How bizarre: prior to watching this episode, I was sure I had seen it before, but the only fragmentary scene I "remembered" from it--Donald from behind after, either getting out of the navy or going on leave or SOMETHING--is most definitely NOT in the episode itself. Huh.
Seems odd to put two naval episode featuring Donald back-to-back, but there you have it. There's a cool intro in which the ship is being menaced by a storm and running into dangerous reef territory, and the waves and the crags are personified with "evil" faces, and I thought hey, yeah, Donald can beat an octopus, GOOD GOING! and it wasn't until he entered the cabin to steer the ship to safety that I realized, darn--this is gonna be all a dream.
Well, a fantasy, anyway, that he's telling to the kids. It's certainly an appropriately Barksian thing for him to get in trouble due to his ego getting carried away like this, so kudos to that--he certainly plays a better role here than he did last episode.
Anyway, I suppose it's just burying the lede to have gone this long without mentioning that this episode feature the PHANTOM BLOT as a villain. You know, I've always thought the very idea of the Blot as a recurring comics villain is kind of dumb--the whole point of the character in the original Gottfredson story is that he's mysterious. But once we learn his True Identity...well, he's just some guy. So now Some Guy is a recurring Mickey villain, to what I have generally found to be minimal effect.
The Blot here has even less relationship to the original character than the latter-day comics version does; he's all over-the-top cackling and megalomaniacal. Fact remains, though, few if any of the people in the show's target audience are gonna have been familiar with the character at all, and stipulating that this guy has little or nothing to do with the original, he's pretty effective. He actually has comparatively little screen time, but his ranting IS entertaining to watch, and I have to admit, I was not expecting--spoiler alert!--for Grimitz's ass-kissing adjutant to be in league with him.
Oh, yeah, anyway, the Blot tries to steal an experimental invisible plane--though the idea that he's going to somehow be able to RULE THE WORLD with this plane needs some fine-tuning. He fails, and Donald…well, doesn't really save the day in any particularly profound way. It's not like lighting signal flares to let Scrooge's and Launchpad's plane land was a particularly brilliant idea. Oh well. The kids making a medal for him at the end is nicely reminiscent of the Barks ten-pager in which he tries out for the Olympics, and the meta-y business of the medal showing a Wheel-of-Fortune-type show in which "Duck Tales" is the solution is fun.
Stray Observations
-"A net! And I don't mean Funicello!" GROAN.
-Seems like the idea of the nephews stowing away in luggage is a bit ragged by this point…
-Pretty dumb of Grimitz & Co to think that HDL's remote-control thing is a shark, but it's funny when Donald shoots it with a flaregun and just sets the top of it on fire. I fail to see why he shouldn't get credit for having done that--not HIS fault it goes out of control.
-"It's nice to be fishing again!" "Aye! And THESE fish DESERVE to be caught!" As opposed, presumably, to regular fish, who are just innocent victims.
Friday, July 8, 2011
Ducktales, Season One, Episode Fifty-Seven: "Spies in Their Eyes"
He's a DUCK--TALES--HERO, got spies in his eyes!
Sorry, but I fail to see how anyone can talk about this episode and not use that one.
Anyway, here's Donald! Let there be much rejoicing! Although he doesn't exactly have a lot of agency in the episode, which is a bit of a bummer. The idea is that he's on shore leave in Singapore (we're all as mad as hatters here!); the sinister spy Cinnamon Teal hypnotizes him into stealing the navy's experimental…submarine computer thing, for which he is arrested, until Scrooge and HDL can prove his innocence.
The place is crawling with spies, is the idea, and there's a very cool scene in which the hypnotized Donald visits a den of spies, the Cloak & Dagger, to drop off the stolen thing, and a whole bunch of unrelated spies try to accost him with various cryptic things. Nice and atmospheric, and the whole thing recalls Barks' "Dangerous Disguise" in a limited but pleasant way. 'Course, then the scene is reprised in the light of day by Scrooge and HDL to much lesser effect, but what the hey.
Cinnamon Teal is a pretty great femme fatale, and I like the fact that, in spite of the fact that she's pretty clearly villainous (even if she had reason to steal the thing, she did it to get back papers that would incriminate her, so she was clearly guilty of SOMETHING) she doesn't get taken down in the end. The pig-face spy who's blackmailing her is pretty cool at first, but he degenerates precipitously towards the end. Spies are supposed to steal information and sensitive items. They're not supposed to just go around blasting at ships for no stated reason. Be less stupid, Ducktales!
