This one is, I think, more Ma-Beagle-centric than any other episode to date. That's not a bad thing: she's about the only thing I like, Ducktales-Beagles-wise, and seeing her threatening society people and brandishing a blackjack while wearing an absurdly gaudy evening gown--let alone threatening similar people at gunpoint into playing hopscotch(?) with her--is definitely amusing.
So yeah, with the RC-controlled Gizmoduck's help, the Beagles have nabbed Scrooge's bin, necessitating that he sell his mansion for cash, which the Beagles buy. You know…I know that even in Barks, the question of whether Scrooge's bin actually represents ALL of his money is answered in contradictory ways in different stories, but for whatever reason, the way his being-left-penniless here worked just sorta makes me roll my eyes. It just feels very forced. Also, the idea that the Beagles can get away with this because, hey, who KNOWS where their sudden windfall of cash came from? Well, obviously I know better than to expect anything like realism on Ducktales, but last night on Breaking Bad, a problem that came up was that the business that the protagonists bought for money-laundering purposes wasn't big enough to plausibly launder all the meth money coming in. Hey, I KNOW it's unfair and somewhat insane to compare Ducktales and Breaking Bad! But it's front and center in my mind! I can't HELP it! And Ducktales is NOT doing well in this comparison.
But never mind--it's still a pretty good episode, though not particularly Fenton-heavy. You'd think they might've done a bit more with his plight as a Beagle-slave--and his "escape" (HDL just swipe the control; no problem) is a little anti-climactic, but hey, you know, it's Ducktales. It wasn't half bad. It wasn't. Half. Bad.
Stray Observations
-Ma Beagle has tattoos of hearts with arrows through them on both her arms. Love to know what the story is there.
-Even assuming that the tour guide is somehow empowered to sell Ma Beagle the Venus de Milo equivalent, it would sure as hell have to be be for a lot more than four hundred thousand dollars. Some Ducktales writer that we could name if we could be bothered to look up his or her name is wholly unfamiliar with the world of art collecting.
-Scrooge disguised as a baby? There's some serious size-distortion going on for that to be even remotely plausible.
-The idea that HDL can't tell each other apart without their color-coding seems extremely dubious, especially after "The Duck in the Iron Mask."
-Dude, you can't simultaneously have the Bin-money be Scrooge's only source of cash and have him have sentimental attachments to specific bits of money. One or the other! Otherwise it's just dumb.
-Okay, I KNOW I'm not supposed to question these things, but the idea that the Beagles themselves would be allowed to serve on Scrooge's jury? Come the fuck on.
This episode is Exhibit A for my theory that Duckburg is a festering cesspool of corruption. If you throw your money around in the right places, you can pick your own judge and jury, get innocent people arrested, and force people to do whatever you want.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't be surprised if the museum tour guide just pocketed the entire $400,000 and then said, "No, I haven't a clue what happened to the statue. Someone must have walked in and taken it. By the way, I'm retiring now."
Exhibit B: "You haven't a chance! The city is broke and the judge wants a raise!" (Sign on courtroom podium, Barks story)
ReplyDeleteWhich Barks story is that? I don't remember that one.
ReplyDelete