#I like to think that while scrooge does figure out that glomgold likes him before glomgold himself does

[glomscrooge]

I understand why people carry dt17 scrooge's teasing into glomscrooge content based on the show, but please consider how embarrassing it would be for him to admit that he likes this glomgold. I'd kill myself honestly

[popculturebuffet]

Of Moons, Millionares and Mothers Part 3: Storkules in Duckburg! aka THE INCREDIBLE STORKULES TERRIBLE BUT WELL MEANING ROOMATE OUT OF MYTH

Hello all you happy people! And welcome and welcome back to Of Moons, Millionares and Mothers, my look at the season 2 arcs of Ducktales! This arc was paid for by WeirdKev27 and I truly enjoy his support. if you want to know how to commission your own reviews or to get a guarnateed review of me of your choice from me a month, stick around to the end. I realized that shoving all my plugs in up top may be driving people away and while I DO make them because I want to make a living off this, i’ts not fair to those of you who simply can’t afford to buy a lot of extra shit like myself to keep shoving it in your face. 

Previously on the Louie Inc Arc, Louie, after believing he had no skills and it was a matter of when not if he ws going to die, found his talent: seeing all the angles and thus being Sharper than the Sharpies. With newfound confidence and a chip on his shoulder from Scrooge saying he could one day be a bigger success than Scrooge himself, founding Louie Inc as a result. But what is Louie Inc? Does he actually have a plan or a bunch of buzzwords. And what does STORKULES, MANLY GAY OUT OF MYTH have to do with any of this? Join me under the cut to find out. 

We open with Louie giving Scrooge his sales pitch that is essentially...

Naturally Scrooge buys none of it. I mean he’s somewhere in his hundreds, he’s probably seen about 80 thousand pitches that amount to “I have no plan but give me money anyway”. There’s a reason there’s a Butch Hartman shaped crater on the lawn from where he threw his ass out. 

Scrooge does mentor the lad, or at least attempt to pointing out he needs an actual product or service (Louie rejects the idea of a lemonade stand as too easy), or as he puts it “Find a problem and create a solution”. 

While the basic PRINCIPAL isn’t bad, find something people want or need and provide it, phrasing it that way sounds like “find a problem people are having and exploit the shit out of that problem for fun and profit.” Granted that IS a guiding principal of business, it’s just not something an uncle should be teaching his kids. They should be teaching them about the anime and cartoons they grew up with as I do with my niece and nibling. 

He does show him a valid example of this in action in the form of Donald. Turns out Donald has found a good way to make money while he looks for a job, can relate: since Duckburg is facing a housing shortage, likely because several square blocks probably get destroyed by Scrooge’s Adventures, Glomgold’s Schemes, Superhero Battles, whatever creation went horribly wrong for Gyro, etc at least once a week. So he’s taken it upon himself to offer up the spare room to whoever can rent it.. and to steal Scrooge’s chandelier which even when caught he still takes anyway. Scrooge.. you called the guy a god-damn moocher in the season premiere, despite the fact he lives there soley because YOU offered and because he’s you know, being responsible and staying by his boys so they have their father figure around. So yeah I feel he’s doing this partly out of spite as is the McDuck way. I mean if your going to call him a freeloader just for being a responsible parent, then he’s going to take it up a damn notch.

Scrooge proceeds to laugh off Louie wanting a million dollars and gives him a dime instead because of course he was. Seriously Louie there are two other billionaires in town who are FAR dumber and far more easily swindled. Just go get star up capital from them. Hell with Glomgold all you’d have to do is tell him it’d upset scrooge and he’d literally throw money at you. Or give you a shark full of money. He needs the shark back though. He’s family. 

Meanwhile Donald prepares for his new tenant and finds.. THE INCREDIBLE STORKULES! Who to his mounting horror as he realizes it, IS the new tenant. And who throws him into the sun. Cue credits. 

So after Donald somehow survives being thrown into the sun, Storkules explains why he’s here: Zeus responded to his son playing the lute a lot like any rational reasonable 

No of course he responded to the “crime” of “playing his instrument a lot” with sending a swarm of harpies on the town then blaming Storkules for it and casting him out. What’s most shocking is not the action, this is honestly him staying the course of being a fucking disgrace, but that Zeus somehow ISN’T the biggest asshole i’ve dealt with this week. No that honor is reserved as always for this bitch:

Keep in mind she manages to be this obnoxious in only TWO scenes. Also keep in mind I had to put up with Julie for a MUCH larger chunk of the previous two volumes I covered before volume 5 yesterday for my Scott Pilgrim Retrospective and she is ALWAYS like this and you now feel my pain. 

This does create a problem though: Zeus casts Storkules out until he’s a responsible adult.. and thus paints Storkules as the bad guy... in a situation where the only other person in the story sent a swarm of HARPIES down at him for simply playing his music too loud. It just dosen’t work as a catalyst: Storkules objectively did nothing wrong. The only person he annoyed was a person who clearly dosen’t love, respect or like his son in any way shape or form anyway and essentially assaulted him and a bunch of innocent people via harpie and then cast him out. Zeus is an abusive asshole and i’ts weird the narrative sides with HIM and not our well meaning doofus. Zeus being an asshole with harpies is not a bad catalyst for the episode, and the harpies being unleashed is used well.. it’s just not a good catalyst for THIS story to try and portray an abuser as in the right. And make no mistake Zeus is a domestic abuser: he had his son mind controlled to try and MURDER innocent people, something Storkules begged him not to do, sent a swarm of creatures after him for the crime of playing his music too loud and in his next episode manipulatives Storkules sad emotional state for personal gain. Why would you try and paint THIS jackass as in the right?

Speaking of painting this jackass in the right sadly.. this episode does not do my boy donald justice. In most episodes he’s pretty nuanced and i’ts fair enough he’d be frustrated by Storkules as a roomate. Storkules has little sense of personal space, breaks his stove thinking theirs hydra in it, makes a mess of the kitchen making them a meal, and in general clearly dosen’t know how to live with a roomate much less in modern society. He has valid concerns and the episode COULD have used it that way.. but he’s also horribly impatient with Storkules. He refuses to get the guy just hasn’t had to live in a modern society and dosen’t know HOW to function in it and instead of helping him just gets mad again and again and gets really pissed when it’s clear Storkules dosen’t have a job and didn’t consider paying rent. He’s not WRONG to want him to pay Rent, despite what ironically the musical Rent would try and have you believe, but he dosen’t have any patience with the guy. And stork isn’t nearly coming on as strong as he normally does. The worst he does is cook the guy lunch and bring his donald fan art with him. Which we don’t see but I am assuming is mostly naked. What i’m saying is for once that while still bombastic, Storkules isn’t trying to force a relationship/friendship on him and simply wants to learn t be an adult from his best friend.. and Donald isn’t bothering teaching him.

Asking for rent or for him not to destroy the stove is fine, but not explaining WHY he needs either of those things or why he needs boundaries, he makes a roomate list, isn’t helping the guy. And this would be fine... but the episode dosen’t call Donald out on it for no real reason. It feels like it’s setting up for a “you should learn to wokrk with someone instead of just screaming at them aseop” that never comes and like with Zeus takes his side because shutup. I’d also LIKE to say this is the only time the writers reduced one of the cast to a caracture of themselves.. but I can’t.  Several episodes in season 3 forgot Louie’s character development and another episode in season 2, The Duck Knight Returns!, somehow reduced both Scrooge and Dewey to parodies of themselves with Scrooge SOMEHOW, despite Della as stubborn as she is being in his care and by his side for decades and Movies bein ga huge business, not having seen a movie since the 1920′s and not knowing how they work and Dewey being reduced to just hyperactive moron. It isn’t as common as other shows like say Regular Show, The Loud House or, for the exact reason I lost intrest, Rick and Morty, but I still expect better, especially since they went into this season KNOWING Donald would be gone for half of it and this would likely be one of his only spotlight episodes. 

Back at the good part of the plot, Louie is having a company meeting aka already treating Huey and Webby like his employees. Webby of course is glad to sign on, if little help in actually coming up with a product while Huey just wants to nope out. And if your wondering why Dewey isn’t involved Louie outright says he’d make a bad employee and while Dewey rises from his bed to object.. he stops halfway to opening his mouth and concludes he has a point. Best gag of the episode. Louie being louie easily cons Huey into staying by making Webby his charts officer. 

So the three have a corporate retreat at Funso’s... granted they don’t have a product but Louie figures this might help. Huey.. still wants out of this and suggest since they already spent what they had on ski ball “Company over?”. It’s clear that Huey just sees this as another one of Louie’s short sighted schemes... and while he’s not ENITRELY wrong, Louie has genuine ambition.. he just has no earthly idea what he’s doing and is shooting way too high.. but for understandable reasons. 1) He’s 11 at this point. 11 year olds aren’t great at business strategy or reinging it in. 2) he wants to live up to what Scrooge said to prove he can be successful and really be worth something like his mom was. 

But sometimes fate throws you one and the harpies bust in. And while Louie wants to do nothing and hope they go away Huey and Webby spring into action.. as does Storkules, who had to leave but warns donald there’s Orzo in the slowcooker and to not open it “LEST THE PASTA FAIL TO ABSORB THE BROTH!” Which is just.... Chris’ best line dleivery the episode. He says it like he’s saying the title of an old Stan Lee and Jack Kirby comic, i’ts wonderful.

So our heroes defeat them and Louie steps in to charge for the service and quickly comes up with a company idea and name “Harp-B-Gone” (A Subsidary of Louie Inc). Louie hires Storkules on the spot. Storkules proudly tells Donald he has a job the next day and goes off to it. What follows is our heroes hilarously shooting a commerical with Storkules playing a baby to promote themselves so they can help who needs it. They just need to find out what they want.. and thanks to the JWG and the harpies stealing it find out they go after people’s most treasured posessions   Cue Ghostbusters-Style Montage

And this isn’t just me saying thing. The Rewriting History Entry (Which as a series weirdly stops around mid-season 2 and I don’t get why frank hasn’t gone back and finished it since) states they specifically based this whole operation on ghostbusters and the entire sequence of our heroes cleanin up the town reminds me of it. The highlight of it is a glomgold cameo where he’s kidnapped.. and refuses to pay so Louie just lets him go. And were this an innocent person who couldn’t afford it, i’d call him a monster.. but it’s glomgold. he brought this on himself.. and also sues himself for it. Wonder if he won. 

So with their stars rising, our heroes get booked on the hottest show in town: Dewey Dew-Night! I had honestly forgotten there was a Dewey Dew-Night segment in there, and delighted I get to talk about this recurring bit.  It’s one of the shows funniest runners and just perfectly FITS Dewey: of course the most egotistical and energetic of the kids would not only want to be a late hnight host but make up his own show. I also love the slow evolution of it: it started as something everyone clearly knew about but he stlill tried to keep hidden, slowly escalated to him allowing the rest of his siblings (Webby very much included) and the giant man who stalks his uncle in, and by later this season he’s putting the show online in the web shorts and gladly shooting it into space, with Season 3 having him spend the first half of let’s get dangerous making a documentary that includes an episode of the show featuring Darkwing. It’s a small thing sure, but it’s the little things like this that make the show special. 

The show does reveal a problem though as it turns out they’ve GOT all the harpies and while Storkules merely wanted to help, Louie points out they need more to keep a buisness going and naturally never bothered to ask Storkules just how many there were. They need SOME plan to get going. Webby submits a legitamte and great idea, training the harpies as she’s been trying to do in the background of the episode and aside from a hole in the floor they are starting to listen. But Huey is an ass about it and not only shoots it down saying let’s keep the dangerous creatures contained, even though A) he has no idea WHERE they’ve been kept so he can’t verify it’s safe, and since i’ts Donald’s Closet no no it’s not. and B)There’s no where he knows of to keep them. He isn’t aware of the other bin till next season. and C) it’s not ehtical to keep creatures locked up forever epsecially since while the harpies are dangerous they arent’ MALEVOLENT and are clearly acting on instinct. oh and for D) at least she has a plan to keep the company going instead of just wanting to end this and cash out. 

Which Huey tries to.. but naturally Louie spent all their money on...

So their broke.. and Storkules has no rent money and feels like a failure despite having done NOTHING wrong. We do get a clever little nod to Disney’s hercules though “I”m not a hero, i’m a zero”. Webby rightfully glares at Louie who decides to fix it... by sneaking into Donald’s house that night to free the harpies. 

Though to the shows credit it’s a VERY bad idea, and Storkules coming in mid attempt and congradulating Louie when he lies about checking the door gets the kid to come clean. And it’s a nice character moment: He could still go through with it.. but it’s clear he realizes just HOW low he was about to sink to save his own skin and that as much as Storkules WANTS a paycheck and deserves one, it’s not worth hurting people to get it. Louie tries to justify after this.. but can’t. 

Unforutnately Donald took a lot of stupid pills this episode, yells about his no pets rule and frees them instead of you know, THINKING for five minutes.

So yeah NATURALLY Donald is an angry shit about it , refusing to actually TALK to Storkules about this or maybe admit this is partly HIS OWN FAULT. Yes their both at fault, Storkules shoudln’t of shoved a bunch of harpies in a closet. That’s a classic blunder. But Donald still opened it and isn’t called out on taking zero responsibility. Huey sees the fracas and just takes down their days without an accident placard, good stuff and he and webby arrive to help. Donald fights with Storkules and Storkules worries about loosing his friend.. lead to them going after the thing he values most aka donlad and hyjacking the house boat, though the kids manage to get aboard. 

As Storkules saves Donald, Louie realizes the most precious thing he has is  his merch and willingly gives it, and his buisness up to save everyone. It’s good character stuff and shows that despite his problems with greed, Louie IS a good kid and will do the right thing. It’s what seperates him from the Rouges Gallery the family faces: He has FLEXIBLE morals but he has morals when it comes down to it. So everyone tosses the stoff to help direct the hapries and make it home tying them up. Donald has a heart to heart with Storkules and agrees to help him find another place, but still considers him a friend and they hug. Awww.  One intresting thing I DID find out from rewriting history is they originally fully intended to have Storkules STAY on the houseboat. He was going to be a permenant member of the household, at least as far as Season 2 was concenred and plans were made for several episodes down the road: the whole bit with him in “The Golden Spear” was simply because he lived there, he was going to be the one Della met in the houseboat, obliviously guilting her about what she’d missed, and he was going to set off the kids subplot in “Whatever Happened to Donald Duck?”

This ended up not happneing for logistical reasons: Frank, and I swear this was the term he used, felt they already had the perfect Himbo in Launchpad and it was just too much HImbo energy for the two to coexist without one taking the others screen time or neither getting a lot. 

The next reason was having a god around simply broke the story: He cited the gilded man from “Nothing Can Stop Della Duck!” as a specific example. There were just too many hoops to jump to have him not break any story he should be around for.  Finally with Della being added to the cast soon there simply wasn’t room in the main cast. Della brought it up to 9, Storkules would make it 10, and as i’ve gone on about the show already had trouble ballancing it’s cast, something Frank admitted to. Adding him would both be too big a stiatus quo change and be one on top of the massive one of Della joining the cast. So he was dropped back to recurring and only showed up one more time. And while it was the right call I am dismayed he didn’t show up for the whatever happened to donald duck subplot and it does feel very weird he never adresses Donald being gone despite, at least for season 2, apparently living in Duckburg. Otherwise though as funny as this wouldv’e been.. yeah it was the right call. 

Scrooge returns... having been absent all episode because otherwise it wouldn’t work and easily saw Louie loosing it all coming.. but gives him a can of lemonade for his troubles and comforts the boy. The heart of htis arc and what makes it work at it’s best.. is these two. Scrooge GENUINELY wants to help Louie see his potetial successor in buisness: oh sure adventure wise he’s throughly covered.. but Webby, Dewey and Della all are more focused on the addventure part and that’s where their passion and talent lies, Huey’s better at science and given his close frinedship with fenton and how much that part of things seems to truly inspire him, i’ts what he was born for, and Donald just wants a regualar life and can’t manage his own life much less a company. 

Louie is the only one in his family whose the right fit to inhereit that part of his legacy and I feel that’s why he takes a special intrest in him and webby over the other two: While he loves all of them and will clearly again leave a piece of his fortune and empire to all of them, Webby is the most like him, as we later find out not coincidentally in the slightest, when it comes to adventuring and curosity and a love of exploration. But Louie is the most like him in other ways; He’s cynical, money driven and passionate. Scrooge simply wants him to be as good a person and buisnessperson as he can be and is trying to push him in the right direction. And does so here by pointing out that failure isn’t a huge problem..it happens, comes with the terriotiry and as we’ve seen with life and times, even with portions of it clearly not happening in this universe, he failed a LOT to get here. What matters is that he tries and tries to do it the right way. 

Scrooge also sympathizes as he was buying a lemonade company in cape suzette, giving Louie the can as a present... but laments there’s no cheap effective way to deliver the lemons. Louie notices the harpies going after the can after he throws it and Webby controlling them with it and muses that theyd idn’t think about what THEY wanted.. nad rightfully gets punched across the lawn by Webby, whose had to spend an entire episode having her surrogate brothers talk down to her and ignore her valid ideas. She dosen’t even open her eyes she just bops him one.

So we end with Scrooge having enlisted the hapries, Louie trying to take credit again and both realizing they might just steal the lemons instead of work for them. Ha ha ha their going to get so sued. 

Final Thoughts: This one was mediocre. It has some good points, Louies arc continues to fascenate me, Huey’s done with this shit attitude is hilarous, and Storkules is at his best in this episode: his crush on Donald is toned down from this..

To this

To the point I could see shipping them off this one if Storkules episode didn’t have him do eveyrthing short of .. well see above.  So it’s not WITHOUT merit: I love me a ghost busters style plot, there are great jokes and Chris Dimatopolis is a gem as always. Glad he’s getting work after this show on Invincible and hope he gets to play Darkwing again some day. But the Donald stuff and the fairly predictable plot drag this one down. I’ts fairly obvious they’ll run out of harpies, Louie will have spent the money and they’ll somehow get free. It’s not a terrible episode but it’s it’s sandwiched story wise between two straight up classics on both sides: the previous two episodes were even better than I remembered and the next two are incredibly good: Whateve Happened to Della Duck?! is one of their finest hours and The Outlaw Scrooge McDuck, while not making my best of list for the series as a whole is still one of my favorites for the season.  It’s just disapointing this one wasn’t nearly as good as I remmebered and it’s understandable why I forgot almost all of it, unlike the previous two episodes. Thankfully as I said better’s over the horizon.

NEXT TIME ON OF MOONS, MILLIONARES AND MOTHERS: I’m taking a break for a week. One of two weeklong breaks for the arc, the other being the first week of July where i’m on vacation anyway (Though i’ll be doing the episode I would’ve done for that week the week before to keep the pace up, so no worries),

 As for why, it’s my utmost honor to announce GOOF WEEK! Goof Week is a weeklong celebration of Goofy’s birthday. The idea came about because as I do for the big three, I intended to just do a shorts special. But Kev , the guy who made this very review possible, suggested doing the two part Goof Troop pilot. And since kev pays for a house of mouth episode a month anyway and thaks to you lovely people I hit my patreon stretch goal to review the goofy movie, I figured “why not make a week out of it. Hence Goof week. So next week we’ll have a review of the two part pilot for Goof Troop, the special Sports Goof, the House of Mouse episode Super Goof, your regularly schedule shorts spectacular, with The Goofy Movie for the grand finale! yaaahoooooieeee! 

When we come back i’ll be shuffling episodes around slightly so I can do the Della comics from the Ducktales Tie-In Comic before her debut and in time for Donald’s own theme week in June, i’ll be saving “Whatever Happened to Della Duck?” for the week after Donald Week. Instead next we get a fun wild west adventure as Scrooge tells a story of his outlaw days, his tension with goldie and his encounter with a certain robber baron as John D Rockerduck FINALLY makes his screen debut. Yee-Haw!

If you liked this review, subscribe and follow for more and consider joining my patroen, patreon.com/popculturebuffet. I have exclusive reviews, my most recent duck based one being an obscure carl barks story about wigs and the boys attempting to murder a guy with a blow gun, and your contribution helps me reach my goals and thus gets everyone, patreon or not, a bunch of neat new reviews. If you get me to 20 dollars a month, i’m currently at 15, EVERYONE will get a monthly darkwing duck reviews, reviews of the two remaning ducktales 87 mini series including the origin of GIZMOOOODDUUUUUCCCKKKK, and a review of the Danny Phantom movie The Ultimate Enemy. And with the month running out NOW’S the time to join. YOu’ll also get to pick one of the shorts for my Donald Duck birthday specail next month, so if you want to join in NOWS the time. But wether you can or you can’t, thank you for reading, i’ts been a pleasure.��

[crystallhamptonhersheykiss]

I've been rewatching Ducktales 2017 on Disney plus, and since the series finale is on March 15th. I thought it would be fun to go back and review the first two seasons. I've already did a review of season one, this is my review of season two.

Some of the positives of season two

* I liked that when the season opened up you knew what louies character arc was going to be this season, and I think it made a lot of sense. In the first season you saw the family always teasing Louie that he always messed things up, and in the second season he realized what his place in the family was and how he learned to be more humble when it came to money.

*while I wished he had actually apologized, I liked that Scrooge told Webby that she was family in The most dangerous game...Night. I think that might have been the easiest way for Scrooge to apologize to her after what he said in The last crash of the Sunchasher about how she wasn't family, even after telling her to call him Uncle Scrooge a few episodes before. But I think him calling her family would probably mean more to her instead of him just saying "I'm sorry."

* I liked that we got an entire episode focusing on Glomgold as a character and seeing how his rivalry with Scrooge started.

