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Rewatching DuckTales! My thesis is that the series-long character arc of DuckTales is not about Scrooge McDuck being a rich jerk, but about him learning that his family is more important than his money. There’s no better example of this than in episode 61, “Once Upon a Dime.”

Here’s what happens: It’s July 1, which is somehow both “Kilt Day” and “Dime Polishing Day.” Dressed in a classic Scottish kilt, Scrooge is ready to polish his lucky Number One Dime, only to find it replaced with an ordinary quarter. Huey reveals that he’s the one who took the dime, and he gives it back to Scrooge. He and his brothers replaced it with what they believe is their lucky quarter. They boys question how one dime could possibly be responsible for all of Scrooge’s wealth and good fortune, so he promises to tell them the tale.

Flashback to old-timey Scotland, where young Scrooge aspires to greatness, but must start at the bottom as a lowly shoeshine boy. His first tip is the one and only Number One Dime. Scrooge’s parents think ten cents is worthless, but Scrooge sees the dime as a symbol for greatness. After whipping a homemade shoe-shining machine, Scrooge makes enough money to start a new life in America. He’s arrested for wearing a kilt in public (!) and he meets the Beagle Boys for the first time when in jail. He’s reunited with his long-lost uncle Catfish McDuck, who is not rich but in huge debt.

At this point, the episode becomes a series of repetitive skits, in which Scrooge comes up with whimsical money-making solutions to his problems:

• Scrooge saves his uncle’s business by entering the two of them in a riverboat race.

• Scrooge travels to the Klondike, making a fortune in the Gold Rush. (These scenes take place just before the flashback seen in episode 23, “Back to the Klondike.”)

• Scrooge buys timberland in Oklahoma, only to find it treeless. When he buries his Number One Dime for safe-keeping, he accidentally strikes oil.  

• Scrooge buys a worthless coal field in Africa. He gets a bunch of elephants to stampede over the coal, crushing it all into valuable diamonds.

Scrooge then builds the famous Money Bin and lives in Duckburg. But without a family, he felt lonely, not rich. He says that he did not truly feel rich until the day that his three nephews, Webby, and Mrs. Beakley came to live him, so he had a family to share his wealth with. But he’s still not going to give the boys a raise in their allowance.

Humbug: A running gag in this episode is Scrooge’s failed attempts at being a bagpipe musician. He gives up on this dream pretty quick in favor getting a “real job,” although he keeps the bagpipes with him. Are the bagpipes his Rosebud?

Junior woodchucks: Huey believes his quarter is lucky, because at the arcade, he got a high score on “Ducky Kong” and the machine gave him the quarter back. Somebody at Disney needs to make a real-life Ducky Kong game right away.

Foul fowls: The Beagle Boys in the flashback are Old West-themed, Wild Bill Beagle, Butch Beagle, and third unnamed one that the Disney Wiki just called “frontier Beagle Boy.”

Down in Duckburg: In this episode, Scrooge keeps his Number One Dime’s glass case on a fireplace mantle. In past ones, it’s been in a room of its own, in a hallway, and inside the Money Bin. I guess he just likes moving it from place to place.

Reference row: This one digs in deep adapting stories from the classic Uncle Scrooge comics by legendary artist Carl Barks. Some have theorized this episode inspired Don Rosa’s graphic novel The Complete Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck, which attempts to connect the classic Duck comics into a single continuity.

Thoughts on this viewing: Subtext becomes text. Scrooge’s money doesn’t bring him joy, his family does. That’s a nice sentiment for this episode, but does the series as a whole reflect this? That’s the question. In a smaller-picture view, this is a bunch of short stories that aren’t that great. The riverboat race is a Southern plantation setting, which is problematic at best, monstrous at worst. Scrooge making his fortune on comedic schemes really stretches the cartoon logic. And where’s all the Indiana Jones-style treasure hunting? Isn’t that where he got his fortune? So, this is a mess of an episode with its heart in the right place.

Next: The hunt for duck October.

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Rewatching DuckTales! The show does its own little League of Extraordinary Gentlemen by reviving our favorite old-timey English characters in episode 60, “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. McDuck.”

