Rewatching DuckTales! Time for adventure on the high seas as the series goes full Red October in episode sixty-two, “Spies in Their Eyes.”

Here’s what happens: We catch up with Donald Duck, who is accompanying Admiral Grimitz in testing out a new experimental submarine. He’s also meeting up with Scrooge and the nephews while his ship is in Singapore. There’s also international espionage afoot as Donald is being followed by femme fatale Cinnamon Teal, who wants info on the sub. We learn that Scrooge secretly funded the new sub, and he too wants info on its performance.

Cinnamon uses her powers of hypnosis to mesmerize Donald. Under her control, he steals the computer for the sub and returns it, getting spotted by the security cameras. Cinnamon makes it so that he doesn’t remember any of this. Donald is arrested by the Navy, and Cinnamon turns the computer over to another to another villain, Victor. Scrooge and boys refuse to believe Donald is a spy, so they investigate. Scrooge confronts Cinnamon, who isn’t all that bad, it turns out. Victor was blackmailing her, so she and Scrooge decide to work together.

Scrooge and Cinnamon go to Grimitz where she demonstrates her hypnosis powers, proving Donald innocent. Victor then uses the computer to steal the submarine. Hoping to make matters right, Donald sneaks aboard the sub. Victor fires on Grimitz’s ship, but Scrooge lures the torpedoes away with a speedboat. Then it’s Cinnamon, and not Donald, who stops Victor by hypnotizing him through the sub’s periscope. Donald destroys what he thinks are his court-marital papers, only to learn he instead accidentally ripped up Scrooge’s contract to build more submarines.

Humbug: As a seasoned adventurer, Scrooge is prepared for Cinnamon’s hypnosis powers. He’s quick to put on a pair of anti-hypnosis sunglasses before she can try her tricks on him.

Junior Woodchucks: While at the Cloak and Dagger Club, which is filled with spies, the nephews get into the spy game in a big way. They get money for dishing out information, and then getting that money taken away for other information.

In the Navy: There are a few lines of dialogue stating that Donald’s Navy service has actually helped him become a more competent, self-confident person. But, he’s still not the one who saves the day at the end.

Foul fowls: It’s unclear what Victor wants, exactly. As soon he gets control of the submarine, his first move is to attack the U.S. Navy singlehandedly. I guess he’s less of a spy and more of a trigger-happy madman.

Reference row: Victor’s full name is Victor Luzer, which would seem to be a parody of Victor Laszlo from Casablanca. But he doesn’t anything like the Casablanca guy, unless that movie had a blackmailing/hypnosis subplot I don’t remember.

Thoughts on this viewing: I liked all spy movie parody gags in this, and I’m always up for some submarine action. Unfortunately, the Singapore setting means a lot of massively unfortunate Asian stereotypes. And I remain perplexed about how this is supposed a spotlight episode for Donald, only for the other characters to save the day in the end.

Next: Blot it out.

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