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All Ducks On Deck
Reviewed: 11/07/2009
Enter the Phantom Blot......!!
Another major Walt Disney cameo makes his debut here as the lead villain (and a foil for Mickey Mouse no less) in this episode is a foil to Seaman Donald Duck in his second straight appearance: The Phantom Blot is here. This is a mass favorite among the Ducktales fans; and with the Phantom Blot and Donald around; it builds a good case already. Does this one hold up though? Let's rant on and find out shall we...?!
This episode is written by Pasty Cameron and Tom Naugle. The story is edited by Tedd Anasti and Pasty Cameron. The teleplay was done by Tedd Anasti and John Semper. John Semper has some really interesting credits hidden in his resume of the usual cartoon credits including D.C. Cab, Jay Jay The Jet Plane, Moon Dreamers, Rescue Heroes, Kid'n' Play, Class Act, The Puzzle Place, and his most recent credit The Soul and The Sun. I have nothing on Tom Naugle unless he's Therese Naugle who has done Smurfs, Beetlejuice and Alvin & The Chipmunks, but little else.
We begin this one on the ocean blue as it's the old dark and stormy night as we see the carrier of the FCC Navy getting swamped by cartoon faced waves. Okay; now I know that someone is on something tonight as we cut to the front and a guy who looks and sounds like Admiral Grimitz is invoking the WHEEL OF MORALITY as the steering is damaged and the radar is out. So the storm is carrying them to Pinball Reef. Yeap; it's Admiral Grimitz whining about wanting Seaman Donald Duck when he needs him. A red haired duck in blue naval gear who may or may not be Honker's lost cousin is steering. Of course considering that Grimitz would NEVER stoop to asking for Donald's help; I'm guessing this is one of Donald's stories. At least it sounds slightly plausible compared to Monty's BS stories. The red haired guy proclaims that he is wrestling the giant octopus of doom as we cut to the front of the ship as we see a giant purple octopus invoking the POWER OF HENTAI on Seaman Duck. Yeah; he and that octopus really go together. If Donald starts invoking the POWER OF THE PUNCH on his eyes; then Disney might have a good case for a lawsuit against a certain beer company who has one of it's characters doing that same spot right now. And the octopus has a beak to boot! Now you know this is not a real story. Sadly Donald escape; does some lame karate moves and that ties up the octopus without Donald even touching. Okay; now all of a sudden, Donald buying Ninja Lumberjacks in Quack Pack somehow makes sense now. Now he can explain why he watches anime now to his endearing public.
And it just wouldn't be Donald without him quacking up a storm like a swearing sailor. Donald invokes the kick and the octopus goes into the drink as Donald wipes his hands clean of any responsibility to the accuracy of this scene. And then Donald panics as the carrier is going through Pinball Reef as the bells ring and the thunder claps. And Pinball Reef (as stated by the red haired duck) as we see the entire reef looks like a scary and terrible pinball machine on the far shot. HAHA! Quick logic break; when they do the pinball spot; the carrier actually nails the sharp rock in the middle; which would have caused a huge hole in the bottom of the carrier and the carrier would have sank; but it whizzed by as if it didn't hit the carrier at all. Bad, bad form there Wang Films. Grimitz and the red haired duck steer like mad as Grimitz stammers before saying that they should abandon ship. Considering that the animators already made the ship no sell; I doubt that it would be needed. And the door slams open from outside and in comes Donald as he wants to take over. And Grimitz and the red hair duck sell without question. Now you know Donald's story is BS right there as Donald takes over the wheel and steers as we REPEAT THE SPOT AND SCENE only with Wang Films animating the spot right this time. Oy vey there guys. Donald steers with one finger while blowing with the other hand.
Donald steers through the storm and it's morning as the carrier rides in a westerly direction and we get the rainbow spot on cue. We then cut to the deck as Grimitz gives Donald some more medals as his new uniform is full of them. I see Donald's attempt to be full of himself is to be like Monty and make up stories. At least Donald's stories sound plausible. It's the FCC Navy we are talking about. Donald gets the purple silver service heart star medal (helpfully shown as such) and it has peanut clusters surrounding it. Well that KILLS the only illusion of this being a real story right there. And then the flashback ends (another cue that this is a BS story) as we head to the book room as Seaman Donald (in uniform – although it is not on a political function so it's all okay) proclaims that Grimitz said that he salutes him. He is on Scrooge's desk as he saluted right back as we go to a further shot and see the nephews sitting down loving it. Huey gets off Quackeroonie #1 for the episode as Donald is a hero. Huey is right about that; Donald is a hero – to millions of foul tempered males the world over. Donald pulls on Louie's cheek and states that they aren't the only ones who are proud.