Here’s what happens: In England, notorious thief Jack the Tripper hides from police inside the abandoned estate of Dr. Jekyll, and he hatches a plan. Later, at an auction, Scrooge bids on a mystery box, only to find it full of antique clothes and some cologne. The cologne has a strange effect on Scrooge, making him spend his money and even give it away, rather than keep it all for himself.

After chasing Scrooge around town as he gives away money, the effect of the cologne wears off, and Jack appears, tripping Scrooge and taking the cologne. The boys learn that the mystery box came from England, while Scrooge feels the effects of the cologne again. When he comes to again, he and the boys head for London. There, Jack is using the cologne to trick rich folks into handing all their money over to him.

Scrooge and the nephews investigate Dr. Jekyll’s estate. Scrooge goes nuts again, and he runs off. To find him, the nephews recruit famous detective Shedlock Jones. Jones tosses them out, saying he’s too busy pursuing the master criminal Professor Moody-Doody. Scrooge is arrested after causing a scene. The boys return to the Jekyll house, where Jones has uncovered the cologne, which was Jekyll’s old formula. Jack then shows up to steal the formula. Jones and the boys chase him to Duckingham Palace with a plan to steal the crown jewels. Jones reveals that he switched formulas and catches Jack. Futher, he reveals Jack is really Moody-Doody in disguise. The boys get Jekyll’s antidote and use it on Scrooge, but not until after he buys them a bunch of junk from mail order catalogues.

Humbug: The gag at the start of the episode is that Scrooge won’t buy individual sodas for his nephews, but one soda with three straws. “Make that four straws,” he adds.

Junior Woodchucks: When Scrooge starts giving money away, the nephews are quick to exclaim “That’s our inheritance!” My thesis is that the series-long arc of DuckTales is Scrooge learning his family is more important than his money, but the nephews’ actions show this episode is definitely not about that.

All that glitters: We see that Scrooge keeps a portrait of his sometimes love interest Glittering Goldie in his bedroom (!), and that the painting has a safe full of cash behind it.

Glad to be here: At the auction, Scrooge doesn’t want to waste money on a sealed box with unknown contents. Gladstone Gander shows up and takes the risk. The box ends up being filled with gold. This inspires Scrooge to bid on the second mystery box, containing Jekyll’s formula.

Foul fowls: The gag behind Jack the Tripper is that he lays out traps for people to slip and fall on, after which he robs them. But, as Professor Moody-Doody, his real plot was to masquerade as Jack the Trapper, the type of petty, small-time crook that the great Shedlock Jones would never bother investigating.

Down in Duckburg: I’m unclear on where this auction is being held in Duckburg. It’s a big outdoor area, like a park but surrounded on all sides by big brick walls. Is this somebody’s yard?

Reference row: This episode mixes and matches Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes and Robert Louis Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll with real-life killer Jack the Ripper. In fiction, these characters never crossed paths in their official canons, but many writers in later years concocted ways for that to happen.

Thoughts upon this viewing: I’m both a big Sherlock Holmes fan and I’m something of an amateur Ripperologist, so this episode is right up my alley. The mystery part of the plot is more Scooby-Doo than Holmes, but it’s still a fun romp.

Next: Origin story.

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Rewatching DuckTales! Things are getting creepy in episode 59, “Nothing to Fear.”

Here’s what happens: During a freak rainstorm, Huey, Dewey, and Louie play a video game instead of doing their homework. Characters from the game Ducks of the Galaxy come to life and trash the mansion. Similarly, Duckworth the butler is working on Scrooge’s limo in the garage, only for the limo to turn into a giant panther and attack Duckworth. Doofus shows up at the mansion, and is terrorized when the banana he was about to eat comes to life and chases after him.

Scrooge shows up and demands to know why everyone is acting so strangely. He can find no evidence of everyone’s outrageous stories. He believes everyone is imagining things, until monstrous bill collectors appear to menace him. Then we get the big reveal: Magica Dispell has cast a spell over the mansion, causing everyone’s greatest fears to come true.

Everyone has more visions of their fears. Doofus is attacked by a bully, and the nephews by a demonic version of their teacher. Everyone travels from the mansion to Scrooge’s money vault, with the rain cloud following them, only for Scrooge to find the vault empty of money. The nightmare characters pursue everyone around back to the mansion. Then things get really dark as the boys have a nightmare vision of Scrooge, who says he never wanted them there and threatens to kick them out of the house. Scrooge then has a similar vision, where the nephews are little hoodlums who are only there for his money.

