Heartwarming / DuckTales (2017) - Season 2

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After a long DECADE, she's finally with her kids and brother.

"My heart! It's too full!"

— Webby when Della comes back and hugs her sons.

General

• After losing Lena, Webby almost immediately starts calling Dewey her best friend. At least she's not without one after the events of the Shadow War.
• This season per Word of God is about adaptation. What's nice is that the adapting can be both negative and positive, with several characters improving their lots in life, and realizing they can be happy with their new way. Whether Lena or Della or the triplets.
• In this season, we see more of the triplets' relationship with each other and Webby individually.
• Throughout Louie's arc for the season, Scrooge acts as a sort of mentor for him, trying to guide him to the right path of becoming a successful billionaire.

The Most Dangerous Game...Night!

• Remember the painting of Scrooge, Donald and Della fighting pirates from the pilot? Duckworth is seen taking the portrait of Prospector!Scrooge down from the foyer fireplace and replacing it with said painting. This suggests that Scrooge has finally come to terms with Della Duck being part of his past.
• Dewey and Webby spend the whole episode celebrating how well they work together thanks to their friendship, with Webby now even having her own verse in Dewey's song.
  • The two get confused during the climax when their teamwork doesn't go as smoothly before, since they were getting on each other's nerves so much. Scrooge clarifies that's because they're not just best friends, they're family, and family drives each other nuts sometimes. Webby and Dewey get the message: they're not just best friends, they're as close as a brother and sister now. Note that, at this point, Scrooge is swinging Donald around on his cane and using him to beat their enemies just to prove his point.
  • Scrooge saying that Webby and Dewey are family implicitly reverses his outburst in "The Last Crash of the Sunchaser!" where he said Webby wasn't family.
• Donald & Scrooge's relationship in the episode. Sure, they may have been estranged for years, but they still clearly love each other. Scrooge even calls them Team Uncle.
  • Hell, there may be more to it that that! According to "The Last Crash of the Sunchaser!", Donald, Scrooge and Della went around the whole goddamn world together and Donald hasn't died yet. Scrooge probably picked Donald because, yeah, sure, Donald can be a dope, but he knows how to survive, which often means you can come from behind and win, especially with Scrooge's insatiable lust for money on your side...
  • It's actually much simpler than that: Scrooge trusts Donald.
• Dewey and Webby hug briefly when they team up, excitedly (and simultaneously) declaring each other as teammates.
• Louie thinks Scrooge is going to let him have it at the end, but instead Scrooge is proud of Louie seeing all the angles and formulating the best plan for success. His siblings may be tougher than the toughies (Dewey) and smarter than the smarties (Huey), but Louie is sharper than the sharpies ("People forget that one"). Scrooge presents Louie with the golden idol he found as a present, saying that if Louie applies himself, he may be even richer than Scrooge one day.
  • Let that last part sink in - Scrooge, established as a competition nut who can't stand losing, acknowledges that Louie might become an even savvier billionaire than himself.
  • It's also worth noting that Scrooge makes a point of telling Louie that his mother demonstrated the same kind of cleverness and capacity for Awesome by Analysis. Considering that Louie was measuring himself against his mother earlier, it was just what he needed to hear.
  • Back in "Jaw$", Louie was clearly annoyed with Scrooge's policy of putting all of the treasure the group collects into the money bin. Now, Scrooge has finally relaxed the policy and gives Louie one of the artifacts he worked so hard to obtain.
• Donald and Scrooge may have been estranged but Donald is still in Scrooge's will, despite everything.
• The temple that Scrooge and the nephews and Webby are in at the beginning of the episode seems to be the same one Goldie was pictured in front of in The Golden Lagoon of White Agony Plains. Either Goldie didn't go there to steal that artifact (probably because, as Louie reveals, it unleashes a lot of crap and she values her existence!) or she left it for Scrooge to find, knowing his insatiable lust for Gold would take him there eventually.
• Scrooge reveals at the end that after diffusing the conflict Louie gave the Gyropuddlians the Scroogeopoly board as a much more stable place to live.

The Depths of Cousin Fethry!

• One of Scrooge's phone lines is to Dismal Downs, where his parents live.
• While small, it has to count for something that unlike Donald's Brutal Honesty in his low opinion of Fethry and his antics, Scrooge has the courtesy to try describing Fethry in a tactful manner to Huey and Dewey — while he can be open to the kids about his dislike of smug, lazy, self-centered Gladstone it's really hard to justify his indifference of Fethry, who's actually a nice duck even if his eccentricities exasperate him.
• Cousin Fethry is definitely a Cloudcuckoolander, but he clearly cares about Huey and Dewey, affectionately calling them "Little Donalds" and protecting them from danger.
  • The fact that he refers to them as "Little Donalds" implies he knows what happened to Della; apparently someone did keep him in the loop.
• Huey and Dewey learning to appreciate Fethry's eccentricities, and realizing that being weird doesn't make him a bad person.
• Most of Huey and Dewey's interactions. Normally, we tend to see them at odds. This episode shows what they're like when they're on the same side. They tease each other, but there's no venom behind it. When one demonstrates their own eccentricities, the other just smiles fondly. It's all very sweet.

The Ballad of Duke Baloney!

