BrianL
Doom Buggy Driver
- Joined
- Jul 24, 2013
So, I've been watching the Disney Afternoon shows on D+ and overall I have enjoyed them. Having moved on from the sublime Talespin, I am on Darkwing Duck and am mostly through the series. Again the series is out of order, so I recommend a good episode guide with production order if you want to see the origins of DW and the villains first. Darkwing is a bit different than I remember it. It's more of an "action" cartoon than an adventure show like DuckTales and the others. There are more confrontations with bad guys and thus more slapstick humor to blunt the violence. All that is fine of course, but it doesn't feel as epic, even when teaming up with other heroes, etc. It's a smaller show in many ways. Many episodes also seem to end abruptly, as if they ran out of time. It doesn't seem as well-crafted as the previous shows, though that doesn't mean it is without merit. It's still quite funny and occassionally heartwarming. It has a charm and of course looks great.
For all of that though, sometimes it still surprises. There came a point where a villain had defended his actions, claiming them to be a "necessary evil." "There's no such thing as a necessary evil!" retorts Darkwing without hesitation. Yeah, that's quite a statement and a brilliant one at that. It distills the essense of a superhero better than most any other superhero media. It reminds us that we can't compromise our morals and decency in pursuit of an expedient and desirable goal. This lesson is needed now more than ever. There are other lessons of course.. An interesting one involved Disney's stance on always showing characters riding motorcycles to always wear a helmet - no exceptions, except for DW that is. There is an episode where his helmet is inaccessible and he pursues the bad guy on his bike despite Gosalyn's objections. He crashes...and dies! Not dissimilar to Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, DW goes on a spiritual journey and while it all turns out okay, it got a little heavy. Aleays weere a helmet, kids!
Darkwing has been a fun watch and I appreciate the little references to other shows too. It doesn't hold up as well as DuckTales or Talespin, but it's still quite good. Next, I'll be going through a show I barely ever watched, Goof Troop. It came along at a time when I wasn't quite so invested in cartoons I guess, but it seems good. I absolutely adore A Goofy Movie, so I think I should have a good time with it.
For all of that though, sometimes it still surprises. There came a point where a villain had defended his actions, claiming them to be a "necessary evil." "There's no such thing as a necessary evil!" retorts Darkwing without hesitation. Yeah, that's quite a statement and a brilliant one at that. It distills the essense of a superhero better than most any other superhero media. It reminds us that we can't compromise our morals and decency in pursuit of an expedient and desirable goal. This lesson is needed now more than ever. There are other lessons of course.. An interesting one involved Disney's stance on always showing characters riding motorcycles to always wear a helmet - no exceptions, except for DW that is. There is an episode where his helmet is inaccessible and he pursues the bad guy on his bike despite Gosalyn's objections. He crashes...and dies! Not dissimilar to Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, DW goes on a spiritual journey and while it all turns out okay, it got a little heavy. Aleays weere a helmet, kids!
Darkwing has been a fun watch and I appreciate the little references to other shows too. It doesn't hold up as well as DuckTales or Talespin, but it's still quite good. Next, I'll be going through a show I barely ever watched, Goof Troop. It came along at a time when I wasn't quite so invested in cartoons I guess, but it seems good. I absolutely adore A Goofy Movie, so I think I should have a good time with it.