*Della's reunion with her family was really emotional and I think the show handled it well. I liked that the boys all reacted differently to meeting Della, while they were all happy to meet her I think Louie's reaction was the most realistic.

*The fact that Della had to slow down and figure out how she was going to fit into the family now. The show could have had everyone act like that Della suddenly show up wasn't a big deal. But it was, the family admitted that it was going to be hard getting used to her living there now, and Louie admitting he didn't know how to feel that he suddenly had a mother when he never had one before.

*The conversation that Scrooge and Della had in the garage. Della being upset that Scrooge said she wasn't a Mom. Scrooge wasn't wrong when he said that. At the time, she wasn't a parent to the boys the same way Donald was. I also liked that Scrooge told her she couldn't make up 10 years of being gone in one night and needed to slow down and take the time to get to know the kids better and she did do that for the rest of the season.

*the origins and reveals of Drake Mallard/Darkwing and Negaduck. I liked that this version of Drake is a good person who wants to help and inspire people, the same time though he does have a lot of the same flaws as the original Darkwing. So he doesn't feel like a completely different character from the original show.

*The reveal that the fan/actor from the signing and the new Darkwing was actually Drake Mallard. I liked how they revealed his name when Launchpad let him sign the poster, and that Jim Starling wasn't Drake Mallard at all. (I saw a couple theories that Jim Starling was maybe just a stage name.)

*The set up and reveal that Jim Starling was going to become Negaduck. As I've seen others point out, Jim was never a nice guy even before he found out about the movie, he was rude to his fans and instead of appreciating the fans he had, he was complaing that he wasn't more popular.

I also really liked the ending of the episode when they revealed the purple dye coming off of the costume and it was actually the same colors as Negaduck's outfit. And also his last words being "they want grim and gritty huh, happy to play the part."

While we don't know much about him before he became Darkwing, I think Jim might be a good example of "You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain." Not only that but the show proves that Darkwing needs Gosalyn and Launchpad so he doesn't become bitter like Jim did.

Even before the ending there was a lot of hints that Jim would become Negaduck. (the crazy eyes he had when he locked Drake up, the chainsaws and the red and yellow balloons at the signing are Negaducks colors)

*Donald's reaction to seeing Della's ship and their reunion. Donald's voice actor did a great job when he said Della's name for the first time and liked that the two of them were able to have a reunion and how even though they both wanted to be mad at each other, they missed each other too much to stay mad for long.

* The reveal of Fowl coming out of the shadows and coming for the family. I liked the reveals that Gandra Dee was a Fowl agent and that John D. Rockerduck was still alive.

Some mixed/negatives things about season two.

*I wish the season had focused more on Scrooge and Glomgold's bet. Considering what Louie's arc was this season, I think it would have made more sense if Glomgold was the main villain of the season and the season finale was about Scrooge losing the bet and trying to get his company back instead of moonvasion. Considering how important his fortune is to Scrooge, I thought that would have been a big focus this season. At times it felt like the show forgot about the bet.

*I didn't like how they tried to make it a joke in Nothing can stop Della Duck when every time they mentioned Donald's vacation we saw him screaming in the spaceship and being terrified the whole time. It wasn't funny at all. And that's one of my few negatives in that episode.

*Another thing I didn't like with Donald is that the family never realized that Donald was missing and being held on the moon. One of my biggest negatives with this show is how they treat Donald. If Lunaris was going after the Mcduck family I think it would have made sense if he told Della, "Not only am I coming to take over the earth but I also have your brother." I think instead of running away with the kids and hiding, I think Della should have spent part of the episode trying to rescue Donald.

*I honestly think The richest duck in the world would have made for a better season finale instead of Moonvasion.

Overall I really liked season two. I do prefer season two over season one. Again feel free to agree or disagree with anything that I said. I do want to review season three but I know I'll have to wait for it to come on Disney plus.

Some of my favorite episodes of the season are

The Duck knight returns

The most dangerous game...night

The Ballard of Duke Baloney

Nothing can stop Della Duck

Raiders of the doomsday vault

The 87 cent solution.

Treasure of the lost lamp.

[devious-kat]

LEGITAMATELY WISH I HAD SOMEONE TO GRAB AND SHAKE AND SCREAM ABOUT DUCKTALES WITH.

I don’t usually do this. Reason I am is because I can’t do the title above.

Thoughts during the finale. Spoilers.

Title comes up and Webby says “Woo-oo!” - I’m not ready TT_TT

Webby gets “water” - she’s learned! our baby is growing up!

Scrooge paid FULL PRICE. FULL. AND ISN’T COMPLAINING OR MICROMANAGING TO SAVE EXTRA COSTS. THAT’S HOW SCROOGE SAYS ‘I LOVE YOU’ OKAY (plan or no plan)

Huey putting emPHASIS on words made me SUSPICIOUS.

the kids taking charge reminded me that Frank said they were focusing on the future generation. Leaving things to the kids and such.

Darkwing showboating made me roll my eyes. oh, DW.

I enjoyed that Dewey kicked the door and subsequently Beakley did too XD

I got a bit spoiled about May and June. So not surprised. BUT suspicious right away. If FOWL was so ahead of the game that no one was around by the time they got there, why forget the two? They had a plan, NO WAY these two weren’t part of it.

And another thing - in comic universe May and June are Daisy’s nieces - to Donald’s nephews. And they were triplets. So again, right away I was like “something’s going on here....”

Scrooge is gentler and more aware of how sensitive this is for Beakley, and I’m just adoring it.

Juice is brought back - Me: GUMMY BEEEARS BOUNCING HERE AND THERE AND EVERYWHEREEEEEE

I was trying to absorb as much information from Webby’s board as I could. I love how it went from McDuck family tree to Webby’s FAMILY board <3

DONT YOU CUT THOSE STRINGS YOU CLONE! OOOH THEMS FIGHTIN ACTIONS

I was a bit surprised Donald was preparing to go on a trip. Surprised only because it does feel like he could make up for lost time with Della for a while before going. I love him and Daisy together though, they’re super sweet.

Beakley told Webby some truths. And some lies. 

Scrooge made tea. SCROOGE made tea.

OUR family. they’re killing me you guys.

Huey surprised me by going after Webby. He’s usually the one who wants to think things through, but then again, there wasn’t time.

Also was surprised Webby was disguised as June! at first I thought June stole her bracelet.

Throwing Scrooge on the car made me laugh.

Della on top of Donald hitting him in the head made me laugh too. How quick they are to fight each other XD

“It’s WEBBY.” that was actually super sweet.

Also another sign the kids are taking over.

Scrooge knows Dewey and Louie (and Huey) well by now. And he believes in them. I love it.

“The original three!” omg I was so excited. Honestly I’d watch a show of the three of them.

MANNY?!?!

huh that voice is familiar......

“age reversal”? that’s...interesting...

Project 87?? I SEE YOU.

Ahhh, April. There it is.

I believed Bradford was Finch’s grandson, but NOT that he was a woodchuck for some reason.

LUDWIG?!?! HOLY CRAP!

Pogo-Cane returns!

Della’s leg can be an axe?? frickin sweet!

“you abandoned me!” aw Scrooge...

“How do we Dewey it?” I said it as the same time as Louie. saw that one coming XD

She went straight to Scrooge after, I just can’t ok

I kept waiting for the harp to say something while Bradford was talking....

SHABOOIE!

I...KNOW THAT MUSIC...NOW I REMEMBER WHERE I KNOW THAT VOICE FROM. DUCKTALES WRITERS YOU CADS. FREAKIN GARGOYLES MAN!!! FUCK! YES!!!

Poor Launchpad is just taking a beating :(

I freakin love Ludwig in this XD

“a veritable troop of Goofs” AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

......did Bradford KILL Duckworth?????

the way Flintheart just jumps out and says his own name convinces me he wakes up every morning and screams his own name too. no matter the situation. knocked out? wakes up, screams “FLINTHEART GLOMGOLD!”

Scrooge takes a huge beating in this too! like, a lot. oof.

I’ll be honest, with the contract, I figured this was the writer’s way of letting the kids take over. If Scrooge can’t adventure, they can. And I was really upset.

FRICKIN LUDWIG. “you fellas knew that, right?...or you didn’t. I’m gonna give you a moment to adjust everything.” I love Ludwig.

also, did NOT see that coming. the “age reversal” part of cloning makes sense now though...

Launchpad. deserved. this. (not the beating, though)

him not saying the phrase right was freaking fantastic XD

It’s interesting that Scrooge doesn’t hesitate, but Donald tries to tell him not to. like, NO DONALD. HE WON’T RISK YOUR LIFE. NOT FOR THIS.

Things were tense for a bit here! I had no idea how they could get Scrooge out of the contract.

“Donald Duck.” “Uncle Scrooge.” WHAT A CALLBACK FRICKIN LOVE IT

“Dad..?” “...dad.” I’m dying

ok ok I know it’s probably weird but I love the idea of a Beakley+Webby+Scrooge family dynamic. I want to read every fic ever. gimme. that little moment they shared, I can’t stop watching it.

also yeah, animation was peak this episode. so smooooooth.

END CREDITS. BEAUTIFUL TT_TT

[boydgearloose]

A Very Long and Very Convoluted Gyro Gearloose Season 3 Theory

Hey everyone! Either by sheer impatience from the hiatus or genuine brainpower or maybe a mix of both, I’ve pieced together a really long, convoluted theory for season 3. It still has a few holes but I don’t think they’re anything that could be filled in until we have a lot more information, so I’m not too worried about that. As expected, it’s very Gyro-centric and started because I was thinking too hard about one thing in particular. I’m really not expecting anyone to read this but without further ado, let’s get to that thing first!

Who will Gyro interact with the most in season 3?

That’s the question that REALLY started to make me think.

This was a huge shock to me, especially since I thought Gyro would be interacting with Fenton the most in season 3 by what we do know. The “spoilers” made me think that it would be someone we haven’t met yet but then, it was revealed that this character has already been in the show. I started to go over the options in my head because there really aren’t many that make sense.

I don’t believe it’s a character that Gyro’s already interacted with a lot, like Fenton, Lil Bulb, Manny, Scrooge or even Huey. Frank probably would have been able to say that since it’s something we’re all expecting. Therefore, it’s either someone he’s either never interacted with or someone he’s interacted with a little but not a lot. I find it unlikely that it’s another character who already has prior commitments in season 3 (Gandra has Fenton, Beakley has Black Heron, etc.) and I doubt it’s any of the kids if it’s not Huey because Frank said Gyro gets along with Huey the best.

It could be Della but while I would love to see her interact with Gyro, I doubt they’d interact more than him and Fenton. Same with Fethry. I’ve seen Ludwig brought up since him and Gyro are both scientists and that would also be great, but I’m not sure how that would work out. I know Ludwig could be alive but I feel like he’s much more connected to the Scrooge and Beakley FOWL arc than to Gyro. There’s also Bradford and the other FOWL agents we’ve met so far. However, like Ludwig, I feel like they’re already all accounted for. Bradford is Scrooge’s villain, Steelbeak is likely a Darkwing villain, Rockerduck and Jeeves are also Scrooge villains (maybe Goldie or even Glomgold) and Black Heron is a Beakley villain. The only one not accounted for so far is Phantom Blot, but I find it more likely that he’ll be paired with someone like Duckworth (given the whole “blot out phantoms” thing Frank talked about) or even Goofy, which I see as the most likely for him but that’s another theory post to be made.

Then who is it?

Unfortunately, many won’t really like the answer I’ve come up with and I’m concerned about it too as this post will explain but it seems to be the most likely. Gyro will probably interact with Mark Beaks the most in season 3. Out of all the characters, he’s the only one that fits everything. He’s had ties to Gyro before but not enough for the answer to not be a spoiler, it wouldn’t be super out of left field for them to have a lot of interaction and Mark doesn’t really have any prior commitments that aren’t tied to Gyro. There’s Fenton, sure, but Frank said he interacts with Darkwing and Gandra the most so it almost seems like Mark’s taking a backburner when it comes to him (thank god honestly).

Upon this realization, I began to reflect on something Frank said a while back that we haven’t really seen a lot of.

Of course, Mark is a Gizmoduck villain. But why was Gyro specified here? I wouldn’t call Mark a Gyro villain at this point in the show, yet it seems to be implied that he’s just as much of a villain to Gyro as he is to Gizmoduck. Then I started wondering if this might refer to stuff we haven’t seen yet.

Something Frank said in the #RewriteHistory thread kind of points toward this as well. He called Mark’s rivalry with Fenton a “happy accident,” meaning that it wasn’t something that was planned initially and that he’d expand on that later.

The thread hasn’t gotten to Dangerous Chemistry yet, but there hasn’t even been anything of the sort about how that happened in the rundowns for BUDDY System and Who Is Gizmoduck so I honestly believe the “later” here means after season 3 or at least certain episodes. In that case, if Mark wasn’t meant to be a Gizmoduck villain, then why was he created in the first place? He’s 100% a Ducktales original and doesn’t really serve much of a purpose right now outside of his rivalry with Gizmoduck. Therefore, I believe he was initially created to rival Gyro.

Also, Mark has been tied to Gyro in some pretty interesting ways. There was the part in Glomtales, while I know it was mostly a joke, where he was eager to fight Gyro. And it really wouldn’t have been that hard to have them interact in the episode. So why wasn’t Gyro there? Could it be building up to more? It’s also worth noting that Mark’s technology only works when it’s linked up to something Gyro created. We saw this with BUDDY, the thing he put on the Gizmoduck suit, his app for hacking Gyro’s security system and possibly even Boyd which Frank said would also be explored in season 3. Of course, this could be from the stolen blueprints he got from the message board but I think it’s still worth noting.

So, how do they interact in season 3? That’s what I’m here to explain.

Gyro’s Treatment of Fenton

One big thing that Frank has hinted at being explained in the future is why Gyro treats Fenton the way he does.

This hasn’t been explored at all but seeing that Gyro is getting focus this season, I think it’s finally time. I’ve always wondered exactly what his problems with Fenton were because there seems to be a lot more there than just annoyance. For starters, Gyro is very sensitive to having his information stolen or tampered with by anyone, especially Fenton. We see this a lot in BUDDY System and Who Is Gizmoduck when Fenton tries to use the Gizmoduck armor. He even wanted to destroy the Gizmoduck armor entirely, something he worked VERY hard on, just so it wouldn’t “fall into the wrong hands.” This is definitely a reaction based on experience.

Speaking of BUDDY System, he seems to have an idea that Mark is using his tech right off the bat. As soon as Dewey tells him that Mark made BUDDY, he reacts with a lot of rage and confusion. Fenton mentions that Gyro has been stressed trying to figure out how Mark beat him to the self-driving car. He also showed up to the presentation even though he wasn’t invited. Plus, Mark made that one cut-out of him. You know the one. These two are very familiar with each other.

Gyro also seems to dislike having an intern. This could be brushed off as him just not being a people person but paired with everything else, I think it’s worth noting. Putting this all together, it seems as if he had a bad experience with both having his technology stolen and having an assistant.

Remember FOWL Gyro?

Yeah, that one theory my friend @bluebiirdys​ came up with and I wrote out a long time ago that got insanely popular. I want to bring it up for a bit and talk about how it connects to this as well. If any of the season 1 villains have ties to FOWL, it’s Mark. His relationship with Gandra seemed very familiar. Although she doesn’t like him (who would?), their interactions really felt like they know each other past her using him for funding and resources. He also referred to her as “Agent D,” which feels like an inside name. And when Gandra claims she was only using him, she pauses beforehand and seems unsure of what she’s about to say. Seeing that she hid a lot of things from Fenton and made up other stuff in that scene, it wouldn’t be a surprise if she also hid how she knows Mark. Also, Mark wouldn’t have been able to hire an agent if he didn’t have some kind of ties to FOWL itself. They’re a super lowkey organization that I feel like a lot of people aren’t aware of.

While I don’t feel like Mark is really an agent in the same way that Gandra is, he definitely works for or alongside FOWL and probably has been doing so for a long time. There’s a big chance that they could be the reason why he’s so popular and maintains that despite literally everything awful he does. Frank even said he’s not still rich, so where is he getting the money to keep his company going? Waddle itself could be some kind of inside job but again, that feels like a theory for another day. This is about Gyro.

If Gyro worked for FOWL and Mark is currently working for FOWL, they could have very well known each other during his time there. Frank said that Gyro is younger than Donald and Della, who are both confirmed to be 36. If we’re going off of what’s presumed to be his birth year in Mark’s username, Mark would currently be 30. This means that Gyro is rather close to his age, maybe one or two years older. They very well could have known each other. And I can’t see Mark being that much older than Fenton. Therefore, they probably have about the same age difference.

This brings us to the main point of this post: I believe that Mark was Gyro’s assistant when he worked at FOWL and betrayed him during their time together. How does this work? Well, I have a small idea. Again, this does have a few holes in it that can’t be filled until we have a lot more information on season 3, but I’ve come up with a bare minimum.

I still feel like Gyro worked for FOWL pretty much his whole life. While he definitely had mentors there, it was never a very loving environment for him. Therefore, he’s been pretty starved for any kind of friendship and isolated. Similarly, Mark was probably a total loser at this age and also didn’t grow up in a good environment by what we’ve seen, including these asks.

Plus, we all know about the “Coach Dad” thing. If Mark’s home life was really that bad, I can see him running away at a young age, maybe around 18. He is a very impulsive person so this wouldn’t be out of character. Going off of what we know about Gandra, it seems that FOWL tries to recruit younger people with an interest in inventing who feel misunderstood. Mark is this to a T. He would definitely join FOWL in a heartbeat.

Since he would have been relatively young, he probably would have been assigned to help someone else. That someone could be slightly older by a year or two and a person who has worked there for a long time. Gyro would be the perfect fit. And going off of what we do know about Mark, I can imagine a younger and not-as-awful-yet version of him being similar to Fenton: overly talkative, into everything Gyro is doing, enthusiastic, etc. This could be where Gyro’s distaste of Fenton comes from.

Mark also shares some common ground with Gyro in a way that I can easily see them hitting it off. He’d be the first person Gyro would really have a chance to connect with, someone to share his work with and just talk to. On the other side, Gyro is the first person to give Mark his undivided attention and make him feel wanted. They would probably form a pretty closely knit friendship. Then, what happened? What would ruin such a bond? If you don’t know the answer already, it’s definitely Mark’s arrogance and need for attention.

His greatest downfall throughout the series has been how badly he needs attention from other people to thrive. Frank has even hinted that he’ll never be satisfied until he has some kind of place in the spotlight.

Therefore, Gyro had to make him feel lesser and divert his attention to something else. That something else could be a big project that he was assigned to work on. The more he works on this, the less time he has to spend with Mark who now considers him a very close friend. This makes Mark feel like he isn’t getting enough attention and in turn, he starts to secretly resent Gyro and realize that he has a much higher status than him at FOWL. He will start to long to move up in rank more than he will long for Gyro’s attention. Like Frank said, nothing can fill his needs for long and he always wants more.

So what would Gyro be working on during this? Well, FOWL does seem to have some pretty sinister plans for this season. It’s likely they could have assigned Gyro to make some sort of doomsday device that would cause destruction so large and awful, that a big part of Duckburg or even the planet would be destroyed. I’m not sure if it’s related but see my very small and poorly put-together Chaos God theory. It could be something to do with that, but for now we’ll just refer to it as the “doomsday device.”

Gyro doesn’t really know exactly what he’s making or at least doesn’t understand the consequences of it fully until one day when he overhears the higher-ups discussing something about it. This terrifies him and really makes him realize what’s going to happen if he finishes building this thing. In a panic, Gyro will decide to defect from FOWL. He wants to run away and leave no trace of himself there and make his own life somewhere else, finding a mundane inventing job that won’t have him invent something that could wipe out the entire world. However, he’s not going to leave his close friend behind. Gyro confides in Mark about everything he knows as well as his plans, wanting him to go with him. Mark agrees that they’ll leave in a few days and everything seems as okay as it can be…that is, until Gyro wakes up the next morning to find that Mark ratted his plans out to the higher-ups because he knew it would get him Gyro’s status in FOWL since he’s his assistant.

Devastated and hurt and in so much danger, Gyro manages to run away on his own and escape. He also manages to take a vital part of the machine that he created with him, hoping that it will stop them from going forth with whatever destruction they planned to cause. After fleeing, Gyro finds Scrooge, gets hired by him, everything goes as normal. But he always has that one part of the machine hidden away somewhere in his lab and wonders if anyone will ever try to steal it. He starts to get suspicious when he sees how popular Mark is becoming, yet knows he can’t say anything to anyone or else it’ll be known that he created this awful thing. Gyro lives in fear of Mark telling everyone too, especially since he has such a high following or worse, coming after the part of the machine that he took with him. But for now, he’s safe…

Nah. Of course he isn’t. That machine’s definitely gonna come back in season 3 if all of this is true, let’s be real. Frank called the Gyro episode in season 3 massive.

That means it’s going to affect more than just Gyro. So how?

Let’s go back for a bit to Dangerous Chemistry. There’s a big part of it that remains vague to this day: what exactly were Gandra and Mark planning to do? MegaBeaks wasn’t supposed to happen. Mark was only supposed to get a little jacked but even then, he wouldn’t have been able to have that much power over Fenton. Plus, Gandra was pissed when he hulked out, tried to kill Fenton and ran away with the kids yet she still seemed determine to let him get away, shocking Gizmoduck so he could continue as if it were part of the plan all along. She also got rid of Gyro. Funny how he was unconscious throughout the entire episode, as if him being there and fully aware of what was going on would have caused a plot hole. As mentioned in the Gyro FOWL theory post, he seemed to know what was going on too but couldn’t outright say so without telling people his secret.

