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, the gang find themselves in a mystical golf course that isn’t as harmless as it seems.
1. My little murder ponies.
Yes, this episode featured a great main story with plenty to gush over, but the highlight of the episode has to be the pair of “murder ponies.” Everything about them is perfect. The show helpfully points out that they’re actually kelpies, water spirits from Scottish folklore that lure people to watery deaths. For anyone not familiar, The Lock Ness Monster is also one. DuckTales‘ take on the mythological creatures doesn’t tone done the gruesomeness of them, but adds some nice comical elements to make them fit right in with the show’s universe. The character design continues the excellent work in the last few episodes. They are very My Little Pony-ish, but each wear a tam o’ shanter (those iconic Scottish hats), and have wet hair (which is quickly scrapped for some reason).
If the My Little Pony comparison wasn’t obvious enough from the design, then it’s cemented by the great voice-work of Tara Strong and Andrea Libman, who along with being voice-acting veterans, provide character voices in My Little Pony Friendship is Magic. That voice-work is crucial for the kelpie duo, since they are constantly switching from being helpful guides, to trying to lure the gang to their deaths. Strong and Libman’s delivery and timing is perfect in those moments, and they were some of the funniest in the episode.
The last little bit of genius behind the kelpies are their names, Briar and Bramble. While on the surface they are cutesy names that fit in with the My Little Pony theme, they are also a reference to a traditional English folk “murder ballad” called “The Bramble Briar.” In the song, two brothers who disapprove of their sister courting a servant, lure the servant out to the woods and murder him.
2. Glomgold is gold.
Flintheart Glomgold is quickly turning into my favorite supporting character outside of the main crew. He is so over the top and ridiculous, but it’s never too over the top and ridiculous. It was also nice to see him paired with Louie this episode, who is a perfect fit, being the opportunist of the group. The gag of him just giving Glomgold a club each time he’s called, even as Glomgold’s situation gets more dire as the episode progresses, was hilarious. Glomgold is also one of the only characters we don’t need to feel bad for being swindled by one of Louie’s schemes. I was genuinely bummed when it looked like Glomgold wasn’t going to make it, and then when he didn’t recover completely from becoming a statue. Luckily, Louie was there to break him out of the cement, in another great gag as the camera cuts away and he starts yelling.
3. #TEAMSCREWEY
The writers got creative with finding a way to feature all the characters this week. Usually with a cast this large in a single episode, they get split off into groups and we jump in between them. Instead, everyone shares all the scenes, but they get put into side-character-type roles. The best of the bunch is Huey trying to get his sports commentating Junior Woodchucks badge. He needs a co-anchor to fill the requirement and Launchpad is ready and willing. My favorite moment was Launchpad commenting that anything you say sounds important with the tone commentators use, using the example of “bologna trampoline.” Less successful was Webby’s role as cheerleader; they didn’t give her anyone to play off of, so most of the comedy fell flat. Although, I thought “#TEAMSCREWEY” was pretty funny.
4. Oh yeah, there was an A plot.
There is so much to love about this episode, that it’s easy to forget that the main plot of the episode was also really good, and maybe the only thing featuring golf that I’m a fan of. I’m of the same mind as Dewey, “A sport where you try not to score points so you make it end sooner. Hard pass.” (However, I would actually consider watching some televised golf if Huey and Launchpad were commentating.) Besides providing the foundation of all the great stuff I’ve already covered, the druid golf course was a good vehicle to really see Scrooge’s stubborn, crotchety side. Having him come to realize that he may not be the best at everything, is a good progression for his character. We’ll just have to see if it sticks.
5. A+ animation, still.
The news of the ThunderCats relaunch and subsequent tantrum about the art style from man-children on twitter was fresh in my mind while watching this episode. It made me think about the same kind of complaints about DuckTales when it relaunched. Personally, I love to see new takes on characters and properties from my childhood, and at this point, I even prefer the relaunch’s style to the original. I still gawk at the beautiful construction paper colored backgrounds, and all the new character and creature designs are unique and have plenty of personality.
