So FOWL eggmen break into a military establishment to steal a special secret weapon thingie, but lying in wait to stop them, it's--Gizmoduck? Yeah, I imagine that would've blown yer mind if you didn't know in advance that Fenton was making an appearance. Which you already would have, since the episodes were run in such an eccentric order. Man, you really fucked that chicken, Disney. Nonetheless and at any rate, here he is. I won't deny that part of my motive for wanting to see this show in the first place was the promise of the odd Gizmoduck cameo, so I was looking forward to this to an extent--although as I watched the show, I came to realize that he's much less necessary here than he was in Ducktales. In that show, he represented a new--and very welcome--element, but here, he's actually not all that different from Darkwing himself, and thus, while I'm still glad to see him, he seems a little superfluous. Also, in this episode at least, he seems much more obnoxious than he was in Ducktales, immediately making huge presumptions on Drake's hospitality without permission.
Anyway, Fenton heads to St. Canard to serve as a guard for this here weapon before it's unveiled to the public; Steelbeak wants him and DW to be enemies so he can get away with stealing it, so he tries to get something like that going. The best part in the episode, probably, is when they see a crime on TV and both start mouthing the same furtive-disguised-superhero-type dialogue. Then, they dash off to combat Steelbeak and learn to work together and shit, in spite of their initial animosity towards each other. Drake and Fenton, who still don't know one another's secret identities, still hate each other, however.
An okay episode, although as I said, not quite as thrilling as I would have thought it would be before watching any of the show.
Stray Observations
-Steelbeak bites DW's gas gun in half, which as far as I can remember is the first time that the steel-ness of his beak has actually played a part in an episode.
-According to the Darkwing Duck wiki, "Gizmoduck, unlike Darkwing Duck, is a popular and well-liked hero. Because of this Darkwing Duck sees him as a rival of sorts." I don't get it--are we supposed to think that everyone hates Darkwing? If so, the show does a remarkably poor job of getting this across.
-So Gosalyn and Honker are watching "Nightmare on Pelican Island," some sort of Gilligan's Island/Nightmare on Elm Street mash-up? Sure, I'd pay to see that.
Man, you really fucked that chicken, Disney.
ReplyDeleteYou know...it's been over 20 years. The guilty party really needs to be identified and held accountable. ;)
Also, in this episode at least, he seems much more obnoxious than he was in Ducktales
Given how he assumes the role of "prolonged house guest from Hell", it's pretty much made explicit that "annoying" is what we're supposed to think of as what defines Fenton! On DuckTales, if "looney", he was likeable, sweet, and (as you've discussed) an Everyman whom we rooted for. The fanboy in me (...well, okay, I may as well admit the utter outerness of my [non-inner] fanboy...) has always been obsessed with this episode, but I have to face the music: they did somewhat bastardize Fenton...
One thing that's always irked me, though: what the hell is the deal with, when Fenton arrives at Drake's household's front door, Launchpad and Fenton both dropping their jaws, awed and overjoyed, upon this unexpected reunion between what you'd think are life-long best friends, then commencing their secret handshake/inner primate bonding ritual? Apparently, during the time of those last 30-odd episodes of DuckTales, they hung out a lot off-camera...
According to the Darkwing Duck wiki, "Gizmoduck, unlike Darkwing Duck, is a popular and well-liked hero. Because of this Darkwing Duck sees him as a rival of sorts." I don't get it--are we supposed to think that everyone hates Darkwing? If so, the show does a remarkably poor job of getting this across.
Well, you know how weird fan wikis can be. ;)
I think -- as was more so overt in DuckTales' "The Masked Mallard" -- this angle was inspired by The Dark Knight Returns, with Gizmoduck being Superman's "Boy Scout" to Darkwing's (kind of) grizzled lone rogue.
But you make a good point about Darkwing's relationship to the public. I guess the show never consistently or specifically defined it, but the general impression I always got was that, per his ego, DW felt he should be embraced and celebrated by the masses, but in reality, they were largely oblivious to him; and when he was visible, they looked upon him askance, and at times -- at least in the case of some individuals -- they were put off, to varying degrees.
Ryan