Agent 22 meets her new partner.
Webby helps Scrooge rescue her granny from the clutches of rival spy Black Heron, unintentionally following in the footsteps of how Scrooge and Mrs. Beakley first met.
This episode contains examples of:
- Accidental Misnaming: Scrooge accidentally screws up Webby's surname when introducing her to Black Heron.Black Heron: What are you, child?!
Scrooge: That's Webby Vanderduck, my new partner!
Webby: Yeah, but it's actually Vander-(the gummiberry juice begins to take effect on her) quaaaaaack! - Actor Allusion: It's rather appropriate that Ludwig (voiced by Corey Burton) would send the characters on a Gummi Bears-related mission. He voiced Gruffy and Toady on that show after Bill Scott passed away.
- Applied Phlebotinum: The ancient potion created by the druids of Castle Dunwyn, a.k.a. gummiberry juice. F.O.W.L. wants to use it to create an army of bouncing super-soldiers. In addition to the bouncing (which can produce leaps of hundreds of feet if desired) and the user's immunity to injury from said bouncing while the juice's effects are active, it allows the user of the juice to vibrate their way out of constraints like ropes.
- An Arm and a Leg: It's not shown outright, but it's heavily implied that Black Heron lost her arm after Beakley and Scrooge defeated her for the first time and the lair exploded. In the present day, she has a prosthetic arm equipped with various gadgets.
- Artificial Limbs: Black Heron, to make up for losing an arm in the fire last time, now has a mechanical arm equipped with various weapons.
- Berserk Button: Black Heron gets extremely angry whenever she's interrupted.
- Brick Joke: Launchpad is shown to still be blindfolded at the end of the episode.
- Call a Rabbit a "Smeerp": Webby calls unicorns "sword horses", mostly because it's a more badass name.
- Call-Back:
- Scrooge idly notes how Louie tends to break down in dangerous situations.
- Webby happily repeats her trademark greeting of "I'm Webby" in response to Scrooge inviting her to call him her uncle.
- When Scrooge finds Webby on the submarine, he puts a lifejacket on her in a way very similar to how Donald put lifejackets on Huey and Louie in "Woo-oo!"
- The Cameo:
- Ludwig Von Drake as a SHUSH operative.
- The ancient creatures on the document are clearly the Gummi Bears.
- Canon Welding:
- With Adventures of the Gummi Bears, continuing the collection of The Disney Afternoon. Castle Dunwyn and the Gummi Bears apparently existed some time in the past of the Duck universe.
- While Darkwing Duck is established to be a Show Within a Show, F.O.W.L. appears to be a very real terror organization and SHUSH to be a real crime-fighting and counterterror organization. Downplayed, since F.O.W.L. was introduced in DuckTales (1987), it just got more fleshed out in Darkwing Duck.
- Casting Gag: Black Heron is voiced by April Winchell, daughter of Paul Winchell, the original Zummi Gummi. Her description of the Gummiberry Juice emphasising the bouncing qualities also hearkens to Paul Winchell's other most popular Disney role of Tigger in Winnie the Pooh.
- Chekhov's Gag: Back in "Daytrip of Doom!", Beakley casually told Donald that she's a spy, with Donald (initially) assuming that she was joking. Her being a spy is a major plot point in this episode.
- Chekhov's Gun: Scrooge earlier promised to remember that Webby's favourite drink is "juice". When he later tells Black Heron that she should be at home drinking tea, Webby realizes this is a secret message for her benefit.
- Code Name:
- "Black Heron" is probably this rather than her real name, considering that she's a spy who is literally a black heron.
- "Agent 22" is Mrs. Beakley's code name.
- Averted with Scrooge, perhaps because he’s a freelance agent.
- Comically Missing the Point: As Scrooge tells Launchpad nobody must know where they are going, the pilot puts on a blindfold so that even he doesn't know where they are going.
- Company Cross References: Beakley and Scrooge rescue a falling Webby with a Fastball Special and parachute landing combo, similar to Bob and Helen rescuing Jack-Jack in The Incredibles.
- Continuity Nod: The triplets are watching "Ottoman Empire", the TV show from "The Great Dime Chase!", and they are drinking PEP, introduced in the same episode.
- Darker and Edgier: Though not without comic undertones, this episode is a lot more mature and violent than the norm. Black Heron doesn't hesitate in threatening to kill Webby to force Beakley to surrender. And the fights between Beakley and Heron, as well as Webby against Heron see Webby and her grandma out for Heron's blood.
- In particular, Webby has no problem letting Heron fall to her death.
- In the flashback, it’s shown how Heron lost her arm (though we get a Gory Discretion Shot just in time).
- A Day in the Limelight: Scrooge and Webby have an adventure by themselves.