Apparently; Grimitz is proud as he turned around and said...nothing as Scrooge blows him off for putting his feet on the desk. HAHA! Scrooge is not happy with this as Dewey was explaining Donald's role playing skills to Scrooge. Launchpad blows it off because an aircraft carrier is bigger see. I cannot argue with that overwhelming logic there LP. Donald jumps off anyway as LP proclaims that he couldn't land on a desk with a plane as he puts his arm on the desk and proceeds to go all Kit on us and does a bigger mess than Donald EVER did. The phone and papers go flying of course in case you didn't know. Scrooge decides to take Donald back to the FCC Navy before any real damage is done. The nephews ask if they can come along; but Scrooge no sells that bill of goods. See Scrooge and LP are doing some business after dropping off Donald Duck. The nephews take it surprisely well as they hug Donald and Donald states that he expects to be back sometime during Christmas. I'm surprised Ducktales never got a Christmas special. I'm sure the comics had at least one. Donald leaves as Huey is sadden that he won't get to see the medals Donald earned until Christmas. And yes; the medals become a recurring theme in this episode as you will see. The nephews then notice that Donald's duffel bag is still lying on the floor.
We then cut to the helicopter launchpad outside (I see Scrooge repainted the dollar sign gold at some point) as the adults have a meeting of the minds and it wasn't at the FCC Navy water cooler. Which contains a lot of clear Kool Aid. AHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Donald of course remembers that he doesn't have his duffel bag and goes back to get it. I'm betting 2:1 odds that the nephews sneak aboard the FCC Navy Carrier by hiding in the duffel bag. Scrooge blows Donald's brains off on that one. LP has Scrooge's top hat as LP wants a duffel bag himself and not a brain. Scrooge grabs his hat and gleefully blows him off for that one too. I think Scrooge should give LP more credit than that. I'm sure LP could find a better use for the duffel bag than his brain. Donald goes in and grabs the duffel bag as he complains about it being so heavy. Now as he carries it; notice that the supplies he usually carries inside are moved behind the desk. However; Donald has a sight that he can clearly see them; but he completely ignores them and walks away as we get another shot at the goods. Man; Donald's memory is more shot than mine. And I told you so! So we head to the helicopter as Donald enters struggling with his duffel bag as Launchpad is the front seat driver and Scrooge is the back seat driver. AHHAHAHAHAHA! BONK! OUCH! Ummm... Wow; the nephews must know how to hold their breath since there are ZERO holes in that duffel bag to get any air in. Donald takes the passenger side as LP proclaims that Mrs. Beakly baked her one of her fruitcakes. I don't think that is even possible LP considering who you and Donald are.
LP wonders if they will even get off the ground with that weight and the helicopter goes into the air without any problems. Well; I think that explains that it wasn't Mrs. Beakly's fruitcakes at least. So we head to the docks as we get a far shot of the carrier of the FCC Navy in between the coastline and the bridge. The red haired duck proclaims that all are presented and accounted for; except for Seaman Donald Duck of course. We head to the cockpit as Grimitz pretty much knows who's missing. MP #1 and the red haired duck...ummmm...duck right on cue. HAHA! The red haired duck gets up as Donald Duck is late as usual. Grimitz proclaims that they have special orders and they must go to sea at once. We then go to MP #1 (Terry McGovern this time) as he is at the radar as it spins green and there is a red dot coming their way. Grimitz asks if it's one of theirs and it's not according to MP#1. Grimitz proclaims that it's a civilian aircraft much to his disdain as we cut to above the ocean on the sky shot as the helicopter flies towards the carrier and LP cracks the obvious joke about Scrooge's desk. LP proclaims that he can crash...ERRR...I mean land with his eyes closed. Scrooge yells at him; but it's too late as the helicopter lands perfectly on the launchpad coming down into the bowels of the ship (NOT THOSE ONES!) and smashing a perfectly innocent white airplane in the process. HAHA! Deep hole in the corner pocket. AHHAHAHAHAHA! POW! OUCH! Ummm... Maybe the best crash I have ever seen and this one is LP's fault for sure. So he did crash a jet plane and a helicopter all in one swoop after all. Might as well add it to his “Stuff I have crashed on” even if it's indirect. Launchpad has that look of “I didn't do it” and then cracks a double parking joke on to of it. HAHA!
So we get the scene changer and head to the ISLAND OF THE CATS~! We know this because there is a mountain shaped like a cat...and it's dangerously close to looking like Garfield there. Then we hear a very, very seductive voice as the Phantom Blot of Doom is callingAgent X (So the killer female robot was a rip? For shame Doug Langsdale) as the seagulls fly around and then we go inside the radio lab to see the DTVA debut of the PHANTOM BLOT~! Basically; he's a ghost with red eyes and he is one of Mickey Mouse's most feared rivals. On an interesting note: Some Youtube users were suggesting that if TaleSpin ever continued into a second season that the Phantom Blot would make a great villain to replace Don Karnage (or at least give TaleSpin a really bad ass second main villain) and he would have all the one shot villains who lost to Baloo, Rebecca and Kit working for him to destroy Higher For Hire; including Dan Dawson, Douglas Benson, Perry, Kitten Kaboodle, the Vanderschemes, El Gato, Jack Cases, Colonel Grogg and so on. I like the concept; but I also think that it would only work if the Phantom Blot really got his hands dirty as well and not be like Doctor Claw was 90% of the time in Inspector Gadget. Sadly; Chris Barat did not give me an actual voice to work on; so I'm going to wing it and say that it's Peter Cullen or Frank Welker.
