MovieChat Forums > DuckTales (1987) Discussion > My reviews of the twenty last episodes.

My reviews of the twenty last episodes.

posted 14 years ago by furienna
10 replies | jump to latest

I'll start with the five "Super Duck Tales" episodes. Fifteen more will be coming up.

Liquid Assets

Short summary: Ma Beagle’s birthday is coming up, and the Beagle Boys want to give their mother the best birthday present ever. And for her, that can of course only mean one thing: Scrooge McDuck’s money bin! Their plan to accomplish this starts with changing the blue-prints of a new highway, so it will go right over Scrooge’s property, where the money bin stands right now. When a heartbroken Scrooge realizes, that he suddenly has to move his money bin, he hires an accountant to help him keeping track of the money during the move. And that’s how we’re introduced to Fenton Crackshell, whose counting skills are equalled by nothing but his tendency to screw things up.

My comments: Gotta love it! After all, this is Fenton’s debut episode. And this hapless but oh so adorable accountant, who despite all odds becomes the super hero Gizmoduck, is without any doubt my favorite character of this show. We also get our first glimpses of his trailer trash TV addict mother and (unfortunately) his love interest/“girlfriend” Gandra Dee.

Frozen Assets

Short summary: Fenton manages to get Scrooge’s money back from the Beagles, but only to screw up again, as he uses Scrooge’s number one dime to make a phone call. To keep his job, he has to get it back. But of course, that’s not going to be easy, especially not as it ends up in the hands of the Beagles. And at the same time, Scrooge hires Gyro Gearloose to invent a new security guard for his money bin. But of course, that doesn’t work out as it should either…

My comments: Another great one! If the episode before this introduced Fenton as himself, this one introduces his super hero alter ego Gizmoduck. It also contains some fabulous quotes, like when Duckworth announces “a dripping dunderhead” or when Fenton asks Ma Beagle for “the proverbial cup of sugar”.

Intelligence and purity.

[–] furienna 14 years ago

Full Metal Duck

Short summary: After having defeated the terrible robot GUC2, Gizmoduck soon becomes Duckburg’s new hero. But nobody except his mother knows, that the man behind the mask really is Fenton Crackshell. He now quickly has to learn how to operate his Gizmoduck suit. But at the same time, Ma Beagle finds the Gizmoduck manual, which Fenton dropped in the back of her car. And her smartest son, Megabyte Beagle, can now construct a remote control, with which they can control Gizmoduck to their own advantage.

My comments: A third gem of this show. We meet Mrs Crackshell (Fenton’s mother) again, and she’s just as funny (but also as selfish) as she can be. That annoying bimbo Gandra Dee does make two short appearances, but then, she also has what might be her best ever moment. And the Beagles are some really great villains.

The billionaire Beagle boy club

Short summary: After the Beagles have made Gizmoduck steal the money bin for them, Scrooge suddenly becomes dirt poor. He even has to sell his mansion to the Beagles, and the entire McDuck household moves into Launchpad McQuack’s tiny cabin. With her new riches, Ma Beagle soon takes over the city of Duckburg, but Huey, Dewie and Louie won’t give up. They just have to find a way to get their uncle’s money back…

My comments: This is the weakest of the five “Super Duck Tales” episodes, which introduce us to Fenton and his life. That’s because we see relatively little of Fenton, and we only get to see him as Gizmoduck (I much prefer him as himself than as his super hero alter ego.) But it’s still a really good episode. Ma Beagle’s party for the city’s upper class is absolutely hilarious, and the climax must be one of the best in a “Duck Tales” episode ever.

Money to burn

Short summary: When it seems like things just can’t get worse, robots from another planet come and abduct the money bin. Scrooge isn’t afraid to follow them though, so Gizmoduck and Launchpad accompany him on a space trip. When MEL, the leader of the robot planet, takes the Gizmoduck suit off Fenton, Scrooge loses all hope of ever seeing his money again. So now it’s up to Fenton to show him why he and no one else earned the Gizmoduck suit.

My comments: This could so easily have been the best Duck Tales episode ever. You just gotta love how Fenton defeats MEL with his counting skills, not with his Gizmoduck suit. And while the robots from space thing suddenly comes out of nowhere, it still makes one heck of a great episode. But alas, the whole thing is almost ruined by a supposedly happy ending, where Fenton goes on a date with Gandra Dee. Yuck… It’s still one of my favorites though.

