Listed as episode 20 on IMDb. I’ve been known to enjoy a good pirate yarn in my time. And sky pirates? Absolutely. I am here for it!
Scrooge, the kids, and Launchpad are flying back from a successful treasure hunt when they’re beset by a roving band of sky pirates led by a dramatic, egotistical captain. As our heroes try to regroup before taking on the pirates again, Dewey, who’s feeling neglected by the group, decides to go after them himself.
I really enjoy how thoroughly cemented all the personalities are at this point in the show. Every single episode features multiple lines that have me going, “That’s so ___________.” Every one very on point here, such as Webby geeking out over their treasure’s historical value while Louie is in it strictly for the dollar signs (“I am offended that you would try and taint this treasure hunt with learning!” he exclaims.) Meanwhile, Huey tries not to have a panic attack as he watches Launchpad’s less-than-attentive piloting skills and Scrooge gets on the phone with his board to argue that gold-polishing is a 100% legitimate business expense.
On the whole, though, this is Dewey’s story. As we’ve seen in the season so far, Dewey is cocky and impulsive and is self-impressed by his own cool, but he can also be sensitive and a little needy. Here, we open on him trying to regale the others with his experience on their most recent adventure, but no one has any time or attention for him. He feels left out and ignored, which is what makes him leave the group. “Maybe I’ll get killed by pirates,” he mutters to himself. “Bet they’ll pay attention to that story. Wait, why am I rooting for that?”
As for the pirates themselves, they’re a bunch of fun. The biggest tool in their arsenal is their method of distraction, namely putting on song-and-dance numbers to confuse their target while they make off with any valuables. The crew is eternally under the thumb of their showboating captain, who’s in it for the treasure but in it even more for the spotlight. The juxtaposition of “fierce pirates” and “choreographed musical numbers” makes for some amusing, if easy, jokes. They’ve got some other fun stuff too. I get a kick out of the sky-pirate allusion to sending victims to “Davy Jones’s upper cabinet,” and I love that they have a summer intern aboard.
Scrooge/David Tennant doesn’t have a huge presence here. He displays the usual traits—preoccupation with treasure, capable but distractible, cranky but caring—and proves to be both sharp and obtuse at different points in the episode. We do have a new entry, however, in the ongoing one-man contest for Most Scottish Line Delivery Ever, when he snaps, “I cannae believe you were distracted by a bunch of hammy hooting!” Tennant must’ve just had a blast in this role.
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