But you know, whatever; it's a pretty good episode all told.
Stray Observations
-Louie: "What's hypnosis?" Dewey: "It's when you walk around in a daze and don't know what you're doing!" "That sounds like Unca Donald, all right!" No, it sounds like the forced setup for a stupid joke at the expense of character. STOP DOING THAT.
-You know, I think that if Donald's actually been convicted of espionage, he's gonna get way worse than just being discharged…
-Grimitz doing a hypnotized ballerina act=pretty funny.
-"You tore up my contracts!" Scrooge rages at the end, Donald having confused them with his discharge papers. But dude, WHO CARES? If the navy wants to buy stuff from you, why would that possibly matter? RRRGH.
Sorry, but I fail to see how anyone can talk about this episode and not use that one.
Anyway, here's Donald! Let there be much rejoicing! Although he doesn't exactly have a lot of agency in the episode, which is a bit of a bummer. The idea is that he's on shore leave in Singapore (we're all as mad as hatters here!); the sinister spy Cinnamon Teal hypnotizes him into stealing the navy's experimental…submarine computer thing, for which he is arrested, until Scrooge and HDL can prove his innocence.
The place is crawling with spies, is the idea, and there's a very cool scene in which the hypnotized Donald visits a den of spies, the Cloak & Dagger, to drop off the stolen thing, and a whole bunch of unrelated spies try to accost him with various cryptic things. Nice and atmospheric, and the whole thing recalls Barks' "Dangerous Disguise" in a limited but pleasant way. 'Course, then the scene is reprised in the light of day by Scrooge and HDL to much lesser effect, but what the hey.
Cinnamon Teal is a pretty great femme fatale, and I like the fact that, in spite of the fact that she's pretty clearly villainous (even if she had reason to steal the thing, she did it to get back papers that would incriminate her, so she was clearly guilty of SOMETHING) she doesn't get taken down in the end. The pig-face spy who's blackmailing her is pretty cool at first, but he degenerates precipitously towards the end. Spies are supposed to steal information and sensitive items. They're not supposed to just go around blasting at ships for no stated reason. Be less stupid, Ducktales!
But you know, whatever; it's a pretty good episode all told.
Stray Observations
-Louie: "What's hypnosis?" Dewey: "It's when you walk around in a daze and don't know what you're doing!" "That sounds like Unca Donald, all right!" No, it sounds like the forced setup for a stupid joke at the expense of character. STOP DOING THAT.
-You know, I think that if Donald's actually been convicted of espionage, he's gonna get way worse than just being discharged…
-Grimitz doing a hypnotized ballerina act=pretty funny.
-"You tore up my contracts!" Scrooge rages at the end, Donald having confused them with his discharge papers. But dude, WHO CARES? If the navy wants to buy stuff from you, why would that possibly matter? RRRGH.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Ducktales, Season One, Episode Fifty-Six: "Once Upon a Dime"
Apologies for the lack of updates--I've just been preoccupied with this and that. But come hell or high water, I AM going to finish this.
This episode is Scrooge's biography--the Ducktales version of the L&T, I suppose. Rosa doesn't exactly have much to worry about, though. The episode opens really, really stupidly--oh no; what's happened to Scrooge's Number-One Dime? Oh look, HDL took it: "We gave you our lucky quarter instead!" "It's a quarter--that makes it two and a half times luckier than your dime!" Really, people? After all this time, we're meant to buy that HDL have no goddamn clue about the dime's significance? That really takes stupidity to the limit, and it demonstrates a pretty profound disrespect for the audience.
Anyway, Scrooge starts learnin' them a lesson about his past and the dime's True Meaning. I was actually sort of impressed by how many Barksian--and not JUST Barksian, either--facts the episode tossed in, albeit in a somewhat haphazard way: Scrooge getting his first dime shining a ditch-digger's boots, using a mass-shoe-shining contraption, having a river-rat uncle in the states and getting in a riverboat race (he leaves Scotland as a teenager, contradicting "The Curse of Castle McDuck," but whatever…)…alas, none of this really adds up to much good, however. There's an abundance of really dumb shit here, and what are some really good sequences in theory--the race, his Klondike days--are incredibly cursory in execution. The fact that the episode is saturated with stupid kilt and bagpipe jokes really shows just how much wit and creativity went into this one.