Intelligence and purity.

[–] furienna 14 years ago

And here come five more...

Metal Attraction

Short summary: Gyro Gearloose invents a robotic maid, Robotica, to help Mrs Beakly with all the housework at the McDuck mansion. But if Fenton didn’t have enough trouble as it is, when Gandra is unable to appreciate everything he keeps doing for her, things get even worse for the poor thing, when Robotica falls madly in love with his alter ego Gizmoduck. And then, Gandra and Robotica find it a good idea to double date...

My comments: This one used to be one of my most favorite episodes, when I was a little girl. And I still can’t deny, that it has its hilarious moments. But the more I watch it these days, the more I realize how much it suffers from being “a Gandra episode”. Yes, I know Fenton exaggerates in this episode. But she doesn’t seem to realize, that he does all those things to show her how much he loves her, and she does’t explain to the poor guy what the problem is!

A case of mistaken identity

Short summary: People start wondering who Gizmoduck really is. The nephews have their own theory about that. They think it’s really Launchpad McQuack, who’s the super hero, and soon enough, more and more people in Duckburg start believing that as well. Fenton ends up in a real dilemma. He doesn’t like how Launchpad gets all the attention for what he does, but is he prepared to reveal his secret?

My comments: Yet another great episode. You can’t help yet again feeling sorry for Fenton, when he can’t reveal his secret, but still does everything to prove, that Launchpad isn’t the masked super hero. And I also love how this is one of the handful of episodes, where Fenton really shows, that he can be a hero even without his Gizmoduck suit.

Intelligence and purity.

[–] furienna 14 years ago

New Gizmo-kids on the block

Short summary: When both Ma Beagle and Mrs Crackshell decide, that they want to enter a “mother of the year” contest, things can’t go anything but wrong. Ma Beagle breaks her sons out of prison, and Mrs Crackshell accidently shrinks Fenton’s Gizmoduck suit in the laundry. Huey, Dewie and Louie all try the shrunken Gizmoduck suit, but they won’t let Webby try it, because they think “super hero stuff is for boys”. And at the same time, Mrs Crackshell tries to build a new super hero suit for Fenton...

My comments: This episode doesn’t really belong to my favorites, even though Fenton is just as cute as always. It’s most interesting because of its feminist message, that girls can be super heros just as much as boys can. As a matter of fact, Webby alone is better at it than what the three boys are together. But it’s also heart-warming to see how much the Beagles and Fenton love their mothers, even though neither of them won that “mother of the year” contest.

The unbreakable bin

Short summary: Gyro Gearloose invents a indestructible glass, and Scrooge puts it all over his money bin. He even fires Gizmoduck from his job, as he no longer needs a security guard, and takes his nephews on a journey around the world. But deep inside a jungle, they happen to discover a bird, whose awful scream can shatter the otherwise indestructible glass. And unfortunately, the witch Magica DeSpell sees it all through her crystal ball...

My comments: This is another episode, that hardly belongs to my favorites. That’s because of the fact, that except from a scene in the beginning, we don’t see Fenton as himself, but only as Gizmoduck. And even though seeing him trying out new jobs is rather funny, it’s nothing compared to how funny and cute Fenton can be without his Gizmoduck suit. This episode is really only interesting because it became Magica DeSpell’s last appearance on the show.

Dough Ray Me

Short summary: When the nephews try Gyro Gearloose’s new duplicator machine on a coin, it starts a catastrophe for the city. For every time someone rings a bell, the coin will duplicate itself again. And when Duckburg gets covered with coins, they city starts suffering from an extreme inflation. Fenton even starts wondering, if it wouldn’t be a good idea to let the Beagle Boys out out of prison, so they can steal all the duplicated money.

My comments: This is a third episode, that doesn’t belong to my favorites. But it’s one of this show’s most educational episodes, with its lesson about how duplicating money won’t solve any problems, but only cause a new problem: inflation. And because Fenton is mostly himself again is this episode, it also has that advantage over the one before it.

Intelligence and purity.

[–] furienna 14 years ago

And here's five more...

