The Status Seekers (DuckTales Vol 3 Part 7) - 'Toon Reviews 25

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The Status Seekers

You’d think that as the richest duck in the world, Scrooge would not be bothered by what other people think.  Then, this episode acts like none of that matters. 

Scrooge may be rich, but he’s also a good friend and family man allowing himself to have a good share of fun such as playing muddy games of football or going to the hotdog cart for lunch.  These activities aren’t approved by high-class citizens of Duckburg who berate Scrooge for not having good status or acting how rich people are allegedly supposed to act. 

This is the biggest problem with the episode.  Scrooge takes what the snobs say to heart and forces himself to do what they do for better status.  It just doesn’t feel right that Scrooge would care so much about harsh judgements of him.  The episode acts like he has no status, but it also points out that he’s the richest duck in the world.  How is that not status?  Since wealth is a big deal in this show, he should have status that none of the snobs will ever top.  Scrooge has also made himself known through interviews, fortune hunts, widely publicized adventures around the world, huge investments, and more.  This should make him very popular, and how he casually acts shouldn’t take that away. This leaves major frustration throughout the episode. 

At least there’s still a legitimately exciting adventure we’ve come to expect from the series.  As Scrooge plans to join the snobs at their club, the Status Seekers, he learns that you get in through offering something of significant wealth.  Even though Scrooge has a lot of these things, he opts for claiming ownership of an artifact called the Mask of Kuthululu, and all the Status Seekers chase after it.  From there comes the adventure which is as fun to watch as the fortune hunts have always been.  Scrooge surprises the competition through turning his boat into a submarine (which also should prove his status but somehow doesn’t). Along the way, one Status Seeker, the leader Charles Upstuck III, and high class versions of the three main Beagle Boys, try to stop him.  This leads to banter and creative ways to get out of their enemies’ bad acts from Scrooge’s crew. 

There’s also an imaginative outcome for when they finally get to the mask. When they find out status on the island it’s located in is measured by how fat the ruler is, Scrooge and his team offer him a jar of peanut butter of all things to get it.  This also applies when an earlier plan aids in Scrooge’s favor later on with a huge jellyfish landing on Charles and the Beagle Boys just as they’re about to blast him. At the same time, it could’ve been avoided if the sub just went underwater. 

So, Scrooge ends up the leader of the Status Seekers, but episode’s prominent frustration comes again. Everyone tells Scrooge what he can and can’t do even though he’s the leader, and Scrooge continues to give into their peer pressure by turning on his true friends.  Yes, he sees sense when he and his friends fight for the Mask of Kuthululu from Charles and the Beagle Boys when no one else does and makes the whole club look stupid. However, since Scrooge truly already does have great status, he really should’ve saw sense in the first place. 

As a result, this episode is a perfect example of established character traits needing to be cast aside for the plot to work which goes against everything you know.  The featured adventure is really fun and entertaining, but the catalyst for the plot and the frustration it brings is too big to ignore.  If you’re looking for the show at its best, this episode has no such status.

C-

The Ranking

1. Duck in the Iron Mask
2. The Uncrashable Hindentanic
3. Dime Enough for Luck
4. Duck to the Future
5. Launchpad’s First Crash
6. Jungle Duck
7. The Status Seekers

The next DuckTales review is a much more creative venture as Magica de Spell traps Scrooge and the gang in their biggest fears.

Next time on MC Toon Reviews is a Hilda episode, "The Troll Rock."

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