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Fridge Brilliance

  • Donald is stated to be extremely overprotective of the triplets, and he really doesn't enjoy taking risks. However, we also know that before the series starts, Donald accompanied Scrooge on his adventures along with his twin sister Della, the triplet's mother, and is even called one of the most daring adventurers of all time by Webby. We know that Scrooge and Donald had a falling out about 10 years before the start of the series (the triplets are 10-11) and we also know Della was lost (we don't know exactly what happened to her, or if she's still alive) early in the triplet's lives as Donald seems to be front and center in their childhood photos (Dewey is taking his first steps to Donald in the photo in the first episode). It's implied that Scrooge and Donald's falling out had something to do with Della's disappearance, and Donald's retiring from adventures came from a combination of that and his gaining custody of/raising the triplets. It's highly likely that his overprotective attitude in regards to them is a side effect of the loss of their mother, HIS TWIN.
    • In addition, think about all the stuff that happens to him on a regular basis. He's probably worried that they'd have the same kinds of...incidents.
    • Related to the above, Donald's inability to keep a good job, aside from his Butt-Monkey status, is because Adventuring is the only job he is really competent at, after spending so many years as Scrooge's sidekick/assistant, so he now suffers from Crippling Overspecialization, with the job he does the best being also the one he's the most unwilling to do again.
    • Also related to the above is the fact Huey is a Junior Woodchuck: Donald knows he can’t protect his nephews forever, and the Junior Woodchucks are prepared for anything, so it would be a way to give his nephews the skills they need in life while also making sure they'd be safe. Didn't work as planned (for starters, only one of the nephews went along with it), but it was a good idea.
  • Mrs. Beakley knows both Donald and Scrooge, meaning that she knew them before their decade long rift. She likely is familiar with Della, as well, and the incident that caused her absence. Donald clearly blames Scrooge for it, but Beakley doesn't. She tells Webby that she's safer at the bottom of the ocean in a sunken city with Scrooge McDuck than she is in a vault at Fort Knox. If Beakley believed Scrooge to be responsible for Della's fate, would she allow her precious granddaughter to pal around with him?
    • This could be that while Scrooge may not be directly responsible for Della's fate, Donald may have some form of survivor's guilt and blames Scrooge for bringing them on adventures.
    • It was eventually explained that Della stole a spaceship Scrooge made for her before he could properly test it, and was lost in a cosmic storm. So, Scrooge had a part in Della's fate, hence Donald blaming him, but he didn't have the time to complete the preparations, hence Beakley trusting him, as she knows he would have made sure it was (reasonably) safe if he had the time.
  • In the opening, Louie chases after Scrooge's number one dime. Scrooge does so as well and the reason is obvious, but why does Louie chase after it? Because out of the triplets, Louie is the one who inherited his great uncle's love of money—even money that's worth a measley ten cents.
    • It could also be clever foreshadowing of his first spotlight episode, "The Great Dime Chase!" in which Louie learns for the first time the value of a coin you've earned yourself...sort of.
  • The three main Beagle Boys could be considered the evil counterparts of the triplets: both are a trio of brothers who work with an older, more experienced family member (Scrooge/Ma) who occasionally scolds them for their behavior. Also, on a meta level, both trios went through Divergent Character Evolution, being The Dividual in their original incarnation but more distinct characters here.
  • The V formation Scrooge, Donald, Huey, Dewey, Louie, and Webby make in the opening makes perfect sense. They're ducks! This is how their species travel in real life.
  • Fenton Crackshell-Cabrera's Race Lift isn't just an arbitrary choice to accommodate Lin-Manuel Miranda's ethnicity, but also happens to parallel Marvel Comics' (a Disney subsidiary) own recent spate of minority characters taking up roles previously filled by white characters, such as Miles Morales or Kamala Khan.
  • According to Word of God, the central theme of the series is family. This theme is explored not only through the protagonists, but also the antagonists and side characters: the Beagle Boys are a band of brothers, led by their mother; Magica De Spell works with her niece Lena, but their relationship is fraught; and Little Bulb views Gyro Gearloose as its father. Even Glomgold claims in the first episode that his employees are the greatest treasure of all, only a few minutes after Launchpad said the same about family.
    • And of course, the contrast is that all the villains are squarely in the Dysfunction Junction, while our heroes (despite their flashpoints of tension) are quite closely bonded. Glomgold is lying about viewing his employees as family, and looks at them purely as disposable tools to get him what he wants; Ma Beagle is cold, dismissive and abusive towards her boys; and it's heavily implied that Magica is exploitative, dominating and mean towards her niece.