The Masked Mallard

Short summary: Scrooge gets a really bad reputation, when a TV reporter starts telling lies about him. So he asks Gyro to help him become the hero The Masked Mallard. His plan is to be the Masked Mallard for a while, and then he can reveal his secret identity and get his good reputation back. But everything seems to have gone wrong, when someone dresses up as the Masked Mallard and makes him look like a criminal...

My comments: Well, what can I say? None of the last four episodes have really belonged to my favorites. And this is one another one, that suffers from Fenton appearing more as Gizmoduck than as himself in it. It’s mostly interesting because how obvious it is, that this was the inspiration for the spin-off “Darkwing Duck”.

Scrooge’s last adventure

Short summary: Scrooge misunderstands a phone call and believes he’s dying. Fenton talks him into buying a computer, which will guard his money until Huey, Dewie and Louie are old enough to start taking care of it. But when all the money gets lost inside the computer, Scrooge and Fenton ask Gyro Gearloose to put them into it, so they go get the money back. And it all goes well, until the nephews start playing a game on the computer...

My comments: Finally, we get to another one of my favorites! After I saw this one for the first time, I didn’t see again for eleven years, but I still remembered it extraordinarily well. This episode would hardly even have needed Fenton to be good, but now he is there, so it can't be anything less than great. I have to wonder about the title of the episode though. For was this really Scrooge’s last adventure? I don’t think it was. So why is the episode called that?

Intelligence and purity.

[–] furienna 14 years ago

A Duck Tales Valentine

Short summary: Scrooge has discovered a lost temple of Aphroduckie, the goddess of love, and he steals some golden arrows from it. That angers the goddess, who goes to Duckburg to get them back. But if someone is struck by one of these arrows, they will fall deeply in love with the next person they see. And because of this, Scrooge and Aphroduckie fall in love with each other, which pleases neither Scrooge’s young wards or Aphroduckie’s husband Vulcan.

My comments: Well, this is the last episode, where Fenton doesn’t appear either as himself or as Gizmoduck, so maybe it's no wonder that it doesn’t belong to my favorites. But instead, Webby plays with a big part in this episode, while she otherwise was very much marginalized at this point. And also, I just can’t help loving the references to Greek/Roman mythology. So I like it because of those two things.

Blue Collar Scrooge

Short summary: Scrooge plans to sell a skateboard factory, even though that would put all the people, who work there, out of a job. But when he gets amnesia, he not only has to move in with Mrs Crackshell in her trailer, but he also gets a job at the skateboard factory. So now, he gets to feel what it’s like to be poor. At the same time, Fenton dresses up as Scrooge and pretends to be him, so he can keep his businesses running during his mysterious absence...

My comments: Yet another one of the greats. This is one of the few episodes, which manages to both be one of my favorites and present a message. This time, the message is that rich people have to think about the poorer people, who work for them. It’s also the first episode, where Fenton lets power go to his head (which is odd, since he can handle being Gizmoduck so well). And it seems like Scrooge and Mrs Crackshell could have made a good couple...

Allowance Day

Short summary: When the nephews need to get their allowance one day earlier than usual, so they can buy a scooter on sale, they decide to fool Scrooge into believing that it’s Saturday instead of Friday. But it has unexpected consequences, as the entrire world starts believing that it's the wrong day. And when Fenton gets into trouble with the dictator of the Banana Republic (this universe’s version of Fiedel Castro?), Scrooge has to go there to set things straight...

My comments: And once again, they struck gold. For if nothing else, this episode is awsome because it's got so many memorable Fenton quotes, like “right now I would be happy, if it was Tuesday and this was Belgium”, “but I’m too young to die, and too nice, and much, much too nervous” and “but I was just starting to enjoy my anguish”. But really, this one is simply great all the way through.

Intelligence and purity.

[–] furienna 14 years ago

And here come the last five.

The land of Tra la la

Short summary: When people can’t stop pestering Scrooge about money, he gets burned out. A doctor suggests that he takes a vacation in the land of Tra la la, a valley in the Himalaya, where there’s no such thing as money... But when they get there, Fenton suddenly realizes that as an accountant, he doesn’t have a job in Tra la la. So he starts investigating things. But maybe he shouldn’t have convinced a farmer, that a bottle cap is worth twelve sheep...

My comments: What can I say? The masterpieces just keep coming up now. Fenton just rules as usual. I know he introduced the concept of money in Tra la la, but he’s still just so lovable. And you just have to wonder how the tralalaians (or what do you call them?) can see through all of his disguises, even when he dresses up as an old woman. What’s up with that? And him and Scrooge climbing the Himalayas is also a great moment of the episode.

