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The Golden Fleecing
Reviewed: 09/06/2009
Today; This Would Be Called Poetic Justice.
Oh goody; I get to rant on yet another episode from the duo of Ken Koonce and David Weimers. It is truly a special day. Funny how that they directly lifted the title from a 1940 comedy movie (well Barks did anyway since he created a comic with the same name and story as in Ducktales in 1955). This is also the DTVA debut for another classic character known as Ludwig Von Drake. So let's rant on and find out shall we...?!
This episode was written by Ken Koonce and David Weimers. The story is edited by Jymn Magon and the script was consulted by Tedd Anasti and Patsy Cameron. Ken Koonce started on Jayce & The Wheeled Warriors and then Galaxy High School. He sadly is also known for writing alongside David Weimers the repeat TaleSpin episode The Time Bandit which was a repeat plotline of the episode Allowance Day that was shown eight months earlier and many stated that TaleSpin was a Ducktales wannabe. Ken also wrote on probably my least favorite and worst show I have ever seen in my life: The Cramp Twins. David Weimers went on a similar path to Ken; but stopped in 2003 with Gadget and the Gadgetinis before retiring to be a postmaster general for good.
We begin this one in the skies as it is a dark and stormy night and a red seaplane is flying across the black sea. Oh lord; even Launchpad is making jokes about the night; so you know this is getting old. We get the front shot of LP struggling to keep control in nature's bowling alley. If he knew what a bowling alley was; he wouldn't use that as a crack. And apparently it happened as three really ugly Harpie Ladies of Doom (dressed in purple with matching purple wings attack the red plane as LP is SHOCKED to see this. I guess so; those faces are uber ugly if you ask me. LP states that they are witches with feathers which frightens LP. That makes sense knowing that cartoon characters can take pain well; but not tickling at all. LP then makes me proud to say that they have faces that can stop traffic as the Harpies get onto the wings and try to break them apart. They succeed after peeling the red metal paint and LP's wings get clipped and the plane free falls as it is all downhill from there. Sadly; this story is a million times more plausible than anything Monty ever cooked up. So we see that it's the flashback as Launchpad is sitting on a green sofa and he's being checked on by Ludwig Von Drake. Ah; Ludwig, the resident genius doctor in Disney lore. Always a pleasure to see him in something other than an educational film Walt loved to do in his spare time. This version of Ludwig is voiced by Corey Burton.
Ah Corey Burton; if there was anyone more of a true company guy than Corey Burton to Disney; I have yet to see it. Corey is a major voice talent who started in 1980 with Closet Cases of the Nerd Kind and Wolfen in 1981. His DTVA debut was actually a video special called DTV Valentine as Gruffi Gummi which was his main character squeeze in the Gummi Bears (along with Toadwart) in 1986 whom he replaced the late Bill Scott. His major typecast character in Disney was both Dale and Ludwig Von Drake I should note. Ludwig also appeared in Quack Pack and House of Mouse as well. He also replaced Captain Hook, Mad Hatter and Mr. Snee just to name a few. And not only did he replace them for new material; Corey Burton even overdubbed several Walt Disney movies including Fantasia (Narrator which was done by Deems Taylor). A really funny story out of this was Corey Burton's post on how the late Ed Gilbert shouldn't have taken the part of Baloo which was done by Phil Harris (Errata: I said that Phil Harris didn't sue Disney for payment on the character in the Plunder and Lightning re-rant (in reference to Louis Prima's estate doing it for Louie). Well; his estate did in fact sue Disney for character payments and the settlement was a quiet one. Sorry about that error. My point on the “This shows that they aren't the voice gods people think they are” in reference to Ed Gilbert and Jim Cummings still stands though.) because it was a disgrace to Phil Harris.
The irony of this is that he still took the job of voicing several characters on TaleSpin (which he didn't think was good; which is fine by me) and that he replaced many characters done by voices who were either dead or put out to pasture. Even worse; he even overdubbed old voices on Disney rides and even Walt Disney movies to boot. This guy is noticing a splinter in someone's eye while ignoring the logs in his own eyes; methinks. Doesn't matter if it's due to voice rights from the estate. It still doesn't change the hypocrisy of Burton's so called moral fiber. He might be a great voice talent on stage; but he's lousy when it comes to morality. He also did ADR for the movie E.T. (seriously!), Total Recall, American Me and Basic Instinct along with Matinee. He also sings pretty well for a voice. His last credits are the upcoming God of War III, The Legend of Spyro movie (Yeah), and has been in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Batman: The Brave And The Bold, The Secret Saturdays, Transformers Animated, Imps* and even Chowder. He also is in DTVA shows like Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, The Emperor's New School, and American Dragon: Jake Long among others. I'm surprised that he isn't in Phineas & Ferb yet. There are way too many roles to list here so go over to IMDB and you'll be seeing a lot of credit roles for him.
