#dt analysis

[mandareeboo]

Been rewatching DuckTales and pondering Louie's future in the family and have decided to make a silly AU about Louie sueing Scrooge for back-owed wages when he's like sixteen because Scrooge wouldn't stop badgering him to get a job. Huey and Dewey are helping him and it's viewed as an act of teenage rebellion and freedom and not Louie "betraying the family". Louie is actively 'working' (he's family, Scrooge isn't paying him for it) at the money bin during all of this because he cares about Scrooge's gold more than (almost) everyone else.

[dear-alex-chill]

May we discuss Ducktales and Body Language, especially in 'Astro B.O.Y.D'?

I want to talk about Gyro throughout this episode and how he acts, specifically because I noticed something really interesting. His character development for both his own growth, and what we learn.

Let's start with the earliest example, a small detail. When 2BO first returned to evil, courtesy of Akita, Gyro immediately began hyperventilating. While it may not have been as severe as that of Donald in 'The Town Where Everyone Was Nice' it's still something to note to show how much of an impact this has on him. Just in Season 1 he dangled dangerously over the gold in Scrooges bin while Bulb went mad with power and had a lot of strength and sharp things he could use yet Gyro didn't shake or look this scared. He looked nervous yes, but not terrified.

Second one, the 'I have to do this for me'

We've all had that Atticus Finch/Kirby Finn/ most protagonists moment where you did something, not only to help a person in need, but because you had to do it to prove something to yourself. The same thing goes for Gyro here. You can watch as he says 'You save Gizmoduck, I've got to destroy 2BO' he takes a deep breath and does the hand movement thing where it's like you're convincing yourself of something. He's got to face his problems and last, he can't let people keep fixing it for him. He can't brush this off or ignore it, he's got to be the one to do it. Gyro in this scene must prove to himself that he's capable of this. Furthermore when his plans get changed by Huey, he needs a minute to realize he's not destroying 2BO (or in his mind, his greatest failure) he's stopping him. Which brings us to this,

The Blame for His Guilt.

All these years and it's shown that when 2BO destroyed the city, it appeared to be Gyros fault. Heck, there's a newspaper in Akita's hiding place that shows exactly that. When Gyros blame is changed from; 'I did this. This was all my fault and I've got to change it' (which is the mentality he's had for years) to 'I was the scapegoat. It wasn't my fault, I couldn't have controlled it.' That is something you really don't want to realize, it's much harder when the blame that's been set for years changes, and it's even worse when he realizes he couldn't have stopped it. That command was to be executed no matter what, Gyro couldn't change that. So he lashes out now. He angrily shouts and charges as it becomes clear that he's been burdened with guilt, stress, anxiety, and pressumably some PTSD (which we will discuss in a second) from this. The way he moves in this shot especially you can see the pain on his face and the anger in his body as he goes at Akita. He's believed for years that he caused the Tolkyolk Disaster. That he failed. That his inventions were evil which is why he later in life tries so hard to justify his inventions being good. Gyro realizes he's been carrying a burden with him for so long he never needed.

The Intern Habit Returns.

This is a tiny note but one I love seeing. Cinematic parallels. The moment Akita arrives Gyros acts the exact same way he did when he was an intern. Scared, gripping a rectangular thing that holds information, and cowering. All at the sight of Akita.

((I think it's safe to assume Akita was abusive))

Scared. This one was when Gyro saw Fenton on the ground, temporarily incapacitated. He's scared for him. It's really sweet to see him actually care and be scared for Fenton or anyone besides Bulb. It's growth.

This time when BOYD is hurtling dead at him and he's begging, pleading, for him. This is the first time, in twenty years, he's told BOYD he's real. Was he denying BOYD being real because he didn't want to accept that everything horrible had indeed happened? Or was he saying that by BOYD being 'definetly real' his inventions were good, His ideas were valid and he himself wasn't a bad person? Both of these ideas really work for Gyros character. It's known he struggles with self-doubt and it's also known he doesn't like what happened in Tolkyolk, so much so he only vaguely describes it at the start of the episode. It takes a flashback for us to fully find out what happened, that's how little he discusses it. When he throws himself infront of the same invention that destroyed an entire city, trying to reason with him. That's character development. That's Gyro stepping up and taking initiative and proving to everyone that he can fix his messes, he can do good, he is more than his reputation. And to anyone, that would be terrifying. It's scary to think of stepping up and putting yourself in danger just to protect those closest to him. Yet he does it anyway.