My mother, the psychic

Short summary: After Mrs Crackshell gets an electric shock from her TV set, she suddenly can see glimpses of the future. Scrooge wants her to come work for him, so she can predict the stock market for him. Fenton doesn’t like that though, because now that she’s gotten a job, she pays him even less attention to him than what she did before. But things get even worse, when the Beagle Boys kidnap her for Flintheart Glamgold, who wants to become rich as well.

My comments: Yet another gem of this show. It has never been a secret that Fenton is really attached to his mother, no matter how much of a selfish trailer trash she is. But in this episode, he shows his love for her as never before. He really misses her already when she takes a job. And while he never has been good at holding back his tears, he cries buckets over his mother when she gets kidnapped. I also guess that Flintheart’s fans are glad to see him again.

Intelligence and purity.

[–] furienna 14 years ago

The big flub

Short summary: Fenton wants to become Scrooge’s “vice president of new products”. So he makes some commercials for an imaginary product he calls “Pep”, just to prove to Scrooge that he’s up to the job. But when these commercials accidently end up on TV, even though “Pep” doesn’t exist, he ends up in serious trouble. Everything seems to have worked out fine though, when Fenton presents a bubble gum, that makes the chewer float in the air, as “Pep”. But he should have listened to Gyro, when he warned him not to sell it before it was properly tested...

My comments: Well, I have to say that this really is one of the most memorable episodes. But I still don’t know if it belong to my favorites. This is the second episode, where Fenton lets power go to his head. But since he soon enough falls down to Earth so badly, I have to forgive him. But it’s not as easy for me to forgive Gandra Dee (yes, the awful bimbo is back), who is chilly and mean towards Fenton and still expects him to apologize to her in the end!

The duck who knew too much

Short summary: Fenton has to lie to Scrooge and fake an illness, so he can take Gandra on a vacation trip to Europe, that he won on TV show. But almost right away, it become painfully obvious to Fenton, that this won’t be a calm and easy vacation. Scrooge is on his way to the same destination, and he now has to hide from him. And if that wasn’t enough, he also comes across a group of spies, who want to steal Scrooge’s gold.

My comments: This is another one, about which I have mixed feelings. Even though Gandra isn’t at her worst behavior in this episode, I still don’t like her. And weirdly enough, we get to see how Fenton almost cheats on her! Well, I guess that’s what you get, when you contribute nothing but your damn beauty to a relationship... What I really like about this episode though, is that Fenton once again shows us, that he can be a hero even without his Gizmoduck suit.

The attack of the metal mites

Short summary: Flintheart Glamgold’s scientists have invented mites, who can eat metal, and he sends a minion called Dijon to set them loose, so they can eat all of Scrooge’s money. But on their way to the money bin, they devour everything in Duckburg, that’s made of metal, and that includes Fenton’s Gizmoduck suit. So how will our friends stop the mites now? Is it possible for Fenton to once again be a hero without his Gizmoduck suit?

My comments: Wow... I just say “wow”. This was the 100th “Duck Tales” episode, and also the last one, that was ever made, and you can really feel that. Flintheart and Webby, who otherwise were marginalized during the Fenton episodes, both have important roles in this episode. And so does Dijon, who otherwise only appeared in two measly episodes and in the Duck Tales movie. And of course, Fenton is just as cute as always. And for the fourth time, he shows that he can be a hero even without the Gizmoduck suit.

Intelligence and purity.

[–] dsliquid 11 years ago

It feels a bit sad that you wrote all these thoughts on the show, and no one even commented! So I just wanted to say thanks for sharing! :) It's interesting how one would perceive this show if you're a complete Fenton freak. :D

(I think I personally prefer the first season of the show, and the Bubba stuff was the worst part. Especially the singing part in the school.. Ugh.)

[–] furienna 11 years ago

No, thank you! As you might understand, I had almost forgotten about this thread, as it's been dormant for almost three years. Am I a Fenton freak? Yep, I won't deny that!

And about the song in school about Bubba, it actually is better in the Swedish drubbing than in the English original.

Intelligence and purity.

[–] furienna 10 years ago

BUMP

Intelligence and purity.