History Recap / DarkwingDuckS1E1DarklyDawnsTheDuck

* TechnoBabble: How Gosalyn describes the functions of the ramrod device, as a "tracheo-specific device that disrupts gravitational bonds on a molecular level that allows manipulation on a macro scale." DW is naturally confused, so Gosalyn confesses she doesn't know what that means and surmises that it probably makes things float.

* TechnoBabble: How Gosalyn describes the functions of the ramrod device. DW is naturally confused, so Gosalyn confesses she doesn't know what that means and surmises that it probably makes things float.

* NeverSayDie: Zig-Zagged throughout. Taurus Bulba explicitly confirms that Gosalyn's grandfather is dead, but avoids actually saying that his henchman killed him (he refers to them as "causing an accident" instead).

Luckily, Launchpad catches Gosalyn on the Thunderquack, and Darkwing uses the resulting confusion to race to the control panel for the Ramrod and begin mashing random buttons, overloading the weapon. It fires on Hammerhead, Hoof, and Mouth, who are lifted into the air, and then on Taurus Bulba's airship, which crashes into the river (as Clovis ejects, she mutters that she should have followed her mother's advice and become a dental hygienist); meanwhile, Gosalyn gets revenge on Tantalus by getting Launchpad to bite off the condor's tail feathers with the Thunderquack, sending the bird falling out of the sky. But as the Ramrod continues to fire while Taurus Bulba and Darkwing fight just below it, the overloaded weapon finally explodes, [[NoOneCouldHaveSurvivedThat leaving the top of Canard Tower a ruin as a horrified Gosalyn and Launchpad look on.]]

* SkewedPriorities: At the end of Part 1, the police ignore escaped criminal mastermind with at least one life sentence Taurus Bulba... to nab Darkwing Duck, whom they believe to be responsible for robbing a train.

Back in prison, Taurus Bulba notes that he cannot use the Ramrod without the arming code... and the original plan to get the code from the weapon's designer, Professor Waddlemeyer, before arranging a convenient "accident" to get rid of him fell apart when his henchmen did the second part first. Waddlemeyer's granddaughter, Gosalyn, is currently housed at the St. Canard Orphanage, and Taurus Bulba is convinced she knows the arming code, so he sends his henchmen to the orphanage to kidnap her. Though Hammerhead successfully convinces both the orphanage director, Mrs. Cavanaugh, and the feisty Gosalyn herself that he is a family friend, his kidnap attempt fails when Darkwing swoops in and grabs her. Gosalyn initially assumes he is another kidnapper and fights back, but is persuaded he is on her side when the henchmen open fire. He tries taking her to the police station, but the police believe ''he'' stole the Ramrod and also open fire on him. Darkwing finally escapes by riding the Ratcatcher into the harbor, convincing all observers - including a bicycle-riding Launchpad, anxious to make amends - that he and Gosalyn have drowned. The irate Taurus Bulba decides to go after Darkwing personally, and he instructs Clovis to activate the bullhead-shaped airship he has built into the prison, to the amazement of Warden Waddlesworth.

* DangerouslyGenreSavvy: When Darkwing pulls his usual [[SmokeOut Smoke In]] at the climax, Bulba simply tells his minion to [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim shoot the smoke]]. Unfortunately for Bulba, Darkwing was one step ahead of him and was using the smoke as a distraction.

** Darkwing is technically a vigilante trespassing on a train carrying a top secret military weapon. Since Hammerhead covered his track by having Hoof and Mouth knock out the soldiers guarding it and taking their place, the conductor thinking that Darkwing is the real thief is not unreasonable.

** Darkwing is technically a vigilante trespassing on a train carrying a top secret military weapons. Since Hammerhead covered his track by having Hoof and Mouth knock out the soldiers guarding it and taking their place, the conductor thinking that Darkwing is the real thief is not unreasonable.

* FamilyFriendlyFireArms: Heavily averted. Hammerhead, the police and Bulba's airship brandish realistic firearms that fire realistic ammunition.

* GloryHound: Darkwing Duck, more than in subsequent episodes. He's so desperate to be in the headlines that it becomes his [[FatalFlaw main weakness]].

* HeroicBSOD: Darkwing goes into a major funk while in prison, and only snaps out of it when Launchpad comes to rescue him.

* NiceJobFixingItVillain: Bulba's first attempt to get rid of Darkwing ends up introducing him to Launchpad. Later, him going through with attempting to kill Gosalyn gives Darkwing the opening to thwart his plan for good.
* NoodleIncident: Gosalyn says [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial she has no idea how a pig got into the boys' bathroom.]]

* FailedASpotCheck: For some reason, the Warden failed to notice the Ramrod inconspicuously hidden in the jail's laundry room.

* NeverSayDie: Averted. The characters say "die" seven times in two seconds.

He crashes through the roof of an aircraft hangar, the owner of which initially mistakes him for a burglar. Said owner is revealed to be former [[WesternAnimation/DuckTales Scrooge McDuck]] employee Launchpad [=McQuack=], who is ecstatic when he realises he is in the presence of Darkwing Duck; he introduces himself as the crimefighter's biggest fan. Darkwing, meanwhile, is delighted to discover that Launchpad is a pilot, and jumps in the nearest plane (ignoring Launchpad's attempts to explain that he has a better one in the next hangar) and offers an autograph in exchange for being flown after the airborne train car. After a wild flight (Launchpad takes off in reverse gear by mistake), they reach the car, but Taurus Bulba orders Tantalus to grab Darkwing and drop him back to earth; though Launchpad catches him, the plane crashes soon after, and an angered Darkwing storms off, dismissing Launchpad's offer to be his sidekick with "IWorkAlone".

* CaptainCrash: This is the only ''Darkwing Duck'' episode where this trope, one of Launchpad's defining characteristics in ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales'', is on display. When Darkwing jumps into the nearest plane in Launchpad's hangar, Launchpad initially takes off in reverse, and although he is able to catch Darkwing when Tantalus drops him, his low altitude flight causes considerable property damage before the plane inevitably crashes.

* RealityEnsues: While Darkwing's survival from the explosion is improbable, he still has sustained painful injuries from it and needs assistance even to do simple things like drive places.

* InadvertentEntranceCue: In the second half of the episode, Darkwing is locked in prison and laments how he messed up and has no one to ask for help. Then Launchpad breaks in.

* IWorkAlone: Darkwing actively refuses help so he can defeat Taurus Bulba alone. He eventually overcomes this attitude.

* RealityEnsues: While Darkwing's survival from the explosion is improbable, he still has sustained painful injuries from it.

** IneffectualLoner: When in jail, Darkwing eventually comes to see himself as this. He laments that he doesn't have a friend to ask for help. (And is promptly rescued by Launchpad, who is instrumental in rescuing Gosalyn.)

* WouldHurtAChild: Taurus Bulba was perfectly fine with having Gosalyn fall to her death.