• Webby's immediate response to an amnesiac Glomgold, despite all the villainous things he's done, is to worry he might have serious brain damage and insist they help him regain his identity. And later on, Scrooge is genuinely glad to see his arch-nemesis happy with his life and says they should just leave him be.
• We see in a flashback that Glomgold, or Duke as he was known back then, met Scrooge when the latter was resting from an adventure and hired the young Glomgold to clean his spats for him. To pay the boy, Scrooge tried to give the duckling his very own "number one dime" to teach him the value of working hard for his fortune, much like Scrooge was taught as a child. Too bad Duke was (admittedly justifiably, due to inflation) not grateful at all for the gesture.
• Seeing how happy and at peace Glomgold was as Duke Baloney. He had a simple, yet fulfilling life as a hard working and honest fisherman. His obsession with Scrooge made him a miserable person, but in those 4 months he was probably happier then ever since his childhood. It becomes a Tear Jerker when he gets his memories (and Jerkass personality) back.
• Despite the years of misery and physical pain Glomgold has caused him, Scrooge was fully willing to let things be. All because he saw that Duke Baloney was happy for the first time in his life. Even when Glomgold got his memory back, Scrooge was more resigned in pity rather than angry (at least until Glomgold pulled out the money clip) that Glomgold chose his hatred over happiness.

The Town Where Everyone was Nice!

• Scrooge, of all people, says Donald shouldn't be ashamed that he's not successful as Panchito and Jose. He refers to Donald as a family man and "a boat owner." The latter may seem like Damned by Faint Praise, but when you consider that the boat is where Donald lived with the triplets for ten years, what Scrooge meant was home owner, which is nothing to sneeze at either (even if the boat is in constant disrepair). He's also completely right that raising children is as noble an endeavor as a successful career.
• Donald's reunion with José and Panchito is very much this. Upon seeing them, Donald immediately gives José a big hug and the trio proceeds to perform their old secret handshake without missing a beat. It's definitely the happiest Donald is seen onscreen as since the show began.
  Three Caballeros: Squawk, crow, quack. I've got your back!
  • Even better? According to the timeline, the last time Donald and his friends saw each other was approximately eleven years ago when the Triplets were still eggs. Donald still remembers that handshake. Also, this meant that Donald wasn't alone when he walked out on Scrooge with the kids after the Spear of Selene incident.
• Huey assuring Donald (or trying to, anyway,) that he's not a failure because he did the most meaningful thing possible: Raise three boys on his own.

Last Christmas!

• Donald's enthusiasm for the holiday season is downright infectious.
  Donald: ♪ Deck the lawn with tons of snowmen! Fa la la la la, la la la la! ♪
  • On a similar note, Webby's enthusiasm on decorating the tree. Although it turns out rather lopsided, it's the thought that counts. Additionally, Huey tries to talk to her about "ornament distribution"... and then Webby abruptly hugs him.
• Dewey getting to see his mother in the flesh for the first time, as well as hug her, by traveling back in time with Scrooge and the three Christmas spirits. Della, being a kid at the time and unaware that Dewey is her future son^note She and Donald do know he's a future relative, but not how he's related to them, does find it a bit awkward though.
  • Listening to Della talk, her inflection sounds remarkably like Dewey's, and her spouting monster facts sure does sound like Webby. No wonder those two get on like a house on fire.
  • Even though Dewey has to leave knowing he can't change the past, he decides to cherish this one moment with his young mom as a gift.
• As shown in a flashback to the past, after Donald and Della make up, they trade presents. They both laugh at the fact that Donald's Christmas jumper is too big for him before sharing a warm hug.
• When Dewey and Scrooge come home, Donald hugs Dewey and tells him "Welcome back", implying he knew exactly when Dewey has been.
  • This is especially heartwarming because we do not get to see much Donald/Dewey interaction in the show. However, this scenes displays perfectly why Donald Duck is Huey, Dewey, and Louie's father in every way that matters.
• Mrs. Beakley dancing and clearly having a good time at Scrooge's first Christmas party.
• When Dewey comes back from his adventure and the other kids see him, they all dog pile on him in a display of sibling loving and affection. Dewey did not even have to apologize to them for the way he acted earlier, they are just glad he's with them now.
• Scrooge's loving and affectionate smile when Dewey hugs him and begs him to go back to their family. It's clear as day that he loves Dewey very much.
• Scrooge's determination to get back to his family after the Ghost of Christmas Past attempts to trap him in the past and keep him from his family forever.
  • In a roundabout way, Past did teach Scrooge a lesson: that even if your family is overwhelming sometimes, it's worth it for all the good times you spend together.
• When they return to the present day, Scrooge decides, instead of choosing one over the other, to celebrate Christmas with both his family AND the three spirits, inviting the latter to join his family at their Christmas party. Even the Ghost of Christmas Past.
• Scrooge forgives the Ghost of Christmas Past for trying to trap him in the past. In return, the Ghost of Christmas Past forgives Scrooge for leaving him in solitude for decades as retaliation.
  Scrooge: I'm going to give an old friend a present. (takes out the Time-brella and offers it to Past) No one gets left behind on Christmas.
  Past: You mean it? (eagerly takes back his Time-brella)
• In past Christmas where a young Donald opens his present from Della, it's a sweater that's several sizes too big for him. Cut to present day, he's still wearing it, but this time, it fits him perfectly. It also turns out that Della's blue scarf was a gift from Donald during the same Christmas, and that she never goes anywhere without it. Including the Moon.
• The reveal that Della, realizing that the boys are down on Earth, has put serious effort into getting back, wishing them a Merry Christmas and saying she will be back soon. If not, the very least she wants is for her boys to be happy now with the loved ones who are there.