My main confusion comes from what Gandra says while shocking MegaBeaks near the end of the episode about how hurting Fenton wasn’t part of their plan. If they wanted to steal the Gizmoduck suit, then wouldn’t they have to hurt Fenton? How could they have possibly gotten away with it without doing that? When you really look at it, the plan doesn’t seem to be about Gizmoduck at all. Instead, Gandra wanted to distract Gizmoduck, not hurt him. Mark just got power hungry and basically ruined everything.

Then what was the plan? Well, another thing worth noting is that Gandra knew the lab she was going to. If she knew Mark and his information on Fenton, she knew it wasn’t his lab but Gyro’s instead. She also wanted Fenton to show her everything in the lab and kept urging him to show her his work. It really seemed like she was looking for something and trying to get as much information about where that thing was until her and Mark were able to get both Gyro and Fenton out of the picture. There was also the moment where she peaked under the lampshade to get a look at Lil Bulb, which was very cute but also more proof of her checking out every inch of Gyro’s lab and technology.

Gandra was there for something but we don’t know what. It could very well be the part of the machine that Gyro created while he was at FOWL. They’re planning to reactivate it in order to stop the McDuck family once and for all. They just need that one piece. As Frank said, Bradford has been plotting for a long time and now, he’s finally going into action to put together his final plan.

So…will they get it?

This is very up in the air but I will give you my two cents. Since Frank described the Gyro episode as massive, I’m expecting something related to the overall plot in it as well as his backstory. The plot of season 3 is definitely related to FOWL, as well all know. Therefore, I think they’re going to get the piece he has back in that episode, completing all they need to activate the machine. But…how?

Let’s go back to how Gyro treats Fenton. Assuming that he does this because he reminds him of his past experiences with Mark, it’s clear that Gyro feels guilt over what happened. He probably feels like he failed Mark despite everything and part of him wants to reach out again. It’s really hard to watch your first friend turn into such an awful person and Gyro knows more about Mark than literally anyone else, probably some pretty upsetting stuff that makes him want to fix everything he thinks he caused.

That being said, Mark is very good at manipulation. Let’s say Gyro had a chance to reach out to his old assistant, someone he feels like he’s wronged, one more time and let him know how wonderful it feels to be free of FOWL and to have a family and make him understand that he’s being used, bound to face the same consequences as the ones FOWL are against once they’re done with their plans. For a second, it looks like Mark is listening to him…but he’s not going to change. He’s way too far gone and it’s not Gyro’s fault at all. But I don’t think Gyro will ever realize this until the part of the machine is in Mark’s hands. I wouldn’t be surprised if he used him one last time to get what he needed for what he sees as positive attention.

Wow, this got long. Anyway, that’s about all I have so far. I’m sure I’ll think of a lot of other stuff before season 3 actually airs and if I have another realization, I’ll probably add onto this. But this is enough. I hope you all enjoyed reading this (if anyone even did LOL) and have it be known that this will be all I’m able to think about until the hiatus ends.

[mochuelovelli]

A comic idea I had before my pen died

So this was inspired by the Louie's Trauma post which I highly recommend reading. Hopefully I won't delete this later and will find the user who posted that. I'll probably come back to edit this when it isn't dark 20 lmao.

"You guys don't get it! We almost DIED today!" Louie barked upon entering the mansion, wiping away the chalky debris from nearly escaping another collapsing ruin. He hacked, trying to dislodge the dust in his nose but only succeeding in further agitating it while the rest of his family started to shake off the powder upon entering the home.

"Well, yeah but we almost die everytime we go on adventures." Huey quipped nonchalantly as he patted out the dirt from his hat before placing it back on his head.

"It's kinda our thing. Its nothing new, man." Dewey chimed before shaking like a wet dog, succeeding only in spraying Webby who ended up sneezing on him.

"Exactly! Don't you realize how insane that is?!" Louie said, ignoring his siblings antics. A few moments pasted as he waited for someone, anyone to say something but the just kept starring and it felt as if his skin was full of worms.

Meanwhile, a certain unlucky duck began to descend down the east wing stairs after deciding to use Scrooge's bath while he was out adventuring again. Upon hearing Louie continue he stopped and hid behind the suit of armour to remain out sight for the time being.

"Stop looking at me like that! I shouldn't be crazy for wanting my family and I to not get axed!" He exclaimed, causing the groups eyes to collectively widen before Della rushed out an excuse.

"Louie we are just a little confused, that's all. Why now? What was worse about this adventure than anything else we've done before?" Her voice found stability half way through but it also increased in tension though she looked more conflicted than upset. At least not upset with him.

"Nothing! But that's the point! It's the normalcy, it's the sheer number of times someone has been almost eaten by a chimera or accidentally released an ancient curse or having to break into some facility to save us or gets lost-!" At each example, the youngest triplet locked eyes with the other kids who were the cause of that particular excursion. Only holding back when he caught his mother's gaze. One which was a mix of regret and expectance in the most empty way possible. This was new. She had never given him that kind of stare before, not when she grounded him, not when he was revealed to be working with Glomgold, and not even when he decided to keep all of Scrooge's money.

And it felt so much worse.

"It's not fair, that I'm the only one that feels like they're drowning because I can't keep my head above water like the rest of you!!" He yelled out with a wave of his arms as he tried to turn his attention back to the others. He was also struggling to keep the tears that suddenly began to well up in his eyes from falling. Scrooge, who had creeped back farther towards the entrance began to hesitantly walk forward.

"Oh, lad that's not true-" he began as gently as his voice would allow before he was interrupted by his nephew's cry of anguish.

"THEN YOU AREN'T PAYING ATTENTION TO WHAT'S HAPPENING!" The boy in green screamed at the top of his lungs, so loud that Huey actually stepped back and covered his ears.

"See here young man, don't raise your voice and interrupt you uncle when he is trying to talk to you." Mrs. Beakley scolded as she placed her hands on her hips, though her glare didn't deter the little duck.

"Grrrr-I DON'T CARE!!" He cried, waving his arms before gripping his feathers and pulling hard. At the sight, Beakley along with the other adults, began to worry.

"Louie, please let's just calm down and talk it out I know you'll feel better-" Della tried again, this time sounding a little more desperate and emotional. However, she was yet again cut off by her third son as he redirected his wrath back at her.

"No!! You don't know me! You don't understand how much it hurts to never stop worrying that you and everyone you love might be snuffed out. You guys aren't real I..." He was practically seething that he again lost steam half way through.

How pathetic, he thought, I can't even be properly mad without breaking down crying.

"Maybe you're right," he let out a humorless laugh as he sunk further into the depths of his worn hoodie. It stank of debris, sweat and possibly bug guts but he tried not to think about it.

"It does sound funny when I say it out loud. A duckling drowning because he can't swim in a puddle. How ironic."

"You caught me! I'm a liar and a cheat! Somehow! Somehow after being raised along side two great brothers and by a dutiful uncle for ten years then suddenly finding out you're related to the best treasurer hunter and richest duck in the world! I made so many new friends, had fun expanding my "business" beyond sneaking soda at Funzone's! I got my mom back! I shouldn't want anything! I don't need anything but yet it's never been enough for me ever! You know who else is like that? Glomgold! The Beagles!Don Karnage! Mark Beaks! Magica! Lunaris! They all take and take and take because they don't know how not to!" For several heart beats, nothing but the sound of the combined sniffles of mother and son could be heard within the halls of McDuck manor. Not a soul, living or otherwise, stirred for six whole seconds until Louie kicked a rare dust bunny; something Duckworth would manage to tease Mrs. Beakley about for the rest of the week if she doesn't figure out how cast him back to the underworld before then. Which most likely won't happen.

"Let's face it, how things go around here... I never stopped being the bad guy." Louie did his best to compose himself again by wiping his bill with his sleeve, ignoring the taste of black licorice that was probably the remaining guts of Killer Bugs of Malaysia stuck in his hoodie.

"That is not true!" Della denied wholeheartedly, refusing to let her son believe he would become anything like those urchins. Especially Lunaris. Despite her cry, however, the duckling simply wrapped his arms around himself tightly before marching upstairs.

"I'm going to my room, please don't follow me." He pleaded meekly as the remaining children tried to follow him up but were stopped but Scrooges cane.

"Louie..." Webby called out as she watched him disappear upstairs, only when he did Scrooge put down his cane and held it firmly out in front of him with a stoney expression.

"I didn't know he felt that way..." The duck in pink whispered out as she clasped her hands together.

"Me neither, I feel like such a jerk!" Dewey agreed dejectedly before turning to his brother who had been mumbling something since Louie began to walk up the stairs.

"I should've known something was wrong earlier, I'm the eldest it's my responsibility to look after you guys." He said clearly with folded arms placed under his arms.

"No children, don't blame yourselves for this. It's not your responsibility." Mrs. Beakley reassured as she knelt down to place a hand on Webby's and Huey's shoulder.

"But granny we're his family, it's our job to look after each other. We could have at least told someone about it if we had known." The spy's granddaughter argued, rejecting that they didn't have any fault in whatever happened to Louie.

"No, Mrs. Beakley is right it shouldn't..." Della was once again interrupted, this time actually annoyed as it seemed that something metal had fallen to the ground. In fact, the entire suit of armour including the left over air-horns and one very unfortunate sailor had fallen down the steps.

"Donald?" His twin questioned in some exhaustion as she and the kids were quick to run over and help him out of the pile of laid onto of him.

"Why were those things still in there?!" He groaned kicking one of the cans hard enough to cause it to go off again and making him fall back over the suit. The Duck family rolled their eyes and picked him up again, this time making sure he couldn't slip again.

"Why were you hiding behind the suit of armour?" Della countered while also swearing she had gotten rid of those air-horns months ago.

"And why were you upstairs?" Scrooge asked with some suspicion as Donald only coughed and turned towards his sister.

"I didn't want to barge in when you guys were clearly trying to talk with him but I didn't want to leave because of what was happening." Whatever levity Donald temporarily brought to the situation vanished as Della gave her brother a regretful stare that was ever as bitter and confused as she felt.

"I can talk to him if you'd like." He offered with a slight gesture to the west wing which gave her an excuse to look somewhere else.

"I overheard pretty much everything and if any of us is equipped to handle being stressed out about our "family outings" it would be me." Donald continued in a rare moment of confidence that took back the rest of the family, all except Della and Mrs. Beakley, the last of which was a little surprised to hear it again regardless.

Della only took a moment before she turned back to Donald with a sad smile on her face.

"Thanks, Don."

To be continued

[drummergirl231-2]

“What Ever Happened to Donald Duck?!” Speculations

Okay, first things first, DONALD AND DELLA HAVE MATCHING EPISODE TITLES APOWEIJFPAWEIWE LOOK AT THEM TWINNING IT UP!!! <3 <3

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s look at this synopsis again:

“Donald and Penumbra must break out of a Moon Prison and send a warning to Earth about a looming invasion; Dewey and Webby uncover a sinister conspiracy targeting their family.”

Let’s talk about Donald and Penumbra’s half of the synopsis first.

The first clip from the SDCC trailer for the end of Season 2 shows that Penny is still working for Lunaris.

I doubt she still wants to. By now she’s realized Della was not evil and that Lunaris is the one who’s going to put her people in danger, but it’s not as easy as just telling Lunaris, “You’re crazy! I quit!” She’s probably still figuring out what to do and trying to keep up appearances in the meantime, but at some point in the episode, her change of heart will get her imprisoned with Donald, and Lunaris will probably tell the Moonlanders that Della’s poisoned her head with Earth lies and made a traitor of her, too, breaking their naive hearts all over again.

While the synopsis says they must break out of prison to send a warning to Earth, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll succeed in this episode. We know Donald does make it back to Earth eventually because Frank said when introducing Daisy’s design at SDCC that “Donald’s getting a girlfriend in Season 3.” Plus, he and Penny both appear on the Season 3 poster. But it may not be until “Moonvasion!” that Donald successfully escapes.

There’s also a moment, presumably from “Glomtales!” (based on the synopsis for that episode) where the good guys and bad guys line up to fight, and Donald still isn’t there.

(Though Louie and Lena aren’t, either... wonder where they are? Hiding?)

The reunion between Donald and Della is going to be a big moment, not just within DuckTales 2017, but in Disney history. It seems like the kind of thing meant for a season finale.

But here’s another thought I had... what if Penny makes it to Earth before Donald? Like there’s a you-go-I’ll-hold-them-off kind of moment where Donald tells her to go to Earth without him?

It sounds like Penny does make it to Earth before her people, at least.

She says, “bringing,” and not “taking,” so I’m guessing she’s on Earth when she says it.

I’m also very curious about Donald being crossed off in that other moment. Does Lunaris assume he’s successfully killed Donald? Does Penny make it to Earth first and, also believing Donald is dead, delivers that news to his family who believed he was on vacation? Ugh... my heart’s not ready.

Still, I’m not even sure Penny will make it to Earth until the season finale, or the episode before.

So if they don’t succeed in escaping in this episode, what could it be about?

Frank did tell us last year Donald’s finest moment would be coming in Season 2, and there is a definitive good dad Donald episode. Many of us thought that episode was “The Golden Spear!”

But after that episode aired, Frank said the good dad Donald episode is still yet to come.

If “What Ever Happened to Della Duck?!” was a flashback episode painting Della as a loving mother and chronicling her journey to get back to her boys, perhaps “What Ever Happened to Donald Duck?!” will give us flashbacks into the last ten or eleven years of Donald’s life that showcase what a loving father figure he is, interspersed with scenes in the present where he tries to figure out how to get back to his boys with Penny’s help.

His finest moment could either be a big heroic one in the finale, or a flashback where he dedicates himself to being the father figure to his sister’s boys who wouldn’t otherwise have a dad in their life.

Frank also revealed at SDCC we’re getting an episode this season exploring why Donald is so angry, so maybe the flashbacks will go even further back into his childhood. We might learn what happened to Hortense and Quackmore and why he and Della were sent to live with Scrooge and not Grandma Duck. 

To sum up, I don’t think Donald’s making it back to Earth in “What Ever Happened to Donald Duck?!” but the episode could reveal A LOT about his past.

As for the second half of the synopsis - Dewey and Webby uncovering a sinister conspiracy targeting their family - I don’t think the conspiracy is Lunaris’ conspiracy. My guess is it’s either Glomgold’s latest scheme, OR...

...and if you’re familiar with this blog or @alliterative-albatross‘ blog you know what’s coming...

THEY FIND OUT THE BUZZARDS ARE EVIL AND WERE BEHIND DELLA TAKING THE ROCKET WHEN SHE DID.

Maybe Louie, still unsure how to feel about his mom’s return because all his feelings contradict each other, snaps at Dewey who’s nothing but happy about it saying, “If she’s so great, why did she leave us in the first place?! Wake up, Dewey! She left notes! She meant to leave! And then she lied to our faces about it the first night she was back.” and that would prompt Dewey to team up with his main mystery buddy to try and figure out why Della would leave right before they hatched. 

Maybe they discover it was for a noble reason on Della’s part (though she made a mistake in trying to bust the conspiracy on her own) and that the Buzzards have been playing the long game with Scrooge, trying to either kill him and his heirs or keep him miserable by keeping him separated from his heirs so he’d be easily manipulated and they could maintain control of his company. 

I guess we’ll be finding out soon!

[myrskytuuli]

First of all, I like the DT17 well enough. Sure, there are parts I don’t like, but it’s a fun cartoon that mostly makes me chuckle. However, it is easy to see that it has more to offer to those who were fans of the original Ducktales87 cartoon before the comics. For me, who has never in my life watched a single whole episode of DT87, it is sometimes frustrating. But on the other hands the comics also lack a certain...possibility for continuity and development that the TV show is allowed to have.

So, sometimes I like to play a game where I wonder what I would come up with if a Disney executive burst through my door, held me at gunpoint, and told me to come up with a TV series pitch that catered specifically only to my tastes.

So this is what I think I would stutter while looking up at the home-invading, gun slinging, Disney producer.

 Open on modern 21st century Duckburg, with Donald Duck taking care of his three nephews, in a city which skyline is dominated by the moneybin, an old and clearly abandoned building surrounded fences and keep out signs. We follow the boys and Donald through an average day in their life, quickly introducing some of the family and friends that they have.

Harking back to the intro in the last chapter of life and times, we see a documentary style introduction to Scrooge McDuck. Scrooge McDuck who mysteriously disappeared in the 1940, leaving behind an impenetrable moneybin, (he had been the only person in the building when he disappeared and no one has managed to step foot inside ever since) a business empire that got liquidated (because there was no one to take over the reins, his sisters wanted nothing to do with it and there was no will), and a lingering mystery about what exactly happened to the richest duck in the world.

Now the triplets, being adventurous kids, have decided to finally take a crack at the mystery, having prepared a break into the closed off moneybin for a while now. It’s stupid dangerous, because everybody knows that the hill is off-limits for a reason, that reason being all the booby-traps and landmines that have injured all the would-be explorers until now.

But the triplets have managed to wheedle helpful equipment from their family friend Gyro Gearloose, a kind but not very respected crackpot inventor. Donald, being protective and stressed out dad that he is finds out and goes to stop the boys.

Several near-death experiences later, there comes a moment when for all of their surprises the half supernatural security lets them in after recognising them as Scrooge McDuck’s blood-relatives. News that come as a surprise to all of them. They after all never knew that great grandmother Hortense was née McDuck.

The triplets are of course over the moon after they realise that they are the first people in over fifty years setting foot inside the bin and an excited exploring montage commences with a notable disappointed at finding only empty offices and locked vaults. But then, in the heart of the bin, the head office with the biggest vault door, they find the remnants of something supernatural gone terribly wrong. After putting their smarts and sheer dumb-luck together, the Duck family manages to reverse whatever happened in the bin and an interdimensional time rift ends up spitting out a very much ALIVE Scrooge McDuck.

(And yes, this is obviously where the double episode break would occur)

Scrooge McDuck who in the 1940s, after having isolated himself completely from everybody, leading his entire business imperium all by himself, and defending his fortune from villains by himself too, had not surprisingly fucked up. The pressure had made him seek magical means for defending his bin, which had backfired terribly and locked him outside of time and space until his relatives released him.

The kids are obviously ecstatic, and Donald also if maybe more cautiously. Scrooge is not. He doesn’t trust anyone, least of all these complete strangers. Too bad for him that he is absolutely useless in the 21st century, no longer has his business empire, or even legal citizenship being declared dead for decades.

So now the Duck family finds themselves hosting the world’s most ridiculous and difficult relative who has decided to claim back his title as the world’s richest duck asap. (And he absolutely refuses to spend any of the cash gathered in the bin to do so, to Donald’s eternal bafflement).

And while trying to climb your way back up the business ladder in this new future is much harder than expected, the hardest part of Scrooge’s new life is not figuring out what internet is. It is the fact that somehow he has a family again, a family that genuinely seems to care and like him, even without his title as the world’s richest, and the question between pursuing your goal with single-minded determination and being the kind of person his new family can love and respect is not as easy as it once was.  

And the whole arc of the first season would be about the conflict of Scrooge having to choose if he wants to repeat history as he did when he drove his sisters away, or if he can find a way to accomplish his goal without driving his family away this time.

 Introducing, lot of confused time traveller jokes, Scrooge actually getting to be really cool and capable person who manages to get his victories even when starting from the underdog position, Donald and the kids actively teaching him to be a better person, and Scrooge making an actual effort to be a better person in a late-capitalist, postcolonial, global world.

The extended Duck family slowly adopts their new weird rich uncle as they get introduced to him, the villains crawl their way back. The beagle boy clan is constant amongst the eras, Magica is a witch and does not age and is excited to get a second change to nab the N.1 D. After all, it is the most powerful magical amulet of all time, but only when its owner is around to make it so, and Glomgold somehow crawls back from the grave just to kick Scrooge’s ass, because that’s just how he is.

[animation-recaps-by-sean]

DuckTales- Timephoon-Moonvasion Recap

Time breaks during a storm, Glomgold makes his own family, a monster hunts the richest duck in the world, and the invasion comes. Spoilers below.

Timephoon

Louie tries to steal lost treasures from the exact moment they disappeared so he doesn’t hurt the timeline. Spoilers he does. By stealing treasures he breaks time, bring past figures into the present.

Beakley is trying to teach Della with how to be a Mom. She thinks Della is being too lenient. Della thinks their good kids who does dumb things. And Beakley agrees but says that dumb things can become bad things if the kids don’t learn. This is also the first time we Della without her pilot hat. She looks cute.

I also love how Scrooge and Beakley jus know it was one of the kids

A ninja appears with the other time displaced people. I only bring this up as I am amused as the obscure Naruto stuff like hand signs and replacing themselves with logs.

The big selling point of this episode was the appearance of Bubba. He was a widely unpopular character from the original DuckTales who had a big five partner but never did much after that. He doesn’t do much here, other than to give Dewey and Huey something to do. The joke is that he does something modern and Huey freaks out because caveducks don’t work that way. It kept to a minimum enough that the joke doesn’t get old, but I’m not in a hurry to see him again.

Everyone figures out that it’s Louie and after the problem is solved, Della grounds him. After all she knows that stealing and using technology that you don’t fully understand can destroy their family. The grounding is awkward and uncomfortable and it needed to be. It’s really interesting to see Louie and della call other out like that.

3 ½ out of 4

GlomTales

Glomgold recruits other villains to his family in a dark on the nose mirror to the McDuck family. I love everything about this. Ma Beagle is Beakley, her sons are the triplets, Don Karnage is Launchpad, Mark Beaks is Gyro, who they don’t even find which Beaks complains about, and Magica gets tobe Webby.

Magica has been reduced to working as a children's magician at Funzo’s. It might be the best scene in the whole series.

They attack the mansion which is almost empty since Scrooge and gang are out on another adventure, except for Louie who is still grounded. Louie agrees to take them to Scrooge and help them win the bet if Golgold makes him a partner.

