HC: After that traumatizing moment, Kuki lost (mostly) all love for Rainbow Monkeys and gone emo. Eventually, she will love the toy brand again but that wasn’t a good time for her.
God what if I got back on the DuckTales finale again. I’ve being thinking about it more and it PISSES ME OFF!!!!! ARGGGGGGG. Other people have made this point, and have done so more eloquently than I will, but I need to type out a rant anyway.
Webby Vanderquack being a clone of Scrooge completely shits all over the entire show’s message of found family! It doesn’t matter that she gives a speech about “Family being the people who care about you.” It doesn’t matter that Scrooge calls the entire cast his family at the end. Having “The rightful heir of Scrooge McDuck” be revealed to be a genetic clone of him, aka 100% related to him right before she takes the Papyrus that will only appear to the heir of Scrooge, makes it seem like only people biologically related to you are really your “family”.
Obviously that’s not what the show wants us to take away, but that’s what it seems like. Webby being a clone of Scrooge (and calling him “Dad” at the end which is fucking wild???!!!) adds nothing! All it does is take away from the fact that Beakley raised her and make someone who she (arguably) never saw as a father (I’d argue more of a mentorship) her dad. For what? For genetics? For biology? Bullshit.
Here’s how to actually do it, a couple proposals depending on what you want to do with Webby, May and June.
Option 1: There are no May and June. Give the finale to some established characters instead of some random twerps. Huey is kidnapped by F.O.W.L, and is initially extremely resistant to their message, but is enthralled by Bradford’s connection to Isabella Finch. He eventually gives in to their message that he belongs there, with people of his intellect, and not with his brothers and family. When the rest of the Ducks/McDucks/the gang show up to rescue him, he is caught in this moment between his family yelling for him not to do it, and Bradford telling him that all he has to do to have a life at F.O.W.L., a life with his people, is reach forward and take it. Huey chooses F.O.W.L. And the Papyrus does not appear to him. And everyone is really confused because that should have worked?? He’s an heir of Scrooge??? So Bradley’s like “hmmm, disappointing, guess I’ll kill you.” Or whatever. And then the episode follows a similar trajectory, big epic battles trying to rescue Huey (because family forgives each other or whatever) until a second opportunity arrises for someone to grab the Papyrus, but the only person with an open shot at it is Webby. Webby, not genetically related to Scrooge at all, runs up to the spot where it should appear, with the gang (Scrooge, Dewey and Louie, Donald, Della, etc.) all cheering her on, and the Papyrus appears to her and she takes it. Bc family is who’s there for you and not who you’re related to. Then whatever, family is the greatest adventure of all blah blah blah. Big emotional climax, we forgive Huey, all is well.
Right? Obviously it’s not perfect, I’m no writer, but doesn’t that make sense? It also plays better into Huey’s little “I’m the smartest person ever” arc that he had going on than the current finale did. I just picked him for the brother that betrayed them because he’s already teed up for it, but it could be Louie, Dewey, Donald or whoever. As long as it was set up in a believable way.
But say that you really like May and June. Fine, let’s keep them in there.
Option 2: A very similar set up to the current finale, except May and June are revealed right away to be clones of Scrooge, not Webby. Webby is not related to him/them. Then May and June, along with Webby (+Huey, I guess) go back to F.O.W.L headquarters together, the same rescue mission ensues, but at one point one of the twins breaks away from the fight and runs up to the platform where the Papyrus is being held. She reaches out for it, fully prepared to take it and bring it back to Bradford, only it doesn’t appear. And then Bradford can be like “hmmm, disappointing, guess I’ll kill you guys.” And then the twins are getting saved (just bc it’s the right thing to do, and not let two little girls die.) (perhaps at Webby’s urging: “This is the only family they’ve ever known, of course they chose F.O.W.L. But if we show them what real family looks like, they’ll know they made a mistake!” Type shit.) and Webby has her shot to get the Papyrus, and it appears to her and she takes it. Same reasoning. Idk, maybe she can give it to Bradford when he’s threatening May and June, because she wants them to be like sisters to her, and they’re so moved by her display that they decide not to be evil anymore. They save Webby/Scrooge/someone and everyone learns to trust them. They defeat Bradford. Family is the greatest adventure of all, blah blah blah, we’re all falling out of an airplane.
Right? Because it didn’t matter that they were clones of him? It only matters that he wasn’t really their family until both sides decided to care for and trust each other. And Webby still takes the Papyrus. But what if, for some reason, you really like that Webby is a clone of Scrooge? Fine, third time’s the charm, I guess.
Option 3: The exact same setup as the finale, except when Webby goes to get the Papyrus for Bradford, it doesn’t appear. Because she’s choosing to go against Scrooge and his family, which means that in no way could she be the rightful heir of Scrooge McDuck. Bradford, just like in every universe is before, is like “hmm, disappointing, guess I’ll kill you now.” And the rescue mission occurs. Webby realizes her mistake, realizes that F.O.W.L. could never be her home, and apologizes. Then, just like before, a big battle ensues. Webby breaks away from the fight, and she has the chance to take it again. Only this time she is on Scrooge’s side, and he is cheering her on and telling her that he knows it’ll appear, and it does. And she takes it. Because only after she accepted that the gang is her real family could she take the Papyrus. Then whatever, she gives it up to save May and June and they’re moved, just like in option two. Anything goes, nothing matters, family is the greatest adventure of all time, blah blah blah, roll credits.
(You could also just cut May and June from option 3, have Webby be revealed to be a sole clone of Scrooge and the same arc plays out, sans twins. We’ll call that option 3.5)
Literally anything would be better. But as it currently stands, it seems like the only reason the Papyrus of Binding appeared to Webby is because she is a clone of Scrooge, because she was actively working against him at the time. Also the finale was poorly handled in other aspects, both like this and not. I think Webby had some interesting potential with Beakley in a few scenes. Beakley explaining (lying about) who her parents were, and Webby, dressed as June, having the opportunity to torture her Grandmother for information. But both scenes were not well handled, and Beakley lying is just kinda weird for the story imo. Also Huey’s arc was underdone and Dewey, Louie, Donald and Della definitely should have had more to do. I like Huey, he’s my favorite, but it’s a three part finale and they spent too much time on two new characters who were just diet Webby, and didn’t even really add anything imo. Also there were too many other characters, so none of them got to do anything.
Overall, I was disappointed. I like the scene of them falling out of the airplane, though. Wish it felt better deserved.
Okay that’s all. <3 Goodnight!
P.S. just figured I’d say that I did not even read this back. Sorry if it’s nonsense. Not even beta read by me lol