He proclaims that the villagers are agreeing with him and that he wants to take over the world as we pan over and see various fisherman furries locked up inside a jail cell. The Phantom Blot crackles with glee and I'm liking him already, although he NEEDS to build a bigger jail cell if he is going to succeed. Or kill furries. Whatever works for ye as they say. Phantom Blot tells Agent X to proceed with Operation Aaardvark which makes no sense here. Shouldn't it be Operation Feline Express since we are keeping with the cat theme? Or was that too sexist by BS&P?! The pelican fisherman does a weak raspberry to amuse me (Terry McGovern for sure since his head looks exactly like Launchpad. It might be LP's cousin for all we know.) as Agent X mumbles and The Phantom Blot blows him off because he knows that it's a silly name. Nice to see that at least he knows the name sucks. See; he wants to do his operation in alphabetical order. Who does the Phantom Blot think he is Ralph “Love to Flunk Them” Throgmorton?! He calls Agent X's name silly and Agent X blows him off for that one as Phantom Blot tells him just to do his job because he's the Phantom Blot see.
He makes Darth Vadar look about as a hood ornament of a 1953 Buick. HOLY CRAP?! Did they just smear Star Wars there?! If that was the writer's intention then it failed badly as Star Wars continued on with millions of fans while Ducktales didn't quite make it over the hump. And now we add a Buick and Darth Vadar to the list. This should end the debate on if TaleSpin takes place in the Ducktales world. It doesn't. End of story; the evidence is there for all to see. And he adds Doctor Doom to the list calling him a wimp. Wow; for a show that is supposed to take place in it's own world it sounds a lot like real America; only the ducks, pigs, birds and dogspeople have killed the human population. And he even adds Captain Hook as he's as dangerous as a plastic coat hanger. Okay; THAT one sounds entirely plausible and true considering that Peter Pan fell from grace with it's sequel. As disappointing as the Ducktales movie was; it was still a better movie than the sequel to Peter Pan Disney Television Animation made. The fisherman are SHOCKED by the promo cutting (that makes seven of us.) as the Phantom Blot is mean and he tells Agent X to have a nice day. I LOVE his laugh by the way as it just downright evil.
So we go to the scene changer on the launchpad inside the helicopter as Launchpad is starting it up again with Scrooge in the passenger side this time around. Scrooge waves goodbye to Donald, LP waves goodbye and apologizes to Grimitz for the plane as the helicopter flies away. We then cut to a sky shot of the deck as Grimitz grumbles on that one with Donald, the nephews (inside the duffel bag of course) and the red haired duck with the clipboard on retainer. Donald waves goodbye to LP and Scrooge as we zoom out. I betcha Grimitz puts the blame to the damage to the airplane on Donald since he cannot punch LP's lights out for really doing the damage. I check the DVD....The helicopter flies away as Grimitz blows them off and Donald because Donald is put of the FCC Navy now and not a civilian anymore. And then we FINALLY get a name for the red haired duck as Grimitz addresses him as Ensign Plover (which Chris has; but USIMDB calls him Ensign Plummer. And you thought Disney Captions was bad?) as he wants to know what torture...ERRR...assignments he has for late arrivals. Oh come on Grimitz? Just that? Why not punish him for damaging one of the planes on top of that?
That would justify you as a tweener while not making it too obvious and contrived. Ensign Plover has his clipboard and pencil ready (along with his Mickey Mouse gloves) as there is swabbing the deck, laundry detail, peeling potatoes etc. Ensign claims that they can keep him going until Christmas and Grimitz tells Plover (strangely Grimitz pronounces it as Plummer as the USIMDB states) to get Donald started on the torture...ERRR...I mean work assignments. Ensign then orders Donald to march and Donald sells on cue as they march away along with Grimitz. Man; Grimitz is generous here as he didn't order Donald to do it while carrying his duffel bag over his head. The duffel bag is left on the deck and the nephews pop out on cue as Huey gets off the first Golly in the episode. I believe that is only the second time I hear it in Ducktales. Apparently; Grimitz doesn't like heroes or Donald really isn't one. I think the former is completely true as we all know that he was a hero in Spies in Their Eyes and Cash As Catch Can Part 2. Grimitz actually only likes stuff that goes kablooey; unless it's projected onto him of course. Dewey thinks Donald made up those stories. NO?! REALLY?! As if the peanut cluster medal didn't give that away?! Huey believes he did it to have them be proud of him for being in the FCC Navy. Or maybe the FCC Navy is censoring his letters a lot better than they did in Golden Suns episode #1. Louie is proud of him though as they run off to follow Donald as Louie just wants him to remember to bring his duffel bag. Why? That was the only way to get on board the carrier Louie. So we go to the RECYCLED SCENE OF DOOM as the USS FCC Navy carrier sails away stage right without any further incident.
