#dt analysis

I want to talk about Gyro throughout this episode and how he acts, specifically because I noticed something really interesting. His character development for both his own growth, and what we learn.

Let's start with the earliest example, a small detail. When 2BO first returned to evil, courtesy of Akita, Gyro immediately began hyperventilating. While it may not have been as severe as that of Donald in 'The Town Where Everyone Was Nice' it's still something to note to show how much of an impact this has on him. Just in Season 1 he dangled dangerously over the gold in Scrooges bin while Bulb went mad with power and had a lot of strength and sharp things he could use yet Gyro didn't shake or look this scared. He looked nervous yes, but not terrified.

Second one, the 'I have to do this for me'

We've all had that Atticus Finch/Kirby Finn/ most protagonists moment where you did something, not only to help a person in need, but because you had to do it to prove something to yourself. The same thing goes for Gyro here. You can watch as he says 'You save Gizmoduck, I've got to destroy 2BO' he takes a deep breath and does the hand movement thing where it's like you're convincing yourself of something. He's got to face his problems and last, he can't let people keep fixing it for him. He can't brush this off or ignore it, he's got to be the one to do it. Gyro in this scene must prove to himself that he's capable of this. Furthermore when his plans get changed by Huey, he needs a minute to realize he's not destroying 2BO (or in his mind, his greatest failure) he's stopping him. Which brings us to this,

The Blame for His Guilt.

All these years and it's shown that when 2BO destroyed the city, it appeared to be Gyros fault. Heck, there's a newspaper in Akita's hiding place that shows exactly that. When Gyros blame is changed from; 'I did this. This was all my fault and I've got to change it' (which is the mentality he's had for years) to 'I was the scapegoat. It wasn't my fault, I couldn't have controlled it.' That is something you really don't want to realize, it's much harder when the blame that's been set for years changes, and it's even worse when he realizes he couldn't have stopped it. That command was to be executed no matter what, Gyro couldn't change that. So he lashes out now. He angrily shouts and charges as it becomes clear that he's been burdened with guilt, stress, anxiety, and pressumably some PTSD (which we will discuss in a second) from this. The way he moves in this shot especially you can see the pain on his face and the anger in his body as he goes at Akita. He's believed for years that he caused the Tolkyolk Disaster. That he failed. That his inventions were evil which is why he later in life tries so hard to justify his inventions being good. Gyro realizes he's been carrying a burden with him for so long he never needed.

The Intern Habit Returns.

This is a tiny note but one I love seeing. Cinematic parallels. The moment Akita arrives Gyros acts the exact same way he did when he was an intern. Scared, gripping a rectangular thing that holds information, and cowering. All at the sight of Akita.

((I think it's safe to assume Akita was abusive))

Scared. This one was when Gyro saw Fenton on the ground, temporarily incapacitated. He's scared for him. It's really sweet to see him actually care and be scared for Fenton or anyone besides Bulb. It's growth.

This time when BOYD is hurtling dead at him and he's begging, pleading, for him. This is the first time, in twenty years, he's told BOYD he's real. Was he denying BOYD being real because he didn't want to accept that everything horrible had indeed happened? Or was he saying that by BOYD being 'definetly real' his inventions were good, His ideas were valid and he himself wasn't a bad person? Both of these ideas really work for Gyros character. It's known he struggles with self-doubt and it's also known he doesn't like what happened in Tolkyolk, so much so he only vaguely describes it at the start of the episode. It takes a flashback for us to fully find out what happened, that's how little he discusses it. When he throws himself infront of the same invention that destroyed an entire city, trying to reason with him. That's character development. That's Gyro stepping up and taking initiative and proving to everyone that he can fix his messes, he can do good, he is more than his reputation. And to anyone, that would be terrifying. It's scary to think of stepping up and putting yourself in danger just to protect those closest to him. Yet he does it anyway.

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The McDucks meant everything to me. Not just because of their great name, but because they were a great family. One I thought I could be apart of, but now it’s gone...Guess the name, McDuck, didn’t mean much after all...

nonny you dont even know. i think about scrooge and like. INSTANTLY think about the fact that he put fethry in a lab that was FALLING APART, all by himself, with no visible way off, next to “hypothermal vents” that can fucking MUTATE THINGS- for four and a half fucking years!!!!

and like. considering fethry was by himself, and i dont remember seeing a clock or a phone. the “four and a half years” thing is?? probably wrong?? like. it could be longer or shorter. lets hope its shorter.

tbh i still dont like. fully get why scrooge put him there besides like. he puts people in danger by draggin them on adventures that turn out to be pointless? but like,,,, mr mcduck. dont YOU drag your family onto dangerous adventures?? like-

even IF its for treasure vs for something “worthless”- the fact that fethry just. wanted to go on adventures with the fam? and be like “hey! here’s this cool thing i found :D!” like idk man thats just. really sweet i think. like if someone took me on an adventure to see something that they thought i’d like?? id fucking cry bro

like. i have no idea how fethry would feel? like, even if he does feel negatively about it i dont think hes the type of person who would like.... talk? about it? like. his whole character has always been a bit wacky and silly. hes not gonna break that.

finale talk v brings up asks, just in case

It's interesting to see the differences between the Duck twins expanded upon, however slightly. Donald is by far the most logical, having berated her in the first place for going to space with the triplets on the way.