Also worthy of derision: he strikes oil--and thus becomes rich--purely by luck (he was just digging a hole to bury his dime!). That fundamentally misunderstands the character, and it's the most egregious example of the "lucky dime" heresy we've seen yet: "All thanks to my lucky number one dime!" Also, he becomes a diamond magnate. How? Well, he gets a coal field in Africa. He scatters some peanuts around, causing an elephant stampede, and the pressure of the elephants on the coal causes oh for fuck's sake I can't even finish that sentence, it's such a stupid idea. In fact, although god knows it has plenty of competition, I daresay it may be the dumbest thing in Ducktales thusfar. Take a bow, you dopey bastards.
Stray Observations
-"How are we supposed to spend American money in Scotland?" YEAH, THAT'S A PROBLEM ALL RIGHT--EVEN IF YOU'RE RICH IN ONE COUNTRY, YOU'RE AUTOMATICALLY BROKE IF YOU EVER VISIT ANOTHER BECAUSE THERE'S NO WAY TO TRANSFER MONEY. YOU'D THINK THEY'D HAVE COME UP WITH SOME SORT OF SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM.
-Okay, the cowboy Beagles are sort of amusing.
-A really, really weird bit where a hitchhiking Scrooge hitches up his kilt to show some leg to get a ride. Who the hell is this episode for, anyway?
-Hey, did you know that the REAL treasure is family? Perfect point of comparison: Rosa did this same thing, more or less, at the end of the L&T, but, sentimentalist though he is, he avoided getting too goopily saccharine, 'cause who wants that? No such restraint in this episode, big surprise.
This episode is Scrooge's biography--the Ducktales version of the L&T, I suppose. Rosa doesn't exactly have much to worry about, though. The episode opens really, really stupidly--oh no; what's happened to Scrooge's Number-One Dime? Oh look, HDL took it: "We gave you our lucky quarter instead!" "It's a quarter--that makes it two and a half times luckier than your dime!" Really, people? After all this time, we're meant to buy that HDL have no goddamn clue about the dime's significance? That really takes stupidity to the limit, and it demonstrates a pretty profound disrespect for the audience.
Anyway, Scrooge starts learnin' them a lesson about his past and the dime's True Meaning. I was actually sort of impressed by how many Barksian--and not JUST Barksian, either--facts the episode tossed in, albeit in a somewhat haphazard way: Scrooge getting his first dime shining a ditch-digger's boots, using a mass-shoe-shining contraption, having a river-rat uncle in the states and getting in a riverboat race (he leaves Scotland as a teenager, contradicting "The Curse of Castle McDuck," but whatever…)…alas, none of this really adds up to much good, however. There's an abundance of really dumb shit here, and what are some really good sequences in theory--the race, his Klondike days--are incredibly cursory in execution. The fact that the episode is saturated with stupid kilt and bagpipe jokes really shows just how much wit and creativity went into this one.
Also worthy of derision: he strikes oil--and thus becomes rich--purely by luck (he was just digging a hole to bury his dime!). That fundamentally misunderstands the character, and it's the most egregious example of the "lucky dime" heresy we've seen yet: "All thanks to my lucky number one dime!" Also, he becomes a diamond magnate. How? Well, he gets a coal field in Africa. He scatters some peanuts around, causing an elephant stampede, and the pressure of the elephants on the coal causes oh for fuck's sake I can't even finish that sentence, it's such a stupid idea. In fact, although god knows it has plenty of competition, I daresay it may be the dumbest thing in Ducktales thusfar. Take a bow, you dopey bastards.
Stray Observations
-"How are we supposed to spend American money in Scotland?" YEAH, THAT'S A PROBLEM ALL RIGHT--EVEN IF YOU'RE RICH IN ONE COUNTRY, YOU'RE AUTOMATICALLY BROKE IF YOU EVER VISIT ANOTHER BECAUSE THERE'S NO WAY TO TRANSFER MONEY. YOU'D THINK THEY'D HAVE COME UP WITH SOME SORT OF SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM.
-Okay, the cowboy Beagles are sort of amusing.
-A really, really weird bit where a hitchhiking Scrooge hitches up his kilt to show some leg to get a ride. Who the hell is this episode for, anyway?
