"The Life and Crimes of Scrooge McDuck!" is the seventy-first episode of DuckTales. It premiered on March 8, 2021 and is the twenty-first episode of the third season and the final half-hour episode before the three-part series finale, making it the penultimate episode of the series.
Plot[]
Having bought a Gribble which quickly multiplied and grew out of control, Louie attempts to talk his way out of the situation, but Scrooge is quick to tell him that he needs to own up to his actions and accept responsibility for once in his life. They suddenly answer the door to find a dog in a bailiff uniform telling Scrooge that he has been summoned. All three are whisked away to Karmic Court, a courtroom that takes place in another dimension with a giant Lady Justice carrying a giant beam balance. The Bailiff, also acting as a judge, reveals that Scrooge, and to a certain extent Louie, are on trial for ruining the lives of others. The prosecutor turns out to be Doofus Drake who is primarily after Louie for having him share his wealth with his family. Louie promises Scrooge to be his attorney.
Doofus calls in the first witness, Flintheart Glomgold who proceeds to regale how Scrooge ruined his life. Glomgold was attempting to secure a shark tooth diamond while being filmed by news reporter Webra Walters with him claiming that he was trying to be charitable. Scrooge showed up to give him competition. However, Glomgold immediately reveals his sinister side and abandons the camera crew to the various traps in the shark cave. Scrooge manages to secure the diamond, but sees the news crew in trouble and rescues them. Scrooge decides to be more philanthropic after hearing Webra's kind words, while she outs Glomgold for being a coward. Despite Doofus claiming that Scrooge turned him into a monster, Louie is able to convince the Bailiff that Glomgold was always a monster, and he is placed in the innocent side of the balance.
Doofus calls the second witness, Ma Beagle who has had a long history with Scrooge. When she was a little girl, Ma Beagle and her family lived in a community that belonged to Scrooge's family, Fort Duckburg. Scrooge arrives asking for the deed back from the family who agree through an arm wrestling competition. While it seems that Scrooge is losing, he discovers that the family is cheating and Scrooge outs them; winning the competition and getting his land back. Doofus tries to make it look like that he threw the Beagles out to the cold, but Louie is quick to point out that following Scrooge leaving with the deed, Ma Beagle showed her ugly side by booting her father and taking over the Beagle Family affairs. Ma Beagle is also placed on the innocent side of the balance.
Finally, Doofus calls in Magica De Spell, which actually seems to bother Scrooge. In the past, Magica and her brother Poe tormented a village by transforming them into goats and taking their gold. One day, they did not receive any offerings and Scrooge arrived with spirits attempting to take his Number One Dime. Scrooge criticizes the De Spells for not earning their wealth and mocks Magica by telling her that her family was holding her back. A fight breaks out with Magica taking Poe's gem and starts tossing bolts at Scrooge. When he deflects a spell back at Magica with his dime, Poe jumps in the way and is turned into a mindless raven. Magica, who does not know how to turn people back due to her abrasiveness (Poe was the more thoughtful of the two), begs Scrooge for help, but he abandons her. Poe flies away and Magica spent the next several years looking for him, but could not find him.
Louie admits that he is not sure if he can defend Scrooge from that, nor if he even should, especially when he admits that he took all their gold and took the townspeople, who had all turned into goats by then, and started using them for labor; he just made the best of a bad situation. Affected by the events, Louie confronts Doofus and apologizes for what he has done to him. He in turn forgives Louie and leaves. Scrooge also apologizes to Magica for what he has done to her, but this results in all three being placed on the guilty side of the balance (despite the fact Scrooge is 2/3 innocent) and the Bailiff announces that his enemies are entitled to everything he owns.
However, thanks to Glomgold's own blunder bluntness, Louie points out that their actions also made Scrooge as all of the events have had a positive effect on him including this one. Feeling justified, the Bailiff places the villains back to the innocent side as Scrooge and Louie are declared innocent of any wrongdoing and are sent home. Having learned to accept responsibility, Louie once again tries to convince Scrooge to take responsibility for the Gribbles. Scrooge only grumbles in exasperation.
Cast[]
- David Tennant as Scrooge McDuck
- Danny Pudi as Huey Duck
- Ben Schwartz as Dewey Duck
- Bobby Moynihan as Louie Duck
- Keith Ferguson as Flintheart Glomgold
- Kate Micucci as Webby Vanderquack
- Catherine Tate as Magica De Spell
- Martin Freeman as Poe De Spell
- Henry Winkler as The Bailiff
- Margo Martindale as Ma Beagle
- Keith Ferguson as Flintheart Glomgold
- Eric Bauza as Grandpappy Beagle, Beagle Boys
- Kari Wahlgren as Webra Walters, Farm Child, Farmer-Turned-Goat's kids
- Emma Sloan Jacobs as Young Ma Beagle
- John Gemberling as Doofus Drake
Trivia[]
- The title is a take on the classic Don Rosa story The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck.
- This episode marks the last episode of many things:
- The last normal episode of series.
- The last half-hour episode of the series.
- The last episode to use the theme song.
- The last episode aired before the triple-length series finale.
- Webra Walters (a parody of Barbara Walters) was a recurring character on the original DuckTales who was voiced by Joan Gerber.
- The year she is reporting in, 1987, is also a reference to the aforementioned series.
- Magica's amulet is actually a fusion of her own pendant and Poe's.
- The episode features the first and only appearance of Poe De Spell in his original form.
- Similar to Magica, Poe is voiced by a British actor, Martin Freeman, most famously known for playing Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit, John Watson in Sherlock, and Everett Ross in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
- Glomgold and Ma Beagle had no chance of winning their cases against Scrooge; only Magica had a legitimate case of being tricked by Scrooge, and ended up harming her own brother as a result.
- Even if Scrooge hadn't apologized and gave them an admission that he is guilty, Magica would have been the only one to win against Scrooge and the only thing she wants from him is his Number One Dime.
- The Gribbles are a parody mix of Tribbles from Star Trek, Fizzgigs from The Dark Crystal, as well as and Mogwai/Gremlins from Gremlins (in that they need to be taken care of in a very specific way in order to not dangerously multiply).
- Poe was mentioned as the level-headed one who kept Magica from getting "too carried away". This personality trait of Magica was previously referenced in "Send in the Clones" from the original series and DuckTales Remastered.
- When Doofus Drake is brought into court, he is in a straight jacket and wearing a mask because he thought it looked cool. He is referencing Hannibal Lecter from Silence of the Lambs.
- F.O.W.L. is not mentioned in this episode.
- This is Doofus Drake’s final main appearance in the show, as well as Poe's only appearance.
International premieres[]
- March 19, 2021 (United Kingdom) (Premiere on Disney+)
- November 28, 2021 (Japan)
- March 9, 2022 (Italy) (Premiere on Disney+)
- July 18, 2022 (Portugal)
- July 31, 2022 (Spain)
Gallery[]
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References[]
