Episode 216! What Could It Be?
Back in January, one of the DT producers revealed on their blog that Episode 16 of Season 2 with be focused on Launchpad and then later released some pretty darn interesting quotes that may be from it. They also revealed that there are some episodes missing from the list of premieres set to air next month, so there’s a good chance we’ll be learning about this one very soon.
I’ve been anticipating this episode since its production code was posted and I’ve been thinking a lot about the possible subject matter:
Guess 1#: A DWD-related episode that could involve Mrs. Beakley and Launchpad.
- In the earlier days of Season 1, Darkwing Duck creator, Tad Stones, questioned the co-producer about how Mrs. B and his titular character were now wearing similar colors. The reply to this seemed to indicate that there was a reason behind this, which led me into wondering if the two characters had worked together at some point. Or that maybe that they’re family in some way.
- Months later, the SDCC 2018 panel had a slide where Mrs. B is dressed as Darkwing Duck.
- In January, we were let in on a future plot point about Beakley making a new friend and in March, we found out that it's someone we're very familiar with.
- For the longest time, I was thinking that it was Darkwing (or his actor, Jim Sterling, rather) who would be the one she ends up having a friendship or something with, but Launchpad could work just as well. They're more acquaintances than anything and he already has a huge established connection to Darkwing Duck. If she doesn't know him, LP could be the one to introduce her or get her into being a fan of the show.
- All three of them could be affiliated with S.H.U.S.H, so a connection could definitely be made between them that way.
- Webby has an equation on her board that could be hinting at something pertaining to the three:
- The “22” is more than likely a reference to Beakley since that's her agent number and while the “1400” is uncertain, it does has a “double-o” in it; possibly indicating that this is either LP or DW’s agent number.
- Another out-of-context post contained the phrase “Beware of Agent D”. That could stand for “Darkwing” or “Double O”.
- Episode 14 of Season 1 was “Beware of The B.U.D.D.Y System”, an LP-centric episode where DW made his reboot debut. The number 87 is being referenced again, which is LP’s birth year as well as the year the original DuckTales premiere. This could also be another possible agent number.
Any sort of episode we could be getting with Scrooge's closest employees will certainly be an interesting one. Mrs. B seemed to be getting suspicious of Launchpad towards the end of Season 1. If they start to hang out, maybe she could confront him about that.
Guess 2#: An episode related to Launchpad’s adventure in Macaw. Possibly “The House of The Lucky Gander!” from his perspective.
In February, during the time of the New York Toy Fair, PhatMojo did not allow attendees to take pictures of their display, but they updated their website banner with their office's own display of merchandise they plan to release this year. In the DuckTales area, there's a mock-up for a posable Launchpad figure dressed in his Chinese armor:
The fact that this particular version of LP has a toy, really seems to indicate that this subject will be brought up again with a significant amount of screen-time. Because...why would a toy based on something that's supposedly a running gag from Season 1...be included in a very Season 2 focused wave? “The Depths of Cousin Fethry!” has a very similar episode format to “Gander” and yet there's isn't an Aquapad figure being featured…
Guess 3#: An episode about his stunt pilot family.
He hasn't talked about them in the reboot at all, so to finally see them show up would be one heck of a doozy.
Launchpad's family from the episode "Top Duck".Guess 4#: Something about Launchpad's fear of being replaced.
When the quote about him wanting to be fired was posted, I thought about the ending of “B.U.D.D.Y” where Scrooge assures him that his job isn't going to be taken away from him. I also thought about “The Ballad of Duke Baloney!” where Glomgold made his bet with Scrooge about who can make the most money during a certain period of time.
As seen in “The Most Dangerous Game...Night!”, Scrooge is very competitive and with the risk of his company being handed over to Glomgold if he loses, things will only get worse. He might get to the point where he begins to let his employees go and Launchpad could be one of the first since he causes so much damage. It would be difficult for Scrooge to win if he continues to pay for him. So, perhaps he tries to find another pilot who is more competent at the job and won't cost him much.
Someone else who could threaten Scrooge's chances of winning is Della. If the family finds out about Della being on the Moon before any attempt for her to finally be able to leave, they're gonna want to go up there and save her.
This eventually made me wonder: What if Scrooge or Gyro insist that a robot/self-driving rocket would be better suited for the job of getting Della back because they don't trust Launchpad for the mission? And Launchpad desperately wants to prove them wrong? He’s the pilot of the group, it’s his job. He should be the one to do it. (And depending on things, he might feel like he needs to do it.)
I previously speculated about this iteration of Launchpad being an astronaut due to his extraordinary ability to navigate a submarine without previous experience and all the interesting comparisons that can be made between traveling through space and underwater...And the fact that he’s included in multiple space-related episodes of the original DuckTales and the Darkwing Duck series.
Top, left to right: "Where No Duck Has Gone Before", and "The Right Duck" from the original DuckTales series.
Bottom, left to right: "When Aliens Collide" and "U.F. Foe" from Darkwing Duck
If this is true, he could try to bring this to their attention, but he gets ignored. (This tends to happen a lot when LP has something important to say.) Maybe this prompts him to take matters into his own hands.
History could repeat itself a little with Launchpad stealing the rocket to save Della behind everyone’s back. Maybe with the kids sneaking on board. Or maybe they encouraged him to steal it like Huey and Dewey did with the sub in “Depths”. It does look like a HDLW astronaut set is included in PhatMojo’s Wave 2 display...
The helmets of the figure cut-outs bare a heavy resemblance to the McDuck Industry space suits. (Screenshots from "Whatever Happened to Della Duck?!") There also seems to be another version of The Spear in the background on the left.
This along with Selene’s out-of-context quote really seems to imply that a rescue with be attempted, but they miss Della leaving. (That matches with the “we came all this way” thing going on with the “Gander” styled episodes where Donald scolded Gladstone and where Huey fussed at Fethry.) Then when they return home, everyone starts yelling at Launchpad for being reckless and putting the kids in danger. Being defiant towards your boss certainly would be a fireable offense.
Also on the subject of being replaced, I’ve seen some speculations about LP becoming fearful and jealous over possibly losing his job to Della when she returns. While very understandable, I feel like this is less likely to happen. There are two seats; they could end up piloting the Sunchaser together. Launchpad is great at flying, it’s just his landings that need work. Maybe she can help him with that. Depending on how Della’s Spear incident affected her love of adventure, she may not be too quick to become the main pilot again.
Heh, got a little creative with that last guess. But seriously...LP has taken a bit of a backseat so far this Season. I'm really looking forward to seeing him get put in the foreground again. I can't wait for May!
So many things...where do I start?
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