DuckTales, Season 3 Episode 8: "The Phantom and the Sorceress!"

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…