By the way; Ensign Plover is voiced by Mark L. Taylor who started as Feigelman in Serpico and George Radner in Family in 1977. He was in movies such as Damnation Alley, The Ghost of Flight 401, Terraces, Serial, Raise the Titanic and Any Which Way You Can. He was Conrad Peckler in House Calls, and Dr. Fred King in V: The Final Battle. He started in animation with Superfriends in 1984 with Firestorm, Foofur, James Olsen in Superman and in Batman The Animated Series. He also appeared in live action television such as Night Court, Matlock, Family Ties, and was in Honey I Shrunk the Kids as Donald Forrester. Ducktales is his DTVA debut and has appeared in TaleSpin as Douglas Benson, Darkwing Duck as an additional voice, and Thomas Brown in WITCH. In most recent years; Mark has been in Boston Public, Ally McBeal, The Practice, Six Feet Under, Joan of Arcadia and was Mr. Fulton in the sequel to High School Musical. Yeah. His most recent credits are Saving Grace, Boston Legal, The Real Son, Chuckle Boy, Ghost Whisper and Regarding: Beauregard as Mr. Shumway.
So we head to the helicopter on the far shot as it is BEFORE HAPPY HOUR (sunset as LP notices) as we go to the side shot to see Scrooge with the map as they are going to THE ISLAND OF CATS~! Yeah; it's really Cat Island; but I needed a better pun to work with anyway. LP gleefully blows off the lame name; but then recoils when he sees the island with a mountain shaped like Garfield. Scrooge explains that he owns a fishing fleet and they haven't been able to contact the island for weeks. We then cut down to see that the log like buildings are empty and the streets are completely devoid of any furries whatsoever. The helicopter lands onto the ground on the far side of the village without further incident. So we go to the scene changer on the deck as we get a shot of the row boat (where the nephews are probably hiding no doubt) as Donald swaps the deck with the SHANE DOUGLAS MOP OF DOOM. You know Grimitz means business when THAT is involved. Donald blows his boss off which only adds evidence to my theory. Donald swabs the deck though blowing off Grimitz big time as he wanted to sign on a smaller deck and didn't come back to do feeble chores. He already suffered THAT going to the army right Seaman Duck. AHHAHAHAHAHA! POW! OUCH! Ummmm..
We go to the boats hanging and damn; I'm so good. Huey and Louie pop out as this is just great for the nephews as they were here to see Donald's medals and apparently there is a war commencing. Dewey proclaims that they didn't know his ship was going to leave early. I'm having a little trouble with skipping; but it's minor and not like the freezing I got from Quack Pack though. Louie feels sorry for him not earning a single medal. Sad; because he saved Grimitz's ass twice already in this series. Huey thinks Donald could be a hero if given a chance. Wasn't Spies In Their Eyes enough to prove your point there Huey? Or is it that Grimitz just awarded him the right to kill his court martial? Dewey has an idea for a secret weapon as he dives into the boat and brings out THE LIBERAL RED BOOK OF LIES THE KIDS EDITION~! POW! OUCH! Ummm...I mean the Junior Woodchuck Guidebook. Yeah; let's bring out a book that has been a total crap shoot so far; that will make Donald a hero.
So we head to THE ISLAND OF CATS AFTER HAPPY HOUR (after dark) as we get a look at the cat statue and then we pan over to the village as Scrooge and Launchpad look around and see no one...AND THE ROCK MEANS NO ONE~! Scrooge has a funny feeling that something is wrong because their boats are still in the harbor. LP agrees with his funny feeling with a funny feeling of his own. LP also does the Gruffi pose to annoy me as he claims that something weird is going on here. And then the net is sprung and it captures the GOOFS WITH ATTITUDE easily. LP then proclaims that this is a net and not Funicello. What does Annette Funicello have to do with nets; I have zero clue. She was part of the Mickey Mouse Club though (as one of the first Mousekteers) and some live action Disney films and is still alive today. They struggle and sit down as here comes the Phantom Blot with a lantern and a lit match ( Possible Toon Disney Cut Alert~!) from the left side as he blows out the match and proclaims that something weird is going on here as he stalks the captured babyfaces. He laughs and he is mean as the segment ends nearly ten minutes in. Wow; I can see why a lot of Duck fans love this episode; the Phantom Blot is really awesome.
After the commercial break; we go to morning aboard the USS FCC Navy as we hear the announcer as Admiral Grimitz has an important announcement while Donald Duck is swabbing the deck some more on the right side. I'm guessing that the announcer is Ensign Plover. We then cut to the front of the triple MEGAPHONE OF JIMMY HARTS as Grimitz clears his throat to annoy me and then proclaims that there is a top-secret mission. See; there is a new experimental jet that is going to try it's first carrier landing. It's the carrier that is chosen (How I don't know..Neoptism perchance?) and heels are ready to steal the airplane so no one is to act like they know anything. And that is all for now as the nephews pops from the boat (which the covering has changed from dark blue to light blue) as Dewey proclaims that this is the chance for them to help Donald win some medals. I think they should help Donald win back Grimitz's good graces towards him which is a lot more plausible. The nephews then hop into the sailor pipe of doom since there are lifeboat drills commencing very soon.
