DuckTales is back from hiatus to finish out the first season of the reboot, and now it’s made the jump from Saturday mornings on Disney XD, to prime time on the Disney Channel proper. So, let’s dive in! In this week’s episode, when Mark Beaks’s latest invention threatens to replace Launchpad, he challenges it to a race and enlists the help of Gyro Gearloose’s new apprentice, Fenton Crackshell-Cabrera.
1. “Let’s get dangerous!”
It’s kind of ridiculous how excited I got at the opening shot of this episode featuring the bridge from Darkwing Duck’s home town. I already knew that Gizmoduck would be making his first appearance, but this was a complete surprise. Once I got over the disappointment of Darkwing Duck only being a TV show in this universe, I was able to appreciate how great the little intro was. It featured Jim Cummings effortlessly returning to the role, and a return to the traditional Disney animation style (which should have clued me in that he wouldn’t be part of the main show). I’m hoping we will get some more clips from the “the greatest TV show of all time” in future episodes, even if my dreams of a true DuckTales and Darkwing Duck crossover will never happen.
2. Long live Launchpad.
On paper, Launchpad’s shtick should get old pretty fast. However, I still find myself amused at all of his antics, no matter how dumb they are. The combination of strong writing and Beck Bennett’s voice acting make him an endearing character, when he could easily venture into annoying territory. Launchpad’s comedy still boils down to how child-like and incompetent he is, but for some reason it works. When he challenges Mark Beak’s B.U.D.D.Y. to a driving contest, his initial wager is a lifetime of candy, and then still revises it to only the title of “Ultimate Driver.” Trying to guarantee his continued employment doesn’t even occur to him, even though the anxiety over losing his job is what’s motivating the challenge. Launchpad crashing everything in the eventual race was one of those repeating gags where it starts funny, gets tired, and then cycles back around to being funny again. By the time Launchpad got to the roller skates, I thought he may actually win, almost forgetting the rule that Launchpad will crash every vehicle or mode of transportation he’s in control of.
3. No more Mark Beaks!
Speaking of a shtick that gets old fast, I would be happy if Mark Beaks was never in another episode. This episode did nothing to change my mind about how awful the character is. He’s still just an empty punching bag for a tech bro stereotype. Maybe he resonates with kids that have know-it-all older siblings glued to their phones, but he’s just so annoying without any redeeming qualities that it’s hard to stay interested anytime he’s on screen. He’s not even fun to hate in a King Joffrey kind of way.
4. Blathering blatherskite!
I’ve been waiting for Gizmoduck to make an appearance since the first episode featuring Gyro Gearloose, and his debut did not disappoint. DuckTales has had some great voice talent, but getting Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda to voice Fenton Crackshell-Cabrera, aka Gizmoduck, may be the highest profile guest star yet. I was surprised when Crackshell didn’t spontaneously burst out in song/verse at any point during the episode. Although, I’ve never seen or heard Hamilton so I very well could have missed any subtle references to it. Crackshell is pretty much the same as he was in the original cartoon, besides having a new voice and occupation. Miranda gives Fenton an earnestness that’s perfect for his eager-to-please, impulsive persona. At the moment, there’s not too much of a shift in voice when he transforms into Gizmoduck like in the original, but I’m sure that will come later. Also, bonus points to the writers for Gizmoduck’s Gluteal Grapple and Pectoral Parachute.
5. Another classic creature design.
Gizmoduck and the re-purposed Little Bulb are great inventions and all, but the best invention featured in the episode has to be Gyro Gearloose’s other intern. The bipedal horse with a Scrooge bust instead of a head is such a ridiculous concept, and I loved everything about it. The fact that it communicates by clopping Morse code was just icing on the cake. Like last episode’s super cute mythological creatures, I hope this isn’t the last we’ve seen of the Scrooge-bust-man-horse.
