Like last week, this is a good episode for Webby, with her sharing the main plot with Scrooge this time around. And like the week before last, it’s an episode that has fun playing in Scrooge’s past. On top of all that, it’s also a good showing for Mrs. Beakley, Scrooge’s housekeeper.
Mrs. Beakley is thanklessly working in the kitchen of McDuck Manor when she’s attacked by an old enemy, the super-spy known as the Black Heron. All in a day’s work for someone in Scrooge’s orbit, right? Luckily for her, Scrooge realizes she’s been snatched by the dastardly villainess and goes after her, treading the same paths they did in their old spy days together. Webby has researched both Scrooge and her grandmother’s past extensively, because of course she has, so she insists on being allowed to accompany Scrooge and help rescue her granny.
First off, the flashbacks are a ton of fun. It’s already been established, on Other Doctor Lives, in fact, that I’m not at all a James Bond person, but they have the vibe of what I assume classic Bond films to have, along with a strong dose of The Avengers (the Mrs. Peel version, not the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes version.) It’s all impressive gadgets, hand-to-hand combat mojo against implausible foes, and stylish ‘60s threads. Quite the delight.
I mentioned last week that Webby grows on most decent people eventually, and that goes for me as well. That kid is always at ready-for-action eleven, and I am here for it. Teaming her up with Scrooge is a hoot, and it’s fun to see the parallels between their unlikely partnership and Scrooge’s work with Mrs. Beakley in the ‘60s. In the old days, Scrooge was the inexperienced upstart with more confidence than knowhow, but now, he’s the old pro who’s perpetually annoyed at his new partner’s rookie mistakes. But in both periods, the veteran quickly learns that the novice is more useful than they first appear.
David Tennant plays well off of both of Scrooge’s screen partners here. Kate Minucci’s Webby veers between oblivious ardor – “Oh, I know everything about you,” she gushes to Scrooge, not picking up on the discomfited look in his eyes as she gazes at him in fascination – and shy over-enthusiasm, which meshes nicely with Scrooge’s annoyed exasperation and “God grant me the serenity” resignation. Meanwhile, his blustery arrogance makes a good foil for Mrs. Beakley’s cool professionalism and no-nonsense badassery. By the way, even though her role has been smallish so far, there’s always been something engaging about Toks Olagundoye’s performance, so I’m glad to see Mrs. Beakley getting more of a spotlight here. In both cases, it’s fun to watch the respective pairs start to shed their annoyance/impatience and slowly start to bond.
And because I’m always here for a good Scrooge-the-miser joke, I love that the billionaire with a literally vault full of money reuses his tea bags for a month. “Taste the savings!” he extols. Ha!
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