Whatever Happened to Della Duck?!

• The determination to return to Earth and see her children again is what keeps Della alive on the Moon. Some of the video messages she creates for her boys are really endearing.
• The second Della learns the Moon Mite only seeks to feed its baby, she gives up (what she believes is) her only source of rocket fuel, and soothes the baby mite with a lullaby. After all, she too is a mother.
• After Della sadly accepts that she seemingly can't fix her ship to return home, General Lunaris immediately offers her a place in the Moon Planet city, no questions asked. This is quite touching - the first time you watch it, anyway. It's later revealed that Lunaris had immediately conceived of a plan to use Della in order to launch an invasion of Earth, and that his compassion was all an act.
• The beloved Moon theme from the old DuckTales game is worked into the episode at several points as an encouraging piece of music when Della finds her resolve at various points to make a bold attempt at returning home. The real clincher is that In-Universe, the very same arrangement is used as Della's lullaby for her sons.

Treasure of the Found Lamp!

• Upon discovering that there is no genie in the lamp everyone wants to know why D'jinn was so obsessed with getting it. Turns out that the lamp did have a genie: D'jinn's eighth great-grandfather, whose master fell in love with and freed him rather than use him for wishes. The two were married and went on a ton of adventures.
  D'jinn: Though [the Genie] no longer had any magic, he granted her every wish as her devoted husband.
  • D'jinn happily saying that the adventure of getting the lamp will serve as wonderful stories to tell his descendants.
  • What's more, you realize the Fridge Brilliance of D'jinn's name when you discover he's descended from an actual genie, and his ancestors probably were given the same name in his honor.
• The Duck family celebrating D'jinn's birthday with him.
• Scrooge, realizing thanks to D'jinn that sometimes the wealth of some items is the stories they hold, deciding to open a museum exhibit filled with relics from his adventures so the kids, and the public, can hear about all the amazing things he did.

The Outlaw Scrooge McDuck!

• Although they're still in Slap-Slap-Kiss mode for most of the episode, Scrooge and Goldie do get a few cute moments together, and it's obvious she's covering up a genuine attraction to him underneath the antagonism.
• At the end of the episode, Goldie implies that she followed Scrooge all the way out there because she wanted to see him again. She makes him blush by going in for a kiss...before hitting him in the face and running off.
• Played for Laughs, while Louie opts to learn from Goldie on how to be more "shifty", the fact he chose her over being the Con Artist speaks for his core character.
  • Just simply that, apparently, Scrooge and by extension the family can easily contact Goldie is a totally different kind of heartwarming.

The 87 Cent Solution!

• Donald Duck sobbing over Scrooge's apparent demise. The funeral turned out to be fake to get Glomgold to confess, but nobody told that to Donald. Even though their relationship has been strained since Della's disappearance, it's clear he still loves his uncle.
• Roxanne turns up to Scrooge's funeral, despite regularly painting him as a bad guy and trying to stir up drama about him just because it makes good TV. In fact, she even gets royally annoyed when Glomgold turns up, gloats about his victory, dances to DJ Khaled rap music and tries to twerk on Scrooge's casket.
  • Similarly, when Glomgold is being escorted to his seat he passes by The Buzzards who make up Scrooge's Board of Directors. While almost every other time the buzzards are seen they are mostly placid, but after Glomgold's display two of the buzzards appear disgusted with Glomgold and the third buzzard is absolutely seething with fist clenching rage. Despite their harsh professional relationship with Scrooge the buzzards are shown to respect if not like Scrooge on a personal level.
  • This gets even more poignant when Moonvasion shows that the Buzzards are actually the high command of F.O.W.L., meaning that they are either very good at pretending or this is a case of Due to the Dead and Even Evil Has Standards.
• The Reveal that Scrooge and family were Faking the Dead to get Glomgold to admit his scheme to ruin Scrooge's credibility in the financial community so he could win their bet. Scrooge eventually admitted that Huey was right and needed to get some rest, while Huey after looking more closely at his guidebook realized that somebody was Gaslighting Scrooge. Scrooge's sums it all up nicely.
  Scrooge: See, you could never beat me Flinty, because I have my family to keep me grounded.

The Golden Spear!

