If you like this review and want to stay updated for what else I have in store, become a follower of this blog, click here to like the official Facebook page, and click here to follow me on Twitter. Now on with today's review:
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
- Once Upon a Dime
- Duck in the Iron Mask
- Dr. Jekyll and Mr. McDuck
- Spies in Their Eyes
- Nothing to Fear
- The Uncrashable Hindentanic
- Dime Enough for Luck
- Duck to the Future
- Launchpad’s First Crash
- Jungle Duck
- Ducky Horror Picture Show
- Time is Money Part 4: Ducks on the Lam
- Time is Money Part 1: Marking Time
- Time is Money Part 2: The Duck Who Would Be King
- All Ducks on Deck
- Till Nephews Do Us Part
- The Status Seekers
- 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.
No comments:
Post a Comment