspires the young actor to become Darkwing Duck in real life. To be a hero. This could either lead to a spin-off, or at least more episodes featuring the new Darkwing Duck fighting crime. My brain’s already thinking up fanfiction where he teams up with Gizmoduck and the Duck Family.

In the second meta twist, we finally learn the actor’s name: Drake Mallard, Darkwing Duck’s alter ego. He was truly born to be the Duck.

Then, in the episode’s final moments, we get the biggest twist possible. Jim Starling survived the explosion, but the man he once was is gone. His bitterness over losing his rule and the explosion have driven him insane, and as we see him in the sewers, his costume’s take on a color scheme that any Darkwing Duck fan should know.

I clapped so hard at this moment. The original Negaduck was an evil twin from a parralel universe, but having him be the original Darkwing Duck!?!?!? That’s so brilliant!!

Now that fanboying is over, it should be apparent that I think this was one of the best episodes in the entire show. Am I saying because I’m partial to superheroes and Disney? Maybe. Or is this because I’m acknowledge the fact that the show’s writers remained faithful to the original show while telling a new and exciting story? Without a doubt. This episode opens up new doorways for story in Ducktales, and I hope the writers are smart enough to capitalize on them.
Sadly, we have to wait until September when the new episodes come out. And now I have nothing to distract me from the fact that another hit Disney show, Star vs. The Forces of Evil, is clocking out (until they make a movie or something. I’m hopeful). Or that Game of Thrones is ending.

If there’s one thing this decade has taught me, it’s that good cartoons are never confined to one generation. That’s why I keep watching them, and why I want to make sure future generations can see that as well.

I Give “The Duck Knight Rises” a 5 Purple Hats out of 5.

Stray Observations

• Did you guys notice the model of the Thunderquack in Drake Mallard’s trailer?
• What is it with Scrooge and twirly mustaches? None of his enemies have mustaches.
• Did you guys notice the fat guy in the parking lot? His shirt had the same design that Saitama from “One Punch Man” has on his shirt. The “Oppai” one, but censored.
• I just realized that those electric tower things were Powerline from A Goofy Movie
• “I added chainsaw jugglers. You’re welcome”.
• I really should have gotten Jim Cumming’s autograph when I had the chance.
• Darkwing’s hatred of Gizmoduck is universal!
• They made the opening credits purple!

Ducktales, “Raiders of the Doomsday Vault” Review

You know what I really love about the modern reboot of Ducktales? Aside from the fact that David Tennant’s voicing Scrooge McDuck and the retro look to the show, it’s how the writers are constantly making references to other Disney properties. The first season saw nods to classic Disney Shows like Gummibears, TaleSpin, Darkwing Duck, and more! Plus, look me in the eye and tell me that the dog reporter from the pilot doesn’t look like Roxanne from A Goofy Movie

I think one secret to a long and successful show is world building and adding to the series lore, and Ducktales has done a great job with that since it came on in 2017. And Tuesday’s episode of Ducktales kept building on that lore while giving us new opportunities for story telling.

With Della Duck now back in the game, she’s spending every minute trying to make for lost time, starting with Dewey in “Raiders of the Doomsday Vault!” While Huey, Dewey, and Louie got traits from Della, Dewey’s arguably the one who’s most like her. So when Scrooge goes to the island of Boarway to secure a contract to repair the Doomsday Seed Vault, they tag along for the ride.

One of those seeds just happens to be for the Aurumoros, a literal golden tree that grows money. Soon as they hear about it, Dewey and Della take the Sunchaser (it’s real name is the cooler Cloudslayer, though) and run off to the vault. And they sing this song from A Goofy Movie while doing so!

I may not have seen Ducktales as a kid, but I did see A Goofy Movie. It was one of my favorites as a little kid, so hearing them sing the song from the film made me grin! The fact that the two are able to sing it in perfect sync is a testament to how strong their bond already is.

Unfortunately, the fact that they took the Cloudslayer means Scrooge’s stranded and has to chase them all the way to the vault. And Glomgold comes because he wants to steal the money tree seed. He even said he was going to do so when he tried to win the contract. And Scrooge gets very frustrated dealing with Glomgold’s stupidity and how reckless Della seems to be.

Meanwhile, Dewey’s desperate to prove to his mom that he’s great at adventuring, and puts a lot of pressure on him. And in the end, the combination of that pressure, and Della being Della, leads to the Money Tree seed being released and growing exponentially. That finally makes Della’s maternal instincts kick in and realize that “oh my gosh, I never should have done this”.

In the end, Dewey and Della manage to get everyone out, Dewey realizes he doesn’t have to prove anything to his mom, and Della uses the Money Tree to repair the vault. I think.

So, this episode followed the basic Ducktales formula for an adventure, but with a new spin on it thanks to Della being a part. She does bring about some interesting adventures, and I think it’s a nice change of pace from seeing Donald complaining all the time. But now I want to hear more Powerline!

I Give “Raiders of the Doomsday Vault” 4/5

Stray Observations

• I’m surprised that Owlson hasn’t just quit working for that idiot Glomgold by now. He’s infuriating!
• Loved the appearance of Ludwig Von Drake. I remember watching him as the host of the Disney Sing-Alongs on VHS!
• No seriously, I really want a cover song of “Stand Out”.
• Loved the reference to Indiana Jones in the title
• There is a real seed vault in Norway meant to preserve our planet’s plants in the event of a catastrophe. It’s only been used once as of now.