He agrees and Louie has the villains give Glomgold their own fortunes which just pushes him past Scrooge’s. Thus winning the bet. But he signed the contract as Flintheart Glomgold, not his real name. So all the money goes to his partner, Louie.  He and Della reconcile while Scrooge asks for his company back. Louie thinks about it.

4/4

The Richest Duck in The World!

Louie decides to keep the money and the company for himself. Scrooge isn’t worried as he figures running a multinational company will be too much for Louie before too long. But Louie keeps spending company money on stupid stuff much to the annoyance of Owlson and the board of directors. They get Louie to cut magical defenses budget, which unlesses the Bombie.

Bombie is a character I did not expect to see. He’s from Scrooge’s third appearance but in the late 40’s. In the comics, it’s a zombie made by a African VooDoo wizard to get back at Scrooge for destroying his village. The Bombie design was a super racist too by the way. No way that would fly away. He’s been redesign was more of a Frankenstian creature. He’s back story has been changed so that he just hunts the richest duck in the world. Which is now Louie.

The nonsense causes Owlson to turn in her two week notice so she can train her replacement. After a lengthy battle a fearful Louie admits that he shouldn’t be the richest duck in the world. This breaks the curse.

A great episode, with a strong emotional climax. 4/4

Moonvasion

I don’t know how this show keeps toping itself but it does. This might be the greatest episode yet. Lunaris makes his move and Scrooge is on the defenses. Della takes the kids away, save for Lena and Violet who help with the battle. I don’t know why it’s okay for them to fight, but Lunaris is targeting the triplets and Webby directly.

I do wish Darkwing Duck did more than serve as a distraction tough.

Della and the kids crash on an island were Donald been living with a melon Mikey. Louie and Della have a good talk about dealing with things going wrong. Meanwhile Scrooge teams with Glomgold to scam the aliens by dressing up as Santa Claus. I was worried that after the bet storyline wrapped up, the alien invasion finale would feel tacked on. But thes how does an amazing job of pulling the theme of the plot.

I can not get over how funny this episode was. After the invasion was thurted the board of directors are sick of Scrooge’s family almost causing the end of the world. How can they steal from people! It turns out they’re head of F.O.W.L.

The call upon Gandra (I thought her working for Beaks was hypocritical), Steelbeak (F.OW.L’s main agent of the old Darkwing Duck show), the Funzo mascot who might be the Phantom Blot (A villain from the old back and white Mickey cartoons), Black Heron, and a frozen Rockerduck. It’s time to take down Scrooge.

An amazing end to an amazing season.

4/4

[fly-pow-bye]

DuckTales 2017 - “GlomTales!”

Story by: Francisco Angones, Madison Bateman, Colleen Evanson, Christian Magalhaes, Bob Snow

Written by: Colleen Evanson

Storyboard by: Vince Aparo, Emmy Cicierega, Ben Holm

Directed by: Tanner Johnson

Scheme-worthy!

The episode begins with Louie looking out the window in the room he has been grounded in in the last episode. Yes, he managed to get a grounding that actually lasts more than an ending of an episode, what a concept. He sees Scrooge and the rest of the family preparing for another adventure that is pretty much 100% out of Scrooge's unwillingness to lose the big bet that he made with Glomgold.

Louie tells himself that while he's grounded, at least he wouldn't be dragged into another dangerous adventure. He then notices the hobo bindles and cans of beans, and realizes exactly what they're going to adventure to a place where there's cherry Pep springs, where the con men sing, where the geysers spit out gold for everyone, and the Hobo King has a Ruby Bindle with Scrooge's name on it. In a reference to the old folk song, they're going to the Big Rock Candy Mountain, and Louie jumps out of the door and says he has to go.

Of course, Louie's mom is not going to let Louie go on the adventure of his dreams, because he's still grounded. Della's not going to be a pushover like she was in the last episode, oh no, she's not everything covered for him as we'll soon see.

Della: You can come out when you learn that no good ever came from cockamamie schemes!

In a masterful transition, we cut to the A plot of the episode, where Glomgold is using a slingshot to try to get into the Junkyard where Ma Beagle and her Beagle Boys live. While he ends up succeeding, he does end up in the hands of Bouncer Beagle.

Glomgold tries to defend his trespassing of the junkyard by saying that he's here because he has a plan to defeat Scrooge and his family. In his words, he's only here to recruit, not as workers, but as family, and family is the greatest scheme of all, according to him. With an evil laugh, we cut to a not-so-familiar title sequence.

Instead of the usual DuckTales theme song, we get his Theme Song Takeover instead. Honestly, I would have been disappointed if they didn't use it; it's great! It starts with him following the blueprint, we get "amazing CGI" that makes him look like some sort of muscleman, and lyrics that can only come from the masterful schemer, like "Scrooge stinks, Scrooge stinks, Scrooge stinks, Scrooge stinks!"

After that, we see that Ma Beagle is not exactly thrilled with working with Glomgold. She thinks he's a moron, and he can never beat Scrooge because he's smarter than the smarties. She also correctly accuses him of only doing this because he wants to win the bet. Kind of an interesting comparison between the two combatants of the bet: both Scrooge and Glomgold only have that on the mind. Of course, Scrooge is just getting more treasure, while Glomgold just wants to wipe out the other guy and his family.

The usual three Beagle Boys chime in to this offer, saying that they need a powerful male figure in their lives, and eventually Ma Beagle accepts the offer. No, not because she feels sorry for Glomgold, but because if Scrooge is defeated, she can get what she wants out of it: the deed to Duckburg. This is going to be a theme.

Meanwhile, Louie tries to sneak out, only to find his new babysitter...

Schedulebot: Punishment time! Punishment time!

Oh no, not Schedulebot! Get back in your own cartoon! Okay, it's actually DT-87, the security robot that also doubles as a video player that has Della trying to teach Louie ethics. Gotta say, Della using a robot that doesn't have a good track record of not becoming evil may not be her best idea. Granted, she wasn't around when this robot was attempting to shoot the kids with steel cutting lasers all those episodes ago, so I cannot exactly blame her for not knowing about it.

Or, maybe she did know, and she doesn't care, as we see that one of the ways DT-87 is keeping Louie into his room is with that said steel cutting laser. Granted, those lasers are different-looking here; they could be just set to stun, but we never find out if that's actually the case.

The next stop is Waddle, where Mark Beaks is busy looking up if he's still the "hottest" and "tallest" of the billionaires. He scoffs at Glomgold's offer to take down Scrooge while being a part of his family because he's too busy raising his rep with his inventions, like his very own cryptocurrency named Beakcoin! Surprisingly, Bitcoin is still relevant, at least from my research. Big Time wants to know where this magical coin is, and Beaks says it's in the cloud.

While the joke this leads to is predictable, I do like the execution, as Bouncer decides to throw Burger out the window to the clouds. Needless to say, he won't be successful, and Beakscoin isn't really the point of this episode anyway.

While Glomgold couldn't get Mark Beaks on his family, Ma Beagle decides to do her own plan based on her manipulation skills. She talks about how Mark Beaks is a loser, anyway, and there's no reason to use technology against Scrooge. Mark Beaks, out of offense for both of those, decides to join in as the Gyro Gearloose of the family.

Oh yeah, Glomgold is trying to get equivalents to all the people in the Manor, or at least the people that are in a photo he is putting faces onto. He has himself as the Scrooge, Ma Beagle as his Mrs. Beakley, the Beagle Boys as his Huey, Dewey, and Louie, and, as mentioned before, Mark Beaks as his Gyro Gearloose. It's neat to know Burger is supposed to be the Huey. I couldn't really tell what Burger's character is supposed to be even now.

Glomgold has to find his Launchpad McQuack, and that turns out to be the legendary Don Karnage. He is completely fine with going after Scrooge's family...or at least just the one member of it that defeated him. He also wants to sing, but I'd imagine they'd want to save the money they would put into such a musical number for the Moonvasion.

Finally, his family is complete, at least according to Glomgold. Unfortunately for him, Don Karnage and Big Time Beagle point out that he’s missing someone: he needs a Webby. Glomgold knows what person that needs to be, and he’s none too happy to get her.

Oh yeah, I kind of forgot to mention what happened to Magica De Spell in her last appearance. I would talk about that, but I'd say the way this episode introduces her is good enough.

We see Magica do this majestic boasting that she is the one that will make the world tremble, while in a void of purple dust clouds. If Dragon Ball Z has taught me anything, if there's dust clouds, that means it's probably not what it seems...

...and it turns out that the times after The Shadow War have not been kind to the wicked not-so-witch, as she's now a birthday magician for Funso’s Fun Zone. Her willingness to take over the world is only mitigated by her manager telling her not to do that.

Glomgold tries his best to not get Magica in his family, not because she would definitely overshadow him in every way...at least, that’s what he wants people to think.

To make a long story short, she agrees to become Glomgold's Webby, all so she can prove that she's Scrooge's worst enemy. Glomgold reluctantly agrees, and they begin the Glomgold-vasion. Also, yes, I like all everyone is dressed for the occasion. One can't see it here, but Mark Beaks's disguise is just a shirt that says "I am 10 years old". Mentally, yes.

Meanwhile, oh no, Louie used his master scheming to get Huey into his room, somehow! At least, that's what Louie wants DT-87 to think, as he tries to do the sibling switcheroo. We never find out if Della could tell the difference between the boys like Donald could in the comics; I’d think she would.

We don’t find out because of one one problem with this scheme: DT-87 knows fully well that Huey is on the adventure of Louie's dreams, as it shows that it's getting a video call from Huey.

Of course, the other kids are having this unbelievably amazing adventure at the Big Rock Candy Mountain's river made entirely of cherry Pep. Emphasis on unbelievable, it's just like that cliche plot where the kids decide to skip school, and the school happened to be doing something cool that day. It's almost like Della is rubbing it in by even allowing Huey to do this.

Eventually, one of Della's videos on ethics leads to her saying that Louie just needs to learn that his schemes are harming his family, and he should just stop. Louie tells himself that those schemes are the only thing he's good at.

Speaking of schemes, the newly formed Glomgold family all show up, using all of their abilities to infiltrate the manor. The manor has cannons, but they're all stopped by Don Karnage's ship. DT-87 tries to stop them, but his lasers are not set to "can do anything to Bouncer before he bashes his head in". Duckworth tries to use his ghostly demon form to scare them off, but Magica uses her ghost-capturing gem to capture him. Wait, I thought she lost her magic! Also, this never gets undone.

Unfortunately, all of this leads to their disappointment when they only see the grounded green one. They get angry at Glomgold for not checking if the others were on vacation, and that his scheme is worthless. I mean, that's what the adventure pretty much was, so I can't exactly say that's wrong. As Glomgold mopes about how his schemes are the only thing he feels he's good at, Louie gets an idea. Oh no, don’t be inspired by him!

We cut to Scrooge's premature celebration of winning the bet, and Zan Owlson congratulates Scrooge, and she can't hide that she would love to not work for that dreadful schemer.

Sadly for her, that dreadful schemer arrives with his family, and we get a shot that is worthy of the promos. This makes this look like the big battle we have all been waiting for. Well, except for that other one that involved those Moon people.

We get that big battle, actually, though it’s a bit late in the episode for it to pay off that much! One highlight is Glomgold and Magica eventually fighting each other, as they both want to beat up Scrooge. Of course, all of these mixed motives aren’t exactly making Glomgold win, much of the chagrin of the one that planned this invasion of Scrooge’s party.

Louie shows up, acting as if he's the big planner of this. His family is none too pleased, especially not Della, who was ready to give Louie a souvenir from the Big Rock Candy Mountain because she felt so sorry for him. Because of course.

Louie tells his plan: he was going to have each of the family members combine their fortunes, and, thanks to that contractual agreement, Glomgold gets to have a combined fortune.

With that combined fortune, this gives Glomgold more money than Scrooge, making him win the bet at the last minute! Oh no, say it ain't so!

Of course, this isn't how it ends. However, in a twist, it doesn't end in the other way either. This is all due to a technicality that goes into Glomgold's history. See, the deal Louie made is that the money is supposed to go to Flintheart Glomgold. However, there's one problem: there's no Flintheart Glomgold. There's a scheming guy who likes to call himself that, but his name is actually Duke Baloney!

Because of the contract they signed, all the money also goes to his partner, and since the partner actually exists, that means the money goes to one Llewellyn Duck. Wait, what?

In the end, Della pretty much instantly forgives Louie at this point due to the plan saving Scrooge McDuck from losing...as long as that money is transferred right back to Scrooge. Yeah, I'm not getting the vibe that he'll actually do that.

How does it stack up?

I liked this episode. Louie's schemes to get out of his time-out were pretty clever, including one I left out of the review. The big star of this episode is Glomgold. While it may not be the big battle, that's because we got another big battle coming up. Yeah, it's good.

Next, we get to see what happens when one becomes the richest duck in the world.

← TimePhoon! 🦆 The Richest Duck In The World! →

[bolddeducktionneverfails]

Launchpad’s Association With Della Duck: Ballads of Dangerous Chemistry

Part 1 | Part 2 || Part 3 | Part 4| Part 5 || Continued from Part 6

One of the many things I've noticed in DuckTales is that certain elements from earlier episodes tend to return in the later portion of the season. Sometimes as a running gag or an Easter egg, but other times, they end up revealing to be an important concept that's extremely relevant to the story. 

The Season 1 finale was a good example of this: The boys hijacking Donald's Houseboat in the pilot to go to Cape Suzette comes back as Donald wanting to move there when the boys no longer want anything to do with Scrooge. The bag of marbles Scrooge gave the boys when they first arrive to the mansion comes back as a way for Scrooge to reminisce about having them around. The silly cutout of Gyro from "Beware of The B.U.D.D.Y System!" is seen floating around in the underwater lab after the area was destroyed by the shadows. 

Sometimes it doesn't even take that long for the early elements to reappear; they can be contained within the episode itself by giving us hints in the very beginning of it and later come into play towards the ending. Scrooge was right from the start when he blamed Glomgold in "The 87 Cent Solution!" and the ending of the Darkwing Duck series finale basically foreshadowed the entirety of "The Duck Knight Returns!". If Della paid attention as she was attempting to fix the rocket on her own, she would have known about Gold Tech way ahead of time.

Two years ago at the D23 Expo, it was announced during the DuckTales panel  that Duckworth was already shown, but no one had found him yet. Many of us searched around for the butler dog and every character we guessed was rejected by the show-runners. It wasn't until "McMystery at McDuck McManor" that Duckworth was revealed to be the ram-headed spirit we've been seeing in the intro! The answer to the mystery was right there in front of our faces! But we didn't realize it because the appearance of the person we were looking for was altered.

Bᴇғᴏʀᴇ Dᴜᴄᴋᴡᴏʀᴛʜ’s ʀᴇᴠᴇᴀʟ, ʜᴇ ᴡᴀs ʜɪɴᴛᴇᴅ ᴀᴛ ᴀ ᴄᴏᴜᴘʟᴇ ᴛɪᴍᴇs ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ʜɪs ʟɪᴋᴇɴᴇss ᴡᴀs ᴏʙsᴄᴜʀᴇᴅ: Tʜᴇ ɢʜᴏsᴛ ᴄʜᴀsɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴋɪᴅs ɪɴ Mʀs. Bᴇᴀᴋʟᴇʏ’s sʜᴏʀᴛ , ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʜᴏᴛᴏɢʀᴀᴘʜ ᴏғ ᴀ ғʟᴏᴀᴛɪɴɢ ᴏʀʙ ᴏғ ʟɪɢʜᴛ ᴏɴ Wᴇʙʙʏ’s ʙᴏᴀʀᴅ

Sᴛʀᴀɴɢᴇʟʏ ᴇɴᴏᴜɢʜ, Lᴀᴜɴᴄʜᴘᴀᴅ ᴡᴀsɴ'ᴛ ᴘʀᴇsᴇɴᴛ ɪɴ "MᴄMᴀɴᴏʀ" ᴀᴛ ᴀʟʟ ᴅᴇsᴘɪᴛᴇ ʟɪᴠɪɴɢ ɪɴ ᴀ sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴀɴsɪᴏɴ' s ɢᴀʀᴀɢᴇ...

This proves that we don't always have to look too far to figure things out, so, after thinking about amnesia, I had to take another look at "The Ballad of Duke Baloney!". It features a confirmed case of the condition and a good example of applying one similar character to another.

The episode begins with a flashback to the happenings of "The Shadow War!", a pretty significant event. Glomgold fails to prevent his shadow from flying off and ends up falling into the marina. He loses consciousness and is eventually found by two fishers, trapped in their fisher net. He can no longer remember the whole ordeal that caused him to take on his false Scottish persona and reverts back to who he used to be: Duke Baloney.

The name Duke Balony, derives from a completely different character named The Duke of Baloni. He comes from an old Carl Barks story that predates Glomgold's character and was the first to be titled "Second-Richest Duck in the World". The show-runners used this similarity as a part of giving an in-universe explanation to why Flintheart Glomgold went from South African like he was in the earlier Scrooge McDuck comics, to Scottish like he was in the original DuckTales series.

Four months later, after Flintheart is reported to have gone missing, Webby and Louie stop by Bait 'N' Such to find him as a completely different person: His demeanor is much kinder, he talks with a different accent, he sports a real beard and now wears a fisherman outfit.

Speaking of which, Duke and LP share a lot of similar colors. Even Young Duke wears teal and green; something that was mainly exclusive to both Launchpad and Della.

The kids aren't exactly sure what to think. Was this really Glomgold? Or were they mistaking a random stranger for him? Was he genuinely suffering from amnesia? Or was this another one of his crazy schemes? As they try to figure out his true intentions, they discover Duke has a suspicious, gold money clip in his possession. This causes Webby and Louie to start an investigation where they discover Duke Baloney's records are non-existent and Flintheart Glomgold's records do not extend past his arrival to Duckburg in the 80's.

Meanwhile, Duke's evil persona slowly starts to re-emerge after one of Scrooge's fishing boats roll into the dock. He can't remember Scrooge's name, he can't even remember his face when they meet, but he suddenly grows negative feelings towards the boat and he's not exactly sure why. He starts coming up with elaborate plans to outrank it and he ends up having a dream full of subliminal messages about his past.

As Duke starts to question who he really is, he notices that Webby and Louie are out at sea as a thunderstorm is approaching. He plans to go out and rescue them but a boat crane hits him on the head, causing him to fall into the marina much like he did before. It's in his second time of unconsciousness where he remembers why he started his Scottish persona in the first place: When Duke was a child, Scrooge failed at teaching him a sense of self reliance by only paying partially for his shoe shining services. Feeling cheated, he secretly stole Scrooge's money clip and vowed to do whatever it takes to out-best him at everything and steal his title of "Richest Duck in the World".

When Duke comes to at the surface, he reverts back to his evil ways. He displays this as he tricks Webby into giving him her hand only for him throw her out of the boat to make room for himself. The other fishers are very shocked to see their friend act like this.

Glomgold makes his way back to his office to reclaim his company from Zan Owlson and to challenge Scrooge with the fiscal year bet. Scrooge refuses until Glomgold taunts him with the money clip he had stolen from him. McDuck becomes surprised, and angry, that his greatest rival has a significant connection to his past.

So, if Launchpad has amnesia, what could Glomgold's situation be telling us about his?

Glomgold's amnesia was tied to a big event as well as LP's could be if he was involved with the cosmic storm.

Glomgold goes missing in the sea, an environment that is very similar to outer-space.

Following his disappearance, Glomgold ended up looking like a different person with a new profession. Launchpad is completely unrecognizable to Della in spite of many signs that they could have something to do with each other's backgrounds and there are also possible signs that he might not be a legitimate airplane pilot.

Glomgold had Scrooge's money clip on him. Maybe LP has some sort of mysterious item or something like a scar or a birthmark that could help prove that he's the father.

Information on both Duke and Glomgold is extremely limited. Launchpad's records probably don't go very far either. 

Duke's sudden hatred for Scrooge's boat reminds me of Launchpad's sudden attachment to Dewey. The triplet hasn't done much to or for Launchpad prior "Terror of The Terrafimians!”; he caused a trap to dump a pile of snakes onto Launchpad without apologizing. Dewey doesn't show any concern towards him until he comes back from his search in "Gander"...and yet, Launchpad established him as his best friend. He may not even be sure why he does. I've been theorizing for the longest time that Dewey could be reminding him of Della. 

In the Theme Song Takeover, Launchpad sings about being on the Houseboat with Dewey specifically without acknowledging that Scrooge, Donald, Huey and Louie are there too. He did a similar thing in “Jaw$!” when he simplified Huey and Louie as “Dewey’s Brothers”. Aside from giving us potential clues about Della, Issue 18 highlighted Launchpad’s friendship with Dewey as well. When he realizes the severity of the tsunami alert, he immediately grabs Dewey and wants to head to safety instead of thinking to grab both Dewey and Webby at the same time. The retail incentive cover for this issue features a bunch of Dewey photos with Launchpad facing them.

Duke has a dream full of symbolism revolving around his Scottish persona. Launchpad’s line in “The 87 Cent Solution!” when Scrooge causes Gizmoduck to accidentally shoot the Sunchaser with a torpedo, reminds me a bit of this. He said the situation reminded him of every nightmare he’s ever had....why is he having dreams of accidentally hitting Dewey with the plane? What does this mean? Is he afraid that there will be a day where he hurts someone he cares about? Has this already happened in the past?

Was the mishap reminiscent of what happened during the cosmic storm? Scrooge accidentally causes Gizmoduck to fire his torpedoes (lightning?), they hit the plane (spacecraft?), smoke fills the vehicle (radiation clouds?) and he comes close to hitting someone he cares about (Della?)