And they have the guidebook ready in case of emergencies such as this. So we get the scene changer as we head to the ISLAND OF THE CATS~ (which is funny considering that there are zero real cats on the island anyway) as we hear mumbling from Agent X. I'm guessing that Ensign Plover is Agent X considering the Economy of Characters Trope. Prove me wrong writers as the seagulls fly around the island and we zoom in. We go inside the radio room as the Phantom Blot is saying that they can wait now and one must be patient if one wants to take over the world. Criminal plot or Nintendo's disruption plans? You the viewer DECIDE! Man; I love that laugh, along with the golden microphone that he's using. See; the world will terrible at the sight of...no, the mere voice of...no; the mere thought of...THE PHANTOM BLOT~! Cue awesome laugh as we pan over to the jail cell as Scrooge and Launchpad are now added to the mix along with the four or five other fishers. Scrooge is not impressed as LP gleefully answers Scrooge for me as Scrooge wonders who Agent X is. There are really two choices here: (1) it's Ensign Plover or (2) it's the female killer robot in Heavy Dental. Launchpad has more difficulty on that one though.
So we head inside the storage room as the lights go on and Dewey proclaims that this room is perfect as it has everything they need to make Donald a hero. The nephews run in as they run off all the stuff inside and Huey touches the airplane wing tip as it's about the right shape. Dewey consults the Junior Woodchuck Guidebook while sitting down as they need some string and something to use as props. Louie looks out the window as they are going to give the admiral the lifeboat drill of his life and then they giggle. Grimitz is not going to like where this is going. And so we head to the water level near the carrier as Donald and Ensign are pulling down the boat gently (as ordered by Grimitz) and then we head to the window as Louie lowers down a remote control shark fin into the water and the nephews giggle over that. Dewey has the remote control stick and I suspect major giggles are in store at the expense of Grimitz of course. Louie claims that the Junior Woodchuck Guidebook even amazes them. Doesn't that kind of prove that the book is a crap shoot? Huey proclaims that they hope it never falls into the wrong hands. Don't worry; no sane person would ever touch that book with a ten foot pole. AHHAHAHAHAHA! POW! OUCH! Ummm....
Dewey pushes the red button of doom on the bottom of the joystick and Operation Uncle Hero is underway. We see the motor shark tail fin zooming around the water as we cut back to the boat as Grimitz (all with life jackets...So they can be safe according to the LAW OF DORA.) thanks them for a job well done and wants them to pull up and return to the deck. They salute him as Ensign Plover panics as he sees the motor shark tail fin zooming towards him. Ensign climbs up the rope as Grimitz blows him off because it cannot happen without him see. Ensign stammers and points out the obvious as the motor shark fin runs rings about the boat. Considering that real sharks would destroy the boat within seconds in real life; I think Grimitz can clearly see that it's fake. Dewey wants Donald to prove that he's a hero and Donald goes into the blue CHEST OF DEMONS to get the flare gun. There are only three characters in this world where it's more dangerous for them to have a gun: King Amok, Gadget Hackwrench and Kit Cloudkicker. In particular; Kit Cloudkicker. Donald proclaims that he'll save Grimitz as Grimitz ducks and Donald shoots the flare gun and it hits the shark and the shark fin catches on fire. Oh yeah; that shark is so real, yes siree! Sadly; the remote control is busted and Dewey cannot control the damn thing. See what happens when you consult the Junior Woodchuck Guidebook to make people heroes. Bad things always happen see. The shark fin zooms around for a while and then heads for the boat and saws it directly in half as Grimitz and Donald grab onto the ropes. It zooms around and then it's GOOFY HOT TEMPER DUCK AND GOOFY FCC TWEENER ON FIRE! Dewey proclaims that they shouldn't worry because Donald will do better during the missile exercises.
So we head to a far shot of the front of the USS FCC Navy as the target drone airplane is on the edge of carrier and Grimitz orders the launch of the drone. I think Disney Captions screwed up here since it sure doesn't sound like Grimitz; it sounds more like Ensign Plover to me. And then we cut to the banana yellow and cherry missile (How can I take the FCC Navy seriously now?! Oh wait...) pops up and launches right into the plane as it goes kablooey in a puff of smoke (AND THAT IS BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH, MOVIE RATING AND QUACK PACK EPISODES!) as Grimitz gets his feitsh in to keep his batting average up complete with the binoculars. Ensign proclaims that it is in his blood as he salutes him for it. I love real comments that aren't supposed to be real comments. So we then see the next plane on the platform and it looks almost exactly like the airplane Launchpad crashed earlier. HAHA! Grimitz is such a pain in the ass. We then see the nephews pop up below the airplane as Dewey puts the homing device right onto the plane hoping that it works better than the remote control shark.
