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DuckTales Season 3, Episode 20 Review

Let it be known here and now to all who read this. The 2017 reboot of DuckTales is the ultimate love letter to the legendary Disney Afternoon block! They have included the likes of DarkWing Duck, Chip n’ Dale Rescue Rangers, Goof Troop, Quack Pack, Gummi Bears, and even Bonkers. But as the show enters its home stretch, it finally adds the last show from the Disney Afternoon: TaleSpin.

So, how was the crossover between DuckTales and TaleSpin that fans probably spent years waiting for? Honestly, meh.

TaleSpin and the Story of Kit Cloudkicker

The opener to the episode takes place years ago, as a grown-up Kit Cloudkicker, AKA Baloo’s protege on TaleSpin, bungles the delivery of an important mystical artifact to F.O.W.L. thanks to Don Karnage. How important was it? That mystery rock’s one of the missing mysteries everyone’s after. And it can fuse organic beings together to create new life. In other words, freakish monsters.

In the present day, Della takes Dewey and Huey to look for the stone while using Kit as a guide. The only problem is…he sucks at flying. Like, really sucks at it. I think Launchpad can do a better job at flying a plane than Kit can. But he insists on doing it so he can follow in the footsteps of his idol, Baloo.

Oh, and Dewey tries to take up cloudkicking (surfing in the sky like one would wakeboard). Only…he’s terrible at it and it terrifies him.

That’s basically the whole conflict of the episode outside of trying to beat Don Karnage to the Stone of What Was. Kit and Dewey insist on being something that they’re clearly bad at when their true talents lie elsewhere.

I’ll be honest, people: I never watched TaleSpin growing up, so I’m not emotionally invested in that part of the story. But it helped that Kit and Dewey both had similiar dilemma’s. Kit thinks being like his hero means being a pilot. And Dewey? He doesn’t want to be a pilot since it’s as exciting as he thinks befits his personality.

Do What You’re Good At

The long and short of the episode is this timeless Aesop given to us by Kit: “When you’re great at something, you gotta hold onto that.” And when both of them realize it, they kick serious ass, get the stone, and stop Don Karnage.

So, in the end, Kit decides to take up cloudkicking full-time with his old friend Molly Cunningham, and Dewey decides to become a pilot. And for once, he doesn’t try to showboat! That’s real character growth there, people!

So yeah, this wasn’t as exciting a crossover as the Darkwing Duck special was; not for me, at least. But for those who grew up watching the adventures of Baloo, Kit Cloudkicker, and everyone else in TaleSpin, I think that this episode will be right for them. I’m glad that DuckTales got around to including them before the big finale.

I Give “The Lost Cargo of Kit Cloudkicker” a 3/5

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DuckTales! Season 3, Darkwing Duck Special Review

Last year, I said that the debut of the DuckTales! reboot’s version of Darkwing Duck could end up leading to a reboot/spin-off. Then a few months ago, I said DuckTales! was leading us to a Disney Afternoon-iverse. As of tonight, with the hour-long Darkwing Duck special, “Let’s Get Dangerous,” and this SYFY interview with the show’s creators, I feel all but vindicated in my belief. To paraphrase Nick Fury at the end of Iron Man, DuckTales! is now part of a larger universe.

Now, let’s get dangerous!

Flashpoint at St. Canard

The special starts off with Scrooge, Launchpad, and the boys traveling to St. Canard for two reasons. Firstly, Scrooge’s meeting with scientist Taurus Bulba at his St. Canard lab. He claims to have invented a machine, the Ramrod, that can create anything from seemingly nothing. Of course, Huey’s quickly convinced that it’s too cool to be true. Meanwhile, LP and Dewey want to hang with Darkwing as he fights crime. Only problem: crime’s all but eradicated in St. Canard!

While these two plots start off seperate, they soon begin to interweave in order to create a larger narrative. As Darkwing learns from Gosalyn, the granddaughter of the man she claims really invented the Ramrod, there’s more to Taurus then meets the eye. And as Huey learns, the Ramrod has a hidden connection to the Missing Mysteries that the Duck Family (and F.O.W.L.) have been hunting all season.

For lack of a better term, the events of “Let’s Get Dangerous” are, in essence, a flashpoint. Plot threads that have been running since the show’s beginning come together to form a narrative far larger than would be possible otherwise. And when the dust has settled, there are going to be massive ramifcations going forward.

F.O.W.L. Reveals Itself

The audience has known since the start of the season that F.O.W.L. has been working against the Duck Family in the shadows to find the Missing Mysteries first. Aside from a brief moment of lucidity by Launchpad, the heroes have remained unaware of the looming danger. After the events in St. Canard, that’s no longer the case.

Without spoiling things, the Ramrod’s connected to the Missing Mysteries. Therfore, F.O.W.L. gets involved in building it. Due to the actions of Taurus Bulba, though, they end up blowing their cover in front of the Duck Family. Even Scrooge is shocked by this. And when Scrooge is surprised by something, then its time to worry!

What this means going forward is that the the search for the Missing Mysteries now has serious stakes. The Duck Family has to find them before F.O.W.L. does, or else who knows what could happen

Backdoor Pilot for Darkwing Duck

The more immediate consequence to this special is the fact that it essentially serves as a backdoor pilot for a reboot of Darkwing Duck. Besides tying into the overarching plot of the season and upping the ante, “Let’s Get Dangerous” is a retelling of the pilot of the original Darkwing Duck. All the hallmarks are there:

• Taurus Bulba is the main antagonist
• Darkwing first meets Gosalyn, who becomes his partner and adopted daughter
• Launchpad decides to officially team up with Darkwing, splitting his time with Scrooge and DW

I, for one, have been wanting to see a reboot of Darkwing Duck since the DuckTales! reboot came out. With Darkwing, Launchpad, and Gosalyn now committed to being a team of superheroes, we have everything we need for a spin-off. And I’m reading what the creators of the show said to SYFY, then that may be coming in the near future.

In the meantime, though, something tells me that Darkwing Duck and Gosalyn still have a role to play in the rest of this season. So, what are we waiting for? Let’s get dangerous!

I Give “Let’s Get Dangerous!” a 4.5/5. Loses points because end credits didn’t have the Darkwing Duck Theme Song

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