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DuckTales! Season 3, Episode 17 Review

Sometimes, TV gives something that comes at just the right time on the right day to really stand out. Today, DuckTales managed to do just that. Their latest episode, which is about family matters, isn’t just conviently coming out the week of Thanksgiving, but it also marks another important day. Today, November 23rd, marks the 57th birthday of the famous sci-fi franchise Doctor Who. Scrooge McDuck’s played by David Tennant, famous for being the 10th incarnation of the Doctor. And then there’s the fact Michelle Gomez, who played The Master on Doctor Who for three years, guest stars in this episode. And the episode airs on her birthday.

Do the math, people.

Return to Castle McDuck!

As established in Season 1, Castle McDuck’s cut off from the outside world by mystical fog that only clears once every five years. However, when the fog clears up four years prematurely, Scrooge and the kids come to investigate. That, and Huey wants to find this magic bagpipe that can animate things.

Things end up taking a nosedive, though, when it’s revealed that Scrooge’s sister, Matilda (played by Michelle Gomez, AKA The Master), is living with their parents.

The two start butting heads, leading Webby, in a misguided attempt to stop them from fighting, ends up making things worse. Pretty soon, the entire Duck family is at each other’s throats as egos clash and tensions boil over.

Even though David Tennant and Michelle Gomez are both Doctor Who alumni, they never worked together onscreen. But after seeing the dynamic they pull off as Scrooge and Matilda, I’m convinced it BBC missed out on something great. I love the sibling rivalry thing they got going on as well as how similar and different they are. Both are people of business, but while Scrooge has been successful with his ventures, Matilda hasn’t. They play off each other so well, I’d want to see Matilda some more in the future. If not in this show, then in the inevitable crossover/spinoff

Phantom Blot and Mina Loveberry

Speaking of good dynamics, one of the best ones comes from the villains of the week. Making his return is the Phantom Blot as he continues his mission to destroy all magic. Only, he’s not alone: F.O.W.L. paired him up with one of their footsoldiers, an Egghead named Pepper who’s basically an older version of Webby. At first, the Blot wants nothing to do with her, but her kindness and positive vibes eventually win him over. Especially after its revealed that she’s the only one in F.O.W.L. brave enough to want to work with him.

Given that Amy Sedaris and Giancarlo Esposito are Mandalaorian cast-members, seeing these two interact with each other is pretty fun to watch. Amy channels her inner Mina (who I just realized she played) to contrast with Blot’s no-nonsense attitude. It’s a great dynamic and I hope to see more of it in the future.

Family Matters!

So, yeah, I loved this episode. I loved all the guest-starts, they all played off each other very well, and it was an all-around baller. It’s stuff like this that make me glad I’m a grown man who still watches cartoons.

I Give “The Fight for Castle McDuck!” a 4.8/5

Stray Observations

• HOW DID I NOT KNOW THAT AMY SEDARIS VOICED MINA LOVEBERRY!?!?!
• Happy birthday, Michelle Gomez
• Happy birthday, Doctor Who!

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DuckTales Season 3, Episode 14 Review

The major theme to the third season of the reboot of DuckTales! has been the idea of legacy. Since the start, Huey, Dewey, and Louie have been following in the legacy of those that came before them: Scrooge, Donald, Della, and many others. And without even realizing it, they’ve become incredibly badass as a result of all their adventures. As the race against F.O.W.L. is on in this episode, we get to see just how far the Duck Boys have come, and I love it!

The Split Sword of Swanstantine!

This week, Scrooge takes the kids (the Duck Boys, Webby, Lena, and Violet) on a trip to Istanbul. They’re looking for the magical sword of the city’s founder, Swanstantine. Unfortunately, F.O.W.L. is looking for the exact same thing. This leads to both sides splitting up in order to get to get the parts of the sword hidden throughout the city.

What I like about this idea is that it gives each of the Duck Boys a chance to show the lessons they’ve learned and the skills they’ve gained since they starting traveling with Scrooge. And as I said before, they look pretty badass while doing so.

Let’s Dewey It!

Dewey Duck’s always been the outgoing and adventurous one among his brothers. He was the one who went looking for what happened to his mom, and is almost always the first to jump into danger. Sure, this gets him into trouble a lot, but it seems to be happening less and less as time goes on, and as we see here, his confidence has only grown.

As he and Webby face off against Gandra, they get blinded by a flashbang that leaves the normally deadly Webby an insecure wreck. Dewey, on the other hand, manages to flourish, flawlessly making his way to their piece of the sword and making a fool out of Gandra. The lesson here is that they have to be confident in what they can do. Even if there’s a chance they’ll fall and fail.

Louie Overcomes His Need to Lie

Of the three Duck Boys, Louie Duck’s been the one that’s most insecure about his place in the family. He doesn’t like adventuring as much as the other’s, but his talent for outsmarting others has gotten him in as much trouble as it has gotten out. He’s good at conning others, but he needs to know when and where to use it. In this case, lying about being a famous criminal so they can get the next piece of the sword. His bluffs lead him to face down Rockerduck in a spice-eating contest that lands him him in big trouble. It’s only Violet backing him up that saves his skin.