The real Scrooge and the real nephews meet outside the house and compare notes. They forgive each other, and Scrooge deduces that someone is making them see things that aren’t there, and that only Magica could do such a thing. Magica appears, and says she’ll undo the spell in exchange for Scrooge’s lucky Number One Dime. Scrooge refuses, and tells the boys it’s time to face their fears. The fight off the monsters, and the spell backfires on Magica. She runs off, and the rainstorm is replaced by a pretty rainbow.

Humbug: My thesis is that the series-long arc of DuckTales is Scrooge learning that his newfound family is more important than his money. In this episode, he fears the nephews are out to get him for his money, and he’s relieved to learn that’s not the case. I guess it’s a mixed message.

Junior Woodchucks: The covers of Huey, Dewey, and Louie’s school books are color-coded to match their shirts.

In the Navy: Huey, Dewey, and Louie have a framed photo of their uncle Donald on their dresser.

Do the doo: Every joke and line of dialogue featuring Doofus is about how he’s fat and he loves food. Is this the best the show’s writers could do?

Duck in Duckburg: This is another episode where the Money Bin is located across town from the mansion, instead of right next door. Are there two Money Bins?!?

Foul fowls: When Magica’s spell backfires, her greatest fear is… her spells backfiring! Talk about meta. Meanwhile, Doofus’ bully is named Bully Beagle, suggesting he’s related to the Beagle Boys.

Reference row: Making characters live out their greatest fears is a well-worn fantasy trope, but I’m unclear on what origin it might have. Instead, let’s go with Dani Moonstar from the New Mutants.

Thoughts upon this viewing: A surprisingly great episode. What begins as a haunted house parody ends up getting to the heart of Scrooge and his nephews and they see (or potentially see) each other.

Next: The duck-ality of man.

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Taking a week off for the holiday. Everybody have a good one, etc.

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Rewatching DuckTales! Instead of the haves versus the have-nots, it’s haves versus other haves in episode 58, “The Status Seekers.”

Here’s what happens: While playing backyard football with his nephews, it occurs to Scrooge that he although he’s stinking rich, he has no rich friends or clients. He sets about establishing himself as a proper member of high society. He eventually gets inside a fancy dinner party run by the Status Seekers, a group of super-rich folks known for their outrageous purchases. Scrooge becomes a member by purchasing the ugly-but-valuable Mask of Kuthululu.

Charles Upstuck III, a snooty member of the Status Seekers, plots to take down Scrooge, so recruits three rich Beagle Boys, Bernaise, Bicep, and Bonaparte Beagle. The mask leads Scrooge to a remote island where there is a treasure in emeralds waiting to be found. Scrooge and the family head out to the ocean, with the Status Seekers and the Beagle Boys pursuing him.

Scrooge and the villains negotiate with the island native chief for the emeralds. Scrooge wins, and after a battle at sea against the Beagle Boys, he’s finally accepted as the new leader of the Status Seekers. But the other Status Seekers turn on him almost immediately, fearing he will embarrass them with non-highfaluting ways. Upstuck and the Beagle Boys attack, only for Scrooge and his family to fight them off in front of the Status Seekers. The Status Seekers reject Scrooge again, so he leaves them to fight among each other for the mask.

Humbug: My thesis is that the series-long arc of DuckTales is Scrooge learning the people in his life are more important than his money. This episode hits that point in a big way, where Scrooge eventually decides that playing football with his nephews is better than fancy dinner parties with rich snobs.

Junior woodchucks: In a pretty pointless middle-of-episode action scene, Scrooge’s ship is attacked by a giant squid, and the nephews use pepper, chili powder, and other spices to drive the monster away.

Fasten your seatbelts: Launchpad embarrasses Scrooge while at a fancy restaurant, which endangers his standing among the Status Seekers. Later, Launchpad pilots Scrooge submarine, although he insists he’s better off in the air.

Maid and maiden: While Scrooge and Upstuck try to bride the island chief with gold and valuables, Mrs. Beakeley figures out what the chief really wants – ordinary peanut butter.