• After noticing Donald's awful stressed condition, the whole family decides to give Donald a full paid vacation and assuring him that the triplets would be fine in Scrooge's care
  • An easy to miss part of this is Scrooge noting that the cruise he paid for is nonrefundable. Given how shrewd Scrooge is you'd think he would avoid that but then you realize he deliberately chose a method that Donald would have no way of avoiding or getting out. He meant for Donald to get a well deserved vacation and would not take no for an answer.
• Della fixing Penumbra's spear.
• The Moonlanders helping Della fix her ship.
• The reaction of Donald Seeing Della's spaceship crash. He immediately goes there to check her and he's not angry or disappointed, he is just full of excitement and pure joy for meeting his sister again. Unfortunately, he accidentally activates the ship while looking for her and ends up being thrown into space.
• Despite her initial mistrust, Penumbra genuinely grows to like Della. Too bad it only came just as Lunaris reveals his true colors.
  • For example, as Della is about to leave, she delays getting in position to give Penumbra a hug. Keep in mind that her rocket was just set off moments ago and she risks missing it, which would result in her completely missing her chance to escape, just to say goodbye. Bonus points for Penumbra not getting angry. She just stiffly returns the gesture.
• Two words:
  Della: I'm home.

Nothing Can Stop Della Duck!

• After 11 years being apart, Della reunites with her uncle and sons.
  • Scrooge drops the Cartographer's Quill at the first sight of Della after 11 years apart, after giving an epic lecture about how valuable it is and the fortune, adventure, knowledge and mystery it can bring. It shows that Scrooge still cares more about family than anything.
  • Just how tightly and long Scrooge and Della hug each other upon reuniting. It really brings home how they are surrogate father and daughter.
  • Scrooge scolding Della for her tone like a true dad, and even when they both argue about how Scrooge didn't "look hard enough", Della immediately drops the argument and is just happy he's scolding her, which Scrooge reciprocates. There's also the little moment where Scrooge shows shock at Della's robotic leg, but then switches to amazement that she was able to move past something as traumatic as amputation.
  • When she finally finds her three children, Della at first merely gazes at them with tears in her eyes as she falls to her knees. Her little ducklings that she had been torn apart from are now all grown kids.
  • The Group Hug between Della and the boys and Webby's Played for Laughs Tears of Joy. One will notice that Della (following this episode too) will always stroke her sons's heads gently and hold them in her palms. Aaaaw!
    • During the hug, one can see that Dewey and Huey are not only hugging Della but they also wrap their arms around Louie. Since Louie was by far the most emotional upon seeing Della again, they likely knew that he needed an especially big hug.
  • Special mention when Dewey runs into her arms: As Della strokes his head, all he does is put his hands around her wrists, like a young baby holding onto his mother for the first time.
  • One nicely subtle touch: Scrooge makes sure he gets Dewey’s name right while introducing the triplets.
• Della tries so hard to be a good mom to her sons that she tries to makeup for her past mistakes and lost time.
  • Dewey doing everything he can to make sure she doesn't get discouraged by her mishaps, including trying to pretend he's not sick from her cooking despite being visibly in pain.
  • When the family meeting is going on, Dewey is arguing for Della more than anyone else. Despite having only known his mother less than 24 hours, Dewey not only loves Della but absolutely adores her.
• While Della is annoyed that Donald ignored her choices for the boys' names, she never tries to force those names on them, despite presumably having been calling them Jet, Turbo and Rebel in her head for the past decade. She always corrects herself whenever she slips up, and by the morning seems to have come up with a system to get their correct names into her head, which she partly recites to herself after getting Huey's name wrong again. It's a subtle affirmation that, despite her difficulties adjusting to being a mom, Della fully values her kids for who they actually are, not any imagined ideal from the years of separation.
• In a nice touch, the episode premiered on the day after Mother's Day.
• One of the images of Donald and the triplets has a newspaper in it saying "Blizzard"; the triplets are tucked together in an inflatable water-bed... which Donald is filling with tea to keep them warm. Judging by the looks on their faces, they have stayed up to watch said approaching blizzard.
  • Another image is of Donald sitting on the three eggs to keep them warm like a mother duck would.
• Donald keeps a picture of himself and Launchpad on the houseboat, showing that while they don't spend much time on screen together, he considers him a good friend.
• Upon seeing pictures of Donald caring for her sons, Della says he deserves the vacation the family gave him because he did the most important thing to her - he kept her boys safe and raised them well:
  Della: (with heavy thankfulness in her voice) You did a great job, Donald...you earned that vacation.
• Louie, who admitted he didn't even know what it was like to have a mom, looks up in surprise at Della after she cradled him away from the falling hand. Seeing her wavering smile, he finally smiles back, and initiates a hug.
  Louie: Thanks mom.

Raiders of the Doomsday Vault!

• Just the mother-son relationship between Della and Dewey throughout the episode.
• Della and Dewey singing "Stand Out" together and even dancing to it is adorable and will bring a tear to the eye of many older Disney fans, especially those who grew up seeing A Goofy Movie
  Della: (after finishing the song) Nailed it! (ruffles Dewey's head-feathers)
  Dewey: (smiling) Mom, stop! No I'm just kidding, keep going.
  Della: (kisses him on the forehead)
• Near the end of the episode, Glomgold accuses Scrooge of trying to get one over him by taking the money tree for himself. Scrooge's response?
  Scrooge: I don't care about the stupid tree! My family's in danger!
• After escaping the Vault, Dewey breaks down in tears thinking he disappointed his mother by not being the adventurer she is. Della assures Dewey that she will always believe in him, but Dewey will never have to prove anything to Della.

Friendship Hates Magic!