And again, while on the moon, Della tries things her way...

...and fails. So she resorts back to the logical approach.

I have been thinking about how Ducktales portrayed Adulthood, Expectations, and the way we measure our worthiness in the Three Caballeros episode. And this particular question about Panchito came up to me. I think I have the answer. I could be wrong, of course. This is just my opinion but let’s see.

Donald is the first one to accept that he lied, in part because he realized that lying wasn’t worth they getting eaten by a giant carnivorous flower; in part because Panchito and José though he didn't need love them anymore because he was successful, and in part because he knows his friends thinking he isn’t as cool as they thought and putting down all their dreams will worth it if it means protecting them, even if it means losing their love.

When Donald tells his truth. José is the first one to realize that Donald was the only one with the guts to break the façade even if it meant breaking their dreams and losing their love, José immediately sees he had fuck up, and worthiness changes its meaning with this. Donald is brave and honest in this, how could I be keeping this lie? He tells the truth immediately. Panchito doesn’t relent that easy and I kind of understand why. It’s because their circumstances are different, have they lied or not. 

Why is this? Why Panchito is the most stubborn in the lie? 

Let's start with a little insight on how okay were they with their lives and jobs from what we see in the episode.

Donald was actually okay with his life, he didn’t really measure his worthiness with what Scrooge could say since their fallout with the Spear of Selene, what Scrooge thought didn’t matter that much in those regards. Donald was used to being a failure in his eyes, he didn’t really care that much anymore since it has always been like that. But he stills has love, a lot of love, he could change of jobs every damn time but he still has support form his three kids, he was a failure in a way but incredibly successful in another, like Huey said. He has a broken dream but his family is 1000 times more important for him, and they’re fine and loved so it’s okay. But he does care about not being a failure in his friends’ eyes that think so highly of him, he still loves them and their expectations are important to him. And he knows he doesn’t meet them, especially right after he gets to know they were so “successful” and expected him to be even more than them. So, he lies to keep their love and impress them. He wants them to be as proud of him as he is of them. That’s why he lies.

José probably has some kind of good life too, after all, being an attendant gives you some actual ground to visit other places and do some interesting things. He was probably okay with his life too, in the comics he had always been kind of calm in those regards, lazy and mischievous. Life is just life. He has a broken dream but you know, meh, his life is actually okay right now so what does it matter? But at the moment that he knew he was going to meet Donald and Panchito? Oh Boy. NOPE. JUST NO. I can’t have that, I can’t let them see that. This so….not completely impressive life. So, he goes and dolls up the ups of his job, he takes one of his job’s perks and changes it to something better. He wants to be worthy of their friends and worthy of Donald’s morals. That’s why he is the first one to relent when Donald says the truth too.

But Panchito didn’t have any of that, he wasn’t okay with his life even before the meeting like Donald and he didn’t have perks to his job like José. He had to lie from the ground of his life. He had been in despair longer than those two, probably. Because for what we saw, Panchito was the only one between the three that actually tried to follow their old dream of being famous musicians. He has a dream, a dream that he followed but got broken in the way and now has a definitely not okay life. But then the opportunity presented of succeeding in that dream, and not alone, with his best friends. He truly believed they could succeed in that now that they all were “great adults”. His could have his dream and with his best friends in it again. Apart from the expectations from his friends that he wanted to meet, Panchito was in despair for not being the adult that he wanted to be more than anything, and he thought he had a chance again with his friends. He does feel betrayed, for their dreams. It’s hard to accept that it is a broken dream after all.

Panchito is scared, completely terrified of his life. When Donald went back home even if he lied, he would still have his family, his uncle was going to still be a billionaire, he would still have three sons that loved him so much and he loved them in return. When José would go back to his life even if he lied, he would go back to his okay job, it’s not a fantastic job but it’s good and stable and he has some freedom in it, he would still be fine with his life, he would still visiting places and meeting new people.

But Panchito? He would go back to an unstable life, singing in children’s parties, not knowing if he was going to be hired again, with his dreams broken and with the guilt of having been lying. And alone, without his friends. Of course, he is the last one to accept the lie. He is scared of going back to that life if they couldn’t do this again. He did need that tour to regain some sense of worth on himself.

He is the last one accepting they can’t really follow their old dream again with all those ups that their “successful” life could have given them. When Panchito refuses to believe that they can’t do that, what he really is refusing is having to come back to that life he has, that he probably despise. It must have taken a lot of courage to accept that he maybe was going to have to come back to that life again.

I don't condone or forgive the abuse she put Lena through, but looking at it from a new lens? Her chiding Lena for being a sentimental fool in what is, honestly, the closest to nice she ever got? Her either allowing or telling Lena to address her as Aunt? How upset she is when Lena isn't interested in the family business? How even after everything she still refers to Lena as family, as someone who betrayed the de Spell name?