Oh my god, so much fun! This episode is utterly delightful, and I love it!
We look back on a day when Scrooge was tasked with babysitting young Della and Donald. At the same time, he’s called up as a former secret agent to retrieve a dangerous mystical artifact before F.O.W.L. can get to it. Scrooge grumbles at having the kids in tow, but the mission is eye-opening for him in more ways than one.
For starters, this is also a flashback episode for Bradford. We see how he came up with F.O.W.L., which was rooted in his desire for order in a chaotic world. Despite teaming up with the Black Heron, he’s insistent that he wants to take over the world for benevolent (albeit paternalistic) reasons, to keep a tight rein on things. At one point, the Black Heron yells at him, “Enough speeches, Bradford. You want to take over the world so badly, then be a villain and take it already!”
Then we have Della and Donald. We’ve seen them as kids before, and they were a hoot then, but it’s great to get a whole episode of them. I get such a kick out of Donald the moody/angry rocker, constantly flipping his hair out of his eyes as he makes up songs with lines like, “Eat the rich uncle!” (Oh my god, I can’t!) Meanwhile, Della is equal parts firecracker and Energizer Bunny, raring to explore everything and master every skill. She’s the one who’s really banging the ”adventure” drum, much to Scrooge’s annoyance. There’s a spectacular moment where she has a narrow escape and, without a hint of introspection, shouts, “Oh my gosh, no magic can kill me, I’m the chosen one!” They’re both so fantastic, I love them.
At this point in Scrooge’s life, he’s put his expedition days behind him. He strictly informs Della, “I do not adventure.” When she points out, “I’m looking at a big room of gold that says different!”, he draws a line between swashbuckling, thrill-seeking adventures and purpose-driven expeditions to acquire treasure and artifacts. He’s much more focused now on the day-to-day running of McDuck Enterprises, and being called up to search a legendary pirate hoard for an enchanted scroll is just putting a cramp in his work day. He gripes, “I’ve got several meetings planned for this afternoon, and being dead could throw off my whole day.”
David Tennant does a nice job with this version of Scrooge. The similarities to the pilot are evident, but it’s not quite the same situation, and Tennant doesn’t play Scrooge quite the same. I like the way we see him gradually getting into the spirit of things, and appreciating the kids’ contributions despite himself, at different points visibly shaking off his enjoyment to get back to being cranky and annoyed.
Oh, and there’s a moment where he indignantly shouts, “Overtime??? What, am I made of money?” from the back of his limo. And at that moment, they hit a speed bump and a pile of gold falls out of both his pockets. I laughed so hard!
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