After seeing the boat, Glomgold's old ways start to creep back into his mind. I think after being exposed to Della's presence for the first time in years, Launchpad will start to act a bit like his older self and do things that Della will recognize.

Glomgold had to get knocked back into the sea to return to how he normally is. Will Launchpad have to have another stressful incident or head injury to help him remember who he was?

 There's a line from "The Impossible Summit of Mt. Neverrest!" where he says "NO! This is not the end of Launchpad McQuack! It WILL be by plane crash, or not at all!" Was that possibly hinting towards this?

Duke actually says a line a bit similar to this where he says “All I need to know, is that I came from the sea...and I’ll die buy it...”

 A thunderstorm was involved and a rescue was underway, just like how Della could have been trying to rescue the father while she was caught up in the cosmic storm.

Glomgold's beard gets zapped with lightning from the storm, burning it into nothing. Launchpad possibly implied that he himself survived a lightning strike of some sort.

This episode was about a villain turning back into a good guy after losing his memory. Did Launchpad use to be a bad person? Or someone who was generally good, but made a bad decision? Or just unknowingly caused a bunch of bad things to happen? If Launchpad was the reason behind Della taking the Spear, then it’s partially his fault for Della getting stuck on the moon, losing her leg, Donald and Scrooge's separation, the boys growing up financially unstable without a mother, the depletion of the Money Bin, almost making Scrooge go bankrupt, Scrooge's retirement and depression, the family splitting up for a second time, Donald being sent to jail and the upcoming invasion. Even if the incident was beyond his control, he'll still feel horrible about causing such a chain reaction.

Not really counting on this, but if amnesia caused Glomgold to revert back to his original accent, could breaking out of amnesia cause Launchpad to revert back to his? In the original DuckTales series, Launchpad had more of a Northeastern accent. There are certain points in the cadence of Della's voice that reminds me of how Launchpad speaks in the reboot; more notably when she slips into a lower register

"Iiiit's fiiiine, I'm sure the flavor will wear off soon…"

"I've activated my distress beacon, so you can pinpoint my location and COME GET ME."

"I bet the boys have hatched by now... I'm not even sure what they look like…"

"I was gone for a decade and everyone was just fine…"

Glomgold's change in voice was brought on by copying off of Scrooge. Perhaps Launchpad is emulating Della in that way as well.

There are a few other lines in this episode that reminded me of some lines Launchpad has said in the previous season:

When Duke shares his crazy plans to outdo Scrooge's boat by over-fishing, Mann makes a comment.

 "...But it's like you always say, 'sharing is caring'."

 Duke takes a moment to think about this.

"That does sound like me...or does it?"

This reminds me of the scene in "The Spear of Selene!" where Scrooge orders Launchpad to get the plane back in the air after crash landing on Ithaquack. Launchpad responds.

"Sorry, Mr. McDee, gotta figure out what this flashing red light means. I always say: Better to be safe than... whatever the opposite of safe is!" 

He then looks off to the side with uncertainty afterwards, like he's not exactly sure where this phrase came from, but he could have sworn he said it at some point.

"Yeah, I do say that.”

But then Scrooge fires back.

"WHEN HAVE YOU EVER SAID THAT?!"

Could this little break in character be implying that Launchpad was a safer person at some point in his life?

When Duke notices Webby and Louie out at sea when the storm is about to start, he begins to speak.

 “I'll save ya! Or my name isn't--” 

But then he gets hit with a crane and falls into the water. This reminds me of LP's quote in “The Secret(s) of Castle McDuck!” when he's trying to help Scrooge win his parents’ approval. In disguise, he says

“He's a real family man or my name isn't Launchpad Mc...Donald Duck.”

We all know he isn't Donald and he was close to saying Launchpad McQuack wasn't his real name.

This may not count, but When Duke reached out to Webby and said “Give me your hand!”, it reminded me of when LP said the same thing to Dewey in “B.U.D.D.Y” as well as Scrooge in "Last Crash" when he's going after Dewey outside of the plane. Duke pulls Webby into the water and the limo rides over a rock causing Dewey to come out of the self-driving car and fly out of LP's grip.

After developing my new theory about Della and Launchpad's connection, I later realized how the two episodes I’ve been zeroing in on the most, are next to each other in order of production. One dealt with the ideas of genetic mutation in a space-like environment, combined with the concept of going on a secret trip to meet up with a family member and a lover. Then right after that, there's the idea of someone having amnesia after a big event causes their long absence and then struggling to figure out who they really are when elements from their past start to seep back into their life. A connection between the two is looking very likely. Both stories were set in aquatic places and may have even occurred around the same time. I came across a theory that Huey, Dewey and Launchpad visited the Mid-Atlantic ridge while Webby and Louie went fishing, which would explain why they weren't present in the other's episode. __

If Launchpad was affected by the cosmic storm, what else could it have done to him aside from changing the way he looks?

I've put together a list of abilities he may have gained from this:

Immortality

In "The Most Dangerous Game...Night!" Louie tells Huey that he's convinced Launchpad is immortal due to the amount of plane crashes he's survived.  LP doesn't respond to this comment and later refuses to answer Huey about how he survived the Tower of Infinity when it collapsed.

I think there's enough weight to Louie's remark for it to be more than simply a one-off joke because there are multiple times where he's shown to be pretty resilient.  Launchpad can get sick or hurt, but he recovers incredibly well to injuries and has, as Fisher said when he was describing Duke,  "a freakishly high tolerance for pain".  

After the snakes from the Atlantean trap bit him, he brushes the situation off like it's not a big deal. He's hindered by the venom, but he's still conscious enough to climb down the bridge when it breaks (for the most part) and helps Webby to lie to her grandmother by posing as a Swedish person. When Glomgold announced that he's about to blow up the city, Launchpad’s facial swelling suddenly goes down and he’s well enough to quickly drive the sub to safety. Also, when Launchpad returns to the Sunchaser after looking for Ziyi, a bunch of arrows are pierced through his armor and he has an eye-patch over his eye. He’s winded by having to run to the to the plane in time and escape the danger he went though, but he isn’t wincing from his injuries. He isn’t really fazed by them at all.

Sᴛᴏʀᴋᴜʟᴇs sᴇᴇᴍs ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴀ ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇʜᴏʟᴅᴇʀ ғᴏʀ Lᴀᴜɴᴄʜᴘᴀᴅ ᴡʜᴇɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ʜᴇ's ɴᴏᴛ ᴘᴀʀᴛɪᴄɪᴘᴀᴛɪɴɢ ɪɴ ᴄᴇʀᴛᴀɪɴ ᴇᴘɪsᴏᴅᴇs. Pᴇʀʜᴀᴘs ʜᴇ ʀᴇᴘʀᴇsᴇɴᴛs Lᴀᴜɴᴄʜᴘᴀᴅ's ɪᴍᴍᴏʀᴛᴀʟɪᴛʏ ɪɴ ᴀ ᴡᴀʏ.

Strength

“The Missing Links of Moorshire!” is a good example of Launchpad’s strength. Towards the end of the episode, he’s shown to lift Huey, Dewey, Louie, Webby and Scrooge with ease. Even earlier in the episode, he’s able to push a water-logged golf cart out of a lake, which on average is somewhere between 900 to 1100 lbs when it’s dry.

The cosmic storm may have increased his strength, but the workout equipment in his room would indicate that he needs to maintain it to a degree. Maybe it's a Hercules-type situation; even during his weaker points, he’s still pretty strong, but working out just makes him even more abnormally strong. 

Agility 

As seen in “Shadow War” and “Duck Knight”, LP is a very capable fighter. He has good reflexes, allowing him to dodge most attacks. Even though the venom from the snakes impaired him, he was still able to defend himself from Glomgold’s henchmen. In “Last Crash”, he ran on top of falling items to keep himself from falling out of the plane. And when he was fighting off the shadows on top of the plane, he never lost his balance.

Speed

I'm not really sure with this one, but in "Game Night" Launchpad was able to make it over to Louie and Huey after getting struck with the shrink ray. Perhaps this was ignored for convince, but running fast would explain how he was able to survive the collapse of the Jenga tower.

Aquatic Respiration

I think this is starting to become more apparent. After "Whatever Happened to Della Duck?!" aired, I started to wonder if Launchpad may have used Oxy-Chew when he went to visit Oceanika. But after "Friendship Hates Magic!"....I don't think this is the case. In the scene where he's drinking pea soup through a silly straw, one of the peas gets stuck and he struggles with it until his face starts to turn blue. He faints and all the air in his lungs exits his body before face-planting into his bowl. Then he makes a muffled inhaling noise without choking…

Lᴀᴜɴᴄʜᴘᴀᴅ sɪᴛs ɪɴ ғʀᴏɴᴛ ᴏғ ᴀ ᴘᴀɪɴᴛɪɴɢ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ sᴇᴀsɪᴅᴇ ᴀs ᴛʜɪs ɪs ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴɪɴɢ.

In “Neverrest”, Launchpad keeps his mouth open as he falls into the hot spring and doesn’t gasp for air when he bursts out of it. When he comes back to the lighthouse in "Depths", he simply resurfaces with no problem. He isn't panting for air until he has to climb up onto the platform, which can be a bit tiring after staying in the water for so long. So, uh...I guess Launchpad has gills somewhere on his beak...? Granted, if he did have Oxy-Chew at some point, he could have ended up swallowing it; I mean, that stuff is pretty powerful when you chew it alone, but I'm leaning on mutation with this one.

Electrical Powers

After getting caught in a cloud full of radiation and lightning, it would make a ton of sense for Launchpad to have some sort of connection to electricity. But what kind of connection exactly? Can he generate his own? Can he bend and levitate metal objects to his will? Does he serve as a special conductor?  It's really hard to tell since there aren't any on obviously examples, but perhaps there could be something with the latter option.

The ending to “The Spear of Selene!” was very baffling. During my first viewing, I thought Launchpad was scared to leave the plane for some reason, but he ends up disassembling the plane; preventing the family from leaving and bringing him out in the open. Then, during my latest viewing, I realized that the plane isn’t simply taken apart, it looks like it was ripped apart. The pieces are damaged...one of the engines are chipped and dented, one of the propeller blades are also chipped, the tail of the plane has a cracked wing, the control board is all dented with the yoke snapped off...was he really that obsessed with figuring out the problem that he couldn’t just use tools to separate the plane properly? This made me wonder if there could have been an explosion from inside of the Sunchaser. Could another lightning bolt have hit the plane and it was strong enough for Launchpad to react to it? The first time the plane was struck, he’s quickly able to engage a control to stop it from affecting the plane.

The plane parts don’t seem to have any burn marks on them and Launchpad’s clothes aren’t singed or anything, so perhaps there was a different kind of electrical mishap or something that resulted from another side effect of the cosmic storm.

Sixth Sense

Maybe this is purely for meta humor, but LP seems to have this underlying fourth wall-y awareness. At the end of “Moonshire”, the camera is gone, but he still faces the audience and addresses the lesson to be learned. He then undercuts himself as if he didn't want us to know how insightful he is.

In "Terror of The Terrafimians!", he questions if Huey, Webby and Lena were the only three missing from the group when Magica technically counts as a fourth person. 

Good Hearing

You would think that after constantly hearing the sound of breaking glass and denting metal on a daily basis, it would take a toll on Launchpad's hearing, but he seems to be a good listener. 

Even though we weren't able to see his reaction to Scrooge's story about the Spear of Selene, he must have heard it in spite of being all the way on the other side of the plane and being sorta barricaded by a bunch of stuff to help balance the weight. If the boys informed him about what happened, he would have taken their word for it when he was talking over the intercom in "Shadow War", not point out how they’re the ones who blame Scrooge.

After "Nothing Can Stop Della Duck!" aired, I've been trying to figure out how Launchpad knew that Della was in the houseboat. She wasn't being very loud and he said "Thought I'd come over to introduce myself," implying that he knew about her being in there and stalled afterwards. He could have seen her as she was walking to the other side of the pool to board the houseboat, but it would have to have been somewhere where she wouldn’t have been able to notice him. Maybe looking out the window from inside the house. If not, he could have heard her in the boat as he was passing by. She didn’t start talking until around the time he came over, so if this were the case, he would have already known whose voice it was coming out of the houseboat. If he knew about Della being in the mansion this whole time, why did it take him so long to talk to her?

Weight Manipulation?

Part of me sorta wonders if LP has the ability to make himself lighter when he needs to be; holding back so he won't hurt anyone. This would explain things like how Scrooge was able to save LP from falling out of the plane in “Last Crash” without dislocating his shoulder and how Webby was able to knock LP down in “Shadow War”. 

But then again, determination, anger and stubbornness act a bit like super powers to some of the characters. It gives them a boost of strength when the stakes are high and allows them to do things they wouldn’t normally be able to do or shouldn't be able to do based on their body type. Scrooge was able to throw everyone off of him in “87 Cent Solution”, and enjoys swimming around in one of the most heavy metals in existence. Huey dragged LP back to the log in “Only Child” even after he wasn’t able to lift any part of that log. He was also able to lift three kids along with his uncle in “Moorshire” and was strong enough to keep the demon dog at bay in “McManor”. Then there's both Drake and Jim who can go through a bunch of injuries and still get back up after them.

This guess, along with the others I've discussed in this list, might just be part of cartoon logic and isn't meant to be an indication of anything outside of humor or convenience.

The Ability to Be Manipulated?

As I was putting this list together, I suddenly thought: If there's a Greek connection to the cosmic storm, what if Zeus is able to manipulate LP similarly to how he was able to manipulate Storkules with the siren? If Launchpad does have good hearing, what if he heard the siren and that's what caused him to destroy the Sunchaser? Launchpad loves music and, as seen in "Sky Pirates", gets easily distracted by it. The plane was fine when Donald was trying to leave the lightning barrier, but then after the singing and fighting continued, it's in shambles.

Zeus used the siren because he knew it would affect Storkules directly. Scrooge, Huey and Louie were not affected by the singing after later taking their hands from over their ear...holes. Dewey, Webby and Selene couldn't be affected because the temple was way up high on the island. The Sunchaser, however, was located right around the corner. Since Zeus wasn't affected by the siren either, perhaps there's something in the lyrics that affects immortals who rank lower than himself.

__

Back in April, I observed the Spear manual scenes in “Whatever Happened” and noticed that “DT-87” and “DT-18” were mentioned. These are abbreviations for “DuckTales 1987”, the year the original series came out and “DuckTales 2018”, the year Season 2 premiered. The numbers  “7-15”, “7-16”, “7-18” and “207” were also featured. 

“207” as well as the other 7’s refer to “Whatever Happened”’s production code, so I figured 15, 16 and 18 were also referring to other Season 2 episodes that might relate to 7. So far, Episode 15, "The Dangerous Chemistry of Gandra Dee!"  and Episode 16, "The Duck Knight Returns!", have provided things that could be leading up to why Della took the Spear and how it could have to do with the father. Launchpad was present in both episodes, and both shared some similar themes. 

Episode 15 opens up with a thunderstorm storm. Gizmoduck is facing off against an evil scientist named Dr. Atmoz Fear, who's taking advantage of the storm by using one of his devices to manipulate the lightning. When he tries to zap Gizmoduck with it, it reminds me a bit of Gyro and his shrink ray in "Game Night".

Dʀ. Aᴛᴍᴏᴢ Fᴇᴀʀ sʜᴀʀᴇs sᴏᴍᴇ ᴄᴏʟᴏʀs ᴡɪᴛʜ Lᴀᴜɴᴄʜᴘᴀᴅ: Hᴇ ʜᴀs ʀᴇᴅ ʜᴀɪʀ, ᴀ ɢʀᴇᴇɴ sʜɪʀᴛ, ᴀ ʙʟᴀᴄᴋ ᴍᴀsᴋ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏʟᴏʀs ᴏғ ʜɪs ғᴇᴀᴛʜᴇʀs ᴀɴᴅ ʟᴀʙ ᴄᴏᴀᴛ, sᴇᴇᴍ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ɪɴᴠᴇʀsᴇ ᴏғ LP's ғᴇᴀᴛʜᴇʀs ᴀɴᴅ ғᴜʀʀᴇᴅ ᴄᴏʟʟᴀʀ.

After the villain is defeated, Fenton meets Gandra, someone else who also works in the scientific fields. Unlike Fenton, who's more professional with his work, she's more on the rebellious side. A similar thing can be said about Della and Launchpad when it comes to aviation.

Fenton schedules a science date with Gandra, but he's very hesitant to call it such. If Della took the Spear because she was trying to save the father and failed, I can see her being very hesitant about getting back into a romantic relationship.

On their way to pick up Gandra in the limo, Launchpad conversates with Fenton by going down a list of special someone’s he’s previously dated. A couple of mentions in this list caught my attention; the first being how Launchpad claims to have dated a clone of himself. I think this is a meta thing we aren't supposed to take seriously. Because...why would this be suggested if a legitimate clone of yourself is basically your twin sibling, your child or somewhere in-between that...?  Maybe it’s just me, but he blinks rather oddly right after he says this. There's also a pause as he stops the limo and begins to furrow his brow. Either he’s thinking really hard about everyone he's dated or he's a bit confused to where these more weirder memories are coming from.

What makes it even harder to take this clone claim seriously is that this is the same character who thinks Fenton is an actual robot because of the Gizmo suit and who also confused someone for a yeti in “Neverrest”. The word "clone" does have a non-literal meaning, so if we consider this and break it down...LP previously dated another goofy pilot who tends to wear teal and green, has a positive outlook on life in spite of all the hardships they face, never gives up, loves adventure, loves family, and doesn't like the idea of being replaced...?

I’ve joked to myself in the past about Della sort of being a female version of Launchpad due to their colors and how they have a similar way about themselves. Della's character pre-dates Launchpad but she was never described as a fearless pilot until the "Family Ties" comic was released in 2014, twenty-seven years after DuckTales debuted. (This comic is where the reboot got its inspiration for Della's character and story arc.)

If LP really does have amnesia, he can’t remember Della as a person, so it would be easy for him to consider her as a copy of himself. Scrooge made it extremely difficult to get information about Della after she went missing so anything that Launchpad is emulating from her had to be based on knowledge prior to that point.

Another reason why this could be a sly reference to Della is because every time we get information about Launchpad’s love-life, we’re always given something that can be traced back to Della: Della isn’t a deadly ninja, but Ziyi’s situation in “Gander” involved her disappearing and possibly leaving her offspring behind. (I’m assuming Ziyi was being referred to due to the order of  the list and being the only previously mentioned lover with an Asian background. Perhaps she has some Japanese origins as well as Chinese.) Della isn’t a forbidden mermaid, but Oceanika’s situation in “Depths” involved her calling out to Launchpad in a sing-song manner, wearing similar colors to both Launchpad and Della, and ended with Launchpad returning with a golden spear and trio of color-coded sea creatures that come from eggs. One of Launchpad’s lines in “The Twelve Days of Christmas” involved his true love giving him “eleven planes a-flying”. Regardless of how strange that statement was, it still planted the idea that there are two Launchpads, which technically, may be true persona-wise.

Tʜɪs ᴍᴀʏ ɴᴏᴛ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ, ʙᴜᴛ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ Tʜᴇᴍᴇ Sᴏɴɢ Tᴀᴋᴇᴏᴠᴇʀ, ᴀғᴛᴇʀ Lᴀᴜɴᴄʜᴘᴀᴅ ʜɪᴛs ʜɪs ʜᴇᴀᴅ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴏɢᴏ ᴄʀᴀsʜ, ʜᴇ sᴇᴇs ᴀ ʟᴀʀɢᴇʀ ᴠᴇʀsɪᴏɴ ᴏғ ʜɪᴍsᴇʟғ ᴏᴜᴛsɪᴅᴇ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡɪɴᴅᴏᴡ. Nᴏᴛ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴛʜɪs ʙᴇ ʀᴇғᴇʀʀɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ Lᴀᴜɴᴄʜᴘᴀᴅ ʙᴇɪɴɢ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ, ʙᴜᴛ ʜᴏᴡ ᴛʜᴇ sᴛᴏʀᴍ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ɢʀᴏᴡ ʙɪɢɢᴇʀ ᴛʜᴀɴ ʜᴇ ᴡᴀs ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀsᴛ.

The second mention in Launchpad’s list of lovers that caught my attention was the talking cloud of energy. Similarly to the pause after talking about a clone, he gets cut off right after he says this. A cloud of energy is basically a cloud full of lightning and that reminds me a lot of the cosmic storm. Since the cloud had the ability to talk, could this claim be based on a memory of Della trying to contact him while he was in the cosmic storm?

Fenton and Gandra’s date takes place at night in Gyro’s underwater lab. The moon is mentioned and it’s likeness is sort of shown through the string of lights used to decorate the room. Outside of the lab’s window is a starfish that is colored with a shade very close to Fenton’s purple shirt. He sits on the side of the table where the creature is located. The scenery is reminding me of the sea-space connections the show has been making. The starfish not only reminds me of stars in general but how the blue starfish attached to Launchpad at the end of “Depths” was a similar color to Della’s teal scarf. I’ve noted in another post that the starfish could have to do with Della because it also shares traits with Dewey and he’s constantly being compared to her, but what makes Della even more like the starfish is her ability to adapt. She lost her leg, but she was able to make a new one. Starfish can regenerate their limbs when they lose them.

When Fenton shows Gandra his Fentonium project, he described the invention as "An innovative generator from a mild-mannered source." If Launchpad has any electrical powers, this makes me wonder if they'll eventually be put to scientific use.

It’s later revealed that Gandra is a spy working for Waddle. Her main objective for going on a date with Fenton was to get him to say his Gizmoduck passcode to activate the nanite serum she made for Mark Beaks. For Gandra, the nanites gave her the power to deliver electrical shocks. For Mark, the nanites enhanced his body by giving him a muscular physique, a more prominent chin and gruffer voice to go with it.