So Launchpad is asking about Scrooge's accuracy in looking for an excuse to crash a plane. Somehow; I'm 50/50 on this. On the one hand; Scrooge does have a point. For a guy who crashes as often as LP does; it does make a strong case for doing it on purpose. On the other hand; I love it when he screws Scrooge in crashing the plane so screw Mr. McD. Ludwig assures LP that he is not a crashaholic as he puts his notepad back into his coat. Oh man; Ludwig sounds pretty terrible here. I guess Corey is still breaking into the character at this point as he has sounded better in later years. Ludwig claims after using the head dividers of doom on his head that it's all a result of too much input in the cerebral cortex. Since this is a cartoon and cartoons don't go with reality (considering that they are half duck-half human to begin with); I'll take Ludwig's word for it. He goes over to the chart and it shows the brains of a Donald Duck. HAHA! Now I see where Don Karnage got his insult on Hacksaw from. I just love it when Jymn Magon makes a joke and then pays it off in another series. Ludwig uses his pointy stick to proclaim that if the dada (Disney Captions calls it data, Baka Baaaakkkkaaa) input meets the mama input; you do the hokey-pokey and turn yourself around and of course he cuts the “Left foot in/out” promo and then gets all confused for obvious reasons. HAHA! Ludwig proclaims that his cerebullum which Openoffice doesn't see it as a word; so Ludwig is a quack psychologist from the start; has been subjected to too many external stimuli. In other words; too much Scrooge blowing him off. LP asks about good news or bad news as Ludwig gets caught in the projector screen and spin around like a roasted duck in Ron Poepii's roaster and then drops onto the floor with a wussy bump.
That would be bad news LP as Ludwig states that psychologists have a technical name for his problem: He's cuckoo. HA! He needed an hour to see a doctor to explain THAT one? I think LP should have spent his money on a clock instead. It would have been more effective. LP states that Scrooge has been saying that to him for years. HA! Ludwig then gets serious as LP is close to snapping and then snaps the pointy stick on the knee and then he grabs his knee in pain. HAHA! That is one fragile leg there Ludwig. You need to see the funny bone doctor. AHHAHAHAHAHA! LP asks for treatment and Ludwig needs a full leg cast. For a little pointy stick? LP really wants treatment for himself and Ludwig still sells the knee (sort of) as he tells LP to simply relax his mind when figments of his imagination run wild again. Now you know he is a quack doctor. As if the fact that he is a duck wasn't enough for us. He tells him to imagine something of his favorite while saying Oooomh. You know the joke is coming; don't ya? Ludwig mentions raindrops on roses, whiskers on kittens (Man; this guy has less of a life than Drake does) and he almost breaks into song and stops himself. Ludwig then declares that he'll never see his imagination run wild again in one week of practicing. If that was all I needed than I wouldn't need a doctor again as LP asks if it doesn't work. Ludwig responds to that by stating that he needs a big clock to put a cuckoo like him. Ooooo; nice BS&P version of an asylum there guys. He tells LP to try and Launchpad goes all Oooohm on us.
So we get the scene changer as we see the STOCK FOOTAGE OF DOOM as we zoom in and cut to Scrooge's library as Huey and Louie are holding the ladder for Scrooge to check out his favorite books. This is going to make Al Khan snap; I just know it. Scrooge has to lean forward harshly to get the old red ribbon book and that rips the arms of his coat which he swears in DUBBED SCOTTISH STYLE (Curse me kilts!) and blows off disposable coat makers. He walks down and we cut to Scrooge in his green chair with the nephews huddled in front of him. Scrooge has a book about the quest for the Golden Fleece and Huey sells it because they have to do a book report on it. This is actually the first episode we hear about any schooling for the nephews actually. So Scrooge turns the pages and starts reading from it as the Golden Fleece was kept in the Valley of the Mists which is somewhere near the Black Sea. It's guarded by a sleepless dragon that was fed by Harpies which are half women; half birds and all sexist. Okay; I made up that last one as Huey does the Gruffi pose to annoy me. Huey then realizes that this is a similar version Launchpad told them and Louie likes that one better. Scrooge blows it off because LP made that one up see. BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Psychological projection much there Scrooge? Then Scrooge suddenly gets inspired and walks out with the book as the nephews wonder where is is going. Scrooge is going to get a new coat.
