'Toon Reviews 5: DuckTales Vol 1 Part 16

Maid of the Myth

How’s this for an episode premise?  We have Mrs. Beakley singing in a charity opera and that attracts Vikings to Duckburg where they rob all sorts of riches and even kidnap Mrs. Beakley to have her sing for them.  I don’t mean modern interpretations of Vikings.  I’m talking about the real deal with actual Viking ships, attire, and mannerisms all clashing within a modern society as they pillage a random city.  I’d say that it’s a great start to this adventure, and the rest of it is just as thoroughly engaging.  It features Scrooge, the kids, and Launchpad travelling to Valhalla, the land of the Vikings, and get roped into a racing competition in an attempt to get Mrs. Beakley back.  At first, they go with the easiest option of having Launchpad run the race.  I say easiest because he’s been established to have the major talent of driving things, so having him operate a chariot makes the most sense.  Plus, the scenes of him learning how to drive the chariots have a lot of charm to them, especially since it’s his friendly demeanor, which is rare to Vikings, that get one of the citizens of Valhalla to teach him everything he needs to know.  Then, when we get to the actual race, we’re given a set of moments that play with the expectations of its outcome.  The jealous Viking queen prepares a glass of water designed to have Mrs. Beakley loose her voice to get the men to stop gushing over her singing.  However, the water’s given to Launchpad which makes him lose his voice, meaning that he can’t say the commands to the chariot rams.  The most engaging part of this plot point is who ends up being Launchpad’s replacement.  It just so happens to be the maid of the myth herself, Mrs. Beakley.  This race really gives her an opportunity to shine as a character as opposed to just being the help of Scrooge’s estate.  She’s shown to have capable skills in the chariot race to ensure the freedom of herself and her closest companions.  She remembers the ram commands, easily recovers from the rough playing of the opponent Thor, and when Thor’s henchmen stall her by destroying the bridge, she uses her opera skills to her advantage which allow her to win it all.  This not only does great justice for Mrs. Beakley as a character, but also gives the audience a performance that would be somewhat hard to expect the first time around.  This episode is one of the show’s biggest packages of greatness with creative story ideas that are executed in a well-told and exciting manner, enjoyable character moments, and some nice twists thrown in for good measure. 10/10

The Ranking

1. Hotel Strangeduck
2. Maid of the Myth
3. Hero for Hire
4. Robot Robbers
5. Magica’s Shadow War
6. Duckman of Aquatraz
7. Armstrong
8. Sir Gyro de Gearloose
9. Master of the Djinni
10. Sphinx for the Memories
11. Send in the Clones
12. The Lost Crown of Genghis Kahn
13. The Money Vanishes
14. Where No Duck Has Gone Before
15. Dinosaur Ducks
16. Superdoo!
    

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where Scrooge and the gang are forced into poverty and go "Down and Out in Duckburg."

If you would like to check out other reviews on this blog, click here for the guide to all the reviews posted so far.