Other Doctor Lives: DuckTales: Season 2, Episode 12 – “Nothing Can Stop Della Duck!” (2019)

*Episode premise spoilers, which includes a major spoiler from episode 11. I’m assuming this will affect the rest of the season, so from here on out, spoiler warnings of this variety are likely to be labeled “season arc spoilers.”*

We’re at about the midpoint of season 2, and big developments are happening, and it looks as though it will change the basic set-up of the show. I’m looking forward to seeing where they go with it.

At the end of “The Golden Spear!”, Della managed to get her rocket off the ground and back to Earth. She’s just returned home and is thrilled to finally meet her boys, but while the love is undoubtedly there, the situation is difficult. For all of Della’s affection and enthusiasm, she’s never parented before, and there are some missteps along the way.

In this episode, I’d say Della is the main pivot the story turns around, but while we get plenty of her perspective, the rest of the characters get in on it, too. This is a messy situation with a lot of growing pains, and time is given to everyone’s reactions. Della’s reunion with the triplets is genuinely heartwarming, and I like that each of them have a different, valid response to her return.

There are some serious moments that are done very well, along with a nice dose of the show’s usual humor; I laughed when Della has an epic fail trying to jump over the gate of McDuck Manor and mutters, “…Dumb Earth gravity.” And as she gets overzealous in her eager but clumsy efforts to make up for lost time, Dewey defends his mom, arguing, “So she’s not the best with cooking, or age-appropriate stories, or child endangerment, but nobody’s perfect!”

Scrooge is used sparingly but well in the first half of the episode. He’s the first one to react to Della’s return, offering up an effective mix of heart, silliness, and quieter moments. At the start, he’s maybe unrealistically sanguine about everything because he’s just so happy to have Della back, but as the episode goes down, he becomes a grounding voice of reason in the mansion, still 100% on Della’s side while also acknowledging the ways that she’s fumbling.

Some good moments for David Tennant. I especially like Scrooge’s reaction to seeing Della’s prosthetic leg, his exasperated delivery on, “What in Dismal Downs is going on in here?!?”, and the heart-to-heart he has with Della as they’re being attacked by a giant robot (you know, as you do.)