Deep Dive DuckTales: Wes Looks at Daytrip of Doom!

Welcome back to DuckTales everyone. Last time, we found Atlantis. That was fun! Also, Launchpad got bitten by several venomous snakes. Launchpad isn’t in this episode, so I can only hope he’s spending it getting some medical attention. Most importantly though, Scrooge agreed to let Donald and the boys come live with him at McDuck Manor, which leads us into today’s episode.

Today’s episode opens with Scrooge waking up from a nice sound sleep to a pleasant sunrise over his money bin. However, the calm serenity is soon interrupted by Beakley enterting the room looking annoyed and covered in suction darts. Apparently, four ten-year-olds living in an enormous mansion can cause quite a bit of chaos, but Scrooge isn’t worried. He’s seen plenty of shit in his time, he can handle some peanut butter dropped on the carpet or an errant roller skate left on the stairs or… an elaborate series of cutthroat war games? Indeed, the boys are in the middle of a fun little dart gun war in the halls, but still Scrooge isn’t concerned and even gives them a few pointers on how to effectively take down their target. However, it seems that Webby is taking this a little too seriously and has come equipped with infrared goggles, a grappling hook, elaborate home alone style traps and a complex backstory written for her character. Naturally, Webby wipes the floor with the boys and scares the hell out of them in the process.

Beakley thinks that this situation is out of control, but Scrooge continues to laugh it off, that is until he sees Donald using his private bathroom. Enraged, Scrooge calls for a house meeting. Scrooge tells his new house guests that it’s time to lay out the house rules. Rule number one, Scrooge’s spaces are for Scrooge and Scrooge alone, that means his study, his sleeping quarters and especially his washroom are off limits. Being that that’s the only rule Scrooge actually cares about, Scrooge promptly leaves, turning things over to Beakley who apparently has an exhaustive and comprehensive list of house rules. However, Donald insists he doesn’t need rules and things get pretty heated. As the two argue, they order the children outside.

Outside, Webby is super enthusiastic about the next game, but the boys are concerned that they may not survive another playtime with Webby, especially after she kicks a hole through a tree with a hacky-sack. However, they still don’t want Webby to feel left out so Louie has an idea. Funso’s Fun Zone (where fun is in the zone), a fun place by the peer with pizza, arcade games and a ball pit. Webby is excited, but also nervous about her first casual hang out in the real world.

Meanwhile, Donald and Beakley are still at each other’s throats, Beakley is mad that the electrical hookup in Donald’s boathouse is a total fire hazard and Donald is mad because he’s expected to pay half of the water bill despite the fact that Scrooge is rich enough to buy the water company if wanted to.

Back with the kids, Webby is mesmerized by her first time riding on a city bus. Webby means well, but her excessive enthusiasm ends up getting her and the boys tossed off the bus. Now the gang has to walk to Funso’s through the sketchiest neighborhood in town. Probably my favorite thing in this episode is how they choose to illustrate how sketchy this neighborhood is. Let’s see, we have a rat spray-painting the word “Flatulence” on the side of a building, two children (one of whom is wearing an eyepatch) playing hopscotch in the chalk outline of a murder victim, and the strangest of all, a bunch of chickens squished into a tiny cage on a skateboard. As the gang race to Funso’s they’re spotted by The Beagle Boys, a family of petty crooks who were regular antagonists in the old series. The larger of the three gang members, Burger, recognizes the kids as Scrooge’s nephews. The shorter one, Big Time, suggests they kidnap the kids and hold them for ransom. The skinny, regular sized one is bouncer, but I don’t think he actually says anything in the episode so, whatever.

In any case, the gang has finally arrived at Funso’s and Webby is immediately feeling overstimulated. Louie apparently has worked out a system to get free stuff by exploiting loopholes in the Funso’s rules, I.E. getting a free cup for water and filling it with punch. Webby tires it for herself, but ends up getting in trouble with the manager (voiced by our old pal Jason Marsden.) There’s also this funny moment where Webby misinterprets one of Louie’s hand signals and thinks she has to stab the man.

While all this is going on, the Beagle boys try to get into Funso’s with Burger dressed as a little girl. The guy at the front door in the Funso the Walrus costume isn’t buying it so the Beagles just knock him out and steal the costume.

Back inside, Webby is trying desperately to have fun like a normal kid but just can’t get the hang of it. To their credit, the boys do their best to try and make her feel included even after multiple blunders, but when Webby freaks out in the ball pit, accidentally using her grappling hook to cause a fire and nearly level the place, causing all four of them to be banned from Funso’s for life, even Huey, Dewey and Louie have had enough. Things get even worse when the Beagle Boys get ahold of them and tie them up in the meat locker. This is when Ma Beagle, the Matriarch of the family, enters the scene. Ma Beagle is voiced by Margot Martindale, who you may remember from that time she played herself on Bojack Horseman and went on a crime spree. Ma Beagle isn’t as happy with you think that her sons have nabbed the nephews. See, Ma knows that Scrooge is not one to just pay the ransom and call it a day. All Big Time has really done is paint a target on each of their backs. As punishment, Ma tosses Big Time in the meat locker with the captured children.

Meanwhile, Donald receives the ransom note and tries to get Scrooge to help save the kids, but Scrooge is too busy having a relaxing bath while listening to loud bagpipe music. Side note, apparently Scrooge actually fills his bathtub at home up with money. I guess a duck like Scrooge only feels clean when he’s bathing in gold coins. There’s a golden showers joke in there somewhere, I’m sure of it. Anywho, with Scrooge otherwise occupied, Donald has no choice but to swallow his pride and ask Beakley for help. While she gives him a hard time at first, once she learns the children are in danger, she decides to spring into action.

Back in the meat locker, Big Time tries to attack the kids but Webby, who was able to slip out of the ropes this whole time, whacks him over the head with a frozen pizza, knocking him unconscious. The boys ask why she didn’t do that sooner and Webby says she just wanted the boys to see her as normal and was feeling self-conscious. The boys tell Webby that normal is overrated and right now, Webby’s super intense brand of weird is exactly what’s needed for this situation. And so, Webby dons her combat gear, escapes the meat locker using a boomerang sausage… I know what I said… and heads out to break every bone in Ma Beagle’s body, or just tie her up, depending on how things play out.

Donald and Beakley arrive and are confronted by Bouncer and Berger. Beakley tries to formulate a strategy but Donald just uses his legendary anger issues to mow down both Beagle boys like some kind of feathery Incredible Hulk. Nice!

Inside, Webby has turned off all the lights and her voice is heard coming from nowhere like a creepy slasher villain taunting its would be victim. Ma Beagle is significantly smarter than her progeny, but Webby is no slouch in that department either and manages to lure Ma Beagle into the ball pit where a trap has already been set. Beakley and Donald burst in, just in time to see that the kids have done a pretty good job handling the situation on their own.

Back at the mansion, Mrs. B helps Donald safely hook up the electricity in his house boat while Funso’s has lifted the ban on the boys and given them a ton of free game tokens in order to avoid a lawsuit. And so our episode ends with the boys letting Webby pick the next game, with each nervously proclaiming that they’re on Webby’s team when she picks “Medieval Dungeon of Eternal Screaming.”

Daytrip of Doom is a very fun episode and does a great job further developing our characters, particularly Webby. I appreciate the message of embracing your true nature, even if you are a little weird. As someone who also believes that normal is overrated. The Donald and Beakley subplot also had its moments, even if not all of the jokes landed. Overall, good stuff. In our next episode, Scrooge and the gang tackle The Impossible Summit of Mt. Neverrest!