Louie lies because he’s insecure about himself in comparison to his relatives, but as Violet reminds him, he doesn’t need to do that. He’s just as badass as his siblings. After all, he’s bested the Bombie, cheated all of Scrooge’s enemies out of their fortunes, and defeated an ancient Pharaoh. That’s pretty badass!

Huey’s Inner Rage

This whole season’s been focused a lot on Huey Duck and his character development, and part of that has been about him accepting that his faults and limitations. In this episode, that comes to the forefront as Huey and Lena face Steelbeak for the last piece of the sword. And no matter how Huey tries to think his way out of things. As Lena points out, there’s only one way to win: get angry.

Turns out, Huey’s been repressing his emotions such as anger since he sees them as a detriment to his way of doing things. The result is this Angry persona called “The Duke of Making a Mess.” It’s a lot more badass than it sounds, as once the Duke takes Charge, Huey’s basically a mini version of Donald and Della.

The lesson here is that it’s not healthy to bottle up one’s emotions all the time. You have to know when and where it’s okay to let your anger out, like fighting a steel-beaked chicken man.

Duck Boys Amazing Anthology

As expected, the Duck Family comes out on top, and the Duck Boys show how far they’ve come since the pilot episode. They get the sword, and F.O.W.L. runs away scared. Or do they?

In truth, the whole thing was another distraction so they could get a sample of Scrooge’s DNA. That’s twice now that F.O.W.L. has played the Duck Family. First, they take the Missing Mysteries, and now Scrooge’s DNA? What are they planning? I honestly don’t know: maybe they’re using the mysteries and Scrooge’s DNA to create a jacked-up version of Scrooge to destroy him? That’s my guess, though, and I can’t wait to see how things turn out.

I, for one, think this is one of my favorite episodes of the season and the show overall. It’s nice to see how far the characters you love have come, after all.

I Give “The Split Sword of Swanstantine!” a 4.5/5

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DuckTales Season 3, Episode 13 Review

Last week, Disney XD’s amazing reboot of DuckTales up-ended itself with F.O.W.L. being forced into the open. Worse still, they learn that it’s led by a member of Scrooge’s own Board of Directors. That revelation has rocked the Duck Family to its core, and left them a paranoid mess. And when you consider the lengths that Scrooge will go to keep those he loves safe, that’s a recipe for disaster. And nothing but a good time for us.

Scrooge and Beakley lose it

In the aftermath of F.O.W.L.’s return, Mrs. Beakley and Scrooge go into full-blown panic mode and decide to make sure they’re prepared for anything. At McDuck Manor, Beakley trains Webby, Huey, and Dewey to prepare for any attacks. Meanwhile, Scrooge has Louie and Della, the most cunning members of the Duck Family, rest out the Money Bin’s new security system to make sure its thief-proof.

There’s just a few minor problems with their methods: Beakley basically sics Webby on the boys. And when Scrooge gets locked out of the security system, the trio get caught in a series of deadly traps that push them to their limits.

The moral of this episode became obvious to me almost right away. When people spend so much time worrying about everything bad that could happen, they drive each other apart and ensure everyone loses. It happened in Game of Thrones, and it almost happened to the Duck Family.

The Terror of Webby

While both halves of the story were entertaining, I really liked the part that focused on Webby and Beakley putting the boys through training. Webby’s given free rein to catch the boys by surprise so that they’ll learn to keep their guard up. The problem is that Webby’s so good that it leaves them an emotional wreck.

I won’t lie, while watching Webby own the boys was fun, there were moments when her skills genuinely scared me. She managed to do a perfect impersonation of Dewey, right down to his voice patterns and mannerisms! That’s not something people should have to worry about! Thankfully, Webby knew when to draw the line when she saw she was only hurting her friends.

F.O.W.L. Makes its Move

In the end, the Duck Family survives their experiences whilst re-affirming how unbeatable they are together. Which is a good thing, too. While they were letting fear get the best of them, F.O.W.L. got busy stealing all the Missing Mysteries they’ve found.

F.O.W.L. chose to up the ante, but the events of this episode left the Duck Family more united than ever. And they’ll need all their allies on their side to beat F.O.W.L.. As for me, I’m loving how ambitious the show’s gotten since the start of its run. What happens next is sure to be a big adventure.

I Give “Escape from the Impossibin” a 3.5/5

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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, “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.

Even before the reboot of Ducktales, Della Duck was a bit of a mystery. She’s rarely appeared in any Disney stories, and the original cartoon never even mentioned her. So, fans were pretty excited when the reboot made it clear that it was going to show us who she was; even Nostalgia Critic got hyped.

The mystery behind Della’s absence was one of the biggest plot points during Season One. We got hints of what happened, but it took Scrooge’s bombshell revelation in “The Last Crash of the Sunchaser!” to give us the whole story. And what a sad story! When it looked like Della might be gone for good, the Season One finale showed us that Della was alive. Alive but trapped on the moon.