So we logically go to Launchpad's Unlimited House which is actually the cargo shipping place Jymn Magon talked about. Interesting moment for me since this was the foundation for what TaleSpin would become. How hilarious it must be that one simple scene like this would turn into what could have been one of DTVA's most amazing series ever. One that I argue surpassed Ducktales in spite of only running 65 episodes. Mostly because Magon and Zaslove took the concept and ran with it like mad. Add a few Jungle Book characters; add on the ultimate child character and a nasty/funny villain and it is good to go. Scrooge and the nephews enter inside as LP is sitting in his chair at the table doing his Oooooohmmmmm skills on himself. This is going to be a great episode; if nothing else because I get to see LP screw Scrooge like nothing before it. Huey asks what LP is doing and LP tells them he's getting rid of the figments of his imagination and relaxing his brain. He only wishes if would get rid of the figments of his imagination when it comes to getting buried by Drake Mallard; but that was real so he's hosed. Scrooge gleefully blows that off as he shows the book to him and LP thinks they are figments and then he starts relaxing his mind again. HAHA! Scrooge proclaims that he saw real Harpies and LP blows him off because Ludwig convinced him that he is cuckoo. Like he NEEDS a doctor to prove that. Scrooge thinks that the Golden Fleece might be real and LP thinks that is gross. After all; what does he want with Golden fleas. Other than infest Pluto's body and leech his babyface heat out. Scrooge correct him on that as he states that the Golden Fleece is an item of Greek mythology. See; since he was young he always wanted the Golden Fleece in order to make him the happiest duck alive. So he has been miserable with all that MONEY, MONEY, YEAH, YEAH after all. Scrooge takes Launchpad out as he wants the Golden Fleece to make into a coat see. Launchpad is confused as the nephews are; but they leave as well.
So that logically leads to the skies as they are very cloudy and it looks like a storm is brewing. We see the Scrooge Candy Cane Helicopter as Launchpad is using his feet to drive while reading the map. See; this is why Kit Cloudkicker was an awesome navigator. Then we don't have to see stuff like this. Unless Baloo is showing off his gross skills of course. LP is having a hard time finding the Black Sea because it's hard to read a map with crazy foreign words. Scrooge grabs the map away from him and he blows him off for reading the map upside down. No wonder LP cannot find his way home. And then here comes the PURPLE HARPIES OF DEATH on the side window as he panics, DUH! Scrooge asks if he has seen Harpies and LP denies it of course. Then he looks to his left and now there are two Harpies looking at him. LP panics again as Scrooge demands him to tell him what he saw and then Scrooge looks forward and sees the first Harpies for real. Scrooge realizes that they are near the location of the Golden Fleece and demands Launchpad to land. I betcha he does his Oooohmmmm thing; Scrooge gets pissed off and the helicopter dives like a dead duck and crashes. I check the DVD.... Damn; I'm good. That is screwjob #1 for Launchpad on Scrooge by the way. Good off-screen bump from the helicopter by the way. The helicopter is pretty much destroyed, DUH! Scrooge and Launchpad pop from the carnage and Scrooge blows off LP's relaxation skills. HAHA! Launchpad calls it the best crash scores yet as the nephews are seen with their backpacks showing us cardboard scores of 9, 9 and 10. One of them in pink lettering. Ah; I see that one was for Webby to use. I knew Louie was a thief; I...Oh wait; wrong Louie, my mistake. Scrooge blows off Launchpad's lack of a crash helmet since there is nothing to protect see.