• The fact Webby still tries to find a way to bring Lena back from the Shadow Realm is a mix of heartwarming and heart-wrenching.
• Lena obviously cares for Webby deeply, and despite clearly missing being able to interact with her, expresses, multiple times, the wish that Webby stop messing around with potentially dangerous magic, even if it could free her.
• The episode shows that Violet isn't as threatening as she comes off to be, coming off as a genuinely nice person who seems to want to start a friendship with Webby through mutual love of the supernatural/magic.
  • To put things into perspective, she may not know Lena like Webby does, nor has she known Webby long enough, but she sensed from the beginning this was clearly troubling Webby. In fact, it is Violet who convinces her to not give up on bringing Lena back, understanding just how important Lena is to Webby, just enough for Violet to undertake this suicidal endeavor.
• Webby was bending over backwards the entire episode to try and make friends with Violet. The moment Violet grabs Magica's amulet and blasts Lena? Webby drops everything and demands to know where Violet got that. And the moment Violet implies that the two might have a way of restoring Lena? Webby (who at this point has been terrified of anything magical happening during a sleepover due to how it went down the last two times) does not hesitate. Despite trying to move on, Webby will never stop caring about Lena.
  • When Lena is still wary of Violet, she makes it very clear that Webby is her best friend and no one can take that from her, even saying furiously "She's mine!"
  • Lena, after realizing that her jealousy has caused the problem, does not hesitate to join hands with Violet to unleash the magic need to save Webby, in a Call-Back to "Jaw$!"
• In a strange, if sad way, the reason the Tulpas take Lena's form: she's so scared and worried Webby will forget about her while she was trapped in the Shadow Realm.
• The ending: Webby, Violet and Lena returning back from the Shadow Realm...and Lena back with them. Lena finally gets a chance to be back home. She's even later on shown being on good terms with Violet as the three hang out for their sleepover.
  • At first, Lena wasn't going to make it back to physical form - but Webby and Violet joining hands with her is what unleashed enough power for her to do so. The hug the three girls share after this happens is incredibly sweet.
  • Webby's face upon Lena's return says it all—from disbelieving shock to tearful glee, it's easy to tell how overwhelmed with happiness she is at that moment.
• The sub-plot where Launchpad and Beakley bond over Darkwing Duck, to the point where she actually joins him into filming a fan fic he wrote about the implied show finale. The best part is she was the one who wanted to film it!
  • We see Beakley and Launchpad watching an earlier episode before and she is very much not into it, but by the next time we see them she's just as invested in it as Launchpad. It's honestly really cute.

The Dangerous Chemistry of Gandra Dee!

• Fenton having no less than six people helping him out with his date with Gandra.
• Huey being an absolute Shipper on Deck for Gandra and Fenton. He also genuinely wants to see the two get together and he squees during their first interaction.
• When Mama Cabrera hears that Fenton is going on a date, she brings out an old suit that used to belong to his dad back in the day.
  • Said suit is about thirty years out of fashion but Fenton wears it anyway when he goes to pick up Gandra.
  • She also shows shades of her Mama Bear side when declaring she would ruin Fenton's dates life if they broke her son's heart.
• Launchpad acting as chauffeur for Fenton. His attempts to set the mood with music doesn't go so well, but it's the thought that counts.
• Gandra initially is only going out with Fenton for Beaks to get the Gizmoduck passcode, but as the date goes on, Gandra starts to like Fenton for who he is. They both talk enthusiastically about their work and when she sees his genuine desire to help others, this leads her to write the equation that helps him solve his problem with the Fentonium ball.
  • When Fenton finds out about her betrayal, of course he's mad, but when Gandra shows that she regretted helping Beaks to hurt him, he keeps their first date photo.
• Although Beaks confuses Webby and Huey for Fenton's kids, admitting to not know how the McDuck family worked, it's nice to see that Fenton's considered part of the family.
• As Fenton charges up Little Bulb with his Fentonium ball, Gyro gives an approving smile. It's immediately ruined by him noticing that the entire lab is wrecked, but it's still the nicest Gyro has ever acted towards Fenton.

The Duck Knight Returns!