- Disney Villain Death: It's implied that Black Heron fell to her death into the cliffs or water below. On the other hand...
- Dope Slap: Beakley punches out Scrooge when he refused to bid more than 60,000 pounds and allowed Black Heron to get away with the recipe so they can get it back later.
- Empowered Badass Normal: Both Webby and Black Heron get their already remarkable fighting skills greatly enhanced after drinking the Gummi Berry Juice.
- Epic Fail: When Webby sees the kitchen after Black Heron abducted Mrs. Beakley from there, she assumes Donald tried to make an omelet again. Scrooge points out it can't be what happened because Donald still hasn’t gotten out of the pantry.
- Fastball Special: FOWL has a maneuver in this style, referred to as a Flip-6-3-hole.
- Foreshadowing: At breakfast, Webby asks Scrooge to tell her about his encounter with a unicorn. Two episodes later, in "The Other Bin of Scrooge McDuck!", she and Lena actually encounter that unicorn.
- Forgot to Feed the Monster: The piranha pit in Black Heron's lair has been abandoned for decades, so when Scrooge swims through it, the piranhas are all dead.Scrooge: (exclaims with disgust) This is worse than when they were alive!
- Furry Reminder: While grappling with Scrooge, Heron pecks at him repeatedly with her spear-like beak.
- Gilligan Cut: In the original mission, Scrooge failed to stop the last robot guard. Beakley insists on finishing it off, but Scrooge gives a blasé response about how they won't be seeing it again. Cut back to the present, where Scrooge is fighting that very same robot.
- Scrooge: How are you still functioning?!
- Good Is Not Soft: Beakley, Webby and Scrooge have no problem using lethal force against Black Heron.
- Gory Discretion Shot: Twice. In the flashback, Heron loses her arm in an acidic explosion, but it cuts away to Scrooge and Beakley escaping her base. In the present, Webby knocks Heron away from her during a free-fall, and Heron's cybernetic arm is seen grabbing a rooftop - only by the time Scrooge, Webby and Beakley check up on her, the rest of her body is nowhere to be found.
- Heart Is an Awesome Power: Bouncing is a surprisingly dangerous ability, especially when the bouncer is already a skilled Badass Normal.
- History Repeats: How Scrooge and Beakley go about their adventure is rather similar to how Scrooge and Webby's adventure turns out, though with some minor differences thanks to Webby doing her homework on the subject.
- Honorary Uncle: By the end of the episode, Scrooge tells Webby to call him "Uncle Scrooge" instead of "Mr. McDuck".
- Knockout Gas: Black Heron has a green one that can be dispersed with her robotic arm.
- Little Stowaway: Scrooge refuses to let the kids come along to save Beakley. He catches Webby hiding in the lifejacket bin in the submarine.
- Made of Explodium: The first island guard is a bubble filled with 'Incendium'.
- Magic Skirt: When Scrooge catches Webby in the lifejacket bin, he hooks her foot in his cane and hangs her upside down, but her skirt remains where it is.
- Mandatory Line: The nephews are zonked out after an all night "Ottoman Empire" marathon, so they don't tag along with Scrooge and Webby on their adventure. And Donald's locked himself in the pantry.
- Monochrome Past: The flashbacks to the 1960s have a muted color scheme compared to the present day scenes.
- Mythology Gag:
- Webby mentions that Scrooge once encountered an unicorn - which he indeed did, in the 1950 comic Trail of the Unicorn.
- Scrooge's favorite drink, nutmeg tea, was shown in the comic story A Spicy Tale.
- Scrooge mentions dealing with Jack the Tripper, the villain from the original series episode "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. McDuck."
- The numbered robot henchmen strongly resemble Armstrong from the 1987 Duck Tales.
- Scrooge refers to Webby as Webby Vanderduck, a possible reference to business rival Velma Vanderduck from the comics.
- Never Found the Body: All that's left of Black Heron is her mechanical arm, but the rest of her remains unaccounted for.
- Not the Fall That Kills You…: Subverted. Black Heron appears to save herself from a huge fall over a cliff by digging her robotic arm's claws into a ledge, but the force of the fall was enough to rip the arm out of its socket.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Scrooge has something of a cavalier attitude on danger so when he refuses to bring the kids along to rescue Mrs. Beakley, you know something very serious is up indeed.
- Oh, Crap!: This reaction is written all over Scrooge's face when he finds a lone feather belonging to Black Heron and realizes what’s happened to Beakley.
- Opening Shout-Out: Not to this show's opening, but Black Heron references the Gummi Bears theme by saying that with the Great Ones' juice, her army of super soldiers will be "bouncing here and there and everywhere, mass destruction that's beyond compare!"
- Origins Episode: For how Scrooge met Mrs. Beakley.