So we go to the scene changer and lead into the dark and scary forest as we see the Harpies appear in the tree to the far right; only for the light on them to disappear and Launchpad becomes more paranoid than Scrooge on a bad day. We cut to a tree branch and an owl hoots as Scrooge blows off Launchpad's imagination again. Huey isn't so sure about Scrooge wanting to see Harpies and Scrooge wants to because it would prove that the Golden Fleece is real see. The owl continues to hoot as Launchpad thinks that it's a Harpy with a bad case of asthma. Louie then realizes that there is something else guarding the fleece and Scrooge remembers it as the sleepless dragon and they must be really close. LP tries to leave as he is scared to death; but Scrooge uses the POWER OF THE HANA BARBERA to stop him because the Fleece is too important for him. I noticed an obvious CONTINUITY ERROR: Scrooge's coat is like it wasn't damaged. Unless you buy the notion that he has copies of the same coat of course. Scrooge asks him about making dreams come true; and LP agrees to do that, but a sleepless is like a nightmare to him. It doesn't matter anyway since they advance forward anyway without further incident. Okay; Launchpad then swats what appears to be an owl; but it's really the harpies (well two of them) as LP tries to swat them again. However; he then see their ugly faces and then tries to relax his mind; but it does no good as the harpies grab him by their talons and drag him away. Scrooge and the nephews notice him being kidnapped which at least is fine in this show due to the higher age bracket Eisner wanted. Compare that to Butterbear getting kidnapped in a Wuzzles episode.
So we logically go to the mountain tops BEFORE HAPPY HOUR (sunset) as LP is still getting dragged by the talon of the giggling purple harpies. Launchpad then sees that letting go would kill them and he tells them not to let him go. HAHA! He gets dropped into the bird's nest as the leader of the harpies (the one with the green band to tie her hair back by the way) calls this a find for dinner. I love real comments that aren't supposed to be real comments. The leader Harpy uses the measuring tape (from a Harpy? Yeah right?!) and the yellow band one thinks he's real tender as Launchpad is scared like a bunny rabbit. The fat one (the red band one) tells them to hands off because he's all hers see. She tries to get him; but the other Harpies blow her off for hogging all the duck meat. She orders the Harpy Sisters of Doom to get the cauldron for dinner and the two Harpies sell and bail stage left. We find out he has been involved in 3,876 crashes. HA! I think that might be underestimating yourself by a few crashes there LP. He doesn't like this ending one bit and screams for help which no one but himself will hear. So we return to the dark and scary forest as Scrooge and the nephews look for Launchpad of course. Scrooge swears in DUBBED SCOTTISH STYLE (you know which phrase) as the fog is as dense as he is. HAHA! They are getting nowhere of course as Dewey somehow magically appears in the group on the pan shot. Bad form there TMS. Huey has his LIBERAL RED BOOK OF LIES THE KIDS EDITION~! POW! OUCH! Ummmm...I mean the Junior Woodchuck Guidebook as he refers to it and notices a solution to ground fog which is to form a Woodchuck totem pole. Scrooge takes the book from Huey and blows him off as then we see the nephews do the human ladder chain spot. Funny since they do this spot all the time BEFORE they knew about the Junior Woodchucks (See Don't Give Up The Ship episode). This proves that they aren't all THAT useless without the book. Scrooge likes this and wants in; so Louie bounces up and jumps right on Scrooge's head and top hat. HAHA! Scrooge cannot see; DUH!
However; Huey pops his head above the fog and sees the Harpy nest from about one hundred feet away. These nephews have the best eyesight in DTVA if they can see from that distance. So we see Scrooge walking drunk as Huey gives direction and misses a tree which we never see (logic break #1 for the episode) as Scrooge grabs the feet of Louie to regain his eyesight. They make it to the mountain side as Huey tells Scrooge they must go up. Sadly; everyone jumps down and realizes that it's too steep even though the side looks quite climbable to me. Logic break #2 for the episode as the nephews recall the horrible things to do to Launchpad like tickle torturing him (implied here of course), tarring him and even brainwashing him. Scrooge of course calls it a small load of wash. Which is a pretty good thing for Launchpad methinks. Huey has an idea as we cut back to the helicopter as Huey looks in his book and proclaims that while it cannot fly again; it doesn't mean they can't. Scrooge wonders if this is going to work. Considering the batting average of the Junior Woodchuck Guide Book so far in this series; I say it's a draw at this point. Huey proclaims that the Junior Woodchuck Guide Book is NEVER wrong. Riiiigggggghhhhttttt Huey. Like it was never wrong in Back to the Klondike? I guess that book can erase minds too. Scrooge gleefully proclaims that the parts are cursed by the touch of Launchpad McQuack. Which makes more sense now that I think about it. Dewey then hopes to find him before Launchpad is really in hot water. So we logically go to the scene changer as it is now AFTER HAPPY HOUR (after dark) as the Harpies are reading a cookbook, slicing carrots with a knife and boiling water on a open flame. The yellow band Harpy calls it Ducky as this will be the best feast they ever had as they laugh and logic break #3 for the episode beckons as there is a lot more veggies on the table than the mere carrot. We then go to a shot of the boiling water in the cauldron on an open fire as we pan over west to see Launchpad stuck in a wooden cage looking panicky as the segment ends nearly 11 minutes in.