• Jim Starling isn't enjoying his past-prime autograph gigs at local sofa dealerships since he's getting older and can't relive the glory days, but he perks up when Dewey appears, because it means new young fans still appreciate his show and knows he's still loved even a tiny bit. Despite being washed up in his eyes, he still loves talking about his show. His enthusiasm for it hasn't faded one bit.
• While Dewey forces several bizarre ideas onto the Darkwing Duck movie like a musical number, he does make sure to include a few beloved elements from the original series that Borswan initially left out, such as adding Megavolt as the climatic villain.
• At first Launchpad wants to stop Drake from filming the Darkwing movie because he believes only Jim can play the role. But when he discovers how big of a fan Drake is, the two end up bonding and playing with his toys in his dressing room. It’s also worth noting that Launchpad was careful not to destroy any of Drake’s Darkwing Duck memorabilia in his trailer during the fight.
  • Jim never calls Launchpad by name, calling him things like 'dummy' and 'hey you'. Drake always calls Launchpad by name. Made all the sweeter in that this is a clue on who is the real Darkwing Duck.
• The reason Drake wants to make a movie he knows isn't that good is that when he was a kid he was inspired by Darkwing to always get right back up. And he hopes that maybe his face will be the one that inspires some young kid to get back up when they are down.
  • The comic panel depicting Drake as a child watching the show while eating cereal and dressed up as the character is just adorable.
  • This is what makes Launchpad, despite being talked by Jim Starling into trying to sabotage Drake, decide to give him a chance to play the role. While he's not Jim, Drake clearly understands the essence of the character and why he and the other fans who grew up with the show loved him.
• When Jim Starling points a fully functioning lightning gun at the director, Launchpad immediately runs in front of the director to shield him. Launchpad may have thought the director was ruining Darkwing Duck, but he still understood that nobody deserved to get hurt over it...even if the aggressor was the person he looked up to the most.
• Though it ultimately ends in tragedy, Jim Starling is convinced by Drake and Launchpad that he should try to live up to the ideals of a hero. His last act as Darkwing Duck is to save their lives.
• Launchpad telling Drake after the movie is canceled that there is another way to honor Darkwing... to actually become him and fight crime for real. Drake isn't sure but Launchpad encourages him to give it a try.
  • Not to mention that Launchpad, despite being a major fan himself - and seeing the chance to take Darkwing Duck to the next level - concludes that Drake Mallard's better suited for the role.
  • He also encourages him by saying "Do it for Jim". While in context this means Jim Starling, out of context it's clearly a reference to Jim Cummings, with the line holding significance for Chris Diamantopoulos who is taking over the role of Darkwing Duck.
  • Likewise, Negaduck's line of "Happy to play the part" is a twisted one in context, but out of context it's Jim Cummings being fine with turning over the role of Darkwing and just being happy that he still gets to play Negaduck.
  • Launchpad gets Drake to sign his Darkwing Duck poster, the same poster he wanted Jim Starling to sign at the beginning of the episode but failed to due to fainting. It says a lot about how much faith he has in Drake being the new real-time Darkwing Duck, despite his lifelong obsession with Jim being the irreplaceable representation of his childhood hero.
  • And on a minor note, even Jim's descent into villainy is driven by his genuine concern over Launchpad, furious at how his fan was supposedly put in danger as part of a plot against him.

What Ever Happened to Donald Duck?!

• This was the "good dad Donald" episode Frank Angones talked about and did not disappoint.
• After becoming best friends due to the time they spent together searching for Della, Dewey and Webby look for any reason to solve another mystery together, no matter how small it is.
• The reason why Donald is always angry.
  Jones: Donald's anger issues stem from a fear that the world is out to get him, and that no one understands him. Quite literally. His tendency to lash out was wildly unfocused… until you kids came along. He came to me wanting to be the best parent he could. So, we channeled that anger into protective instincts. Every outburst is Donald wanting to protect his family. He loves you so much, the thought of anything bad happening to you infuriates him!
  • The Positive portrayal of Mental Health and going to therapy is heartwarming as well.
    • The fact that Donald has already lost his sister - he's decided he's not going to lose her babies too.
• Doubles as a Tear Jerker, but Donald riding the rocket missile that could potentially kill him, all for the sake of returning back to his family and warning them about the Moon invasion. You could actually see Donald fading in and out of consciousness and trying to stay alive.
  Donald: (weakly, but determined) The... kids...
• Penumbra, very understandably, calling Donald "the bravest man on two worlds".

Happy Birthday, Doofus Drake!

• Despite having run off with the party favors of gold and heirlooms, Goldie really did come to like Louie. She takes the one of the Photo Booth pictures of Louie and puts it in her wallet, next to a picture of Scrooge.
  • The fact Goldie keeps a photo of Scrooge (from his pioneer days) in her wallet is very heartwarming.
  • As is the fact that she got in the way of Boyd when the latter was about to seriously injure Louie with a baseball bat he (Boyd) was swinging wildly and violently. Goldie putting herself at risk for Louie cements her genuine care for him.
• While it's mostly played out as an Awesome Moment of Louie giving Doofus his just desserts, it's worth remembering that Louie seemed to feel horrible with himself for invoking Tomato in the Mirror on Boyd earlier, who was an undeniable Nice Guy to him despite being built by Mark Beaks and an obstacle in his and Goldie's con. His act of giving Boyd a new set of loving parents in the form of Mr. and Mrs. Drake can be seen as his way of making it up to Boyd for making him fry his circuits.
• Mr. and Mrs. Drake happily adopt Boyd as soon as he calls them "Mommy and Daddy", not caring that he's a robot. Mrs. Drake sounds like she's about to cry as she and her husband embrace Boyd in acceptance as their son, signifying this is the first time in a long time they've experienced love from a child.
• Boyd himself has gone from freaking out over the realization to accepting that he's a robot. And since he's now technically Doofus' brother, he is entitled to half of his Gummeemama's fortune, which he transfers from Doofus' bank account and into Mr. and Mrs. Drake's account, which finally gives them the courage to become parents to Doofus again and give him a well-deserved indefinite grounding.
  Mr. Drake: (with barely-contained joy) I'm free.
• This episode is Huey's turn to bond with Della, and they are absolutely adorable together as they are getting ready to play their favorite online game.
  • Especially notable is that despite Della not understanding Huey’s approach of Level Grinding by farming (which many role players will tell you is a perfectly legit strategy) she never tries to force her own playing style on him and just provides her own examples to show what he’s missing out on.
• Scrooge comforts Louie upon seeing that he got double-crossed by Goldie in the end, rather than saying I Warned You.