Tʜᴇ ᴄᴏɴᴄᴇᴘᴛs ᴏғ ᴇʟᴇᴄᴛʀɪᴄɪᴛʏ ᴀɴᴅ ᴇxᴛʀᴇᴍᴇ ᴘʜʏsɪᴄᴀʟ ᴛʀᴀɴsғᴏʀᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴs sᴇᴇᴍ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ɪɴᴄʀᴇᴀsɪɴɢ. Tʜᴇ ᴍɪᴅ-sᴇᴀsᴏɴ ᴛʀᴀɪʟᴇʀ ғᴏʀ Sᴇᴀsᴏɴ 2 ғᴇᴀᴛᴜʀᴇs ᴀ ᴄʟɪᴘ ғʀᴏᴍ ᴀɴ ᴜᴘᴄᴏᴍɪɴɢ ᴇᴘɪsᴏᴅᴇ ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ Hᴜᴇʏ ᴛʀᴀɴsғᴏʀᴍs ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴀ Sᴜᴘᴇʀ Sᴀɪʏᴀɴ ɪɴsᴘɪʀᴇᴅ ᴠᴇʀsɪᴏɴ ᴏғ ʜɪᴍsᴇʟғ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀ ʟɪɢʜᴛɴɪɴɢ ʙᴏʟᴛ ʜɪɢʜʟɪɢʜᴛ ɪɴ ʜɪs ʜᴀɪʀ. Lᴀᴜɴᴄʜᴘᴀᴅ ᴀɴᴅ Mᴀʀᴋ ᴀʀᴇ sʜᴏᴡɴ ʀɪɢʜᴛ ʙᴇғᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜɪs.

After the secret plan unfurls, Fenton turns into Gizmoduck. He responds to Mark's mutation:

“You've always been a monster, but now, you are a literal monster!” 

This reminds me a lot of the monster stuff in "Terror". I always feel weird when I try to make sense of that portion of the plot because I feel like I haven't figured it out yet, but something is definitely going on. Since that episode has aired, there have been multiple cases where a character is considered a physical or figurative monster and whether that makes them a good person or a bad person. And there's always an "M" alliteration tied to it:

Mole Monster and McQuack in “Terror of The Terrafirmians!”

"I can't believe my best friend is a mole monster..."

"Wait...am I a mole monster? But I'm a good guy! Then that means...mole monster can also be good guys."

Magica and Monster in “The Other Bin of Scrooge McDuck!”

"They'll turn on you; call you a monster!

“You’re the monster here!  And I know just the hunter to take you down...”

Monstro and M’Ma in "Who Is Gizmoduck?!"

"Eres un monstro, Diego!"

Monster and Mitzi in "The Depths of Cousin Fethry!"

"She's not a monster, she's a Mitzi!"

Moon Mite and Mother in "Whatever Happened to Della Duck?!"

“The mite isn't a monster, it's a mother!"

In an earlier post, I began to wonder if it would end up circling back to Launchpad since he's the one who started it. I thought maybe he'd feel like a monster in a figurative sense for accidentally abandoning his kids, but now it could also be something involving his genetic mutations. Maybe even a betrayal or theft of some sort since those concepts seem to be lingering in the background.

With all these M's going on and the high possibility of Launchpad's foreign names being used for Huey and Dewey, perhaps Launchpad's real name is Maxwell as in his Danish name, Max Motor. Joseph as in his Spanish name, Joe McQuack could also be another possibility. Since HDL went from more outlandish names to more plausible names, it's likely Launchpad's real name is something more standard.

Lᴀsᴛ ʏᴇᴀʀ, Dɪsɴᴇʏ ʀᴇʟᴇᴀsᴇᴅ ᴀ sᴇʀɪᴇs ᴏғ sʜᴏʀᴛs ᴄᴀʟʟᴇᴅ Wᴇʙʙʏ Rᴇᴀᴄᴛs, ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ sʜᴇ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴡᴀᴛᴄʜ ᴄʟɪᴘs ғʀᴏᴍ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ Dɪsɴᴇʏ Cʜᴀɴɴᴇʟ ʀᴇʟᴀᴛᴇᴅ ᴍᴇᴅɪᴀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅʀᴇᴡ ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀʀɪsᴏɴs ᴛᴏ ᴛʜɪɴɢs ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴇᴠᴇɴᴛᴜᴀʟʟʏ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴᴇᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇʀ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ sʜᴏᴡ. Dᴜʀɪɴɢ ʜᴇʀ ʀᴇᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ᴛᴏ Bᴇx's sᴇᴄʀᴇᴛ ғʀᴏᴍ Aɴᴅɪ Mᴀᴄᴋ, sʜᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀʀᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀ ᴛᴏ Lᴀᴜɴᴄʜᴘᴀᴅ ᴀs sᴏᴍᴇᴏɴᴇ ᴡʜᴏ's "ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ᴛᴏᴏ ᴍᴀɴʏ ᴍɪsᴛᴀᴋᴇs". Tʜᴇɴ ᴛᴏᴡᴀʀᴅs ᴛʜᴇ ᴇɴᴅ, ɪᴛ's ʀᴇᴠᴇᴀʟᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ Bᴇx ᴡᴀs ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ Aɴᴅɪ's ᴏʟᴅᴇʀ sɪsᴛᴇʀ; sʜᴇ's ʜᴇʀ ᴍᴏᴛʜᴇʀ. Tʜɪs ᴄᴀᴜsᴇs Wᴇʙʙʏ ᴛᴏ ᴡᴏɴᴅᴇʀ ᴡʜᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ғᴀᴛʜᴇʀ ɪs.

When Fenton and Gandra make amends and try to come up with a way to stop Mega Beaks from wreaking any more havoc, Fenton points out that in spite of Mark's body being altered, he's still the same weak, ego-fuel person underneath those alterations. A similar thing can be said for Duke; even after he forgot about his Scottish persona, he was still Flintheart Glomgold and this became evident as he began to revert back into him.

When Mega Beaks is able to catch the Fentonium-laced paddle ball Fenton throws at him, he's amazed.

"Wow, I never actually caught a ball before! Well, who's the loser now, coach DAD?!"

This is the second time someone's father was mentioned in the episode. Before the date, M'ma mentions Fenton's father when she gives her son his suit to wear. Perhaps Della has one of the father's belongings that she'll pass down to her sons too.

___

Episode 16 was about two different people sharing the same alternative persona: Jim Starling as the original Darkwing Duck and Drake Mallard as the new one. Jim is outraged that he’s being replaced on a new Darkwing production after years of trying to make a comeback. Being disappointed by the gritty direction of the reboot, Launchpad sees Drake in a negative light and agrees to help Jim sabotage the movie. It was supposed to be for the greater good, but when Launchpad tries to go with the plan and lock Drake in his own trailer, his heroism is questioned. Drake isn’t a bad person and it turns out that he’s a huge Darkwing fan much like Launchpad himself. Was crushing the dreams of playing his childhood hero the right thing to do? 

Once they find common ground, Launchpad devises a new plan where all three of them work together to help make a Darkwing Duck movie that new and old fans can enjoy. Unfortunately, Jim is too full of obsession and desperation to finally give the show a proper conclusion, that he becomes selfish. He ignores Drake when he tries to propose LP’s new idea to him and locks him away. He then refuses to follow the script and ends up destroying the movie set with his defiance. Drake soon breaks free and challenges Jim, leading Darkwing into fighting with himself. Launchpad tries to snap Jim out of it and remind him of the hero he’s supposed to be. While it does cause Jim to literally reflect on what he was becoming and helped him to save both Drake and Launchpad from the surging lightning tower before it exploded, it ultimately wasn’t enough. The one who was presumed to be bad turned out to be good, and the one who was presumed to be good, became bad, leaving Darkwing as both the hero and villain of his own story.

Ok, so, there’s a lot of identity struggle going on along with frustration over getting replaced after years of trying to get back into the spotlight. This seems like more supporting evidence that Launchpad will be faced with a situation where he’ll be confused about who he really is, but could this also be hinting that Della might go a little too far with her rivalry against Launchpad? 

A lot of DW episodes so far seem to contain LP’s fear of being fired...but he’s considered honorary family; it’s hard to imagine Launchpad getting kicked out to take a permanent leave to St. Canard in this continuity. Launchpad wasn’t working for Scrooge in the original Darkwing Duck series because it took place in an alternate universe. Even with DW’s world integrated into the reboot, it’s still DuckTales at it’s base. It wouldn’t feel right for Launchpad to suddenly get removed from the main cast. I think similarly to Drake, Della will find some common ground with LP before anything is able to get out of hand.

When Dewey expresses his ideas to make the Darkwing film better, he mentions aliens, Megavolt and lightning towers. When Jim threatens to zap Alistair Boorswan with Megavolt's lightning ray, Launchpad steps in between them; willing to get hit to protect the director. Drake displays a high tolerance for pain as he survives a box of explosives going off, getting a piano dropped on him and getting zapped several times. 

As Dʀᴀᴋᴇ ɢᴇᴛs ᴢᴀᴘᴘᴇᴅ, ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ's ᴀ ᴠɪsɪʙʟᴇ ᴄʀᴀᴄᴋ ɪɴ ʜɪs sᴋᴜʟʟ; ᴀ sɪɢɴ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʜᴇ's sᴜsᴛᴀɪɴᴇᴅ ᴀ ʜᴇᴀᴅ ɪɴᴊᴜʀʏ.

...ᴡᴀɪᴛ ᴀ ᴍɪɴᴜᴛᴇ, ᴡʜʏ ᴅɪᴅ Dᴇᴡᴇʏ ᴏʀᴅᴇʀ ᴀᴄᴛᴜᴀʟ ᴡᴇᴀᴘᴏɴs ғᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏᴠɪᴇ?!

An artificial thunderstorm is created when Launchpad turns on the rain machine to stop the movie set from being on fire. When he delivers his speech about how heroic and important Darkwing Duck is as a character, he stands in front of one of the lightning towers. At the mention of the word "light", there's an upsurge of power as the camera pans from Launchpad to the top of the tower. The structure sends sparks everywhere, but Launchpad is completely unfazed by this and continues his speech. 

A tattered image of the moon and a starry sky hangs in the background as this is going on... could this scene be proving that Launchpad has some degree of electrical manipulation? Is it only evident when he's extremely passionate about something? If this was purely the result of the rain machine being activated, wouldn't it have taken a much shorter time for the lightning tower to react?

Tʜᴇ ʟɪɢʜᴛɪɴɢ ᴅᴜʀɪɴɢ Lᴀᴜɴᴄʜᴘᴀᴅ's sᴘᴇᴇᴄʜ ɪs ᴄʟᴏsᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ʟɪɢʜᴛɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴇɴᴛ ᴏɴ ɪɴ "Tᴇʀʀᴏʀ"'s sᴜʙᴡᴀʏ ᴄʀᴀsʜ. Iɴᴛᴇʀᴇsᴛɪɴɢʟʏ ᴇɴᴏᴜɢʜ, ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ's ᴀ sᴘᴀʀᴋɪɴɢ ғɪxᴛᴜʀᴇ ᴏɴ Lᴀᴜɴᴄʜᴘᴀᴅ's sɪᴅᴇ ᴀғᴛᴇʀ ʜᴇ ᴇxɪsᴛs ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴀʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡʜᴇɴ ʜᴇ ʟɪᴛᴇʀᴀʟʟʏ ʀᴇғʟᴇᴄᴛs ᴏɴ ᴡʜᴇᴛʜᴇʀ ʜᴇ's ᴀ ᴍᴏʟᴇ ᴍᴏɴsᴛᴇʀ ᴏʀ ɴᴏᴛ, ᴛᴡᴏ Lᴀᴜɴᴄʜᴘᴀᴅ's ᴀʀᴇ sʜᴏᴡɴ.

When Jim and Drake notice the lightning tower is growing unstable, they both run towards Launchpad to save him. In a hassle to be heroic again, Jim pushes both of his fans out of the way and suffers from the explosion. The rescuer is believed to be dead but he's alive and takes on a new persona: Negaduck. The event figuratively turns him into a monster. 

So, there's a rescue, an electrical based event, survival from that event, a re-branding of oneself and someone is considered a monster. If Launchpad truly is responsible for blowing up the tower, he's the one who "killed" Jim. Drake blames himself, kinda like how everyone blames Della for the Spear incident when it could have been due to her going after Launchpad.

Wʜᴇɴ Dʀᴀᴋᴇ ᴀɴᴅ LP ᴀʀᴇ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ DWD ᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ғɪɢᴜʀᴇs, Lᴀᴜɴᴄʜᴘᴀᴅ ᴘʟᴀʏs ᴀ ᴠɪʟʟᴀɪɴ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀᴄᴄɪᴅᴇɴᴛᴀʟʟʏ ᴋɴᴏᴄᴋs ᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴀ ᴄᴜᴘ ᴏғ ᴡᴀᴛᴇʀ, ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ᴇᴠᴇɴᴛᴜᴀʟʟʏ ʟᴇᴀᴅs ᴛᴏ Dʀᴀᴋᴇ ʜᴜʀᴛɪɴɢ ʜɪs ғᴏᴏᴛ.

This episode made me realize a loose pattern that seems to be going on with two similar character that rival each other. One pretty much stays consistent (Scrooge, Lena, Drake), while the other goes through a major change that emulates the other (Glomgold, Violet, Jim). There’s usually an event and or a disappearance tied to their change (Scrooge’s Africa visit, the Shadow War, the tower explosion). The changed character is seen negatively and could be considered a monster. And at some point, one of the rivaling characters realize that the other has a significant connection to their past (The money clip, the amulet, the table signing).

I think Della and Launchpad could be following this pattern too. As noted by Scrooge in “Nothing Can” and “Raiders of The Doomsday Vault!”, Della’s hasn’t really changed at her base. Thus, making Launchpad the one who has most likely gone through a major change. Launchpad was established as Della’s double when she considered him to be her replacement and views him negatively. We know for sure that one of them went missing during an event and there’s enough potential hinting to suggest that they have a significant connection in their past.

Tʜᴇ ʟᴀᴛᴛᴇʀ ᴘᴏʀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀᴛᴛᴇʀɴ ᴡᴀs ᴘʀᴇsᴇɴᴛ ɪɴ "Lᴀsᴛ Cʜʀsɪᴛᴍᴀs!" ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴇɴᴅɪɢᴏ ᴡᴀs ʀᴇᴠᴇᴀʟᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴛʜᴇ Gʜᴏsᴛ ᴏғ Cʜʀɪsᴛᴍᴀs Pᴀsᴛ. Iɴ sᴘɪᴛᴇ ᴏғ ʜɪs ᴍᴏɴsᴛʀᴏᴜs ᴇxᴛᴇʀɪᴏʀ, ʜᴇ ᴡᴀs sᴛɪʟʟ ᴛʜᴇ sᴀᴍᴇ ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ɪɴsɪᴅᴇ.

Another number featured in the Spear’s manual was “800”. I couldn't figure out what it could mean at the time, but it could stand for "Friendship Hates Magic!". WDTV press has it listed as Episode 8 in order of production.  This episode featured concepts of taking a dangerous risk to bringing someone back from the unknown, Launchpad bonding with a co-worker, possibly displaying one of his special abilities, hinting towards “Duck Knight” and the idea of someone who was thought of as being gone but they’ve actually been hanging around this whole time. When Lena is back to her solid form, Launchpad appears soon after the magical clouds of smoke begin to clear.

The number 17 is missing in the sequence that was highlighted in the manual. Perhaps there's something secretive about Episode 17. Or maybe the plot could be dealing with something or someone that’s missing. It could be when the family realizes Donald is missing or how his jail time is going on the Moon. It could also be something regarding the father; like Della opening up to the boys about him. I guess it could mean that this episode isn’t relevant to Episode 7, but that feels a bit less likely.

In my next post, I'm going to discuss how the arrangement of a scene can give us subtle hints about the future; starting with a closer look at Donald's family photo wall.

Are you up for even more reading? Continue here.

[cosmi-trashbin]

My Top 5 Favorite Ducktales 2017 Episodes (So Far)

I’m pretty new to DuckTales as a whole.

The reboot has been my official introduction to Scrooge McDuck, Duckburg, and otherwise. So, it may be awhile before I’m familiar with or better acquainted with the original comics and the first cartoon series, as well as other series referenced such as Darkwing Duck and Talespin. After getting caught up with this series, I’m definitely curious about the source material that bits and pieces of the toon makes loving references and homages to. Regardless, these picks are based on what I’ve personally liked and enjoyed about DuckTales 2017 so far.

5.) "The Golden Lagoon of White Agony Plains!"

Golden Lagoon is the reboot’s introduction to Scrooge’s old flame Goldie O’ Gilt. She’s cunning, she’s devious, she’s beautiful, and she’s one of the few ducks that can really give Scrooge the proverbial run for his money. It’s kind of fun to see how dramatic, complicated, and dysfunctional her relationship with Scrooge is. Scrooge and Goldie definitely gives off vibes of ‘This is the only man/woman I have genuine feelings for’ but it’s tempered by the idea of a perpetual cat-and-mouse chase.

Goldie and Scrooge sync up on so many things, but their attraction towards each other and the big deal-breaker are their respective obsessions with and opinions on treasure-hunting. For Goldie, treasure is the ultimate objective, she will go to any length to get it, and she’ll do whatever she thinks she needs to do to keep it. For Scrooge, he’s obsessed with gold and hoards treasure like a true miser, but he’ll pick a loved one over treasure every time if it comes down to those rough circumstances. It’s a bit of a toss-up as to how Goldie will react to or behave in certain situations. The ideal meeting for Scrooge and Goldie is a fairweather Indiana Jones venture with low stakes and only the other as their worst enemy. It’s more fun and the focus is on being both enchanted by and disgusted by what the other will do next.

Scrooge and Goldie had the spotlight for this episode, but Glomgold is a ridiculously welcome third wheel. Apparently, his jealousy of Scrooge’s love life is the kind of kicker to give him “Grade A Villain” casting for at least an episode. It was unexpectedly grim when Goldie slipped into that river of molten gold.

4.) "Who is Gizmoduck?!"

I love episodes of cartoons that focus on and follow another character of the cast for at least that one story.

This episode is pretty much the underdog story of how Fenton, the humble and starry-eyed intern, became the hero Gizmoduck. Previous episodes set up Fenton as an awkward, kind of over-compensating, but sympathetic figure. All he wants is to earn his boss and personal hero Gyro’s respect and get a few words of encouragement. Viewers learn that Gyro isn’t the only one Fenton’s trying to impress. His M’Ma, Officer Cabrera, is skeptic of Fenton’s role as an unpaid intern and his insistence that “it will lead to bigger, better things, I swear!” In short, Fenton is caught between his personal hopes and the expectations of others.

With how much respect Fenton holds for Gyro, the expected story was that he’d be let down by how the man doesn’t live up to the idealized image in Fenton’s mind. Instead, Fenton has been losing respect for and blind admiration of Gyro for awhile. Fenton’s attention shifted to Gyro’s highly experimental prototype suit of armor and what kind of potential said suit has. It’s no longer about gaining Gyro’s approval. It’s about figuring out who Gizmoduck is and what he can do. Whether he expected it or not, Fenton unexpectedly stumbled into his life’s purpose. Suddenly, Gizmoduck isn’t just an abstract idea or an idealized concept, Fenton is Gizmoduck. Since the episode shows things from Fenton’s perspective, Gizmoduck can be considered a key part of his own journey towards self-actualization.

Honestly, I consider “Gizmoduck” an example for why this toon has something for everybody. Kids have the triplets, Webby, and Lena. Older adults have Donald, Scrooge, and Beakley. And personally, as a twenty-something on a self-discovery journey, I relate to and empathize with Fenton.

3.) "From the Confidential Case Files of Agent 22!"

There was a scene in the very first episode where Webby posed dramatically in front of a Scrooge statuette. Part of me was pointing excitedly at the screen thinking “She’s Scrooge McDuck’s thematic echo for the current generation!”

I was a bit off. Arguably, both Louie and Webby have traits, goals, and motivations in common with Scrooge. In Webby’s case, she shares Scrooge’s intense enthusiasm and zeal for adventuring and the history attached to the relic/site they’re about to visit. The reason why she’s so drawn to and utterly fascinated by Scrooge is that she’s Scrooge’s kindred spirit for lack of a better description. “Confidential Case Files” is the most significant episode so far for fleshing out this particular idea and Webby’s specific bonding-with-Uncle-Scrooge episode.

Viewers are treated to a fun James Bond parody, the official reveal and confirmation of Mrs. Beakley’s background as a spy, and direct focus on Scrooge and Webby’s dynamic. It’s fun to see Webby’s and Scrooge’s vie to rescue Mrs. Beakley compared/contrasted with the first time Scrooge teamed up with Agent 22. Webby naturally goes for similar conclusions and approaches to island threats that Scrooge originally had, but her actions are tempered by Beakley’s shrewd instincts. Scrooge and Webby’s team-up is a showcase for what kind of impact Beakley had on both of them: Scrooge tries to be more conscientious and responsible of his actions and Webby’s reckless adventuring spirit is teamed up with thorough training from Beakley. In short, Webby benefits greatly from having both Scrooge and Beakley as her mentors and guardians.

Scrooge and the triplets have been a driving force in Webby opening up and exploring how to be more comfortable her strange, eccentric self. When Scrooge acknowledges how important bonding with her is, it’s pretty much on-screen confirmation that Webby and Beakley are extended members of his family.

2.) "The Other Bin of Scrooge McDuck!"

Throughout the series, Lena kept trying to convince herself and her aunt Magica that she was just ‘using’ Webby and that she’s locked away all of her ‘weak’ emotions. But it was just lip service the entire time.