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That's all for my analysis, please rb if you have more you want to add on or if there's other pictures/scenes you want analyzed!

[ramblingguy54]

Webby’s Serious Vulnerability & Need For Happiness.

The McDucks meant everything to me. Not just because of their great name, but because they were a great family. One I thought I could be apart of, but now it’s gone...Guess the name, McDuck, didn’t mean much after all...

Webby’s desire for making others happy has been her greatest strength as a character. A beckon of hope others can be drawn to, much like it was for Lena’s case being best explored. Webby even helped Penny find her place in their big crazy world of Duckberg, but what happens when she tries to help a personal matter that, as Dewey said, could only make things worse? Even though this episode wasn’t the angst trip I was speculating it to become for our second visit to Castle McDuck, it shines an interesting introspective upon Webby’s emotional vulnerability once again. Something we saw before in Lost Harp Of Mervana once Webby realized Beakly had lied to her about trusting people in general. It’s not just one part of her character, but the entirety of who she is as a person when it comes to her unwavering philosophy of hope. Webby’s newfound confidence toward facing unknown stuff after getting outta the mansion helped because of others supporting her, too. Webby feels like she owes so much of herself for what this family gave to her life emotionally because she didn’t have much of anything in a long awhile, other than Beakly, obviously. It’s no surprise Webby Vanderquack has been a pretty lonely kid as evidenced by her particular episode quote from Woo-oo, “Ehhh, my granny is a bit overprotective. She trains me to be ready for anything, but then says I’ve got everything right here...”, showing how much solitude she endured socially. Webby got this idea into her head she owes her life to Clan McDuck’s lineage, basically. Which is why she tried everything in her power to manipulate the family into making up.

Webby’s helpful friendly morality has been played up for laughs before, like in New Gods On The Block, but here Webby is very controlling attempting to force moral solutions upon a complicated situation, revolving around inheritance of who’ll become the next statue pedestal. For good measure, Webby pulls upon Dewey’s strings for being noticed as the “best child” and formulates another idea ending in more escalation upon an already feuding family. Doesn’t help Huey & Louie stumble into this room at the worst possible time for added consequences. They were both already getting on each others nerves, so it sent them into adding fuel upon this bigger fire becoming a gigantic one as an end result. All of this was moral karma for Webby’s need to make others happy, even if it meant using her own methods to force a solution. Webby is certainly Scrooge’s biggest fan alright, considering his severe need for control rubbed off on her. The kid wants people to be content she’ll go so far as to push that idea, so Webby can feel happy about herself, too. Webby’s optimism was greatly praised in They Put On Moonlander On Earth and the writers wanted to criticize why putting so much stock into an idea of, “Everyone needs to get along, so I can feel happy!”,  can also be a double edged sword in its own right. Sometimes you do need to step away from an already bad situation making things simmer down. Dewey did have a point to an extent about family fighting being a tricky situation. However, it’s not until Webby cuts all the bullshit simply to speak from her heart. No more lies or tricks, but a simple sentimental statement about why she feels the need to repay a debt to the Duck Family. Only then, could their squabbling actually stop.

I set out to preserve their history, but I destroyed it all. The past, the present, and the future...

Webby gets stricken with serious guilt seeing how much damage her meddling around has caused. Besides feeling awful about how she tried taking advantage of the situation, it made her question if they were all their name was cracked up to be. All the studying she did by herself about Scrooge’s ties and legacy are being called into suspicion. If their historical achievements are great, than it can be argued in turn this causes more harm than good for a future together. When you’re at each others necks about who will succeed whatever they’re getting handed it stirs up more issues down the road. The McDuck pride is their greatest strength, yet weakness, from what this episode study displays. Remember Dewey’s research into Della’s disappearance and questioning whether or not she was a genuinely good person? Consider Webby’s introspection as a callback to it, reflecting upon her own value, where if she has put so much faith into who they are seeing them like this, than what does that make her? I’m definitely keeping this as an important mental note for future reference in the next last batch of episodes. She keeps seeing the ugly side of how people can act, including her own family, making this poor kid question everything Webby has held true to for a lot of her life. Dewey had that exact dilemma in Season 1′s episode, The Spear Of Selene, being so terrified of the possibility Della was a self centered traitor to his family. He was scared of being related to somebody who didn’t care for her family at all, making him wonder if that too makes him bad for solely being biologically tied to Della?