The Christmas Special “Last Christmas” gave us some insight into what Della was like as a kid, but she hasnt gotten a lot of on-screen time. Plus there are so many questions. How has she survived for ten years without food, water, or oxygen? How could Scrooge fail to find her on the Moon? “What Ever Happened to Della Duck” answers these questions, while laying the groundwork for future plot lines.

Right off the bat, the writers establish what kind of story this episode’s going to tell: after showing how Della crashed the Spear of Selene on the moon, the next scene shows her waking up with her leg pinned underneath the wreckage and no way to get it out. She knows what she has to do, and her response is classic Donald: “Aw, phooey”. The next scene is two months later, her leg amputated in favor of a robot prosthetic. Then the show’s title appears, no song, no credits. Perfect way to emphasize how serious this episode’s going to be.

It is indeed serious, but it also knows how to balance it with humor. For example, the show explains how Della’s survived without a spacesuit: Gyro’s Oxy-Chew gum. It gives her all the food, water, and air she needs. The bad news: it’s black licorice flavored. Yuck!

To pass the time, Della makes video logs a la Mark Watney. This gives viewers insight into what her boys got from her:

• Huey got her love of being a Junior Woodchuck
• Dewey got the love of adventure. And her recklessness
• Louie got her laziness and sharp mind.

Funny enough, she has Donald’s anger problems. But being stuck on the Moon doesn’t break her spirits.

Things will not go her way, though. She tries writing an SOS message, a creature called a Moon-nite eats it before one of Scrooge’s ships can see it. She tries rebuilding the Spear of Selene, she finds its powered by gold. When it takes her four years to remember she had a gold tooth in her mouth, the Moon-Mite comes back and eats part of her ship!

By the end of the episode, she makes peace with the Moon-Mite after learning it was just trying to feed its kid. The moment could have been a Disney cop-out, but Della’s heartfelt song ensures it’s not. The Spear of Selene’s beaten up real bad, though.

It’s here where things finally go Della’s way. After befriending the native inhabitants of the Moon, they let her stay in their giant city made out of gold. More than enough to fix her ship!

Things seem to be looking up for Della, but a comment from one of the Moonlanders gives the impression that they have ulterior motives. That can wait for another day, though.

This episode manages to go above and beyond answering it’s own question while giving us a great story in the vein of great survival stories like The Martian and Robinson Crusoe. Better still, it sets the show for events down the road. The best part, though, is that it finally gave fans a good look at Della Duck.

I Give This Episode a 4.8/5

Final Thoughts

• That Oxy-Chew was a really good plot device, but I wonder: was Della chewing the same piece of gum for ten years?
  • If Della ever gets back to Earth, I think it’d be funny to see her punch Gyro for the gum flavor. “Best flavor in the world” my butt!
• Wait, how do the Moonlanders breath? There’s no air on the Moon!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS, everyone! It’s time to kick off my 25 days of Christmas. I watch a new Christmas Special every day and talk about it with you guys. And it just so happens that a new one came on this morning. So, here’s my first special, Last Christmas from Disney’s Ducktales!

A Dr. Scrooge Christmas

Next to Ducktales, Scrooge McDuck is probably most famous for playing his namesake in Mickey’s A Christmas Carol. When this special starts, he also seems to hate Christmas as much as Ebeneezer Scrooge did. He scoffs at everything Christmas related, and even goes “Bah, humbug!” It looks like he’s set for another Christmas Ghost visit. And he gets it… though not in the way you’d think!

Turns out the Ghosts of Christmas met him years ago after mistaking him for Ebeneezer, and every year they go back in time to party for Christmas. Scrooge’s just faking hating Christmas… except for Santa, he hates him.

Things Get Crazy

Long story short, Scrooge goes off to party, only for the Ghost of Christmas Past to get upset at the idea of Scrooge leaving them to spend Christmas with his family. Fight ensues, and Past (played by Jack McBrayer) gets stranded in the past.

The second half… okay, I didn’t pay attention as much as I should have. But Dewey ends up back in the past where he meets his Uncle Donald as a kid. He also manages to meet his mom as a kid. Considering how hard he tried to find out what happened to their mom last season, this was a very emotional moment for him. It doesn’t take long for Donald and Della to figure out he’s a relative from the future (Duck Family after all) and then Scrooge comes to get him, along with Past.

Oh, yeah! Past got stuck in the past and got turned into a monster because he was so lonely missing Scrooge. So to make up to him, Scrooge invites the Ghosts to a Christmas Party with his family.

I Love This!

I loved this special overall. The “Christmas Carol” premise has been repeated a lot in the annals of Pop Culture, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen it subverted and then tossed like this! There were also plenty of references to Mickey’s A Christmas Carol, and even a reference to Scrooge’s first appearance! But the best part is that we get a look at Della in the present day. The Season One finale revealed that she’s still alive and stuck on the Moon (how is she breathing, though?), and from the looks of things, she’s working on making a new spaceship to get her home. I really hope we get to see that play out to the end. Ducktales is one of the best cartoons Disney has right now, and I can’t wait to see what they do next.

Overall, this was a memorable Christmas special and the perfect way to start my countdown. Happy Holidays Everyone! I love Ducktales Christmas!

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