- Piranha Problem: Black Heron's secret lair has a piranha pond right in front of its entrance. In the present day, they’re all dead due to the lair being abandoned for decades.
- Read the Freaking Manual: Scrooge not reading up on how to use his tricked-out spy cane causes some issues.
- Rewatch Bonus: The episode takes on an entirely new light following the twist in the series finale.
- Sadistic Choice: Black Heron threatens to kill Webby if Beakley won't surrender the formula.
- The Scrooge:
- Scrooge drinks his tea with one drop of milk, and uses a single teabag for an entire month. He finds it delicious because it's so cheap this way.
- Played for laughs as Scrooge and Beakley are sent to an auction to buy a page from a medieval tome containing alchemy secrets before F.O.W.L. does. SHUSH only gave Scrooge a budget of £60,000 and Scrooge being Scrooge is simply shocked at Beakley's suggestion that he should tap into his own substantial fortune to win the auction.Mrs. Beakley: (through clenched teeth) You are a billionaire!
- Shout-Out:
- Scrooge and Mrs. Beakley's banter and attire during the flashbacks, especially Scrooge's bowler has to be a nod to the classic British spy series, The Avengers (1960s).
- The balloon with the derby hat is a reference to Rover from The Prisoner (1967).
- Scrooge getting his special cane with hidden weapons is a clear nod to the James Bond films, with Ludwig Von Drake in the role of Q. Complete with Scrooge ignoring the gadget briefing. The gadget filled cane is called "the Von Drake Action Cane PPK", a reference to Bond's preferred firearm, the Walther PPK.
- Webby's book about Scrooge is called "The Man with the Golden Everything", referencing The Man with the Golden Gun (befitting the episode's spying theme).
- Mrs Beakley calling a “flip six 3-hole” is one to “Starship Troopers” where it’s a football play, later used on the battlefield.
- The numbered bad guys could be a reference to the 1967 Batman series, where the henchmen often had their codenames labeled on their shirts.
- Spotting the Thread: Due to the realization that he actually doesn't know much about the young girl who has been living in his mansion (and having to be corrected on what he thought he knew about her), Scrooge promises to get Webby's favourite drink, i.e. juice, right next time. Later, when Webby is being held at gunpoint by Black Heron, Scrooge goes on a contrived rant to distract Heron, saying Webby should be at home drinking her favourite tea, cluing Webby in to snatch the bounce juice from Heron.
- Stalker without a Crush: Webby is really interested in Scrooge, to the point that he's a little weirded out.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Black Heron tries breaking her fall by grabbing the ledge with her metal arm. Her body just breaks off from the arm and keeps falling, to an uncertain doom.
- Swiss-Army Weapon: Scrooge is equipped with a cane that shoots gas, doubles as an Parasol Parachute, has a sonic weapon... ironically, the only thing missing seems to be a sword.
- Talk to the Fist: When Black Heron outbids Scrooge because he wouldn't chip in his own cash and runs away with the potion recipe, he smugly tells Beakley that they can steal it back from her and he just saved S.H.U.S.H. 60,000 pounds. Beakley responds to that by punching him.
- 13 Is Unlucky: Black Heron's bidding panel is 13.
- Too Incompetent to Operate a Blanket: Donald once tried to make an omelet, and it ended fairly badly, to the point that Webby wonders if the mess caused by Beakley's kidnapping is from him trying again. Also, at some point he got locked in the pantry and can't get out.
- The Un Twist: Mrs Beakley really is a spy, to the surprise of nobody.
- Underestimating Badassery: Invoked. Scrooge says a bunch of stuff about Webby, like her being a Damsel in Distress, to get Black Heron to underestimate her and let her guard down.
- Unusually Uninteresting Sight:
- Louie wanders into the kitchen to get a snack while Beakley is fighting Black Heron and barely bats an eye. Although he might have just been too spaced out to notice.
- After Black Heron wins the auction, the auctioneer casually describes her as jumping out the window.
- Waxing Lyrical: Black Heron, during her evil exposition about what she wants to do with the serum (Gummiberry juice), ends up saying a corrupted lyric from the Gummi Bears Theme before Scrooge laughs.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Beakley explodes at Scrooge for getting Webby involved in Heron's revenge mission. Frighteningly, it's the angriest we've ever seen Beakley so far.
- Would Hurt a Child: Black Heron threatens to shoot Webby in the head if Beakley doesn't give up the bounce formula. Beakley quickly complies in order to save her granddaughter.
- Writing Around Trademarks: None of the items relating to Adventures of the Gummi Bears have the word Gummi attached to them, likely due to trademark issues relating to the original Gummi Bear candies. Thus the Great Gummi become the Great Ones, and the Great Book of Gummi is just the Great Book.