The nephews pop down out of sight as Grimitz and Ensign go over and of course the airplane is ready to fly and go kablooey. Grimitz is George W. Bush's wet dream character come true. And pretty much a nightmare for the rest of us. Grimitz and Ensign walk away as Ensign is on the clipboard again while the nephew go through the sailor pipe of doom to escape. Louie gets two web feet in the face by Dewey on that one. HAHA! Sadly; Grmitz goes over and sees the homing device of doom on it and thinks it's a rock and roll music radio as they are listening to it on duty as he removes it. The nephews should have put it underneath the plane and hope it doesn't slip when it flies. He then puts the remote control device of doom inside his ass pocket as Grimitz tells Ensign to report them and he sells it. Ensign informs Grimitz that Donald is next as Grimitz proclaims that he'll be shooting at the target drone instead of him. Huh? How? He shot the flare gun AT THE SHARK...I would be inclined to call this logic break #1 for the episode; but knowing Grimitz, it makes perfect sense to me. He is Gordon Klingenschmitt without the discharge or religion enforcing. Unless you consider making things go kablooey a form of religion. This is not going to end well for Grimitz; but I hope it works because it's damn funny and we need a Darwin award in this show that is not a full on heel.
So we logically head inside the control missile room as MP #2 (to Chris: The bearded seaman doesn't speak here; the beardless one does however- voiced by Frank Welker) as he orders the launch of the drone and the drone rockets up into the sky. Oh boy; this is going to be funny; I just know it. The missile pops up as Donald actually gets the coordinates properly : 15 degrees to port and 19 degrees to starboard. And naturally the MP's have no clue what he is saying. HAHA! (Okay I take it back; he does speak. Same voice however.) Okay; these sailors are dumb because Donald voice is clear on the coordinates for the second one and they still don't understand him! As they push on the buttons and lock the missile on target according to Donald and the screen. He tells them to fire and MP #2 doesn't even understand THAT. MP #3 does however (it sounds like Chuck McCann's Burger voice for some reason) as he closes his eyes and fires the missile as it launches from the pad. We then cut to the window as the nephews pop out and Dewey proclaims that once he pushes the button; the device will work. I am so loving this because we KNOW what is going to happen here and I love to see Grimitz go kablooey in an amazing amount of irony.
Dewey proclaims that it will really get the Admiral's attention. You don't know the half of it Dewey as he pushes the red button and we cut to on deck as Ensign and Grimitz look on with the binoculars as the device beeps in his ass. Grimitz notices it and the missile does as it misses the drone and dives down towards Grimtiz and his ass. HAHA! Grimitz has that look of “I am soooooo dead...and I am going to take Donald to hell with me.”. Ensign ducks as Grimitz bails stage left and we have the SCOOBY DOO CHASE SEQUENCE THE GEDO MISSILE EDITION~! Grimitz then goes down the sailor pipe of doom and the missile follows inside and the missile finally goes kablooey. HAHA! See; this is why I always say: Projection is funny until it happens to you. Ensign comes over as Grimitz manages to pull himself from the carnage and then really blows off and gets the obvious projection that he has done throughout this series. HAHA! And then Donald pops up from the conveintly placed port hole (Huh?) with the headphones on as he asks how he did and then sees Grimitz and realizes that he is seriously (insert swear word here). Donald giggles in shame as we end the segment 15 minutes in.
After the commercial break; we head to the potato peeling room as Donald is on a pile of potatoes peeling potatoes of course. He sulks and whines as usual as we cut to a pile and see the nephews pop out and apologize for their actions. Donald acts like nothing happened and then gets the LIGHTBULB OF BLOODY CLAIRTY and panics. So we head to the far shot of the carrier as a man tells Grimitz (Frank Welker I presume) that the invisible air craft is continuing landing approach, 3000 yards and closing as we cut to inside as MP #1 is manning the radar and Ensign and Grimitz watch on with the binocular. Ensign thinks that they can see it; but Grimitz claims they can't because it is invisible see. Ensign looks at the deck and the invisible plane lands with only the dust showing itself on the shot. Weird; there is no binoculars which would make this make sense. The plane finally appears and it is purple and violet all over. Okay; this is the most girly color scheme for a plane in DTVA history. Even Drake Mallard has better fashion sense than this. Then again; they have a banana yellow, cherry red striped missile to play with. So it figures; knowing the FCC Navy. Oh and the suit is invisible too as Grimitz wants one for his wife and poke him in the ribs.
I see that marriage is somewhat on the rocks. The pilot comes out and Grimitz and Ensign salute him as he tells Ensign to show him to his quarters. The pilot suit has more fashion sense than the plane; although the orange cord makes him look like an oversized baby in comparison. So we cut back to the potato peeling room as Donald the nephews are peeling potatoes. Donald thanks them for helping as Dewey proclaims that it was the least they could do after messing up the missile practice. Sorry; but I don't buy that one Dewey. Because it brought out the best in Grimitz; after all he does love when stuff goes kablooey. Donald proclaims that he is at fault because he told them lies about his service in the FCC Navy and they wouldn't have come to make them come true. Donald puts down the potatoes and decides to take them to Grimitz anyway as Huey isn't so keen about that and throws a potato down.