I’ve loved her character writing over the course of the entire first season. Viewers can see Lena’s struggle and empathize with how difficult it’d be to act against her aunt, but root her on that much more the bigger and more significant her defiance becomes. It starts with how ambiguous her reasons for saving Beakley were and grows into signs that she sincerely cares about her friendship with Webby, if not the McDuck family at large, when she uses her magic to destroy Magica’s money shark. Lena’s personal dilemma has been gaining her freedom vs the possibility of hurting someone completely innocent. Despite her position, when things get dire, Lena opts for the decision that helps/protects others from Magica.

Lena’s freedom was the most powerful incentive Magica had to keep the girl under her control. The nightmare is Lena’s bucket of cold water. It’s one thing for the McDucks to find out about how she was part of Magica’s plot, but the bigger realization is that Magica can and will hurt the people Lena cares about no matter what she does. Even worse, Lena was always just a tool for Magica and that if she can, Magica will use Lena to destroy the people Lena cares about and revel in it.

Watching Lena inadvertently destroy Webby permanently left a bigger impact than anything else Magica did. The build-up and execution of that scene, in addition to Lena’s relief at it all just being a dream, is hands-down one of the strongest scenes in this series. It’s satisfying to see Lena try to reach out to Scrooge for help. It adds to how fantastic a twist the Magica possession is and gives ample weight to how tragic Lena’s death is.

After “Shadow Wars,” I’m really hoping Lena returns at a later point in the series. While there’s a certain kind of narrative closure and gravity to the idea of Lena as Webby’s guardian spirit, the sappy part of me wants her to come back. I want the happy, fairytale ending of Scrooge adopting Lena, okay?

On a side note: It’s kind of interesting that plush doll Webby partly resembles her original character design from the 1987 DuckTales series. Maybe this scene could be interpreted as having a double meaning or something?

1.) "The Last Crash of the Sunchaser!"

This episode is an emotional gut-punch because of the ending montage. The entire season kept dropping bread crumbs about the missing Della subplot. As the story keeps building, it’s like a rubberband is slowly getting pulled to the point of snapping with Scrooge’s confession about the Spear of Selene. In the heat of the moment, the triplets directly blame Scrooge for losing their mom and old wounds are ripped open for Donald. It’s understandable why everyone is so emotional and the big fallout that follows. As if seeing the triplets’ hearts break wasn’t enough, viewers see Scrooge’s side of the story: He was getting used to the idea of having family join him on adventures, building the Spear was a gesture of goodwill and hopes for how grand future adventures would be, how everything went wrong when Della took off against his warnings, and how desperately he tried to get Della back home safely.

Losing Della broke and devastated Scrooge just as much as it did everyone else. Over the course of adventuring with his niece and nephew, he was starting to become more open-minded and open to others in general. He already took people under his wing if they had interesting ideas and rebellious ideas that stuck out to him, but even then, they were just colleagues or employees. Della and Donald started to convince him to consider others, family especially, as someone he could trust, confide in, and learn from just as much as he could teach them. Seeing Scrooge sink back down into that big arm chair was the dramatic climax of his character arc in this series; a weighty echo of this series’ fantastic take on the classic ‘curmudgeonly Scrooge’ story.

In short: This episode’s writing tugged at my heartstrings and made me feel things.

[popculturebuffet]

Of Moons Millionaires and Mothers Part 15: The Richest Duck in the World or This is the Difference This Kid Is Out (Commission for WeirdKev27

Hello all you happy people and welcome back , shortly as I intend to publish this one Sunday just a day after the other MMM review this week, to of Moons, Millionares and Mothers, my EXAUSTIVE look at the Season 2 arcs of Ducktales. And we’re almost done folks Yes counting down to 2

We’re almost to the FINAL episode of this retrospective. Just one more next week, in time to celebrate the series anniversary. Then it’s on to other projects. if your curious what i’m doing weekly for Kev, my colaberator, backer and friend, next welllllll in order...

So keep an eye out at this space if your curious, check my schedule for more details and let’s move on to the retrospective that’s STILL GOING shall we?

As I mentioned last time, these last three episodes each tie up one of the seasons arcs. While Moonvasion touches on the Louie and Glomgold arcs, it’s also an episode that really feels like a cumilation of EVERYTHING up to that, so it made perfect sense. But story wise the arcs both reach their logical conclusion before that with Louie and Glomgold’s bits feeling more like epilogues to their stories. 

It’s not only Louie’s story that reaches it’s natural conclusion here though.  Zan Owlson makes her penultimate apperance on the show and finishes her own character arc, directly impacting Louie’s in the process. It’s also the LAST episode with her I have left to review. I already covered “Let’s Get Dangerous!” back in season 3 so this is the last time i’ll be covering her. It’s been a real treat. 

So on that bittersweet note let’s send off Louie’s story in style as we finish off his arc and set up the end of this retrospective and this season with “The Richest Duck in the World!”

As usual for the show there’s two plots, KINDA three but Scrooges is more a supliment to Louie’s story than it’s own thing honestly. Unusually though i’m NOT covering the shorter plot first. I normally would as Della’s plot is breif but since it leads directly into the finale we’ll be doing our main feature first. 

A Better Billionaire Than Me:

We open in 1960, Mozambeak. Scrooge sells an invinsiblity cloak thing to a rich man.. and thus becomes the richest duck in the world. Said billionare is’nt remotely bothered though as “the curse is yours now”. Aka the Bombie.. he can’t be caught , he can’t be bought, he can only be sated by the one thing you hvae not. We don’t see him and i’ll get to who bombie’s a reinvetion of later. cue the opening credits. 

In presnt day the day after the bet and Louie is waiting for Scrooge at the table, flanked by Owlson and Manny. to declare he’s keeping the fourtune after his grand plan yesterday since he did win it square. I love this scene mostly for how both react: Louie TRIES to play it calm but is genuinely worried about his uncle and mentor’s reaction... but not only is Scrooge keenly aware what’s happening..he laughs heartily. Scrooge is throughly convinced the hard work of running a trillion dollar multinational company is WAY too much for the kid. Which I do like: Scrooge knows he COULD guilt it out of him.. but there’s a lesson to be taught in letting Louie learn for himself just HOW hard the job of being the richest duck in the world is and showing Louie just how hard it is KEEPING your wealth.

I was a bit bothered he left Louie to his own devices.. but I did realize as I was writing it he really didn’t. He saw Owlson in the room, he probably figured she could handle it and would keep the company long enough for Scrooge to retake it when Louie inevieibly gave up. He also knew the Board would be around to counterballance Louie’s shenanigans and any reckless spending the kid does.  Granted this still goes HORRIBLY wrong, but it doing so feels intentional: Scrooge didn’t think Louie would causes so much damage but he SHOULD HAVE from past behavior and was simply trying so hard to be clever and teach a lesson he forgot to think first and thus it nearly cost hi ma nephew and the world. But we’ll get to that

Anways Owlson TRIES to keep Louie on schedule.. but he’s even worse than her last employer at that, as he instead has a morning swim then decides to live out his dreams by reuniting the stars of Ottoman Empire. Yes that plot comes full circle as Louie lures both Randy and Johnny there and gets them with the oldest trick in the book:

Specifically a hundred million dollars for a custom Ottoman. Cue Louie int he board room with the board annoyed he spent a million dollars and telling him the company isn’t Loui’es personal bank account.. it’s Bradfords but shush don’t tell no one. Granted he COULD just say , have Louie pay it out of the bin.. but with the power of hindsight and the finale i’ts VERY clear Bradford is leading Louie: he knows what move Louie will make next, suggesting they get rid of some othe rbudget stuff to make up for his embezlement, and then suggests a small island in the middle of nowhere.. aka where the Bombie is kept. Not only does this instantly put Bradford’s current pain in the neck in the path of danger, but it posisbly gives bradford the company if Louie dies as the kid likely didn’t fill out a will. And bradford isn’t stupid enough to shout out loud about being richest in the world. 

So Louie plans to celebrate.. only for something to happen to the island meaning he can’t enjoy it and he goes to investigate/plan for a makeover, taking launchpad, Manny (who he’s given a golden louie head) and Owlson with him.

The island turns out to be creepy, desolate and was removed from any maps.. something Owlson TRIED to get Louie to prepare for but given this is what his thoughts look like on a given day

It dosen’t sink in. So they go in and SHOCKINGLY Scrooge wasn’t throwing giant gobs of money away for no reason and our heroes find a THIRD bin.... this one clearly containing something dangerous that just broke out... and that something is THE BOMBIE which we finally see as a horrifying frankenstein zombie. 

So for those unaware of the comics or who haven’t read life and times, it’s time for a History Lesson.. the hard kind. Bombie is a reinvetion of Bombie the Zombie, a character from Disney Legend Carl Barks story, Voodoo Hoodoo.  Bombie the Zombie.. was a racist characture of a black man. 

Yeahhhhh and it gets worse: the story was centered around Donald being stalked by Bombie, who though the was Scrooge.. who had Bombie sicked on him not because he was the richest duck in the world, but because he’d used a bunch of men to forcibly take a villiage from i’ts rightful people because the person in charge, also a racist caracture named Foola Zoola, refused to sell. 

Yeah I haven’t read much of the story nor do I ever intend to. It’s one of the worst things Carl Barks did as a creator and proof that even the best.. can still fall into their time periods racism. Don Rosa considered skipping over this entirely for life and times, but ended up cleverly finding a way to recontexualize this: using Scrooge’s horrible actions as a low point, the one moment he let himself be as bad as Glomgold... and the moment that convinced him never again. Zoola and Bombie were likewise drawn like actual black men instead of horribly racist bullshit, in line with reprints of Voodoo Hoodoo. 

So yeah I NEVER expected to see Bombie, nor for anyone ot sucessfully reinvent him, keeping his juggernaut like persitance but stripping away all the racial conotations. Instead he’s now some zombie sent by someone to eat the rich, as evidenced by the fact Louie’s bribes do nothing. 

Louie ends up pulling a move that would later be copied by the greatest of all mutantkind: drop a bunch of satlites on him. This move WILL come back to bite everyone.. but for once there was no way Louie coudl’ve known that and facing an impossible monster he unleashed on himself, the kid didn’t have a ton of options. 

Louie escapes and parties down.. only for Bombie to show up and tear the plane open because if tha twould’ve worked scrooge would’ve done it already. 

It’s here Zan Owlson gets her finest hour.. as she fucking quits, finally fed up with all the bullshit of the past year: Despite making SEVERAL other companies a raging sucess she’s been reduced to reinging in a selfish manchild who dosen’t value her as a human being and has been undoing everything she tried to do through sheer incompetence and then a LITERAL child because said child’s guardian thought i’d be fun to teach him a lesson by letting a CHILD run a multi trillon dollar company without any safe guards. The fact she didn’t quit from Glomgold alone is a testiment to her will and fortitude. 

But this is enough, and I do like that frank let’s her decide that, let’s her get one big moment of cathariss. While i’ts really more of a two weeks, she’s a professional, Owlson is tired of cleaning up white dumbasses messes, not directly said but man is it implied, and decides to make her own way. And with that she parachutes out of the series till season 3. The season would give her a happy ending though, taking over as Mayor of St.Canard, having sovled crime till Darkwing shows up and even then still being a responsible authority figure who rather than resent the hero or blame him for this or any other stupid shit comic book mayors get up to WAY TOO MUCH, she accepts his help and sees him for what he is: a needed crusader of justice and an ally to her office. She gets a happy life after so SO much bullshit thrown at her and i’m proud of her. It’s a fitting sendoff for the charcter and I hope we get that DW spinoff for more. 

So back to the child being hunted by a monster out to skin him alive.. or something.. we don’t know what Bombie’s actually trying to do here. Point is a chlid’s gon die as the plane crashes... right near Scrooge. 

So yeah Scrooge’s plot: he watches some tv, decides he can’t take not working, becomes a shoeshine again and gets stiffed by Gavin, who I was dismayed to find out all over again had shown back up. 

So Scrooge is SHOCKED that Louie somehow fucked up royally in the span of a day. Like.. dude.. you have a board that’s constantly trying to cut your defenses and whose head dosen’t care if your family lives or dies, something you do actually know even without the whole FOWL thing. And a nephew whose irresponsible on a GOOD day and that’s without BILLIONS of workers livelyhoods at stake. The sheer EGO an act like this take boggles me to no end!  I love scrooge but his actions here are depolorable and even the series goofy nature dosen’t erase that: the series likes to show the realistic consequences of things. Louie could’ve done SO much worse. And while the show tries to have that, they also place it firmly on Louie’s feet when his ADULT CARETAKER left him in charge wtihout at least remotely ATTEMPTING to reign the boy in to teach him a fucking lesson!

Gah let’s just get on with it. Scrooge offers to take the money back so Louie doesn’t have to die.. but unlike last time these events actually sink in for Louie. He realizes he can’t just foister this problem off on scrooge it dosen’t solve it.. and that Owlson was right.  So he admits he shoudln’t be the richest duck and.. that stays Bombie’s hand. 

For all this episodes flaws i’m only now noticing.. this ending is fucking perfect, easily one of the best scenes in the show. Louie FINALLY realizes that his own ego and hubris won’t fix a problem... again... and admits humility. It’s something even Scrooge can’t fathom doing at first. But Louie, who just a few days ago coudln’t be arsed to apologize for nearly causing time to implode and wipe his family from history, admits he was wrong and offers Bombie a shoeshine, finally showing how to break the curse. The one thing other millionares had not.. was humlity and compasion. The strength to not see that being the richest made them some kind of god and the compassion to use that wealth for others. 

So Louie slowly cleans the Bombie’s boots, with Scrooge pitching in. Louie admits he wasn’t a good bilionare and returns the money.. but Scrooge dosen’t restart the curse, admitting to Louie the boy has the potetial and that in one day he was a better billionare. It’s a touching end to the plot. 

Before we get into the Louie arc as a whole we have one small bit of buisness to take care of. 

Why Are You Even Friends?

This one’s simple enough. Della is trying to send a message to Penny.. and finds out in the process none of her messages ever got through to the boys. 

How.. how did she not know that already? The fact Donald was still raising them and Scrooge never came for her SHOULD’VE been a big hint. If they’d GOTTEN to earth, then someone would’ve came for her. This joke makes no sense and peppers over her pain. The hell. 

Anyways her camcorder breaks and she laments she needs a video setup. And let’s face it even if you haven’t seen the episode.. you know where this is going. IT’S THE FIRST EVER INTERGALACTIC EPISODE OF DEWEY-DEW-NIGHT!

Della is naturally confused and we get the best exchange of the episode

Della: Dewey has a talk show? Huey: Mostly in his own mind. 

I mean he’s putting it on youtube, i’m sure someone would pick this up. Anyway I love Dewey Dew Night. It was a great concept and not only were the web shorts fantastic, but I love how they worked it into Seasons 2 and 3. Not much else to say there I just love a good fake talk show. Just ask me about Space Ghost Coast To Coast or that episode of seinfield where Kramer puts the set of the merv griffith show up in his apartment. Good stuff. 

But while trying to talk to Penny, Dewey asks about his mom’s girlfriend... and slowly unravels things without meaning to, making quips about how they probably WEREN’T friends. Which would be facepunchingly callous if it weren’t Dewey: he has the tact of a blunt object going through your window. 

So naturally della leaves distraught.. also she clearly has ptsd. I mean that’s not relevant to her running off and Dewey realizing he screwed up, but she needs therapy. They all do. 

So Della goes to pack it in.. only for Penny to call, calling Della her best friend. “Ha take that family” Dewey makes a face but boubala.. you brought this on yourself. Just take your mother’s sick burns like a child. But we get to the reason she called and the reason this subplot was saved for last: Penny warns of the invasion. Their coming for earth.. and “For your family!” 

Final Thoughts:

This episode is .. eh. It wasn’t that great when it aired and when I noticed just HOW badly scrooge comes off in this episode this go round, it only made it worse. it’s not a TERRIBLE episode it has some really funny moments, the reinvention of Bombie was unexpected and brilliant, the subplot is pretty fun and the finale truly is poginant and awesome, overall it’s just .. okay. Louie has STILL learned nothing from the past season and Scrooge is criminally neglegent even by his standards. It bogs what shoudl’ve been a good episode down.

So with that we’ve finished Louie’s arc.. and it sadly hasn’t held up great. Most of the episodes themselves aren’t bad, even the weaker ones in these last three aren’t bad. As indivdiual episodes, the arc is fine and worked fine watching it week to week or day to day. But when you look into them as a whole..it’s the same damn plot over and over with a few pieces change. There ARE two exceptions, GlomTales and The Outlaw Scrooge McDuck, but EVERY , and I mean EVERY episode in the arc follows this formula. I’ll prove it. 

Louie Gets an Idea for a scheme: To stay home for once, to catch harpies, to use Goldie as a mentor, Time Treasures and to keep Scrooge’s fourtune

Louie dosen’t think it through and it backfires: His attempts to hide gyro cause a revolt from the gyropudlians, he runs out of harpies and tries to set them free, he underestiamtes Goldie’s ruthlesness , he nearly destroys all of time and space and he learns being a billionaire is harder than it looks. 

Louie Learns a life lesson: He can see all the angles, you have to give people they want or something, he can’t hack it as a con man, absolutely nothing and he’s not ready to be a billionare. 

IT DOSEN’T STICK

None of it STICKS with him or forms any sort of an arc: he just learns a lesson because the episode tells him too, forgets it and goes back to being a reckless little jackass. In contrast Lena’s arc in season 1 has actual progression: She starts out manipulating webby but clearly drawn to her, slowly bonds with Webby and as a result chooses to save a life when said death would , in the short run, benefit her, grows past Magica valuing Webby more than her, and finally stands up to her, first getting possed for it then dying for it, before coming back this season, and tackling her insecuriteis in both episodes. There’s an actual ARC and craft to Lena’s story. Louie’s is just 

Nothing sticks and it’s just FRUSTRATING. I thought the issue with his writing was only in season 3 but overall it just seems like the writers struggled to write a more nuanced version of him in contrast to the other kids who did have slow but noticable growth over the series, as did the rest of the cast. Louie just seems stuck in place, doomed to be this little tricky bastard instead of a more naunced version of that. It’s this kind of bullshit that made me get tired of rick and morty: refusing to let a character actually change because your too scared as a writer to actually let them grow and move the stories to work around that. I expected better from this show... but them’s the breaks. 

Next Time: It’s all been leading to this. MOONVASION. The war for earth! Elaborate schemes! Christmas! Mickey Mouse! See you thursday! 

[crimsoncobaltblue]

A Single Touch: Part 2 - Debbigail

(Sorry I took so long for the second part. For the record, never live on a farm unless you like working all the time for whatever reason. Anyways, if you haven’t read the first part then you might want to. Enjoy my horrible writing!!)

Read the other parts!  Part 1 | Part 3

———————-

“I can’t believe that was your best plan!” Louie complained. I just ignored him, knowing that’s just kinda what Louie does.

My sides were burning now. Just hot enough for it to be uncomfortable. I felt anxious but I didn’t feel like a hospital visit was needed. The warmth... it reminds me almost of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at the same time..? Weird, I know. The coziness and calm the night of Christmas Eve, and the exhilaration and borderline anxiety on Christmas Day to see what you got from Santa seemed to be all wrapped up together where the soulmate imprints were on my sides. I couldn’t focus on it for too long though. I moved on from that thinking as quickly as possible, as if I were being pushed by something invisible telling me to hurry up.

Thanks, I’ll get right on that.

And I did. I flung the door open while declaring loudly, “Come on guys!” I grinned mischeviously at them. “Let’s go touch some expensive stuff.” Was the last thing I said before a rope of some sort wrapped around me and lifted me away!

Maybe I screamed, maybe I didn’t. I won’t tell.

I heard my brothers yell after me before they were captured as well.

———————-

After an extremely short amount of time, we found ourselves hanging upside and with a spotlight on us. The rest of the room was dark so we had no clue who attacked us. I couldn’t help but feel fear build up inside me, not quite even with the soulmate marks but definitely up there. I started wiggling around in the ropes to get free but they were just too tight. By now my soulmate marks were so hot it was really hurting and I’m honestly surprised the rope didn’t catch on fire.

“I’ll put the marbles back!! I swear!!!” I whined. If it was Mrs. Beakley and she thought they stole from Uncle Scrooge then I hoped she would be less likely to hurt us if we gave away information freely.

“Who sent you?!” The voice snapped at us and I felt a jolt race down my spine. It wasn’t from fear though, that much I knew. “Ma Beagle? Glomgold?! Answer me?!”The menacing voice said from the shadows and all I could do was stare in the direction of the mysterious voice. As weird as it was, it was like my body was crying out in anguish, despite the fact that I was unharmed.

Tied upside down and interrogated, but unharmed.

“UNCLE SCROOOOOGE!!!” Louie cried and I would’ve gotten really furious with the voice if it weren’t for my fear and intrigue.

“Uncle Scrooge?” The voice questioned, having gone from threatening to curious quicker than a lightening strike. “OH MY GOSH!!! THE NEPHEWS!!!” The voice screamed and while I felt my brothers flinch from the sudden noise, I managed to remain still. The next thing I knew I saw a cute little girl with a pink bow in her hair clap the lights on.

My face flushed and it wasn’t because of the blood rushing to my head from being upside down. A girl captured and carried us here and tied us up and made Louie cry in under a two minutes? I didn’t know whether to be intimidated or amazed so I decided both was good.

I noticed the palms of her hands had her soulmate marks. Which was incredibly common but these looked so familiar and... they looked as if they were almost shining a little bit.

“Wait, you know us?” Louie said as she ran up to us, her chin-length hair bouncing all the while, and I smiled without even meaning to. She stood on a nearby rolly-chair carefully and grabbed a knife that had been stabbed into a map. She sliced the rope expertly so me and my brothers hit the wooden floor with a thud.