-Hey, did you know that the REAL treasure is family? Perfect point of comparison: Rosa did this same thing, more or less, at the end of the L&T, but, sentimentalist though he is, he avoided getting too goopily saccharine, 'cause who wants that? No such restraint in this episode, big surprise.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Ducktales, Season One, Episode Fifty-Five: "Dr. Jekyll & Mr. McDuck"
The title card uses an ampersand, but the back of the DVD case spells out "and." I just don't know who to trust anymore!
Man, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde--it was probably only an abridged version, but still--terrified the shit out of me when I was small. The idea of a guy losing his identity like that really did a number on me.
Nobody would describe this episode as "terrifying," though the opening sequence does up a pretty okay late-Victorian-style fog-and-gaslight ambiance. And then, the evil "Jack the Tripper," appears and we're off on what is, on balance, not a bad episode, though solidly on the goofy side.
Scrooge and the kids are at an auction, and nobody is willing to bet on an old chest--Scrooge is actually rather dickish about the undesirability of owning this chest--'til Gladstone shows up and accidentally bets a fiver on it; unsurprisingly, it turns out to be full of riches and Scrooge, apparently not understanding the nature of Gladstone even a little, bets big cash on the next chest, which turns out to contain the effects of Dr. Jekyll (who, we see, looks exactly like Scrooge, just 'cause). Long story short, he invented a cologne that makes you give away your money like a maniac and is triggered whenever you come into contact with money (you snap out of it when sprayed with water, in a vaguely Ranma-esque touch) but Jack the Tripper steals it so as to rob people more easily and the ducks go after him to London to try to find an antidote for Scrooge. They are aided by, um, "Shedlock Jones," who is also after his archnemesis--it pains me a little to write this--"Professor Moodydoody." And then they find the antidote and blahdy blah.
The definitive "Scrooge gets nuts with giving stuff away" is and ever shall be Barks' "Thrifty Spendthrift," but it's kind of okay to watch him go nuts here; his concentric-circles crazy-eyes and puffed-out whiskers are good, and there's a cool scene with him quickly vacillating between normal and generous that works. Moodydoody (DID YOU GUESS THAT HE WAS THE SAME PERSON AS JACK THE TRIPPER?!? YOU'RE SO SMART!) ain't much as archvillains go, and HDL grate a bit, but eh. I've seen much worse.
Stray Observations
Scrooge just cavalierly sprays hundred-year-old cologne on his face without testing it or ANYTHING. Great idea!
-When Scrooge is first "infected," before anyone knows what's going on, he tosses some bills to passersby. HDL: "Unca Scrooge! What are you doing?!? That's our inheritance!" A remarkably dickish and out-of-character reaction from them, I must say.
"While I was thinking, I got to thinking."
Hey, a six-hour time difference between Duckburg and London that means the kids have more time than they thought to use the antidote. That…actually works out perfectly, somewhat amazingly. Amazing how the show can be slapdash in so many ways yet so on-the-ball about something like that.
Man, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde--it was probably only an abridged version, but still--terrified the shit out of me when I was small. The idea of a guy losing his identity like that really did a number on me.
Nobody would describe this episode as "terrifying," though the opening sequence does up a pretty okay late-Victorian-style fog-and-gaslight ambiance. And then, the evil "Jack the Tripper," appears and we're off on what is, on balance, not a bad episode, though solidly on the goofy side.
Scrooge and the kids are at an auction, and nobody is willing to bet on an old chest--Scrooge is actually rather dickish about the undesirability of owning this chest--'til Gladstone shows up and accidentally bets a fiver on it; unsurprisingly, it turns out to be full of riches and Scrooge, apparently not understanding the nature of Gladstone even a little, bets big cash on the next chest, which turns out to contain the effects of Dr. Jekyll (who, we see, looks exactly like Scrooge, just 'cause). Long story short, he invented a cologne that makes you give away your money like a maniac and is triggered whenever you come into contact with money (you snap out of it when sprayed with water, in a vaguely Ranma-esque touch) but Jack the Tripper steals it so as to rob people more easily and the ducks go after him to London to try to find an antidote for Scrooge. They are aided by, um, "Shedlock Jones," who is also after his archnemesis--it pains me a little to write this--"Professor Moodydoody." And then they find the antidote and blahdy blah.