So we head to a room near the deck and a far shot of the invisible plane as Ensign Plover is now in the green pilot suit with the helmet on the transmission calling Phantom Blot as he is addressing himself as Agent X. Well; the Economy of Characters strikes again! Agent X proclaims that Operation Aardvark is underway as he even has the red helmet ready on cue. He stops the transmission and puts the red helmet on and runs to the plane as we head to the cockpit in front as Grimitz is wondering what he is going to do with him. Louie has a suggestion: Just give him a medal. He should already have two for his conduct in this series already. Louie recoils as Grimitz gives the mean stare as he hates stowaways see. And before he can really let them have it the alarms start ringing and MP #1 proclaims that someone is stealing the purple invisible jet. NO?! REALY?! Grimitz recoils on that one (HA!) and MP #3 (the bearded one) brings in the dogperson pilot (Frank Welker) in his shorts and white shirt as he states that it was Ensign who was behind this. NO?! REALLY?! He bumped him on the head and took his suit in Locke Cole fashion as we cut to the deck and see the jet starting up. It turns around in a 180 (How does that work?) and flies into the air as Ensign calls to the Phantom Blot as he blows off the silly name again as he calls it a complete success though and then turns the plane invisible.
We then head to the ISLAND OF CATS as Wang Films makes it clear that the mouth is going to open (check the shading of the mouth compared to the rest of the mountain) as it opens and then we zoom in and cut to inside the radio room as the Phantom Blot plays with some red levers (WRONG LEVERS!) as they make wonky sounds. How can you NOT love this guy?! The launchpad opens like a tongue (see Mach One For The Gipper for a similar version of it) as the invisible jet plane becomes visible again (no break there; he could have turned it visible when he saw the island) and lands on the launchpad perfectly as the pad brings him into the radio room where the Phantom Blot is. He plays with the levers some more (he must love that sound) as Launchpad thinks this guy is serious. If it's his music career; then he might have a shot which is only slightly better than being a criminal genius who wants to take over the world. Scrooge is interested in the third lever (on his left; or on our left? He doesn't say on the far shot of the cell) as that one opens the cell. We then cut to MP #1 on the radar proclaiming that they lost the invisible jet. NO?! REALLY?! They must be out of range now. Grimitz calls this a disaster and Kit is much cooler than you when he gets flustered like that. Dewey at least takes solace in that they didn't cause it. Sadly; Grimitz doesn't take the hint and blame them anyway...
So we head to the radio room as the Phantom Blot goes over to Ensign who has the helmet off; but the green suit on as he thanks him for a job well done. The Phantom Blot and Ensign shake hands as the Blot proclaims that he can build an army of jets and rule the world with an iron hand that shows no mercy. Ensign asks if he can become a general and the Phantom Blot is confused; but he recoils as a promise is a promise after all. Scrooge overhears them as he realizes that Ensign Plover is a traitor. NO?! REALLY?! Scrooge tells everyone to empty their pocket and check for anything they can use to escape the cell. Well; so much for the lever (WRONG LEVER!) as LP has a bubblegum card, a broken rubber band, a marble and a wing nut from his last crash. That is so symbolic of LP's character right there. The dog fisherman has some sinkers (Mark L. Taylor); the pelican has some fishing line as Scrooge is pleased and wants them to give them to him. So we cut back to the airplane as the Phantom Blot sighs and calls himself sentimental because taking over the world is a dream come true for him. Ensign is happy for him as I smell a possible end to the friendship between them. Scrooge uses his cane to fish and hooks the lever on his left (WRONG LEVER!) and the dog fisherman praises him for the cast. He pulls on the line and the lever pulls down (WRONG LEVER!) and the bars goes up instantly with a wonky sound. Everyone gets out and naturally Launchpad becomes the doormat of the team. HAHA!
The Phantom Blot and Ensign turn around and they are SHOCKED AND APPALLED. They chase the heels to the iron doors and they are surrounded big time. The Phantom Blot then brings out the black box and proclaims that he'll blow the place up. Scrooge orders his train to stop because he is desperate enough to do anything at this point. Sadly; Launchpad gets up and pulls on the two remaining levers (WRONG LEVERS!) and the launchpad shoots out of the cat's mouth and both Ensign, the Phantom Blot and the bomb drop into the ocean and of course the bomb explodes in the water. So we cut to the boat where the dog fisherman and the pelican fisherman are in their boats and they use the net to reel up and Ensign and The Phantom Blot are completely all right which makes little sense since they should be dead; but BS&P you know....The fisherman laugh it up as the village is back to normal operations.
We then cut to inside the airplane as Scrooge and Launchpad are inside. Scrooge wants LP to fly the plane as LP has trouble finding the button to close the canopy. He closes it without any problems and manages to press the button to start the engines. And they start as the plane turns on a 180 again and then flies out of the mouth of the mountain cat. So we head into the air as Launchpad looks at the console and wonders what the red button. Memo to future goofs: Never press the red button. Nothing good ever comes out of it. Naturally; that turns the airplane invisible. The goofs scream badly as Scrooge orders LP to push the button again and of course it's invisible so LP cannot find it. HAHA! They fly some more and go pass a vulture who squacks in confusion. We then see them flying on top of the another visible jet plane (a white one this time) as we see a dogperson man and rich woman looking on as the man (Peter Cullen) comments on the no frills airlines. HEE HEE! They tap their glasses filled with WE KNOW IT'S ALCOHOL BUT WE'RE NOT TELLING DRINK and celebrate. Okay; so we head to the USS FCC Navy AFTER HAPPY HOUR as Scrooge has the transmitter in hand as we cut to the plane as he calls Grimitz to inform them that they have the stolen plane; but it's running out of fuel. I guess the sputtering makes sense.
