DuckTales Season 2 Episode 12 Review: Nothing Can Stop Della Duck!

Della's return to the family is as emotional as expected but it's what comes after that really makes this DuckTales episode special.

This DuckTales review contains spoilers.

DuckTales Season 2 Episode 12

Nothing can stop Della Duck… except years of built up expectations! Both her and the kids have been waiting for this moment and I’m delighted it only took until the second season of DuckTales for us to get it. It was enough time to really sell the big opening moments of this episode. No one can deny the raw emotional power of the family reuniting. Even Louie, who has the most reservations about Della, isn’t denied this tearful moment.

It’s what comes after though that really helps elevate the episode. At first everything seems great. Della is psyched and applies all the gusto of rebuilding her space ship to being a good mom. She’s thought about this for years. All the things she’d do for the boys. All the things she’d say.

The boys on the other hand don’t know how to handle it. While Della always knew they were alive the boys have never had an idea of what she was like. Huey and Dewey take it in stride but they’re making it up as they go. Dewey accepts everything blindly. Huey goes along with what Della wants, despite reservations, just to make her happy.

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It all goes horribly. From the jump Della says all the wrong things. She makes the wrong food. She accidentally hurts Huey and Dewey. All her time up in space, all her time looking that picture of the eggs? It couldn’t prepare her for this. All of that boundless energy was great for fixing a mechanical problem like a ship. It was perfect for getting herself through the bad times. Nothing could stop her then.

But being alone is so much different than being with others. It’s here we return to what I original speculated the entire season would be themed around, finding your place in the family. Way back in the season two premiere Louie was avoiding the issue of his finding his place in the family because he was scared of it. With Della here it’s perfect that Louie would be the one who’s uncomfortable around her. 

In a beautifully animated sequence Louie admits, “I’ve gone so long without a mom I guess I don’t really know how to have one.” 

Much like how Louie struggled to find his own place, he struggles with where Della fits in this new family. It makes sense. If anyone could be considered the “loner” of the group, it’s him. While everyone else is up for adventures Louie is a bit more self-interested. He’s had his brothers around sure, but I can see him as the kind of guy who’s always ready to strike out alone. Always keeping others at arms length.

He doesn’t know what to do with the kind of unconditional love Della is offering. He’s not pushing it away but it’ll just take some getting used to and it’s the same for Della. She can’t just, as the episode says, force a relationship with her kids through monster hunting. It’s going to take time for everyone.

DuckTales has played the long game here and it’s paid off. We not only got a delightful episode on its own but set up for a ton of future stories featuring Della and the kids PLUS the big cliffhanger of Donald on moon.

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Special shout outs need to be given to the entire crew of DuckTales for pulling off such a delightful episode, especially in all of Della’s dialogue. The way her words and actions seamlessly worked off the boys was a treat. They really are her kids.

DuckTales Quotes To Make Your Life Better

– “Dumb Earth gravity!” 

– “I COULDA BEEN TURBO?!?!?!?!?!”

– “My heart! It’s too full!”

– “So she’s not the best with cooking or age appropriate stories or child endangerment but nobody’s perfect!”

Keep us with all our DuckTales season 2 news and reviews here!

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Shamus Kelley is a pop culture/television writer and official Power Rangers expert. Follow him on Twitter! Read more articles by him here!

Rating:

4 out of 5