 Episode: 308 "The Phantom and the Sorceress!” 9/21/20
Starring: Lena Sabrewing, Webby Vanderquack, Magica DeSpell, Gladstone Gander, Phantom Blot, and Violet Sabrewing Costarring: Scrooge McDuck, Huey Duck, Dewey Duck, Louie Duck, and Della Duck Introducing: Pepper Setting: Duckburg (McDuck Manor and the Duckburg bog/swamp) PlotTales Lena Sabrewing has been through a lot. Since being conjured by her “aunt” through dark magic only to be weaponized against her arch nemesis, Lena has spent much of her angst riddled existence facing one existential crisis after the next. Am I good or am I evil? Can I escape the shadow realm? Can I extricate myself from the literal (and figurative) shadow of my creator? After conquering this litany of bugaboos, it’s high time to move on. But first (*sigh*), Lena must get a handle on her “out of control” magic… by seeking out the very source of her issues (and existence), Magica De Spell herself. Lena’s journey isn’t completely dedicated to one of self-discovery though. There are actual stakes besides just getting her magic right. The urgency lies in the sudden attack from the Phantom Blot, in his attempt to drain her magic, as well as his subsequent trapping of Scrooge and his nephews in the mystical realm of Goat’houl. With that, the sleepover party (plus Gladstone) pop-in to Magica’s creepy swamp lair and manage to convince her to help Lena hone her magic and face the Phantom Blot. As it turns out, Scrooge isn’t the only one Magica is in a generations old blood feud with. Decades ago, she mercilessly destroyed the Blot’s village and most of its inhabitants but he survived and has spent his vengeance-fueled existence developing various devices to drain Magica (and the world!) of her magic. And, since Magica’s magic is already gone, she will once again weaponize Lena to fight her fights - albeit, by Lena’s own choice and with the help of a poppy, 80s style, music montage. Once Lena is able to “harness the magic in (her) soul” by learning to “burn it, turn it, just learn it,” she is able to make not-so-short work of the Blot, reimbue Gladstone with his luck, and free Scrooge and the nephews. But all that plottiness buries the lead. Lena is now a fully operational sorceress, overflowing with “silly disgusting, blue friendship magic”... COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT FROM Magica’s amulet. Is this it? Now that Lena is demonstratively claiming her magical legacy as her own, has she finally untethered herself from her fraught and codependent relationship with Magica? Look, I like Lena, she’s probably the best original character the series has given us but her presence is starting to suck the air from most of the episodes she appears in. I understand the need to give her a fully developed arc and the show has done a wonderful job of it but I think it’s time (like the episode suggests) for her to stand on her own and just exist as the magical badass we see at the end of the story. Quacking Points The front page of Scrooge’s Woolstreet Journal reads “Shearholders Fleeced!!!” The back page headline is “Lorem Ipsum Stone Finally Translated.” The joke here is that “lorem ipsum” is nothing more than dummy text that’s commonly used as a placeholder when laying out and editing a newspaper. The “video graphical game” come-to-life that the kids are playing is called “Legends of Legendquest” and first appeared in “Happy Birthday, Doofus Drake!” (S2, E18). Although not physically appearing in the episode, the Goat of Goat’hool returns after making his first appearance in “The Golden Spear!” (S2, E11). This is McDuck Manor’s fifth(!) sleepover (“Jaw$!” (S1, E14), “The Other Bin of Scrooge McDuck!” (S1, E19), “Friendship Hates Magic!” (S2, E14), and “A Nightmare on Kilmotor Hill!” (S3, E, 19)) and the third to feature the trio of Webby, Lena, and Violet. However, instead of Magica interrupting the festivities, this time the girls seek her out. In a very meta, self-referential moment, Violet seems to channel the audience’s frustration in the series’ lack of on-screen treasure hunting (it’s become a common trope for most of it to occur off-screen). In lieu of traveling through an interdimensional portal to adventure in the mystical kingdom of Goat’houl, an exasperated Violet feigns excitement in once again “exploring the complex realm of interpersonal relationships.” The Phantom Blot is a thief, a magic hunter - he hates magic and thinks it’s dangerous. Wherever the Blot goes, all magic disappears. His village was destroyed by Magica and he’s vowed to destroy her. It’s a wonder that Phantom Blot never attempted to exact his revenge on Magica while they were both under the employ of Funso’s Fun Zone. Since the Blot was able to expunge Gladstone’s luck, Violet suspects that Gladstone’s perpetual string of good fortune is a form of magic itself? If so, what’s the story there? Gladstone Gander’s dismay at not being named the 1,000th customer and given a free meal at the Shrimp Shromp is in homage to the DT ‘87 episode, “Dime Enough for Luck,” where he receives a year’s free meals for being the one-millionith customer at a fancy breakfast joint - complete with confetti and balloons! We meet a new Egghead by the name of Pepper, who looks to be the Blot’s personal, F.O.U.L. assigned henchwoman. Magica’s bog-lair is decorated with framed crochet art with quotes such as “Vengeance will be mine” as well as stacks of half-eaten pizza boxes from Papa Swans. Gladstone is so checked-out during the montage that he’s reading a “Duckburg Transit Timetable” pamphlet. After a very brief and one-sided flirtation between Gladstone and Magica, it makes one wonder if this could be a pairing in the future. Perhaps, with his luck probably being magic, they’d have a reason to “explore” that therein…
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 Episode: 307 "The Rumble for Ragnarok!” 5/9/20