Webbigail, no doubt, feels a similar weight of seeing an uglier truth she’s afraid to accept. That not everyone means well in their intentions all the time. She got a taste of that back in Impossibin with Beakly’s extremist behavior about preparing for FOWL’s inevitable threat upon their lives. Now, yes, Beakly did mean well, but she showed a type of ferocity Webby is used to seeing her direct at their enemies, instead of the girl’s general direction. It terrified her for that period of briefness watching Beakly not pull her punches, at least until the end anyway. Factoring in all those variables showcases Webby’s greatest obstacle, her unconditional faith. Although, save for what happened in Mervana, Webby’s not one to doubt people often, since she was quick to forgive Beakly’s oversight a couple of episodes ago. The scary thing though is Webby did doubt everything these McDucks stood for in this moment and that’s very concerning for what they’re foreshadowing in her future conflicts, particularly with Beakly.

That girl believes the best in people, especially Merpeople. If she finds out they’re lying, she’ll be devastated.

When you’ve got her crumbling up a deeply cherished photo Webby held dearly to heart, that’s a big red flag going up there in my mind. If Webby’s already going that far in how hard she’s taking harsh reminders of stuff, then Beakly’s secrets are gonna destroy her emotionally. Food for thought to consider. Mirroring this picture with Beakly’s line from the Lost Harp episode really puts it into perspective about how truly sensitive Webby is to facing an unkind world.

[mrgladstonegander]

Thoughts on how Scrooge treated Fethry? And possibly how Fethry feels about Scrooge now.

nonny you dont even know. i think about scrooge and like. INSTANTLY think about the fact that he put fethry in a lab that was FALLING APART, all by himself, with no visible way off, next to “hypothermal vents” that can fucking MUTATE THINGS- for four and a half fucking years!!!!

and like. considering fethry was by himself, and i dont remember seeing a clock or a phone. the “four and a half years” thing is?? probably wrong?? like. it could be longer or shorter. lets hope its shorter.

tbh i still dont like. fully get why scrooge put him there besides like. he puts people in danger by draggin them on adventures that turn out to be pointless? but like,,,, mr mcduck. dont YOU drag your family onto dangerous adventures?? like-

even IF its for treasure vs for something “worthless”- the fact that fethry just. wanted to go on adventures with the fam? and be like “hey! here’s this cool thing i found :D!” like idk man thats just. really sweet i think. like if someone took me on an adventure to see something that they thought i’d like?? id fucking cry bro

like. i have no idea how fethry would feel? like, even if he does feel negatively about it i dont think hes the type of person who would like.... talk? about it? like. his whole character has always been a bit wacky and silly. hes not gonna break that.

finale talk v brings up asks, just in case

however. i would not like to get my hopes up for the finale but. fethry has a secret to tell, accordin to frank. and the idea of a “Traitor” has been brought up in some episodes. so. :) its what he deserves i think.

[lifelikesleep]

Donald and Della

It's interesting to see the differences between the Duck twins expanded upon, however slightly. Donald is by far the most logical, having berated her in the first place for going to space with the triplets on the way.

And again, while on the moon, Della tries things her way...

...and fails. So she resorts back to the logical approach.

I just found this small scene really telling.

[toddykun]

Why Panchito is the last one in accepting that he lied?: good life vs broken dreams

I have been thinking about how Ducktales portrayed Adulthood, Expectations, and the way we measure our worthiness in the Three Caballeros episode. And this particular question about Panchito came up to me. I think I have the answer. I could be wrong, of course. This is just my opinion but let’s see.

Donald is the first one to accept that he lied, in part because he realized that lying wasn’t worth they getting eaten by a giant carnivorous flower; in part because Panchito and José though he didn't need love them anymore because he was successful, and in part because he knows his friends thinking he isn’t as cool as they thought and putting down all their dreams will worth it if it means protecting them, even if it means losing their love.

When Donald tells his truth. José is the first one to realize that Donald was the only one with the guts to break the façade even if it meant breaking their dreams and losing their love, José immediately sees he had fuck up, and worthiness changes its meaning with this. Donald is brave and honest in this, how could I be keeping this lie? He tells the truth immediately. Panchito doesn’t relent that easy and I kind of understand why. It’s because their circumstances are different, have they lied or not. 

Why is this? Why Panchito is the most stubborn in the lie? 

Let's start with a little insight on how okay were they with their lives and jobs from what we see in the episode.