    • Add Doofus Drake and his Dysfunctional Family to the mix: he Used to Be a Sweet Kid spoiled by his grandmother. But after she died and he inherited her entire fortune, he looks down on his family members so much that he treats his own parents like servants.
  • Scrooge is cheap and Launchpad is catastrophically accident prone. Why does Scrooge employ him? Launchpad is capable of weaving in and out of pretty heavy traffic in a limousine even when not paying attention to the road. He can apparently operate any kind of vehicle on land, sea, or air. He shows zero hesitation when being asked to perform strange tasks that are probably above and beyond his job description as a chauffeur. He seems to take dangerous situations in stride. Even before you get into how his lack of job prospects means that Scrooge doesn't have to worry about corporate headhunters, he's got plenty of traits an adventurer like Scrooge would value over lack of property damage.
    • Additionally, Launchpad's outfit and habit of not thinking things through probably reminds him of Della.
  • At the beginning of the series, the triplets are generally shown to be easily excitable and impressed with tacky places like Funso's Funzone and Macaw's neon splendors, and they easily fall for the distractions set up by the Floor Manager Toad Liu Hai. Makes sense considering how sheltered all of the kids are, and how different their generation is from Scrooge's and Donald's.
    • Webby was raised by Beakley and spent most of her childhood in the mansion, having a Friendless Background. She has an overactive imagination, and one of the reasons she’s charmed by Lena is that the latter has been to London and Paris. To Webby, a place like Funso's would feel new and fresh even if it’s a low-rent amusement arcade, because that's just how isolated she is.
    • The triplets were raised by Donald in his Perpetual Poverty phase. And the Pilot proves that Donald couldn't afford to take them on vacations (see the picture where he proudly shows them at a mall with a cutout of the Grand Canyon since he can't take them to the real one). In the first scene, the triplets plan to take the houseboat to St. Canard and Cape Suzette while Donald is away, proving how sheltered they were and how they hadn't seen much. To them a place like Funso's Funzone, tacky as it is, would be a huge fun happening, even if it’s the nearest thing Donald can afford. That's not even mentioning stuff like the wonders at Macaw, the grand floor-show of Aquarioon of Aqurarien, the Jade Tiger, etc., which in their eyes would be really extravagant and special, whereas for Scrooge, it's simply pretentious.
    • Without really spelling this outright, the show manages to give a sense of the multi-generation divide. Scrooge is the kid born in Scotland and came to America to make his fortune and has Seen It All. Donald is the middle generation, the struggling single parent who regardless of his hard work and achievements has little to show for it, and scrapes away to make ends meet, but who generally has contempt for the adventures and see-the-world glamour that Scrooge espouses. The triplets are the generation who come after Donald's, who grew up in austere circumstances and naturally gravitate to Scrooge's world, because that's how the cycle of generational divides happen, as mirrored in the real world between Greatest Generation-Baby Boomers-Millennialsnote .
  • The show is not afraid to show what happens when fame and money are given to the wrong people and/or with little consideration, as opposed to Scrooge, who worked hard for his fortune and has people he cares deeply about. Flintheart Glomgold isn't satisfied with being the second-richest duck in the world; instead, he refuses to stop until he proves he can be better than Scrooge (or arguably become Scrooge). Mark Beaks is an Entitled Bastard who considers his employees ultimately disposable and is more than willing to use unscrupulous means to make money (and get away with it) because in his mind, he deserves it. Gladstone Gander, while more of an Anti-Hero, has had everything in life handed to him on a silver platter because of his supernatural good luck, leaving him literally unable to actually work for something he wants. Doofus Drake Used to Be a Sweet Kid before his grandmother left him her fortune when he was too young to handle it, turning him into a Creepy Child who literally treats his parents like servants. And finally, when Louie gets control of billions, he can't handle it; not because he's inherently evil, but because he clearly isn't ready for that much responsibility.
  • Flintheart Glomgold's Scottish accent sounds extremely fake, and unlike Scrooge, he's not voiced by a real Scot. Which makes perfect sense, because he's actually a South African putting on the accent.
  • Della's backstory only works because her children hatched from eggs. If she gave birth like humans, she wouldn't have been able to go on her disastrous space flight before they were born.
  • The duck triplets seem to have a counterpart in the older generation: Louie and Gladstone are both charming, lazy and smug, and wear green, whereas Huey and Fethry are both quirky, nerdy Junior Woodchucks who wear red, with a hat as a permanent part of their outfit. Which begs the question: does Dewey also have a counterpart? One possibility is that Dewey's counterpart is Donald: both are tough and adventurous, and Donald's classic outfit (which was, supposedly, his regular outfit before the show) is also blue. Extending the idea, this makes Della a counterpart to Webby - the strong and thrill-loving token girls of the family.