After the commercial break; we see the nephews have already finished their project which happens to be a Bicycle Chopper. Tommy Taylor would be proud of such a thing. Dewey asks Scrooge to climb on and Scrooge isn't sure this is LP-proofed yet. Louie calls this the fastest way to get to LP and the sooner they get to him; the sooner they get to the Golden Fleece. Scrooge hops in the back seat as the nephews hop into the front while Scrooge orders them to start pedaling. They pedal as hard as they can and the props start up and they rise into the sky like a helicopter as they rise above the fog. We go to the front shot as Huey proclaims for Scrooge not to worry because they learned everything about flying from Launchpad. HAHA! This is going to be fun to watch; I just know it. The tiny prop below the big prop starts going (despite Huey not pressing anything to trigger it; logic break #4 for the episode) as Scrooge is now worried again. They fly towards the moon as we cut back to the Harpies who have now decided to get old school in their fashions by wearing golden leaf visors on their ears. The fat Harpy is using the alum spray to make herself look slightly less ugly. We pan over to a pile of rocks as the nephews and Scrooge pop up and wonder where Launchpad is. And then we get a psst sound and we pan east to see Launchpad in the cage, DUH!
The nephews and Scrooge go over to him and basically make enough noise to wake the dead. Launchpad wants help because they are cannibals. I love real comments that aren't supposed to be real comments. And that's enough for the Harpies to notice them as Scrooge orders them to release LP. The leader Harpies agrees if only he becomes their deipno which gets Launchpad panicky because he would rather be eaten alive instead and then recoils on cue. Louie asks what is the big deipno. Good question there because it's not on my Open Office list. The Harpies actually want him to be a dinner guest and sit on the conveniently placed throne when we pan to the right. Oh lord; all that build-up for nothing. Damn it! The fat harpy wants to marry Launchpad of course because he ruffles her feathers see. Scrooge goes over and whisper yells at LP to ask them about getting the Golden Fleece and LP isn't certain as it sounds risky to him. HA! Scrooge uses the magic word of doom (please) and Launchpad agrees to it because he is a thin guy for punishment anyway. Scrooge has a MIMI JOKE ZONE PLAN and then he whispers for real.
So we cut to the ground as there is lots of food to eat in this feast. Harpy leader proclaims to bring on the royal raiments. I guess she is Agnes since she's in her Lady Bane voice which means she is Tress MacNeille who has done voice acting since 1980 with the Smurfs. Her DTVA debut was Miss Pedigree with the Wuzzles and has been a main stay of Disney Television Animation since with Gadget, Zipper and Chip (her type cast character #1) from Rescue Rangers, Lady Bane from Gummi Bears, a few cameos from Ducktales besides this one, Kitten Kaboodle in TaleSpin, Opal Windbag in Darkwing Duck, Cheryl Germ in Bonkers, Margot Yale in Gargoyles, and more. Her type cast character is Daisy Duck (minus Quack Pack of course) as recently as Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. She's also Agnes Skinner (HA!) in The Simpsons, Babs Bunny in Tiny Toons, and has a typecast characters on Hanna Barbera programming as Pebbles and Wilma Flintstone (ironically; Pebbles was voiced by Sally Struthers at one point). She performed in the Weird Al Yankovic video Ricky and was Daria in Cheers as well. Her most recent credit is Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep as Anastasia and Merryweather. Again; as a voice talent; there are way too many credits to list here.
