RJ Writing Ink

Ducktales Season 2, Episode 19 Review/Recap

This has to be my favorite episode from last week’s dump of new Ducktales! It’s all about confronting one’s inner demons through the crazy, reality-defying realm of dreams, and it’s awesome because it stars Lena de Spell!

Recap

Webby throws a huge slumber party at McDuck Manor and invites Lena, Violet, and the Triplets to it. It soon becomes apparent, though, that Lena’s trying to avoid going to sleep. Once everyone does succumb to slumber, things get weird.

Everyone’s dragged into a shared dream that shows off a key aspect of their personalities. Things like Louie’s laziness manifesting with him as a cat, Dewey’s high school dedicated to himself. When they get to Lena, we see she’s been having nightmares of her turning into Magica. She almost lets herself succumb to Magica’s influence, but thanks to the power of friendship, Lena overcomes her aunt’s influence.

Review

I saw this episode in a different light then I normally do, as I felt it carried a powerful message about overcoming one’s fears. Magica’s a bully, authoritarian figure in Lena’s life, and it’s clear that she still has a dark influence on her. This episode shows that her deepest fear is that she’ll become just as bad as Magica one day, and while they are similar, it’s their differences that set Lena apart.

Unlike Magica, Lena has friends that she cares for and they care for her. They’re what keep her from becoming Magica. The meaning is made all the more important when it’s revealed that Magica herself was behind Lena’s nightmares. She was using a telepathic device to mess with her niece to get her magic power. The real Magica’s just a pathetic old woman, one that Lena need not be afraid of anymore. I doubt that we’ve seen the last of Magica though, but the Duck Family will be ready for anything she may throw at them.

I found this episode to be very enjoyable overall, as it delves into the kids psyches and shows us what makes them tick. What we end up seeing was pretty fun, too.

I Give “Nightmare on Killmotor Hill” A 4.5/5

Wanna See Dewey’s Dream School? It’s like a homage to High School Musical.

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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!