Foul fowls: It’s the first appearance of the wealthy Beagle Boys, with no mention of why they’re not helping the rest of the family. They live in luxury in a resort-like minimum security prison. During the final fight, Upstuck dons a Beagle Boy mask, suggesting that maybe he’s been adopted somehow into the Beagle family?

Down in Duckburg: Among the Status Seekers, we meet a hobo who accidentally lucked his way into owning a rare and valuable painting. I kept waiting this character to come back later in the episode and do something, but nope.

Reference row: The Mask of Kuthululu is a reference to classic and controversial horror author H.P. Lovecraft and his Cthulu series of short stories. Lovecraft is equal beloved for his wide-influencing writing and frowned upon for his appalling personal beliefs. (Could the giant squid in this episode be a reference to Lovecraft’s tentacle-y monsters? I’m probably overthinking.)

Thoughts upon this viewing: This feels more like a Richie Rich cartoon than a DuckTales one, in that the jokes are all based on what outrageous things a person might do with millions of dollars. Even though it hits on what the series is about overall, it’s still a lesser episode.

Next: Fear is the mind-killer.

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Rewatching DuckTales! The series goes full-on disaster movie, in more ways than one, in episode 57, “The Uncrashable Hindentanic.”

Here’s what happens: Scrooge and rival millionaire Glomgold are at it again. They make a bet, with Glomgold saying he’ll sell Scrooge a piece of property that Scrooge is certain to lose money on. The property turns out to be an antique dirigible, or zeppelin, called the Hindentanic. It’s a wreck, but Scrooge is determined to get it up and flying again. Various members of the wealthy elite join the maiden flight, including aging actress Gloria Swansong and movie producer Irwin Mallard.

Launchpad has yet another plane crash, so Scrooge fires him before Launchpad gets a chance to pilot the Hindentanic. He’s replaced by Captain Foghorn (last seen in episode 21, “Bermuda Triangle Tangle”). The transatlantic flight gets under way, with Swansong trying to connive her way into Mallard’s new movie, and Glomgold stowing away in disguise to sabotage everything. The ship passes through a meteor shower (!), where Foghorn flees and Launchpad takes over as pilot.

After another series of mishaps caused by Glomgold, the ship starts leaking hot air. It lowers in the atmosphere and (of course) it hits an iceberg and sinks. It looks as though Scrooge has lost the bet, but Irwin Mallard filmed the whole thing for his newest disaster movie, which is a hit. Scrooge gets a cut of the cash, and everyone celebrates at the premiere.

Humbug: For Scrooge, this episode is all about his quick thinking, coming up with a solution for every problem that comes his way.

Junior Woodchucks: Huey, Dewey and Louie serve as bellhops aboard the ship, but then are later seen working in the engine room. I guess they’re just filling in wherever needed.

Fasten your seatbelts: Scrooge rehires Launchpad because, as he puts it, he needs someone both smart enough to repair the ship’s engine, but also dumb enough to climb onto the outside of the ship to do it. Launchpad also is a skilled skywriter, except that he misspells Hidentanic as “Hidenpanic.”

Maid and maiden: There’s a seriously unfortunate fat-shaming joke in this, where the ship needs ballast, so they just use Mrs. Beakeley. A real low point for show’s attempts at humor.

Foul fowls: Glomgold’s comeuppance happens offscreen. We know he lost the bet, but we don’t see him face any other consequences for his almost killing everyone.

Down in Duckburg: The opening scene has Scrooge buying useless used tires from Glomgold, only to sell them as tire swings for all the kids in town. He says he’s made “a fortune” from this.

Reference row: Almost too many references to count. The real-life tragedies of the Titanic and the Hindenburg are the most obvious, but the episode seems more interested in spoofing celebrities of different eras and backgrounds, including Gloria Swanson, Irwin Allen, John D. Rockefeller, Burt Bacharach, and Carl Sagan. I also wonder if the classic 1983 PC game Murder on the Zinderneuf could have been an influence.

Thoughts on this viewing: This episode is something of an outlier among DuckTales episodes. While most follow adventure-movie templates, this one is structured as a farce. It’s a bunch of subplots that crisscross with each other at various times for humorous impact. A few years after this, The Simpsons and Animaniacs would do the celebrity spoof humor much better.