The other harpies are voiced by Russi Taylor by the way. We cut to Launchpad on the throne in a goofy Greek outfit eating a chicken leg and magically there are four harpies in the shot. What?! Someone explain to me how there are four harpies now?! Three of the harpies bail to get the next course as the Fat Harpy stays with LP while he eats chicken and calls this better than crashing helicopters for a living. It turns out that the Fat Harpy is Anastasia (Joan Gerber) as they exchange notes and pleasure thoughts as Scrooge clears his throat to signal to Launchpad to get to the point. So he asks Anastasia where he can find the Golden Fleece. She of course cannot tell because it's a secret see. LP sweet talks her for his own sake and Anastasia proclaims that she cannot tell him because Agnes would kill her (death reference #1) if she told anyone it is in the Hall of Echoes. D'OH! Scrooge winks to the nephews on that one.
So we logically cut to a ledge path as Scrooge and the nephews make it to the entrance to the Hall of Echoes. We know this because Scrooge said something and it echoes just as they make it to the entrance. Ironically; only the word echo works to trigger the echo. HAHA! They march inside making sure to say echo to really force the point. Scrooge goes in and realize that they'll never find the Golden Fleece and then the cave echoes with the word echo. I guess if the word echo doesn't appear in the speech; it sezs echo anyway. HEE HEE! This hall has a one track echo...echo....echo...echo...echoooooo! POW! OUCH! Ummm... Yeah; that was dumb. Scrooge thinks that it only works on the word echo and then it responds with the word fleece. HAHA! Yeah; it's a logic break; but it's funny so I'll let that one slide. Scrooge and the nephews walk further into the cave as Scrooge tells them not to get separated. So what happens in the next shot? We see Louie all alone on one path. So we go to the maze shot as the nephews are on top of the stone pillars while Scrooge is somewhere in the middle on the bottom floor.
Scrooge stays put as the nephews run back; but they find each other on the same area as before. Scrooge tell them to stay put and let him join them. We get some more running; but it gets nowhere. Memo to Louie: Jump down stage left. Huey; follow the path, find Louie, jump down to Scrooge. Dewey I'm not sure what to do with you though. This goes on for some time until we finally get Scrooge and the nephews together running in the opposite directions. Okay; we are finally going to get this mess cleaned up as Scrooge uses his fingers to whistle for the nephews to stop and they do. Scrooge blows off the maze and tells them to stay together as they run toward three paths to take. Scrooge wonders which passage way to take and Dewey cuts the Tiger By The Toe promo and picks the far right passageway. More walking as Dewey guesses right as we go to the far shot and see the Sleepless Dragon (a blue feather wing one too) breathing fire near a stairway. Dewey hates his decision as the sleepless dragon invokes the flamethrower as the ducks bail before they become roasted duck..Hmmmm...roasted duck...SLURP! POW! OUCH! Ummm...Scrooge and the nephews hide as Scrooge swears in DUBBED SCOTTISH STYLE (Blow me bagpipes!) as we clearly see the Golden Fleece on the pillar on top of the stairway behind the dragon. Dewey wants answers from the Junior Woodchuck Guide Book and Huey proclaims that they are a myth and don't exist. I guess Ludwig Von Drake wrote the guidebook it seems. Figures; knowing him. Scrooge blows him off as he sees that the dragon is chained to something as he goes back and tells the nephews to drop the book. See; I told you he was a Kit Cloudkicker type of guy.
See he has a MIMI JOKE ZONE PLAN and starts whispering again. The nephews run towards the right side of the dragon while Scrooge head to the chain and then blows a raspberry on the sleepless dragon. The dragon invokes the flamethrower and blows on the chains as Scrooge bails. The dragon is free as the nephews start mocking the dragon and the dragon invokes the flamethrower on the second pair of chains as the nephews bail and then they mock the dragon again. The dragon then runs and chases the nephews away; but has a blind spot now as Scrooge runs onto the stairway and rolls the Golden Fleece into a roll and declares victory like a rich spoiled brat. Sadly; there is a trap as the boulder falls from the ceiling and it crashes onto the pillar as Scrooge managed to dodge the MAN-SIZED bump. Sadly; the dragon hears it and turns around as Scrooge is SO BUSTED! And is about to fry. You are never too old to fry to the flamethrower as Scrooge bails with the nephews and think that they have escaped. However; they bump into the giant ass rock of doom and it's a dead end (death reference #2) and a fitting one at that as the sleepless dragon shakes his nose into the opening and screams and that ends the segment 16 and a half minutes in.