Donald was actually okay with his life, he didn’t really measure his worthiness with what Scrooge could say since their fallout with the Spear of Selene, what Scrooge thought didn’t matter that much in those regards. Donald was used to being a failure in his eyes, he didn’t really care that much anymore since it has always been like that. But he stills has love, a lot of love, he could change of jobs every damn time but he still has support form his three kids, he was a failure in a way but incredibly successful in another, like Huey said. He has a broken dream but his family is 1000 times more important for him, and they’re fine and loved so it’s okay. But he does care about not being a failure in his friends’ eyes that think so highly of him, he still loves them and their expectations are important to him. And he knows he doesn’t meet them, especially right after he gets to know they were so “successful” and expected him to be even more than them. So, he lies to keep their love and impress them. He wants them to be as proud of him as he is of them. That’s why he lies.

José probably has some kind of good life too, after all, being an attendant gives you some actual ground to visit other places and do some interesting things. He was probably okay with his life too, in the comics he had always been kind of calm in those regards, lazy and mischievous. Life is just life. He has a broken dream but you know, meh, his life is actually okay right now so what does it matter? But at the moment that he knew he was going to meet Donald and Panchito? Oh Boy. NOPE. JUST NO. I can’t have that, I can’t let them see that. This so….not completely impressive life. So, he goes and dolls up the ups of his job, he takes one of his job’s perks and changes it to something better. He wants to be worthy of their friends and worthy of Donald’s morals. That’s why he is the first one to relent when Donald says the truth too.

But Panchito didn’t have any of that, he wasn’t okay with his life even before the meeting like Donald and he didn’t have perks to his job like José. He had to lie from the ground of his life. He had been in despair longer than those two, probably. Because for what we saw, Panchito was the only one between the three that actually tried to follow their old dream of being famous musicians. He has a dream, a dream that he followed but got broken in the way and now has a definitely not okay life. But then the opportunity presented of succeeding in that dream, and not alone, with his best friends. He truly believed they could succeed in that now that they all were “great adults”. His could have his dream and with his best friends in it again. Apart from the expectations from his friends that he wanted to meet, Panchito was in despair for not being the adult that he wanted to be more than anything, and he thought he had a chance again with his friends. He does feel betrayed, for their dreams. It’s hard to accept that it is a broken dream after all.

Panchito is scared, completely terrified of his life. When Donald went back home even if he lied, he would still have his family, his uncle was going to still be a billionaire, he would still have three sons that loved him so much and he loved them in return. When José would go back to his life even if he lied, he would go back to his okay job, it’s not a fantastic job but it’s good and stable and he has some freedom in it, he would still be fine with his life, he would still visiting places and meeting new people.

But Panchito? He would go back to an unstable life, singing in children’s parties, not knowing if he was going to be hired again, with his dreams broken and with the guilt of having been lying. And alone, without his friends. Of course, he is the last one to accept the lie. He is scared of going back to that life if they couldn’t do this again. He did need that tour to regain some sense of worth on himself.

He is the last one accepting they can’t really follow their old dream again with all those ups that their “successful” life could have given them. When Panchito refuses to believe that they can’t do that, what he really is refusing is having to come back to that life he has, that he probably despise. It must have taken a lot of courage to accept that he maybe was going to have to come back to that life again.

That’s why he is the last one to accept the truth. He is a scared adult, full of anxiety and broken dreams, and having to come back to that is understandable fear of his. None of this makes him lying okay, none of them lying was okay. But I do love lovably flawed characters. And Panchito is one of them. I love understanding why he acted like he acted. This is just an opinion, I could be wrong, of course.

[mandareeboo]

With the knowledge of Poe's downfall revealed season 1 Magica's actions seem... Almost tragically ironic?

I don't condone or forgive the abuse she put Lena through, but looking at it from a new lens? Her chiding Lena for being a sentimental fool in what is, honestly, the closest to nice she ever got? Her either allowing or telling Lena to address her as Aunt? How upset she is when Lena isn't interested in the family business? How even after everything she still refers to Lena as family, as someone who betrayed the de Spell name?

It really feels like Magica wanted to create a family member she could always control, always watch, and never lose.

[mandareeboo]

So... Did the Ducktales staff make Lena adopted by the Sabrewings instead of Scrooge and/or Beakley just so people wouldn't feel weird about shipping her with Webby?

No???? Lena needed the Sabrewings. I know that we didn't get to see much of them, but they were living normal(ish, considering Violet's love of the occult after the war), and that's what she needed. Lena's whole life has been a dangerous adventure. The Sabrewings gave her a place to be safe, and quiet, and to take a break.