DuckTales Season 2 Episode 2 Review: The Depths of Cousin Fethry!

This DuckTales review contains spoilers.

DuckTales Season 2 Episode 2

There’s a moment in this episode that really hit home. Huey and Fethry both go for the Junior Woodchuck Guidebook at the same time and read the same passage. Before now Huey had been able to excuse Fethry’s “weird” actions and continually draw comparisons with him. In this moment though it all falls away and he starts to push back. He’s not like him, not at all!

Fethry is a mirror for Huey. He realizes that, “oh my god, do I act like this guy? Am I that weird?” Instead of sympathy or compassion he pushes him away. Huey might be able to admit he’s a little different but he’s not weird like this guy!

Huey has a firm belief everything he does is for the best. Yes he follows the rules and yes he finds joy in simple things, but that doesn’t make him odd or strange. He’s the more civilized and “educated” of his siblings or even the whole family. When he’s confronted with the idea he’s not those things? That he could just be a big weirdo? It’s powerful. 

His rejection of Fethry takes on a whole new weight because it’s not just seeing this guy as odd or weird, it’s Huey rejecting the idea he’s anything like him. As much as many of us try to be kind to others we often compare ourselves to them. We size them up and wonder if we’re “better” or think, “I may be a wreck but at least I’m not that guy.” It’s not one of our better instincts as people but it’s there.

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Thankfully Huey comes around. He appreciates Fethry for who he is. Sure he isn’t the ideal scientist or even a nice reflection of what Huey considers his best traits, but he means well and has a lot to offer. That’s a great message, not just for kids, but anyone watching.

Just because someone doesn’t fit the mold of what society deems “normal” doesn’t mean you’re better than them or they aren’t worth anything. DuckTales celebrates the weirdness in people and encourages you to understand them. In our world today, with so much hatred and fear of “others”, that lesson means a lot.

The rest of the episode is fine but it does take awhile to get going. There’s a lot of Fethry being weird which felt repetitive at times. It was also missing a lot of the quips that I’ve come to love Ducktales for. Still though, when the message of the episode is so vital and important, I can forgive a lot of that. This is the kind of thing kids TV should be doing more of. It’s vital and necessary for the world we live in.

Also, Launchpad’s wacky adventures off-screen are some of the best running gags of this show. Long may they continue.

DuckTales Quotes To Make Your Life Better 

– “The dream room. Great for naps, relaxation, embracing the unending darkness. Becoming one with the abysssssss.”

– “If you kill me I will not name you after me!”

– “No, write it. It’s science now!”

Keep up with all our DuckTales Season 2 news and reviews here!

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