After the commercial break; we see a front shot of Scrooge and the nephews panicking as they are trapped like bread in a toaster as they say. So the sleepless dragon blows more flames and somehow the ducks aren't burning to ashes as a result. DAMN IT! That is a really bad logic break if I ever saw one. And this episode was really chugging along too. Thankfully; we return to Launchpad on the throne eating and drinking more stuff as Anges brings him a cake it seems. LP is stuffed which is hard to believe since he looks a little thinner than he did before. Anges loves this as it's time for the great feast and to bring LP to the great deipno. Why do I get the feeling that it's the sleepless dragon all along? Anna (because it's a lot easier to spell by the way) whines about it because she wants to marry him see. They take the throne along with the other harpies as LP cannot eat anymore. Anna tells him the feast is not for him as LP is a little worried now. So we logically go to the Hall of Echoes entrance. Yeap; the giant deipno is Greek for dragon. The Sleepless In Black Sea Dragon. AHHAHAHAHA! POW! OUCH! Ummm....
Anges rings the golden dinner bell as the sleepless dragon hears it and runs towards the entrance as Launchpad gets the LIGHTBULB OF BLOODY CLARITY and he is seriously (insert swear word here). On the other hand; it does allow Scrooge and company to escape; so it isn't a total write off. Anges explains that Deipno is actually Greek for dinner. Sorry for the error on my part; but it doesn't help Launchpad's situation in any way. Harpy legend states that they have to feed the sleepless dragon and it's nothing personal at all. Launchpad cannot believe this because they treated him like a king. Of course they did; if they told him from the start, LP would have bailed on them. Heels always play the deceptive card until they need to spring the trap on their victims. It always works and no one suspects a thing until it is too late. The nephews run in from behind as the dragon stops in front of Launchpad; allowing for the nephews to throw rocks at the dragon. Oh boy; you know LP is screwed when THAT is the only defense he has. The dragon notices the nephews as Anges and company see Scrooge with the Golden Fleece and Scrooge is forced to bail stage right. The Harpies go after him and the nephews and it's the SCOOBY DOO CHASE SEQUENCE THE HARPIES EDITION~! Anna stays of course with Launchpad as the dragon comes out and opens it's mouth to strike; but Anna flies in and gets eaten. HAHA! TOTAL MARKUP CITY FOR THAT SPOT! She will kill herself to marry Launchpad as she punches the mouth of the dragon in protest of this outrage. Anna gets spit out and she grabs Launchpad and flies away as the dragon misses him by a country mile.
Scrooge and the boys manage to get out of the cave (huh?! How in the world did that occur?) and they get on the Bicycle Chopper (it was just sitting there in plain sight all this time? I hate magical objects) to flee. The nephews of course don't leave. Why? Because they have to save Launchpad and lose the Golden Fleece silly. Scrooge of course blows him off because it's every Fleece for himself and that gets the boys mad and asking questions about Scrooge's sanity. I think Scrooge has Gold Fever again and it's a mild form that is undetectable. The harpies then fly out of the cave along with Anna holding Launchpad. WHAT THE HELL?! How did she get into the cave?! Logic break #4 for the episode and the first one I don't accept. Man; why does TMS still have Wuzzles syndrome? The dragon follows so the nephews and Scrooge are forced to flee anyway as the Harpies look around for the Golden Fleece. They look up (of course) and then they go after the Bicycle Chopper as it flies away.
We then cut to Anna still flying with her bride to be. POW! OUCH! Ummm..The dragon then follows them as they dive down while the Bicycle Chopper flies overhead. The other harpies get in from behind and grab the Fleece and that leads to the tug-of-war between them. Scrooge then proclaims that he stole it fair and square as Huey blows him off because he told THEM not to steal. UH OH! Is the irony bulb flashing here or what? And Scrooge blows them off for stealing bases in Little League. HAHA! I love psychological projection; as long as it doesn't happen to me of course. By the way; the infamous Little League Baseball short with Duckworth as the head coach is on disc three of this volume. Huey proclaims that it's different and Scrooge agrees because gold is more important than baseball. I just love it when Scrooge seems more right than the nephews are. See what financial context can do to you. Huey blows that off and I say he's losing his argument right there. You have got to come up with a better reason than that Huey Duck.