  • Each cousin of the older generation also acts as a foil to their corresponding triplet.
    • Both Louie and Gladstone are smug, lazy and materialistic, but Louie has a heart of gold and ultimately cares for his family, while Gladstone is narcissistic, selfish and has few redeeming characteristics.
    • Both Huey and Fethry are intelligent, well-meaning nerds, but while Huey is usually focused, organized and controlled, Fethry is scatterbrained and eccentric.
    • Both Dewey and Donald are tough adventurers, but where Dewey devotes himself wholeheartedly to adventuring and throws himself recklessly into trouble at any given opportunity, Donald is a lot more cautious and doesn't seem to especially enjoy adventuring.
    • And while we know little about Della, assuming that she’s the "Webby" of the older generation then there also seems to be a contrast here as well; Webby desperately yearns for companionship and friends and seeks to be part of the family with Scrooge and the triplets, while Della was willing to go on a solo adventure which ultimately led to her disappearance, suggesting that although she loves her family, she was ultimately willing to prioritise adventuring over them.
  • Finally, each of the triplets is a foil to a different aspect of Scrooge himself:
    • Huey has Scrooge's intelligence and yearning for discovery, but while Scrooge is flexible, Huey has a tendency towards rigidity.
    • Dewey has Scrooge's love of adventure, but is more reckless and doesn't think ahead, while Scrooge plans and is cautious when necessary.
    • Louie has Scrooge's avarice and love of treasure as well as his sharp wit, but is lazy, shiftless and wants to get rich quick without putting the work in, minimum effort for maximum reward to sum it up, unlike Scrooge who places a premium on being willing to work hard.
  • For all the issues that Scrooge is shown to hold to Fethry, he still does keep him on staff and (presumably) pays for supplies to keep him alive. After all, Fethry's issues don’t extend to not working. Scrooge can appreciate that aspect of him more than say, Gladstone's (lack of a) work ethic.
    • He also seems to recognize that Fethry's crying wolf tendencies are well intentioned and that Fethry is a bit eccentric and doesn't read the room that well: Scrooge is hardly lacking in similarly weird employees. A hard working but annoying employee is something he can tolerate and work with, not a lazy deadbeat like Gladstone.
    • Fethry is also the only family Scrooge would have had any sort of connection with for 10 years: Donald was actively avoiding him, Della was lost in space, Gladstone is Gladstone, and he only would have seen his parents twice at most and he hated such trips. It both explains why he'd not toss Fethry out and have developed a tolerance for him, and add to his family dissolution at the start because his one remaining family member in his orbit would be annoying to deal with.
  • Both of the Mcduck males managed to create problems with well-meaning use of dimes and shoeshiners that went horribly wrong: Fergus gave a fellow both dirty shoes and a dime so he could go give his son's struggling business a boost, and Scrooge used a dime to try and inspire Duke Baloney the way he himself was inspired. As a result of these actions Scrooge became so focused on earning his money he left the family behind and Duke Baloney took the gesture badly and promptly became Flintheart Glomgold.
  • While Della's intended names for her sons were....well, Jet, Turbo and Rebel, let's not forget that Donald ended up naming them Hubert, Dewford, and Llewelyn. They got odd names regardless, Donald and Della just have different tastes in odd names.
    • Also two of the names involved rockets. After Della rocketed away, would he really want to name any kid Jet or Turbo?
    • Donald was very likely thinking about his voice and how it made him hard to understand. The names he chose are distinct enough from one another for people to know which triplet Donald was addressing by name. And then they got shortened into nicknames that sound alike anyway because it's Donald Duck.
  • Donald is a sailor, a profession often associated with having a filthy mouth. His unusual and incomprehensible speech, esp. when upset, may be partly an affection because he's around impressionable young children and doesn't want them picking up such bad language.
  • "Raider of the Doomsday Vault!" showcases the marked difference in flying skill between Della and Launchpad. Launchpad, despite his well-and-proudly-deserved reputation, is able to keep a plane flying straight, steady, and on-course. Della, however, is a thrill junkie, and likes to show off with mid-air stunts and overall riskier flying, which makes things quite a bit more turbulent for her passengers.
    • The bit about Launchpad seems to run counter to what we're shown of his limo driving. That's because limousines don't have autopilot. That's also why Launchpad's flying skill (and, usually, the plane) takes a sharp nosedive anytime he needs to actually perform any complex aerial maneuvers.