Next: Check your status at the door.

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Rewatching DuckTales! Time to get our classical literature freak on again in episode 56, “Duck in the Iron Mask.”

We begin at a softball game, where Dewey is up to bat, frustrated that the cheering audience thinks he’s Huey. (“I’m the one in blue-y!” he says.) He’s frustrated with everyone not knowing which triplet is which. He’s also enamored with a girl in the crowd named Becky Waddle, only to learn she doesn’t know which brother he is as well. Back at the mansion, Scrooge and Launchpad are investigating a country so small that it doesn’t appear on any maps, the tiny kingdom of Montedumas, run by old friend of Scrooge’s Count Roy. The two of them had many shwashbuckling adventures in their younger days. Scrooge wants to visit his old pal to make a business deal.

As everyone prepares for the trip, Dewey shows up with a whole new look.  He hopes his outrageous clothes will stop everyone from mistaking him for his brothers. Upon arriving in Montedumas, Scrooge discovers the people are living in an oppressive regime that taxes them mercilessly. He demands an audience with Count Roy, who acts as though he has never met Scrooge. For not paying the local taxes, Scrooge and Launchpad are locked up in a tower, while the nephews are locked up in a separate cell.

Inside jail, Scrooge and Launcpad meet the Duck in the Iron Mask, the country’s most feared criminal. Turns out Iron Mask is the real heir, and one on the throne is his evil twin brother. In the other cell, Dewey comes up with an escape plan, but one that requires the three boys to look alike. Using some conveniently-placed mirrors, Dewey tricks the guards into all three boys are in the cell, while Huey and Louie sneak out a chimeny.

Donning musketeer outfits, Huey and Louie help Scrooge, Launchpad, and Iron Mask escape from the tower. They rescue Dewey, and the whole group confronts the fake Count Roy and his guards. After much slapstick swordfighting, our heroes win the day. Count Roy yields, and Iron Mask retakes the kingdom as the Count of Montedumas. He provides Scrooge with a generous financial reward in hopes that Scrooge will invest it wisely. Huey and Louie praise Dewey for his ingenious escape plan, telling him, “You’re one of a kind.”

Humbug: The flashback to Scrooge’s younger days shows him during a time when fun and adventure were more important to him than his vast wealth.

Junior Woodchucks: In addition to his being fed up with being an identical triplet, Dewey is also portrayed as the smart one of three nephews, an expert in coming up with escape plans. The other two also have their own personalities this time. Louie is the heroic leader type, while Louie is the laid-back wisecracker.

Fasten your seatbelts: Launchpad’s helicopter has “L-11” painted on the side. I’m assuming that the “L” stands for Launchpad. A big dollar sign on the front of the helicopter, however, suggests that the copter is owned by Scrooge.

Foul fowls: Count Roy is a generic villain, overtaxing his people to make himself rich. More interesting his enforcer Pietro, played by go-to Disney villain Pete. This is Pete’s fourth appearance in DuckTales. Either there’s a whole family of Petes in this universe, or Pete is some master of disguise type.

Down in Duckburg: According to the Disney wiki, this is the only appearance of Becky Waddle, the girl with a crush on Huey (or maybe Dewey). It’s left to the imagination how this romance might have played out.

Reference row: Contrary to popular belief, author Alexandre Dumas never wrote a novel called Man in the Iron Mask. Rather, he wrote that story as the third part of his novel The Vicomte of Bragelonne, which itself was the third part of his Three Musketeers trilogy. Or, The Romances of D’Artagnan, if we’re being truly accurate. This episode is all about both the Man in the Iron Mask and the Three Musketeers overall.

Thoughts upon this viewing: It’s not often that that the show gives the three nephews distinct personalities, let alone an episode that emphasizes this. That alone makes this one a standout. All the Three Musketeers stuff is also a lot of fun. I would have liked the final swordfight to be more action-y and less jokey, but that’s DuckTales for you.

Next: “Jack!” “Rose!” “Jack!” “Rose!” “Jack!” “Rose!”

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Want more? Check out my new book, MOM, I’M BULLETPROOF, now available for the Kindle and the free Kindle app. It’s a comedic/dramatic/romantic superhero epic!