‘DuckTales’ Series Finale Review – One Last Adventure, One Last Woo-Oo!

Yes, I know. We’ve never reviewed ‘DuckTales’ before on this website. But after the DuckTales Series Finale last night, it felt as though it would be an insult not to do so. The 2017 version of DuckTales has always had a weird place in animation history because it was a reboot of the beloved cartoon from the “Disney Afternoon” block and made certain characters iconic.

The reboot went and remade many things about the characters, along with the world they live in, and made a legend all their own that you couldn’t help but enjoy. I was one of those people, and I was crushed when I heard it was ending after season 3’s finale. But the DuckTales Series Finale succeeded where MANY recent endings have failed by being true to what it was, delivering a heartfelt set of messages, and proving that you can always surprise people in the RIGHT way without damaging the show you made.

Right away, the show’s finale set the perfect tone as the members of “Team McDuck” went and raided a F.O.W.L. hideout to try and stop them once and for all. All the while finding something they didn’t expect, clones of Webby. Two of them, in fact, named May and June. And that just within the first five minutes of the episode!

The adventure only grew from there as the questions about F.O.W.L., the clones, Webby’s place in all of this, and more came to pass as all the allies and family of the crew came together one last time to save everyone from a plot that even I didn’t see coming in the best way possible.

It turns out, Bradford Buzzard was the GRANDSON of Isabella Finch, and he was using the family to find the “missing mysteries” to go and complete his grandest of missions…to rid the world of adventures altogether. How? By recreating a certain villainous device to literally erase them from existence and stop the “chaos” from spreading.

Like any good villainous plot, there was some logic behind Bradford’s words, but you could also see the madness of a boy who didn’t get the childhood he wanted and just wanted to have a safe world to live in…at any cost.

And what really impressed me about “The Last Adventure” was the scope. For example, to help ensure that the adventures were stopped for good, F.O.W.L. went and captured EVERY person and creature that the Duck family had interacted with or had adventures with. From Santa Claus to “Penny” to the Rescue Rangers! No one was safe from F.O.W.L’s grip.

But, as is what made DuckTales special, in the end, this was all about family. Both the one we’re born into and the one you make on your own through connections. It was hard to see Webby go and struggle through the episodes with questions about who or what she is. And as it turned out…she was a LOT.

Because not only was she also a clone and not Beakley’s granddaughter, she was Scrooge’s cloned daughter! Yeah, for real. What’s more? The showrunners knew about this twist…FROM DAY ONE!!! And they had hints about it all throughout the series! Talk about long-term storytelling.

The rest of the crew also had their own storylines and growth, and it really upped both the tension and the connections that have grown over 75 episodes. Della was angry that Donald was going to go “on his own adventure” with Daisy and was desperate to keep him at home. Huey, Dewey, and Louie each showed their growth as they helped lead the charge against F.O.W.L multiple times and saved their family. Launchpad even fought out he was the “heart of the team” and became Gizmo Duck for a time. But my favorite…was Scrooge.

Because half the point of the show (especially in Season 1 and after the Della reveal) was that Scrooge loved his family…to a point. And spent years alone so he wouldn’t be “burdened by them” anymore. But after reconnecting with Donald and meeting the boys, he realized that family was everything to him. So when he was given the choice of swearing off adventures for good or losing Donald, he didn’t hesitate to sign the magical contract. Even saying, “It’s not worth the risk.” He’s Scrooge McDuck! Master of adventure, and he MIGHT have been able to figure his way out of it, but he didn’t…because he knew that he couldn’t risk losing another family member. And that’s growth right there.

Scattered throughout the three-part finale was a lot of heart, love, and jaw-dropping events that even the most diehard of fans wouldn’t have seen coming. From Bradford’s reveal that HE was the one who told Della about the Spear of Selene, knowing it’d “break up the family,” to Manny getting to reveal his “true form” and basically becoming Goliath from Gargoyles!!!! (complete with Keith David cameo and Gargoyles remix music) to the boys and Webby reciting the Scrooge motto in their own way, and more!.

I could break down every detail and how it was awesome, but in truth, what really matters was that this ending (as “too soon” as it was) had all the heart, love, and attention to detail that made this show so much fun to watch for about 4 years. I’m going to miss this show a lot, but when I’m sad, and when you’re sad, dear readers, that’s it gone, you know what to do…

…JUST GRAB ON TO SOME DUCKTALES!!!! WOO-OO!!!