The definitive "Scrooge gets nuts with giving stuff away" is and ever shall be Barks' "Thrifty Spendthrift," but it's kind of okay to watch him go nuts here; his concentric-circles crazy-eyes and puffed-out whiskers are good, and there's a cool scene with him quickly vacillating between normal and generous that works. Moodydoody (DID YOU GUESS THAT HE WAS THE SAME PERSON AS JACK THE TRIPPER?!? YOU'RE SO SMART!) ain't much as archvillains go, and HDL grate a bit, but eh. I've seen much worse.
Stray Observations
Scrooge just cavalierly sprays hundred-year-old cologne on his face without testing it or ANYTHING. Great idea!
-When Scrooge is first "infected," before anyone knows what's going on, he tosses some bills to passersby. HDL: "Unca Scrooge! What are you doing?!? That's our inheritance!" A remarkably dickish and out-of-character reaction from them, I must say.
"While I was thinking, I got to thinking."
Hey, a six-hour time difference between Duckburg and London that means the kids have more time than they thought to use the antidote. That…actually works out perfectly, somewhat amazingly. Amazing how the show can be slapdash in so many ways yet so on-the-ball about something like that.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Ducktales, Season One, Episode Fifty-Four: "Nothing to Fear"
Scrooge and company start hallucinating their--apparently--primal fears: Duckworth is chased by Scrooge's limo-turned-panther; HDL are threatened by the villain from their videogame, Commander Gander (who, in spite of his name, is a pig-creature); Doofus is threatened by a giant, evil banana (no comment); and for Scrooge, of course, it's bill-collectors. All of this is actually kind of cool and interesting; the only problem is that it's so painfully obvious right from the start that Magica's gonna turn out to be behind everything, and that makes it really a lot more boring. I suppose it would've been asking rather too much for the whole thing to just be an inexplicable, existential nightmare, but still…
Magica actually doesn't play an overly intrusive role for most of the episode, however, and there's some neat stuff in the meantime, as when Scrooge and HDL encounter 'evil' versions of one another who presumably represent their worst fears of what the other could think of them, which is actually pretty distressing even though you know they're just fakes. And yeah, okay, fuck you, it's a little bit heartwarming when they realize that they don't really hate one another. Also, even if her plan is as banal as you could possibly imagine, she does look pretty cool lounging on top of a black storm cloud with an umbrella. The ending is very much rushed--quick, everyone, just stand up to your fears and they'll all disappear like that, poof--but that's ultimately for the best. Dragging this out would be a rather unpromising thing to do.
Stray Observations
-The kids' teacher is an evil-looking vulture, apparently.
-"I'm sorry I didn't believe you about the giant banana or Commander Gander."
"What about the limo monster, sir?" "Don't push it, Duckworth."
-The videogame HDL are playing is simultaneously too advanced and too primitive to actually have ever existed except possibly as some sorta postmodern flash parody game.
Magica actually doesn't play an overly intrusive role for most of the episode, however, and there's some neat stuff in the meantime, as when Scrooge and HDL encounter 'evil' versions of one another who presumably represent their worst fears of what the other could think of them, which is actually pretty distressing even though you know they're just fakes. And yeah, okay, fuck you, it's a little bit heartwarming when they realize that they don't really hate one another. Also, even if her plan is as banal as you could possibly imagine, she does look pretty cool lounging on top of a black storm cloud with an umbrella. The ending is very much rushed--quick, everyone, just stand up to your fears and they'll all disappear like that, poof--but that's ultimately for the best. Dragging this out would be a rather unpromising thing to do.
Stray Observations
-The kids' teacher is an evil-looking vulture, apparently.
-"I'm sorry I didn't believe you about the giant banana or Commander Gander."
"What about the limo monster, sir?" "Don't push it, Duckworth."
-The videogame HDL are playing is simultaneously too advanced and too primitive to actually have ever existed except possibly as some sorta postmodern flash parody game.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Ducktales, Season One, Episode Fifty-Three: "The Status Seekers"
It opens with Scrooge playing an impromptu football game with the kids, and distracting the opponents with somewhat dubious means--nicely recalls Barks' "September Scrimmage," I suppose. Anyway, he gets determined to fit into high society, and blah blah, you know the Barks story, which this for the most part follows fairly faithfully, though the candy-striped ruby becomes the "Mask of Kuthululu" (a riff on Cthulhu (I am amused to see that my spellcheck here recognizes "Cthulhu"), I suppose, though it doesn't look notably Lovecraftian). I can't help thinking it lacks that essential Barksian je ne sais quoi, however--probably because, let's face it, the Ducktales versions of these characters simply aren't as good as Barks' are. Also, the ending is changed: this time around, Scrooge learns that snobbery is bad and shit after the club members decree that he can't be in the club, let alone be president, if he keeps associating with common people and whatnot, though this seems to be contradicted by the fact that they seemingly have no problem with a crazy homeless guy with a painting strapped to his back indiscriminately raiding the buffet being a member. Whatever.
