Tuesday, March 12, 2019

Time is Money Part 4: Ducks on the Lam (DuckTales Vol 3 Part 18) - 'Toon Reviews 25


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Time is Money Part 4: Ducks on the Lam
Who’d have thought a mediocre episode of Bubba messing everything up would get an exciting follow-up?  This is one of the better parts of “Time is Money” with exciting action, creative sequences, and much-needed heart. 
The episode follows the Beagle Boys’ takeover of Scrooge’s money bin, and they revel in getting the fortune by themselves.  It’s appropriate that they gloat to Flintheart Glomgold about what they did without his help.  However, the episode knows the Beagle Boys are still wanted criminals as they’re surrounded by all the forces at Scrooge’s command.  It shows that the Beagle Boys still function best when someone else is in charge of them.  At Flintheart’s command, they man the money bin’s security system easily.  As a result, there are many creative gags that stop the forces from breaking in.  Also, when Scrooge goes to the banks for money, Flintheart sabotages that too. He has the Beagle Boys impersonate Scrooge reporting an imposter of himself.  This is honestly a weak point where the cops are easily fooled by what is obviously a portrait of Scrooge with his arms and eyes cut out making the call.  It cheapens the conflict by making them all dumb enough to fall for the trick.  In a few bank trips, the banks’ false conceptions gets Scrooge getting arrested…again 
While this goes on, there is some redemption for Bubba where, on his own terms, he feels bad for messing up and not being well-liked.  At first since he still resorts to his destructive ways at a park, but those acts get him arrested too.  What follows is one of the strongest heartfelt scenes of the episode.  When Scrooge finds Bubba in jail, he reflects on the few good moments he had with the caveduck.  Then Bubba gives Scrooge a “shiny” coin he got in the last episode. Scrooge is moved that someone would give him their whole fortune.  It’s a convincing way of showing that for all his destruction, Bubba truly has a good heart. 
For the rest of the episode, he’s at his most competent in serious situations.  Bubba easily breaks Scrooge out of jail and even forges a great escape route to his mansion.  This leads to a fun and creatively structured sequence where Scrooge races through Duckburg in a shopping cart.  Flintheart and the cops chasing after him adds to the excitement, as is Scrooge dangling from Flintheart’s car phone calling the boys to prepare for his arrival.  It’s a fun chase sequence made better by stemming from Bubba being a commendably active player. 
Because of this, when they get to the mansion and Gyro brings the time machine, it’s emotional when Scrooge tells Bubba it’s time for him to go back to his own time.  Everyone else saying good-bye adds to the genuine pathos of the scene.  After that, the arc is set up for the next part as Scrooge and the boys set off to that island to get the diamonds to fully pay for that diamond cave island.  As for the imposter subplot, it resolves itself when Duckworth tells the cops that the duck who just took off is the real Scrooge, and they take his word for it.  It’s not exactly the most fleshed out resolution for something they were dead certain of.  In fact, it’s a cheap half-baked storytelling direction.  That’s nothing compared to what they do with the impact of Bubba’s emotional sendoff, but that’s for the next part of the arc. 
For now, with fun, heart, and mostly good direction, as an episode by itself, this is solid jailbreaking entertainment.
A-

The Ranking
  1. Once Upon a Dime
  2. Duck in the Iron Mask
  3. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. McDuck
  4. Spies in Their Eyes
  5. Nothing to Fear
  6. The Uncrashable Hindentanic
  7. Dime Enough for Luck
  8. Duck to the Future
  9. Launchpad’s First Crash
  10. Jungle Duck
  11. Ducky Horror Picture Show
  12. Time is Money Part 4: Ducks on the Lam
  13. Time is Money Part 1: Marking Time
  14. Time is Money Part 2: The Duck Who Would Be King
  15. All Ducks on Deck
  16. Till Nephews Do Us Part
  17. The Status Seekers
  18. Time is Money Part 3: Bubba Trubba

The next DuckTales review is the very mixed conclusion of this arc.
Next time on MC Toon Reviews is "Grudge Match" and "Polishing Rhonda" from Hey Arnold.
If you would like to check out other DuckTales reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.

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