She got down from the chair and stood next to it while we checked ourselves for anything bruised or broken. “Of course! Researching Mr. McDuck and his family is kind of my hobby.” She explained excitedly, halfway resting her head on her hand which still held the knife.

“W-Wha?” Louie questioned weakly, still really freaked out I’m guessing. And... Maybe I just hit my head too hard but everything this girl did seemed to be really kind of endearing.

As I was starting to get up, the girl immediately plucked a hair from Louie’s head, threw the knife behind her and asked “What are your blood types?” All in the same second.

That was when I froze.

I knew what was going to happen and this, let me tell ya, is probably the most thrilling thing I have ever felt.

“What’s Donald really-“ She started and cut herself off as she slipped her hands around my sides.

Right where the imprints of her hands belonged.

“-like?” She finished but clearly she had focused on other things. The burning heat that the imprints had given me vanished and was replaced by the coziest, happiest feeling I had ever experienced as I stared at the girl who was my soulmate. I stared at her in amazement before my brain started to function again and naturally made me remember nearly every daydream I’d had about meeting my soulmate.

Particularly every embarrassing one that made me wish I had something to cover my now flushed face.

“I-uh... I-I-I...” I tried but nothing came out. All I could do was stare and stutter until she smiled and I definitely did not melt at the sight of such cute expression...

Okay, that was a lie.

“I like hamburgers!” She yelled suddenly and I winced from being so close to the noise. Then she opened her beak again. “I really don’t know why I just told you that.”

I was about to answer before she continued. “Or why I paused like that. That was weird. And I mentioned it. Why did I bring it back up?” She kept rambling anxiously and I just smiled at this sweet girl that was apparently my perfect match. My other half.

I saw Louie out of the corner of my eye shake his head and growl a little bit. We all turned to look at him as he took some money out of his pocket gave it to a still shocked Huey. “Dang it. Can’t believe I lost.” Louie groaned and Huey shook his head too before looking pretty smug. I simply ignored them and looked back towards the girl and realized that I had yet to ask her name.

“So, um, what...what’s your name?” I asked and winced, mentally kicking myself. Come on, Dewey! Where’s that dashing, debonair Dewey Duck from earlier?

The girl straightened and blinked before replying with a grin. “Oh, hi! I’m Webby. It’s nice to meet ya.” She said brightly while seeming just the tiniest bit shy.

Turns out dashing, debonair Dewey Duck is on vacation away from awkward, dorky Dewey Duck.

“I’m Dewey.” I just barely got out, feeling my face flush.

“I know.” Webby said and before I could ask, she explained for me. “I like researching Mr. McDuck’s family..” She explained and I smiled.

“Yep, I definitely remember you telling me that a while ago.” I said and she laughed a bit. My heart probably would’ve burst by then if it weren’t for Louie.

“Ew, are they gonna kiss or something?”

As soon as I heard it I realized that her arms were still on my sides and my arms holding her shoulders. I think she realized the same thing right as I did because we both jumped away from the other at the same time.

“NO!” We both yelled indignantly. Louie’s question and laughter really did not help me at all to focus on being smooth.

Of course, my mind naturally floods with visions of me and Webby going on dates, watching movies together, hopefully adventuring, maybe just some kissing... I quickly shook my head, my face rivaling the red of a tomato.

Webby was looking around and seemed nearly as embarrassed as me before she gasped. “Oh wait, I need to add all this to my board!!” She exclaimed before pulling out some ancient Polaroid camera and taking one picture of me and my brothers and one picture of me on my own. Both pictures were very bad. Of course, I didn’t tell her that.

“Tell me everything about you guys.” She said excitedly as she pinned the pictures to the bottom of her board before turning to us.

“Uh... We live with our uncle.” Louie offered uncertainly.

“On a boat..?” I said and I mentally slapped myself for not being able to think of anything useful. I blame Louie. It’s his fault my brain wants to keep thinking about Webby and how... she looks really adorable when she’s focused and listening.

“Go on.” Webby said, mainly looking at my brothers but I was glad to notice she would glance my way every few seconds.

“Kinda it. We’re just a normal, boring family. Well, for the most part...” Huey added and looked to me with a smirk.

Apparently, embarrassment does not go away if your siblings do everything to keep it there.

Webby completely ignored that last part, thankfully. “Normal? Boring? Ha!” She laughed before allowing the thing covering her board to roll up.

I am unashamed to say my jaw dropped.

It was basically an entire diagram board concerning my family’s history.

I stared at Webby, wanting to say something. Anything. I’d even be willing to even embarrass myself as long as it showed how impressed I was but nothing came out.

“Huey, Dewey, and Louie Duck.” She explained as she attached a random string around the pin holding up our poorly taken photo. Aw man! I had my eyes closed! “Scrooge McDuck’s great nephews on his sister Hortense’s side side, with Quackmore Duck twice removed.” She explained, practically bursting with untapped energy. I was curious if she ever ran out of energy.

I looked at the board more closely and right at the bottom right corner I saw a couple drawings scribbled in pieces of notebook paper.

“I’m guessing this is you.” I said, motioning towards the pink person-like figure on the picture.

“Oh, I’m Webby Vanderquack. My granny’s the housekeeper.” She explained to me, smiling. I smiled back and tried not to let my daydreams take over my mind again... Me and Webby around Christmas, her probably wearing an ugly Christmas sweater, looking as adorable as ever... Me and Webby under the mistletoe... ‘NO! Bad Dewey! Stop that! You’ve only just met her!’ I scolded myself but I’m a rebel so I talked back. To myself. ‘But it’s almost like you’ve known her forever.’

Ugh, I’m not dealing with this. Shut up brain.

“So, uh, what are we?” Webby inquired, sounding unsure.

I wanted to say something smooth to that. I used every bit of concentration and suaveness I had (which was quite a bit normally, but today I was pretty distracted).

“In love, I hope.” I said with a wink and my most charming grin.

Boy, and I had thought my face was red before.

Webby’s hands flew up to her face as if to hide the crimson that was quickly traveling all over her face. I took a couple steps toward her, unsure of where this confidence was coming from. I was about a foot away from her before I stopped.

Webby clearly was struggling to function and I grinned proudly, glad that I wasn’t the only one affected by my soulmate here. Webby moved her hands from her face and opened her beak. Then closed it only to open it again and say, “Cuddling releases natural painkillers!” Before she turned around and started writing on her board frantically.

She attached one string from her picture to the picture with me and my brothers and wrote “friends” in big, red marker. I felt a little hurt by that but I was still unsure of how to answer her random fact. Until she attached a little red string from her picture to the one that just had me and underneath the string she wrote “soulmates.” I grinned at her even though she was staring at the board intently, as if she planned to interrogate it.

“She’s right by the way,” Huey spoke up and we all turned to look at him. “It says here in the Junior Woodchuck Guidebook that, according to scientific studies, cuddling and/or snuggling are a natural pain reliever.

Louie smirked. “Well then, I need to be cuddled immediately ‘cause I’ve been in pain most of the day.” Louie said snarkily and I would’ve gotten mad if it weren’t for Webby.

“Why? Did you hurt yourself?” She asked, clearly confused. She looked at me then Huey and Louie, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

I saw Louie started to snicker and Huey was definitely trying to hide his amused grin behind his JWG. Webby stared at me, bewildered. “Never mind, Webby. I’ll have tell ya later.” I said and she continued to look confused.

“So, friend,” Louie started, motioning to the board where Webby wrote ‘friends.’ “What do you do for fun around here?”

“Oh. I’m the best at fun.” She said but it didn’t really sound like she meant it. She looked around for a second before she kicked open a vent and started to crawl through.

I grinned. Now, this was my kind of fun. Adventure!

I followed right behind her. I looked back at my brothers who were following behind me. “I sure am glad we ditched that Marble Room.”

———————-

We were crawling through the vents, enjoying exploring as Webby explained where we were.

I somehow ended up in the back because I was trying to remember exactly how to get anywhere in the maze.

“I have enough excitement caring for Webby.” The housekeeper, Mrs. Beakley, said below. She was talking to Uncle Scrooge, who looked like he was in some sort of weird deep sea diving suit. “Perhaps you should spend some time with your own family.”

“Oh, aye? Hang up my spats? Become the dotering old relic everyone thinks I am, spinning yarns to those loudmothed young’uns about the man I used to be?” Uncle Scrooge argued back and I did feel a bit guilty about watching them but... It was just too interesting.

“You have avoided them for ten years!” Mrs. Beakley argues and I’m guessing she was talking about us.

“Because,” Uncle Scrooge started, his voice slowly rising. “Family is nothing but TROUBLE!!!” He roared in his thick Scottish accent, turning towards Mrs. Beakley. Today was going so well until that moment. Honestly, I’m glad he’s avoided us if he thought of like that anyways. I hardened my face and kept moving, hoping to catch up with the others.

———————-

I managed to catch up to my brothers and Webby pretty quickly after that little scene I saw. It just made me feel really... upset, I guess, that some part of my family, even if we weren’t close, didn’t even like us at all. I get me and my brothers can be tough to deal with but to basically just to say you hate us? I tried to move those thoughts away and focus on happier things.

“-a bit over-protective.” I just heard Webby mid-sentence as I crawled out of the vent and landed in the floor. She seemed too lost in thought to notice that I caught up.

“She trains me to be ready for anything,” She said while going into a fighting stance. I’m guessing she meant her granny. “But then she says that I’ve got everything I need in here.” She paused and looked down sadly. I felt bad for her. Our Uncle Donald did the exact same thing but me and my brothers always rebelled. Webby’s too kind and innocent and sweet to try and do anything like that.

“But one day... I’m gonna see the world. I’m gonna be and EXPLORER! I’m gonna eat a hamburger.” She said seriously, while pointing in front of her dramatically. She glanced my way quickly before refocusing.

“We could bring you a hamburger.” Huey offered, him and Louie looking amused.

“You guys really are my best friends.” She stated gratefully as Huey and Louie walked off to explore the room. I leaned against the wall for a second as Webby watched my brothers walk away.

She turned towards me and smiled brightly. I had to force myself to not just smile and stare creepily. “Hamburgers are pretty good.”

She nodded. “That’s what I’ve heard! But come on, we can talk about hamburgers and their magical properties later.” She said excitedly before grabbing hold of my hand and leading me toward the door my brothers were staring at.

“Welcome to the Wing of Secrets!” Webby said mysteriously as she opened the door to the dark room.

Webby rushed in with Huey and Louie right behind. I stayed back, my mind still kept dwelling on why Uncle Scrooge seemingly hated us. I don’t think I did anything wrong other than just doing normal kid things like asking a bajillion questions at once.

There were so many things in here. Bones of dinosaurs and other unnameable creatures. A portrait of Scrooge standing over a naked bear. “I knew it!” Huey stated proudly as Louie poked at a small stone statue of Scrooge. “Dewey check it out!” Louie said with a smile while pointing at the statue.

“Yeah, whatever.” I said before walking off.

Okay, I did feel a little bad doing that but Uncle Scrooge’s words just kept coming back and making me angry and a little sad too. Why does he dislike us so much?

I heard Webby explain something to Huey as I wandered around the wing, looking at all the things Uncle Scrooge collected. All the things he was so busy getting, he didn’t even take time to tell us we’re related to him! I clenched my fists. I felt like punching something!

“Hi.” I heard from above. I immediately relaxed as soon as I heard the voice. Webby jumped off an enormous crate, did a flip in mid-air, and landed safely on her feet. She stood up straight and tilted her head to the side, looking worried. “Are you alright, Dewey?”

For a second, I didn’t answer because I was in awe of her. How on earth did I get someone this amazing as my soulmate?! I cleared my throat. “Yeah, I’m okay. I just...” I paused unsure of whether to tell her.

———————-

(Okay, I’ve gotta make a third part cuz I’m like only a part of the way through the story. I’m basically just following the script of the first episode lol. @cartoonlover233 here’s the second part! I’ll be working on the third part and it’ll probably be coming out soon! Oh and I’d like to thank @thatssweetnessdream for making the fan art of Debbigail that helped me get unstuck on this second part! :3)

[ankkalinna]

Hmm to be positive, I think I’ll talk about one of my favourite Don Rosa stories, definitely my fave Don Rosa Glomgold story.

Return to Plain awful

Read it here

This story is a sequel to a Carl Barks classic Lost in the Andes!  TBH I read this sequel before the original, dunno if I’d feel any differently if I was a big fan of the original, perhaps it is a bit superfluous but I don’t really feel it takes away from it too much.

Things to like:

Glomgold being the only one to figure out where Scrooge is heading to because he goes ‘Well what would I do?’ which tbh if you want to write Flinty as an evil villain like this at the very least you should make him an actual threat... Make his similarity to Scrooge an actual asset. He knows Scrooge well, use that, and in fact out of all of Don Rosa’s stories Flinty is the biggest threat in this one IMO.

Other things to like: the structure.

The issue with bunch of late-era Don Rosa treasure hunt stories is that they are formulaic. They go find a treasure, and then they go and... find the treasure.

Here it starts with the boys wanting to return the two chickens home. Scrooge funds their trip but with goals of his own; to get the square eggs to sell.

Then at 1/3 mark our heroes are already at the city, Scrooge angers the people inadvertently, and Glomgold arrives to complicate matters.

From here on out Scrooge’s (and Donald&HDL’s) goal changes into freeing Scrooge. Flinty still seeks to get the eggs but even for him sabotaging Scrooge to keep him there becomes a secondary goal.

And at this point Glomgold forms an alliance with Donald & HDL, for a time being, anyway, there is a bit about ice cream soda which ends with a:

All for nothing. Well, it does lead to Flinty using all of his money so he can’t get what he wants while Scrooge can buy his freedom.

Perhaps things would have gone differently for old Flinty if he did not backstab Scrooge. He did make a deal with Donald and HDL to help free Scrooge if he gets the rights to the eggs, and even though the ice cream soda plan was a bust, it’s possible Donald and the boys could have just strong armed Scrooge into buying Glomgold the eggs... In any case your chances would have been better, dude.

In any case the whole story ends with:

With Donald getting the last word, and all the loose ends tied.

Overall, I just like this story. Lot of the later Don Rosa treasure hunt stories were more straightforward, from point A to point B to point C until you get to X that marks the spot. Here the treasure itself is inconsequential in the end, it’s a story of two capitalists trying to get some eggs while struggling against a system they don’t understand because it doesn’t play by their rules until they just kinda go home.

And yet it’s a fun adventure. I had fun.

Don Rosa’s Flinty is at his best here too IMO, apart from perhaps Island at the edge of time... Here he manages to be an effective antagonist whose similarity to Scrooge is not only a thing but part of why he is a threat. Also it manages to combine that with him and Scrooge just being the same in the end.

[adamarinayu]

Hello me reacting to Jaw$ thx

Donald patting Dewey’s head was so soft, I love it. Also the entire first scene was golden, I loved it. Also, “Roxanne.” I have hyperfixated on that.

“Scrooge hates magic.” “Don’t trust them, Lena. They’d turn on you in an instant if they knew what you really are.”

So I was right, in the case of a Magic!Donald, Donald would have 100% hidden it because Scrooge openly hates magic. Also, it almost sounds like Magica does care about Lena, even though I’m preeeetty sure she’s just using her...

Wait.

“...our centuries old blood feud.” Magica, are you talking about the McDucks or Scrooge specifically..? Because that context would change... a lot of things.

(Also Magica with that evil laugh thing is starting to seem like a huge dork and I love her for it, but she’s also pretty scary despite that...)

“You know what I care about.” WELL I DON’T AND I WANT TO KNOW. Your dad???

Webby.... Webby, I love you, but why do you even have that? “Heh heh, noo...” Oh Lena... I love you.

BOYS. YOU RUN INTO WEBBY AND LENA’S SLEEPOVERS AND EXPECT TO BEAT THEM IN A PILLOW FIGHT. WHY?? “I regret everything!” Yeah I bet you do. 

BEAKLEY SPRAYING SCROOGE WITH A WATER BOTTLE. Perfect. But oh man, the voice she puts on- it’s putting me through the wringer like my god. Beakley, go become a voice actress with that. (Wait....)

LOUIE’S NARRATING THEM O HG MY GOD THEY’RE SO PRECIOUS but also geez Louie you sure know how to change your voice. HUEY BABY, SING. SIIIING!

That “.............” moment before they run screaming. Perfect.

LENA DON’T YOU DARE USE WEBBY’S TRUST IN YOU AND YOUR FRIENDSHIP AGAINST HER. 

Launchpad’s spidey sense is ting- THEY TOOK DONALD’S BOAT WHILE DONALD IS ASLEEP ON THE WATER WHAT THE DU-

Okay but Donald being a single parent of three rambunctious children must have taught him to sleep through anything because he just slept through the displacement of water and the sound of a freakin’ helicopter, mate.

The sound of the helicopter crashing after LP gets on the boat... I love this show omg.

So wait- did they just... grab money out of the bin, or out of the mansion, or did Donald have freakin’ gold and gems just sitting in his boat?! .... The kids had to have brought it with them. They couldn’t have reached it in the bin while staying safe on the boat, yeah?

Oh- so... okay. The houseboat’s living quarters are below deck. I mean it makes sense when you think about it but for some reason it hadn’t occurred to me that the front door led to stairs. Also the amount of pictures of the triplets on the wall is so dang soft.

Lena playing with the friendship bracelet, clearly she’s torn up by this... MAGICA STOP IT. ..... TIFFANY. Magica stop, don’t think for a moment Lena’s being dumb for having something you never did. STOP. My love for Lena grows, y’all. The way she says, “I’m sorry of I don’t want to be killed by a money shark!” I really like it. The voice actors in this show are just so perfect.

“I DOUBT THE SINCERITY OF YOUR APOLOGY.” Okay. “Just don’t get eaten until then.” UNTIL THEN?! The funny thing is, the dime isn’t even in the bin. Magica, what made you think Scrooge would put his #1 dime among all the other money in his bin?!

LOOK HOW WORRIED LOUIE LOOKS WHILE HUEY RATTLES OFF FACTS ABOUT SHARKS. Louie is a soft sensitive boi and he’s worried about his brother. HUG THIS DUCKLING. NOW.

CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE FACT THAT DONALD HAS A FREAKIN’ HARPOON GUN ON HIS BOAT?!?!?! Is that actually on Donald’s boat or is it something else they brought with them?! This episode is giving me so many questions about what Donald keeps in his house like geez.

Huey....... That was a very Donald thing to do. “DEWEY’S BROTHERS!” Launchpad, really?

How dare they name her Roxanne. (I’m just joking, don’t worry lol) OH MY GOD THE WAY THIS INTERVIEW STARTED, this entire thing was a set up by Beakley wasn’t it? ........... Yes, Beakley and Roxanne definitely set this up.

“Ugh, I hate magic.” “Hold your tongue! Magic is the family business.” “And the more we use it the more likely I am to get caught!” Welp.

The fact that Donald’s boat can move through gold like it’s water concerns me.

SCROOGE WENT ON A RANT ABOUT SCOTLAND I LOVE IT. Of course it was Glomgold haha. SCROOGE WHAT THE HECK okay maybe it’s not a set up after all.

“That’s not how magic works.” Welp, magic of friendship burned- WAIT IT’S ACTUALLY WORKING LENA TURNED BLUE INSTEAD OF PINK. Okay Lena stopped it. Welp.

Scrooge’s words immediately disproven. “I’m being told it now has legs.” “Oooof course it does.” I love it.

EVERYONE’S JUST STEALING SCROOGE’S GOLD ASDFGJKL

Scrooge mad about having to drive himself lol. Didn’t even think to wake Donald for it, but then again he has no time to obey the law huh...

LENA DO WHAT’S RIGHT BABY GIRL I KNOW YOU CAN DO IT. Just saying this episode is a lot darker than I was expecting from an episode about a shark made of money. Disappointed there’s not more Donald but eh...

“You beautiful idiot” Webby’s starting to get the hang of this best friends thing lol

I’m not a big fan of “the magic of friendship is the most powerful magic of all” but LENA MADE THE RIGHT CHOICE so I’m chill.

LAUNCHPAD THERE ARE TWO OTHER CHILDREN THERE TOO Y’KNOW. And your employer.

Scrooge freaking out over his gold not knowing where to start lol

“GENEROSITY” ASDFGHJKL GLOMGOLD I’M DYING Y’ALL

Scrooge is so hurting but as long as he has his #1 he’s all good lol

“You would have probably survived” Magica, you need to learn to care about your family. Sheesh.

“The dime does neither of us any good if I’m dead.” So Magica does need Lena for whatever she’s plotting... *side-eyes those upcoming episodes* Something’s gonna happen......

“YOUR FREEDOM” HOLY SMOKES NO. Okay Magica is a dork but she’s a dangerous dork who doesn’t give a darn about her own family. Ah geez, man... this is intense.

WOAH WAIT WHEN DID LAUNCHPAD START CALLING DONALD “DONALD”?! Also Donald is not a happy duck I’m sure- isn’t he spending his time FIXING THE BOAT so he and the boys can move back to the bay? This has set him back further than when he first started. How’s he supposed to live in the wreckage of his boat, anyway? (I mean he was already sleeping in the water so there’s that...)

Anyway, I loved this episode, it was super intense, so much more than I was expecting, and we got to see more of Magica’s personality and her dynamic with Lena. I think this Magica is a more serious and intense version of the character (which we already figured, from Terra-firmians when she basically said leave Beakley for dead), while still holding her eccentric personality- a hilarious character who actually feels like a threat. I like that. She’s a good villain and I love her, but a good person she is not. 

Disappointed in the lack of Donald, but at least he was here at all. *side-eyes other episodes* So overall 9/10. That missing point is Donald.