Rewatching DuckTales! It’s the original enemies-to-lovers tale in episode 90, “The Bride Wore Stripes.”

Here’s what happens: Fed up with living in the run-down hideout, Ma Beagle dreams of a better, high-class life. Elsewhere, Scrooge and the kids are out buying a cake for Mrs. Beakeley’s birthday, with Scrooge being a tightwad about it. By coincidence, Ma Beagle shows up to rob the bakery at that moment. She overhears Scrooge saying that he’s not married, because if there’s a divorce, the wife would get half his fortune. Ma plots a fake wedding scheme, complete with phony photos. A judge falls for it, and Ma Beagle asks for a divorce – and 50 percent of Scrooge’s wealth along with it. In a rage, Scrooge said he’d rather stay married, which gives the judge more evidence to declare them legally married.

Later, Ma Beagle and the Beagle Boys move into the mansion, helping themselves to everything and trashing the place. Ma Beagle even takes over the master bedroom, forcing Scrooge to room with butler Dogsworth. Scrooge’s lawyer says Scrooge needs hard evidence of Ma Beagle’s scheme, adding that Ma Beagle described herself a housewife. Now it’s Scrooge’s turn to make Ma Beagle miserable by making her do all the housework. She outsmarts him by actually doing the work.

Ma Beagle continues to play dutiful housewife, much to Scrooge and company’s frustration. The Beagle Boys also get sick of their mom’s new ways, so they and Scrooge come up with a plan. One night, Scrooge goes swimming in his money and appears to drown in it. The cops are called, and Scrooge is declared dead (!). Ma celebrates, thinking the entire fortune is now hers. Unfortunately for her, the cops arrest her on suspicion of foul play. That’s when she reveals the marriage is fake, and Scrooge reveals he’s still alive. The cops haul Ma Beagle back to jail, and Scrooge this is why he’s a bachelor to the end.

Humbug: In the show’s continuity, it wasn’t that long ago that Scrooge was involved in another fake wedding in “Til Nephews Do Us Part.” The difference is that this time, Scrooge knows it’s a fake wedding. He has to prove the truth to others instead of having it proven to him.

Junior Woodchucks: A turning point in this issue is when Ma Beagle dresses both Scrooge’s nephews and the Beagle Boys in matching Donald Duck-style sailor suits. The humiliation of this forces the boys to leave and go live with Mrs. Beakeley temporarily.

Maid and maiden: For Mrs. Beakeley’s birthday, cheapskate Scrooge buys a moldy old cake, seeds instead of flowers, and an on-sale Halloween card in place of a birthday card. There’s a slapstick gag where the cake hits her in the face, of course.

Foul fowls: The Beagle Boys this time are Big Time, Baggy, and Burger. In addition to the sailor suits, Ma Beagle also dresses them in Scrooge’s nephews’ colors. Big Time is in Huey’s red, Baggy is in Dewey’s blue, and Burger is in Louie’s green.

Down in Duckburg: Scrooge’s female lawyer is unnamed, and she has no entry in the Disney wiki. That’s a safe bet that she’ll never be seen again after this.  

Thoughts on this viewing: Another silly sitcom episode. Although the premise is a fake wedding, most of the episode is the mismatched roommates thing. It’s mostly a series of gags about what if Scrooge’s family and the Beagle family all had to live under one roof. I guess its amusing, but we’ve seen the show be so much more than this.

Next: They called me Mr. Glass.

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