“Let’s Get Dangerous” Opens Door to Darkwing Duck

DuckTales! Season 3, Darkwing Duck Special Review

Last year, I said that the debut of the DuckTales! reboot’s version of Darkwing Duck could end up leading to a reboot/spin-off. Then a few months ago, I said DuckTales! was leading us to a Disney Afternoon-iverse. As of tonight, with the hour-long Darkwing Duck special, “Let’s Get Dangerous,” and this SYFY interview with the show’s creators, I feel all but vindicated in my belief. To paraphrase Nick Fury at the end of Iron Man, DuckTales! is now part of a larger universe.

Now, let’s get dangerous!

Flashpoint at St. Canard

The special starts off with Scrooge, Launchpad, and the boys traveling to St. Canard for two reasons. Firstly, Scrooge’s meeting with scientist Taurus Bulba at his St. Canard lab. He claims to have invented a machine, the Ramrod, that can create anything from seemingly nothing. Of course, Huey’s quickly convinced that it’s too cool to be true. Meanwhile, LP and Dewey want to hang with Darkwing as he fights crime. Only problem: crime’s all but eradicated in St. Canard!

While these two plots start off seperate, they soon begin to interweave in order to create a larger narrative. As Darkwing learns from Gosalyn, the granddaughter of the man she claims really invented the Ramrod, there’s more to Taurus then meets the eye. And as Huey learns, the Ramrod has a hidden connection to the Missing Mysteries that the Duck Family (and F.O.W.L.) have been hunting all season.

For lack of a better term, the events of “Let’s Get Dangerous” are, in essence, a flashpoint. Plot threads that have been running since the show’s beginning come together to form a narrative far larger than would be possible otherwise. And when the dust has settled, there are going to be massive ramifcations going forward.

F.O.W.L. Reveals Itself

The audience has known since the start of the season that F.O.W.L. has been working against the Duck Family in the shadows to find the Missing Mysteries first. Aside from a brief moment of lucidity by Launchpad, the heroes have remained unaware of the looming danger. After the events in St. Canard, that’s no longer the case.

Without spoiling things, the Ramrod’s connected to the Missing Mysteries. Therfore, F.O.W.L. gets involved in building it. Due to the actions of Taurus Bulba, though, they end up blowing their cover in front of the Duck Family. Even Scrooge is shocked by this. And when Scrooge is surprised by something, then its time to worry!

What this means going forward is that the the search for the Missing Mysteries now has serious stakes. The Duck Family has to find them before F.O.W.L. does, or else who knows what could happen

Backdoor Pilot for Darkwing Duck

The more immediate consequence to this special is the fact that it essentially serves as a backdoor pilot for a reboot of Darkwing Duck. Besides tying into the overarching plot of the season and upping the ante, “Let’s Get Dangerous” is a retelling of the pilot of the original Darkwing Duck. All the hallmarks are there:

• Taurus Bulba is the main antagonist
• Darkwing first meets Gosalyn, who becomes his partner and adopted daughter
• Launchpad decides to officially team up with Darkwing, splitting his time with Scrooge and DW

I, for one, have been wanting to see a reboot of Darkwing Duck since the DuckTales! reboot came out. With Darkwing, Launchpad, and Gosalyn now committed to being a team of superheroes, we have everything we need for a spin-off. And I’m reading what the creators of the show said to SYFY, then that may be coming in the near future.

In the meantime, though, something tells me that Darkwing Duck and Gosalyn still have a role to play in the rest of this season. So, what are we waiting for? Let’s get dangerous!

I Give “Let’s Get Dangerous!” a 4.5/5. Loses points because end credits didn’t have the Darkwing Duck Theme Song

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