I'm sorta starting to realize that Ducktales episodes break down as follows: a handful of really exceptional ones. A slightly bigger handful of the absolutely execrable. And a big middle ground of episodes that aren't notably bad in any particular way, but that don't inspire any sort of passion or anything either. This one falls right in there. Sure, I guess there's some vague efforts at social commentary about class consciousness and whatnot, but no credit just for showing up--it has to be done with a certain panache which this show rarely seems able to muster. Grrbah. I don't know why I'm being so negative here, except that I DEMAND EXCELLENCE, dammit! The merely-competent can suck it!
Stray Observations
-How to beat an already-feeble joke into the ground: "I'd like a table!" "Oui, monsieur." "No, not we--just me!" "No no, I said 'oui,' monsieur--that is a classy French word for 'yes!'" Yeah, thanks for that--without the explanation, it wouldn't have been nearly so hilarious. As you may recall, Scrooge is supposed to be something of a polyglot from all his business travel--and now, in the name of a lame joke, he doesn't know the most well-known-by-English-speakers French word there is? Unimpressive writing, Ducktales people.
-…though I suppose I'll admit that it was at least somewhat subtle of the show to imply his lack of sophistication by having him pronounce "garçon" as "garkon," and not immediately spelling out What They Just Did There.
-Seriously, how totally predictable was it that, as soon as the waiter set the dessert on fire, Launchpad would freak out and spray it with water?
-Battmounten cameo appearance at the Billionaires' Club.
-The bad guy speaking "ha ha ha" in his posh accent is pretty funny.
-The giant jellyfish is holding their sub in the air, so Launchpad somehow makes it just sort of exude electricity so it lets them down. Mumblemumblescience.
-Nothing to do with the episode, but in rereading the Barks story, I realized--I had completely forgotten this--that it's a rare example of Barksian continuity, as it explicitly references "All at Sea." Nice.
I'm sorta starting to realize that Ducktales episodes break down as follows: a handful of really exceptional ones. A slightly bigger handful of the absolutely execrable. And a big middle ground of episodes that aren't notably bad in any particular way, but that don't inspire any sort of passion or anything either. This one falls right in there. Sure, I guess there's some vague efforts at social commentary about class consciousness and whatnot, but no credit just for showing up--it has to be done with a certain panache which this show rarely seems able to muster. Grrbah. I don't know why I'm being so negative here, except that I DEMAND EXCELLENCE, dammit! The merely-competent can suck it!
Stray Observations
-How to beat an already-feeble joke into the ground: "I'd like a table!" "Oui, monsieur." "No, not we--just me!" "No no, I said 'oui,' monsieur--that is a classy French word for 'yes!'" Yeah, thanks for that--without the explanation, it wouldn't have been nearly so hilarious. As you may recall, Scrooge is supposed to be something of a polyglot from all his business travel--and now, in the name of a lame joke, he doesn't know the most well-known-by-English-speakers French word there is? Unimpressive writing, Ducktales people.
-…though I suppose I'll admit that it was at least somewhat subtle of the show to imply his lack of sophistication by having him pronounce "garçon" as "garkon," and not immediately spelling out What They Just Did There.
-Seriously, how totally predictable was it that, as soon as the waiter set the dessert on fire, Launchpad would freak out and spray it with water?
-Battmounten cameo appearance at the Billionaires' Club.
-The bad guy speaking "ha ha ha" in his posh accent is pretty funny.
-The giant jellyfish is holding their sub in the air, so Launchpad somehow makes it just sort of exude electricity so it lets them down. Mumblemumblescience.