Nightmare On Killmotor Hill!

• Lena cementing her expanded circle of friends with friendship bracelets for the whole group and a cake she made featuring her with stretchy arms embracing Webby, Violet and the triplets. Her little tune to celebrate the occasion is enough to move Webby to Tears of Joy.
• A small part where the group enter Louie's dream, Lena takes the form of a wolf. Violet first theorizes that the form could be because of outsider syndrome, or because of violent tendencies, only for Webby to angrily counter that it could be because of something more noble, as in she is a pack animal, and considers her friends her pack. Even when Lena takes on a monstrous form, Webby still assumes the best of her. This foreshadows her being the first one to recognize Lena in her dream/nightmare, where she's forced to take on Magica's form against her will.
• Doubles as an Awesome Moment. The subplot with Magica and Lena served as a disturbingly accurate metaphor for abusive familial relationships in Season 1 - being chained to someone who couldn't give a damn about you, keeping their secrets, doing things for them that no child should ever have to, and suffering in secret - which culminated in Magica literally taking possession of Lena's body. That metaphor is furthered here, when Magica spends the entire episode gaslighting Lena and trying to draw her back into being her slave by preying on the girl's insecurities, the sort of creepy things that abusive parents who have had their children taken away from them actually try to do sometimes. So the coda to this episode - where Lena acknowledges that she never needs Magica again now that she has actual friends and a support system, and rejects her for good now that the power balance between them has shifted in Lena's favor - feels immensely cathartic.
• All the kids working together to rescue Lena from Magica in her dreamscape, using The Power of Friendship to outmatch Magica's hold on Lena. While Webby will always be Lena's best friend, this confirms that she now has several friends as a support system.

The Golden Armory of Cornelius Coot!

• Once again, Webby's sense of adventure in this one is downright infectious.
• Big Time deciding to try and get Cornelius' treasure to prove to his family that he is worth something.
• Despite acting hostile to him in the past, Della tries her absolute hardest not to lose her temper at Launchpad, even when he does the most infuriating things. A sharp contrast from her former Hair-Trigger Temper. She only (lightly) flips out after minutes and minutes of hair-tearingly frustrating interactions.
• When Big Time sets off down a brief minecart tunnel and overtakes the triplets and Webby, the latter gives leg-ups to Huey and Louie to make sure they are safely in before she herself gets in, since they are less athletic than Dewey. Especially nice since Webby was eager to set off immediately to catch up and still helps others before herself.
• Webby is clearly distraught when she finds out that Cornelius' whole mine was really just corn. As they prepare to leave, Huey gently tells her that he's sorry and invites her to go home.
• After hearing too much of Webby putting herself down over not being as amazing as Della was at her age, Della comforts her and tells her that she has her own amazing way of doing things. She caps it off by saying that she doesn't need to prove herself to anyone and then realizes she (Della) really should apologize to Launchpad for lashing out earlier.
• During the tsunami of popcorn caused by Cornelius' corn all being heated up at once, Big Time still shows loyalty to his family by using a spider to wrap them in webs and protect them from most of the impact.

Timephoon!

• Della getting Character Development as a parent, realizing how Louie put everyone's lives in danger while he messed with time just so he can get rich easily. While it definitely was hard for Della to put her foot down and punish her kid, it carries on to the next episode where she really wants him to learn from this mistake and never create a situation where he hurts his family again.
• After being critical of her parenting skills throughout the episode, Beakley voices her approval to Della for finally learning the importance of Tough Love.
  • Earlier, Beakley attempts to stand up for Della in response to Louie coldly (and rightfully) retorting that his mother did the exact same thing as him. She may not approve of Della being too easy on the kids, but she knows that Della doesn't deserve a hurtful comment and her kids must respect her as a parent.
    • And the reason she doesn't entirely follow through with it is because Della wordlessly silences her before she can get too far into it, acknowledging that he is actually correct. It appears that she knows she's not immune to criticism and shouldn't brush off any form of reproval from her kids just because she's the one in power of them, as doing so is a common fault in parents.
• Despite the time displacement, Bubba had nothing but respect for the Duck family as he played with them and later helped them in the battle against the other time displacements. Even giving a small salute as he's sent home, and carving himself a top hat in honor of his descendant.

Glomtales!

• Despite being a self serving hypocrite, Glomgold seems to understand what a family is like in his own way. That it's big, complicated and frustrating, but when it all comes together, they can achieve the impossible.
• Louie making up with his mother after saving the day.
  Louie: Mom, I know I messed up before, but... seeing all the angles is what I'm good at!
  Della: (Smiles and then picks Louie up for a hug) OK. But you need to take care not to hurt the ones you love. And I'll be there to help you see the angles you can't.
  • Better yet, listen to the way she says "OK" and then look at that last sentence. She appears to be lifting her son's grounding for saving the family, especially since he is no longer grounded in the next episode.

The Richest Duck in the World!