So we get some more antics with Anna and Launchpad as the SCOOBY DOO CHASE SEQUENCE THE FLAMETHROWER EDITION~! So we cut back to Scrooge and the tug-of-war with the Harpies and Scrooge gets plucked right off the seat of the Bicycle Chopper much to the shock of the nephews. Scrooge freefalls with the Golden Fleece and lands on the head of the sleepless dragon as Anna just cannot fly anymore now. She needs Wii Fit, STAT! Launchpad of course is used to crashing and wants her to try it anyway. HAHA! Sadly; they land safely onto the ground anyway (huh?) and the sleepless dragon lands onto the ground with a MAN-SIZED bump. Atta boy TMS! Sleepless dragon does some more flamethrower as Launchpad and Anna are cornered. Launchpad pleads for Scrooge's help and Scrooge has had enough of this greed of his and he puts the wool over the sleepless dragon's eyes in an ironic moment to be sure. The dragon then faints dead away as a result and lands with a MAN-SIZED bump as the other harpies fly down. The harpies are amazed at what he did as Scrooge proclaims that he has no choice other than see roasted duck on his blood stained hands. Hmmmm; roasted duck...SLURP! POW! OUCH! Ummm...
Actually; the harpies are thanking Scrooge (much to his confusion) because this is his first nap in 3000 years and they cannot stand his roaring. Anges thinks he goes cuckoo as Launchpad recommends a good doctor for that one. The nephews of course magically appear and they have a bonding moment with Scrooge as they thought he was pancake city. Scrooge states that he is fine although he had his doubts on it all. Scrooge admits that his greed almost cost his friend's life all because of the Golden Fleece itself. Louie is glad because he would rather have an uncle with a heart of gold. Man; Donald is seriously screwed now. Too bad BS&P wouldn't see it that way today. Nice animation on Louie's hat bouncing by the way. Launchpad owes Anna a thank you as well and gives her one and likes to give her anything. UH OH! Bad mistake there LP as Anna wants LP to marry him. HAHA! Anna doesn't care as Launchpad is forced to flee as Anna chases her like mad as they run away to the far reaches of the mountain as Scrooge and the nephews laugh at his expense. That is just too funny and Launchpad should just accept it and marry her. It's not like Baloo will get that chance if Magon has anything to say about it.
So we return to Ludwig Von Drake's office which is an orange apartment building with a striped green roof at the front as Ludwig is SHOCKED and APPALLED (in that order) that LP is still seeing imaginary Harpies. We cut back to the green sofa as Launchpad is lying down and tells Ludwig that she wants to marry him. Imagine that indeed. HAHA! Well; at least he is taking it much better than the last time he met Doctor Von Drake. Ludwig tells him to continue the exercise and tell himself that she is just a figment of the imagination. Launchpad goes over to the window and opens the blue blinders as it shows Anna with daisies in her hand and her hair and tells Ludwig to inform her of that. Ludwig is SHOCKED and he drops right beside LP and does the Ooooohmmm nonsense because they are both going cuckoo. HAHA! That ends the episode at 21:15. Launchpad absolutely rocked in 1987 and still does today. **** 1/2 (90%).
THE REVIEW LINE
I really liked this episode even with the silly Scrooge get mild gold fever overtones near the end. I also loved to death the Launchpad/Anna marriage angle which is only fitting that someone as cuckoo as Launchpad can be to marry someone who is a figment of our imagination in any other universe. There were a few logic breaks that bugged me a little bit; but the episode was absolutely enjoyable as they balanced Scrooge's treasure hunting with Launchpad's extreme problems with bad fantasies. Neither one was driven into the ground. I did like the sleepless dragon's design; although it could have been better if he was given something like the Three Deck attack in Valkyrie Profile to really make him badass. I mean just having flames is a little dated to me. I also liked the interaction with the nephews and Scrooge on the flying bike (good creative designing by the duo writers by the way) because Huey was pretty much projecting himself when it comes to stealing and he couldn't defeat Scrooge's argument and it took sitting on the dragon's head and having Launchpad helpless against the wall in order to stop his greed. Good finish to defeat the dragon too; really symbolic of Scrooge's love for golden wool. Good ending with Ludwig; although Corey Burton would do better with the voice in later years. You might not like his hypocrisy; but he is a talented voice talent nevertheless. Overall; a very good episode and really fun. Then again; Launchpad is a fun character so it is to be expected. Next up is Ducks of The West. I'm guessing Scrooge goes onto a Dude Ranch so to speak. So...
Thumbs up for this episode and I'll see you next time.