At least LP isn't doing this one on purpose. Scrooge wants the deck to light up so LP doesn't crash so badly. Louie in the cockpit realize that it's Scrooge as Grimitz invokes the POINTY FINGER OF DEATH on MP #1 to put on the landing lights at full power. MP #1 salutes him as MP #3 pushes the switch and the lights shine onto the deck. However; we cut to the sailor hole of doom which contains the charger of doom which was broken by the missile earlier sparks and the lights go out. Damn; I knew that thing was going to be used somehow for the finish. The thing explodes and the lights all go out as we head inside as MP #1 tells Grimitz about the damage to the missile and Grimitz gives the mean stare to Seaman Duck as expected. Grimitz blows him off for THAT one as they are going to crash into the sea. Donald panics for about three second and then has a MIMI JOKE ZONE PLAN as he remembers the flare gun. And he said it clearly and yet MP#1 and Grimitz STILL don't understand him. This is one of those reasons why BS&P sucks. Donald blows them off and tells the nephews to follow him. They bail stage right as the scene changer beckons and Donald and the nephews go on deck towards the lifeboats.
Interesting Moment #1: Donald and the nephews grab flare guns and then begin shooting them. And folks; we finally have evidence of kids shooting guns in a Disney cartoon and this is as close as bullet shooting guns as you can get without being as such. The writers are going to have a long talk with BS&P after this episode airs. I wonder if Toon Disney cut this scene out?! Anyhow; the flares shine brightly in the sky as Scrooge and Launchpad see the flares as LP brings the plane down for a landing as Scrooge closes his eyes. Sadly as they are on the deck; Launchpad stomps wildly as he cannot find the brakes. HAHA! Scrooge screams as the plane somehow manages to stop about a foot away from the edge of the deck on a dime. I guess the airplane drone pad managed to stop them. We then cut to the lifeboats as Donald proclaims to Grimitz that they did it. Grimitz then asks the immortal question: What do you want; a medal?! Donald gleefully blows him off on THAT one (as well he should since he saved Grimitz's ass twice already in this series) as Grimitz walks away.
The nephews tell him not to worry (and Dewey and Louie still have their pistols) as Huey offers Donald a medal made out of electronic parts from the supply room. Over then the ribbon; it sure as hell looks like one. And they pin it on Donald's breast and turn it on and it doubles as a 15 channel television screen. And it is all probably pirated stuff too. The screen show a parody of Wheel of Fortune as the puzzle is Ducktales by the way. The female has got a weird purple dress on too as it shows more cleavage than Kim Possible ever did. Donald proclaims that they are the best nephews they ever had as he hugs them. We then cut to Scrooge and Launchpad as Scrooge pops up and hits his head on the canopy and he wants LP to open it. Big mistake there Scroogie and he pushes the invisible button which commits logic break #2 for the entire episode as the GOOFS WITH ATTITUDE eject without the canopy being open; or glass shattering no less. They launch into the air and then they open the orange parachutes and drop down as Launchpad cracks about the ejection seats and Scrooge groans right on cue. HAHA! They fall into the water and pop up from the water. Scrooge looks mad as hell to end the episode at 21:16. Minus two minor logic breaks; this episode was PERFECT. Joe was right; this episode is the best Ducktales had to offer. So I'll give it the full monty on the overwhelming performance of the Phantom Blot. Sadly; we would never see him again until Mickey Mouseworks and House of Mouse. ***** (100%).
Note from the Future: Family Channel Canada did not cut the flare gun scene out and that's all I have available to check on Youtube as there was no Toon Disney edit.
THE REVIEW LINE
And thus we have our third perfect episode for the series right there as pretty much everything clicked in this episode. We have the awesome Phantom Blot who sounded funny and had the evil laugh, the big world plan and wonky sounding levers. He might not have the killing skills; but he certainly had the flair and his sneakiness did work. I also love how they made Ensign Plover the traitor and while the Economy of Characters was in effect; the writers did a great job in making the nice one and he didn't show malice to Donald in anyway which allowed us to believe that he wasn't Agent X. This is how you keep your cover; unlike the Agent X of Quack Pack who's voice clearly gave her away as such when she was the slutty cowgirl. I also like the nephews attempts to help Donald because they not only show how bad the guidebook is; it also allowed Grimitz to go kablooey and realize that projection is funny until it happens to you. I'm been waiting for a spot like this and they delivered in spades. It also figured into the finish as well with the lights. We get Donald sulking and performing as usual; although he sounded too clear during the “What he say” spots and it made for one of only two logic breaks in the entire episode. Scrooge was good, the nephews were great, Grimitz got what he deserved and we got a perfect payoff to the whole medal thing and a funny ending which sadly caused a second logic break with the ejection seats. Overall; this is the best episode in Ducktales and Joe Torcivia is right; this episode deserves the legendary status it gets from duck fans. Next up is the second one in the awesome category: The Ducky Horror Picture Show. So....
Thumbs way up for this episode and I'll see you next time.