• Scrooge offers to take the curse of the Bombie back from Louie in order to protect him, but Louie refuses, not wanting his great-uncle to be in danger either.
• Scrooge and Louie working together to shine the Bombie's shoes, after which he peacefully leaves, the curse apparently broken.
  • Even better is that this was Louie's idea and first action after he got his Humble Pie. He realizes that the Bombie is just as much of a victim as those he chases and chooses to show understanding and sympathy to a being that had done nothing but try to kill him. That's not just humility, but compassion, kindness and dare we say maturity as well.
  • The Bombie even smiles when he sees their finished work.
• Scrooge tells Louie that by learning humility within a day, the young duck was a better billionaire than him.
• Once Earth's defense satellites go down, Penumbra immediately sends a message to Della warning her that Lunaris is about to invade Earth and come after her family. Without it, the Duck family would've been completely unprepared. More so, she makes a point of calling Della her friend which cheers up the latter after starting to believe she never liked her.
• Zan Owlson actually tried saving Louie from falling out of the plane. Keep in mind this was after she chewed him out for his reckless business decisions . She may have her limits, but she clearly has standards.

Moonvasion!

• Toward the start of the episode, when asked, Scrooge warmly and shamelessly recounts how much he loves Della.
• Fenton's mother saving him (in the Gizmoduck armor) from Moonlander attack, and then revealing that she's known it was him for a while.
  • She also threatens Gyro when he suggests using Gizmoduck as a decoy
    You hurt him, I hurt you
• Della and Louie have a lot of positive, specific interactions in this episode, quickly building their relationship back up after what happened earlier.
• A reunion that's been a decade in the making: Donald and Della's reunion.
  Della: (angrily) Just because I missed you doesn't mean I'm not mad at you!
  Donald: (also angrily) I missed you too, you big dummy!
  (Donald and Della start tearing up and give each other a big hug)
• In a very bizarre way, Donald's Companion Cube being heavily based on Mickey Mouse is this. While the main mouse himself will likely not appear on the show (namely because of legal issues), the fact that Donald and Mickey's friendship is still able to play a role on the show is quite touching as the Mickey melon is quite supporting of Donald and vice versa, no doubt the same way the mouse himself would.
• Louie and Della's talk in the plane.
  Louie: You know, when I'm terrified, which is often, I try to remember this old song: ...face each new sun, with eyes clear and true. Unafraid of the unknown—
  Della: Because I'll face it all with you. I wrote that song before I got lost. How did you hear it?
  Louie: Well, Uncle Donald used to sing it to us when we were little.
  Donald: It's true. Every night.
• It's brief, but when Lunaris throws Glomgold to the ground in a particularly painful-looking way, Scrooge looks shocked and then furious as he leaps to attack Lunaris. Nobody messes with "Flinty" but him.
• When Lunaris is about to defeat him, Scrooge looks over to the side, smiles and weakly says "Hi kids." Cue Donald, Della, Webby, Huey, Dewey, Louie, Fethry and Gladstone all yelling "Hi Uncle Scrooge!" back at him. Webby, Gladstone, and Fethry aren't even related to Scrooge.
• Any time Donald and Della would interact.
  Scrooge: (while Donald and Della are squabbling): Aw, bless me bagpipes. Have I missed this.
• When Della ends up in the exhaust flames of Lunaris' ship and all hope seems lost, Webby is briefly seen comforting a shaking Dewey.
• Penumbra coming to the Duck family's rescue.
  • It's shown that she didn't commit a Heroic Sacrifice by having her blown into the windshield on the Ducks ship, where she cheerfully greets Della as "roomie". In return, Della immediately sets about introducing her family to Penumbra before Penumbra asks to be let into the ship.
  • The ship she used to save the ducks? Instead of one of the many solid gold moon ships, it's the repaired Spear of Selene. After it's existence caused so much grief to the Duck family, it's last trip was used to save not just them but the Earth as well.
• Launchpad believing in Drake/Darkwing even when everyone else is ignoring him.
  • When they first meet, Gizmoduck is actually very cordial to Darkwing.
• When the Moonlanders are freeing the citizens of Duckburg, Gibbous grabs a random guy in a bear hug.
• The group gathering at the end. Up until F.O.W.L. reveal themselves anyways.
  • Della throws her arm around Donald and keeps it there. In front of them, Dewey does the same thing to Huey.
  • During the gathering, Webby gives Scrooge a big hug which he reciprocates.
  • Launchpad is immediately smitten with Penumbra, and not intimidated at all by her saying she could crush him. He may finally have a chance at a long-term stable relationship (especially considering the kinds of guys Julie Bowen's characters typically hook up with).
  • Glomgold actually getting people in the crowd to cheer his name along with him...given that he was invaluable to saving the world, he actually earned this.
  • Despite being seen as the weakest member of the group, Drake/Darkwing is front and center in the family shot at the end. The terror that flaps in the night is now part of the family.
  • F.O.W.L., oddly enough, creates a heartwarming moment by showing the massive group shot as 'the Duck Family'. Even the villains understand it isn't just the blood relatives who are now part of the family, but their friends and allies as well!
• During the post-victory group shot, Goldie can be seen pushing her way through the crowd giving a big smile towards the family.

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