-Nothing to do with the episode, but in rereading the Barks story, I realized--I had completely forgotten this--that it's a rare example of Barksian continuity, as it explicitly references "All at Sea." Nice.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Ducktales, Season One, Episode Fifty-Two: "The Uncrashable Hindentanic"
Glomgold bets Scrooge he can make money off of anything, so Scrooge gets stuck having to make an old blimp skyworthy again. It takes off with various wacky passengers, and in spite of a meteor shower and Glomgold's sabotage efforts, Scrooge ultimately wins out (duh).
Man, finally, an episode that I can praise wholeheartedly. The actual story here is not particularly coherent, but that's okay, because it's really just a vehicle for goofy characters and dumb, anarchic jokes. You have left-behind silent-film actress Gloria Swansong (whose crowning moment, apparently, was a movie in which she ministers to sick sheep) and her awesome pig assistant; you have the lounge singer Bert Quackerack (this is one episode where I can actually accept the terrible names), who appears to be either a parrot or some sort of turtle, and in either case the name seems inapropos; you have a guy who you know is meant to be based on Carl Sagan 'cause he says "billions and billions" a bunch of times; you have the mentally incompetent captain from "Bermuda Triangle Tangle"--it's good times. There's a bandaged character on his way to London for a beak transplant; he has seemingly no purpose except so the episode can build up to a terrible joke ("Hey! This soup came with a bill!" "Wha'dya think, it was free?"). There's a totally inexplicable part where an apparent would-be hijacker (ne'er seen before or after) threatens to whack Beakley with a mallet: "Take this blimp to London!" "We're already going there!" "Oh!" [puts away mallet embarrassedly) "Then can I have a soda?" Guh? The whole thing is super-crazy and super-cool, and it comes as no surprise that it was written by the same guys behind "Double-0-Duck."
More like this!
Stray Observations
-"I'll make this turkey fly even if it takes all the money in my money bin!" "But sir, turkeys can't fly either!" There's no good reason for me getting as annoyed as I do when people make this mistake, but the fact remains: TURKEYS CAN FLY. Thank you.
-…but seriously, yeah, we know Launchpad's kinda dumb, and you can see him fucking up the spelling of "Hindentanic," but replacing the 't' with a 'p'? C'mon.
-Super-forced, absurd Casablanca parody that would probably have irritated me in any other context, but here it just feels natural--so I'll content myself with noting that "play it again, Sam" is not, in fact, a line from Casablanca. Though that may well be part of the point.
-"I've been on rocky flights before, but this is ridiculous!" Argh! See what I mean?
Man, finally, an episode that I can praise wholeheartedly. The actual story here is not particularly coherent, but that's okay, because it's really just a vehicle for goofy characters and dumb, anarchic jokes. You have left-behind silent-film actress Gloria Swansong (whose crowning moment, apparently, was a movie in which she ministers to sick sheep) and her awesome pig assistant; you have the lounge singer Bert Quackerack (this is one episode where I can actually accept the terrible names), who appears to be either a parrot or some sort of turtle, and in either case the name seems inapropos; you have a guy who you know is meant to be based on Carl Sagan 'cause he says "billions and billions" a bunch of times; you have the mentally incompetent captain from "Bermuda Triangle Tangle"--it's good times. There's a bandaged character on his way to London for a beak transplant; he has seemingly no purpose except so the episode can build up to a terrible joke ("Hey! This soup came with a bill!" "Wha'dya think, it was free?"). There's a totally inexplicable part where an apparent would-be hijacker (ne'er seen before or after) threatens to whack Beakley with a mallet: "Take this blimp to London!" "We're already going there!" "Oh!" [puts away mallet embarrassedly) "Then can I have a soda?" Guh? The whole thing is super-crazy and super-cool, and it comes as no surprise that it was written by the same guys behind "Double-0-Duck."
More like this!
Stray Observations
-"I'll make this turkey fly even if it takes all the money in my money bin!" "But sir, turkeys can't fly either!" There's no good reason for me getting as annoyed as I do when people make this mistake, but the fact remains: TURKEYS CAN FLY. Thank you.
-…but seriously, yeah, we know Launchpad's kinda dumb, and you can see him fucking up the spelling of "Hindentanic," but replacing the 't' with a 'p'? C'mon.
-Super-forced, absurd Casablanca parody that would probably have irritated me in any other context, but here it just feels natural--so I'll content myself with noting that "play it again, Sam" is not, in fact, a line from Casablanca. Though that may well be part of the point.
-"I've been on rocky flights before, but this is ridiculous!" Argh! See what I mean?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)