  • Jim Starling's name, beside being a bird-related word, is also meaningful in another way: he likes to think of himself as a great television star, but is actually just a lesser star - a star-ling.
  • While some point post mid-season 3 could disprove this viewpoint the triplets have never had to wonder about their father because Donald is such a Parental Substitute for them that it never stands out to them like their absent mother. They know that Donald isn’t their biological father but it’s a void they never have had the desire to fill.
  • After return from the moon, why does Della not go on as many adventures as she can with her kids as possible. It’s likely after spending on what can amounted to decade long adventure, she might be fine with just relaxing.
    • She may also have to deal with a lack of Undead Tax Exemption: believed dead for years who knows what sort of really technical patch up jobs she has to do. She's probably bored out of her mind and wouldn't want to drag her kids into it. She may also have other tasks she's told or wants to do in the meantime like catching up with old friends, adjusting to cultural shifts since, reading books on parenting, more extensive work on adjusting to the Earth's gravity, getting improvements done on her leg to be more effective, getting who knows what medical stuff done after all that moon time....lot of things beyond her lying on the couch doing nothing like she's Louie.
    • Also once Donald was back that only added more legalese to get through: custody intricacies and parental rights that needed to be cleared up by her son's guardian (Donald). While it’s quite clear Donald didn’t lose any rights to the boys or anything that would need to be cleared up and clarified and otherwise sorted out. That's even more boring legalese and even more time off for the both of them. Season 3 adventures that were missed for reasons other than 'I can't trust those two to solve a puzzle let alone wrestle together' could very well have had the two filling mind-numbing paper work in front of lawyers.
  • Why is Launchpad such a massive fanboy of the actor who played the in-universe Darkwing Duck? Because he was Darkwing's sidekick in the original!
  • A minor one, but Scrooge's cell phone is gold-plated but otherwise a basic flip-phone, the exact kind of no-frills cell phone marketed to seniors who don't care for the extra features of a smartphone.
  • From a meta perspective, it makes perfect sense for the showrunners to throw Manny in as a side character whenever one is needed. Since he doesn't talk, they wouldn't need to hire and pay another voice actor for a relatively minor role.
  • Bradford blames Scrooge's adventures for endangering the world. Yet the biggest reason he cites — the Moonvasion — actually puts Bradford equally or more at fault. The Moonvasion never would have happened if Bradford hadn't 1. Sent Della to the moon, allowing Lunaris to get the schematic to make his own ships, and 2. Encouraged Louie to take down the magical defenses to sabotage his reign as Richest Duck in the World, right as Lunaris was planning to invade Earth.
  • Launchpad is toted as a suitable enough pilot and driver for Scrooge to have him as his chauffeur, but he's rather clearly not. Yet, while as noted above Launchpad is good at keeping the plane straight compared to Della, there's one overarching strength Launchpad has no matter what vehicle he's in: while it always ends in an inevitable crash, nobody is ever harmed. At worst, he wrecks the vehicle in question, which, considering his boss is the richest duck in the world, might just be another minuscule bill to pay. The one episode to show any dangerous consequences of his piloting, The Last Crash Of The Sunchaser!, it's a) technically not a crash (the Sunchaser got ripped through by a mountain tip) and b) the consequences are all the result of the kids' ongoing search for Della and the reveals that Scrooge makes about her fate. Ultimately, Launchpad is an efficient pilot because the worst case scenario (a.k.a. the usual result) with him isn't as bad as it could be with anybody else.

Fridge Horror

  • Beakley's training of Webby made her granddaughter into a force to be reckoned with. It also gave Webby Troubling Unchildlike Behavior.
    • In "Mcmystery at Mcduck Manor!", Beakley and Webby are heading out to a wilderness retreat on a private island, packing weapons with Webby mentioning that they'll be fighting off the forces of nature, and other children. What the hell kind of island are they going to?
  • Scrooge has a house filled with dangerous, magical items that could spell doom for anyone who thinks said items are regular ones - like the triplets did in the pilot, accidentally unleashing several ghosts and a gold-eating dragon.
    • The Other Bin of Scrooge McDuck shows that the most dangerous ones are stored in a secret, secure facility under the mansion. Of course, that brings the question, just how dangerous are the things stored down there, considering what we see in the garage in the first episode.
  • How many people have been injured - or killed - by Launchpad's reckless driving?
  • SDCC 2019 thrilled fans by showing Gosalyn would appear on the show... by having her character model appear right next to the one for Taurus Bulba. Things may be heading towards a "Darkly Dawns The Duck" redux, with all the heartache and horror from the first go around.

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