Okay, so in this episode we get the name of FOWL--the Fiendish Organization for World Larceny--spelt out. In "Double-0 Duck" it was "foreign" instead of "fiendish," which you have to admit is funnier. Anyway, Darkwing and Launchpad have to go to this here Oilrabia place to stop these folks form stealing the country's oil via a weather-control machine. Spearheading this effort is this Steelbeak fellow--a rooster with a, uh, steel beak, who's a mobster sort of guy. Oh, and there's interpersonal conflict, because Launchpad, suddenly dissatisfied with being a sidekick, insists on taking the "hero" role and having DW assist, leading to some resentful seething. But then they iron things out. Huzzah.
Hate to say it, but this episode was a bit of a slog. While I think creating conflict between DW and LP is a good idea in principle, it feels very forced here, and more irritating than anything else. Also, the evil plot is kind of half-baked, and while I will concede that Steelbeak perhaps has potential as a villain, here at least he doesn't make anywhere near the impression of your Bushroots or your Megavolts.
Not howlingly terrible or anything, and not incompetent in the vein of the worst Ducktales episodes, but...well, indifferently-crafted, is what I might diplomatically call it. There's a strong sense of going-through-the-motions. Surely the weakest episode thusfar, and not one I'd be especially keen to watch again.
Stray Observations
-"Hey, you can't be slave to a schedule--it causes stress!"
-Okay, the car-on-a-camel setup is kind of funny.
This one probably would have been a little better if it wasn't animated by Kennedy Cartoons, who found a temporary safe haven at Disney for a few years after being let go at Warners after a season of Tiny Toons. They actually do some good work in a few episodes later this season, but this show is just too rubbery and bland.
ReplyDeleteAnd as a side note, this has the lowest production number in the series.