Starring: Scrooge McDuck, Dewey Duck, Huey Duck, Launchpad McQuack, Louie Duck, and Webby Vanderquack Costarring: Mrs. Beakley Featuring: Jormungandr Introducing: Strongbeard, Hecka, and Fernomir Setting: Valhalla PlotTales While Scrooge and co. wrestle with the fate of the universe, the family is faced with their own, more personal Ragnarok: the notion of legacy once Scrooge sheds this mortal coil and takes up permanent residence in Valhalla. As reigning “Champion of the Earth,” Scrooge must choose his successor and begin training them for their annual battle against the transmogrified snake monster, Jormungandr, and his barbarian minions. Because of the Millionaire Miser’s untimely back injury, Scrooge’s hand is forced early in regards to the torch passing. With Louie’s attention focused on merchandising and Huey opting to reprise his role of announcing with Launchpad (harkening back to their pairing in The Lost Links of Moorshire! (S1, E,12)), Scrooge must look elsewhere. Of course, Webby is Scrooge’s first choice but that’s too easy and leaves much to be desired in terms of narrative tension. So, thanks to circumstance, the spotlight shifts to Dewey, the nephew whom Scrooge has the least amount of confidence in and, of course, is also the one who is most desperate to make it happen. Dewey is all too ready to soak up the fame and adulation that comes along with saving the world. But he’s woefully ill-equipped in understanding the psychological and selfless nuances of professional wrestling. The idea of playing your part doesn’t jibe with his “impossible to hate, hero persona” of Champ Popular. The raucous crowd immediately turns on his cheesy moniker, shaking his confidence but, instead of rolling with it and following Scrooge’s advice of “embracing the boos,” he stubbornly declares “No. I can win them over. I can make them like me!”… and fails miserably. Despite the fact that professional wrestling is rife with gimmickry and role playing, the fans feed off of authenticity and can sniff out a phony in a second. Meanwhile, it’s Launchpad who finds himself completely at home in this wackadoodle, mythological realm of wrasslin.’ So much so, in fact, that you may have noticed that he even LANDED the Sunchaser without incident! This lies in stark contrast to his announcing partner, Huey, who is trying to force the issue in much the same way Dewey is. LP recognizes his struggles and even tries to help as he gestures towards the action in the ring and says “you don’t have to make it sound great, it already is.” Huey is an overachieving, control freak who likes to think he has all the answers and not being able to wrap his head around wrestling is driving him nuts. After retreating backstage with his pin feathers tucked between his legs, Dewey is joined by Scrooge who impresses upon him that “doing the right thing is not always easy or popular.” Being both the Richest Duck in the World and/or the Champion of the World isn’t without it’s hardships, nor is everyone always going to love you for it all the time. That much responsibility requires striking the perfect balance between selflessness and bravado. Huey soon joins his brother to commiserate over their respective failures as well as their shared feelings of inadequacy and anxiety in taking over for Scrooge. But Louie will have none of it. First, he encourages Huey to stop overthinking things or, more simply put, “be LP.” Then he reminds Dewey of his penchant for heroism and convinces him to just “Dewey this.” That proves to be the kick in the pants they both need. Once Dewey returns to the squared-circle, he deftly gets under the snake’s skin by calling out his own need to be loved and then finally gets the pop he’s been waiting for by displaying a brand of grit that’s commensurate with both the Norse and McDuck spirit. The barbarians are so taken that fellow wrestler, Strongbeard, tosses him a tuft of his magical beard for that extra bit of “umph” that gets Champ Popular the pin, sending Jormungandr back to his rightful station, encircling the earth, and sucking on his own tail. Even Huey manages to rattle off a few well-worded and wrestling appropriate puns. Then, Dewey’s turn as baby face hero is complete when the Millionaire Miser double crosses him and steals his belt (showing Scrooge isn’t going anywhere anytime soon) - a classic move to create a new angle and rival for Champ Popular to contend with at next year’s Rumble for Ragnarok CI. Quacking Points As a HUUGE wrestling fan in my youth, I have to point out the similarities between Dewey’s condensed path to baby-faced stardom and that of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s own meteoric trajectory in becoming one of the biggest stars in wrestling history. Like Dewey, The Rock also comes from wrestling royalty with both his grandfather and father having had storied careers in the business. The Rock’s first character was named “Rocky Maivia” - a constantly smiling, happy-go-lucky fop with floppy hair and flashy outfits that was meant to be a fan favourite. However, the fans HATED Rocky and would regale him with constant jeers and chants of “Rocky Sucks!” It wasn’t until his heel turn and name change to “The Rock” that he was finally able to find his footing and eventually regain face status as the self-proclaimed “Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment.” Many of the characters we are introduced to are, indeed, actual figures from Norse Mythology.
There are many references to professional wrestling (not including my rambling Rock/Dewey connections:
Scrooge first mentions Jormungandr in "Last Christmas" (S2, E6) when he describes one of his many responsibilities as "keeping the world-eating serpent Jormungandr at bay." Scrooge is NOT considering Donald and/or Della to take over for him because he sees the nephews (+Webby) as the “new generation” and doesn’t trust D&D to cooperate on a jigsaw puzzle together let alone carry the title of Champion of the World. Dewey's Champ Popular character is a version of his previously unnamed Big Man on Campus, High School Musical persona from "Nightmare on Kilmotor Hill!" (S2, E19). Beakley’s turn as the Shield Maiden harkens back to the DT ‘87 episode “Maid of the Myth” where she is abducted by Vikings and plays the part of an opera singing damsel rather than the brawny and capable badass seen here. The freeze frame ending stopping just short of Champ Popular and the Millionaire Miser coming to blows is an homage to Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed striking that same pose in the closing scene of Rocky III. |
