#For Whatever Happened To Della Duck | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

emrulerz · 7 months ago

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I’ve seen some people who seem to strongly dislike Della Duck or see her as a terrible mother so I wanted to give reasons as to why she’s actually a good mother. I’m writing this as in-depth as possible to prove how Della is a good person. This is a biased opinion, obviously, but I’m also not entirely disregarding Dellas mistakes.

I talk about her mistakes but I also talk about how those mistakes aren’t her defining characteristics. She’s way more than how people make her out to be.

“Nothing Can Stop Della Duck!” Episode 12, season 2

Coming back to Earth after ten years of being stuck on the moon can be challenging for multiple different reasons. (Adjusting to society, missing out on a decade of new things, getting back on a proper food and sleep schedule, etc).

The biggest thing the show highlights for Della is her struggle to parent. It can be hard to interact with people again after such a long time let alone become a parent of three (especially once they’ve already grown into 10 year olds). One could say that she had it coming since she was the one to have kids and then hop on the rocket prematurely. I can understand that it is infuriating that Della got onto the rocket but obviously getting lost was never her intention. She made a mistake and it’s shown throughout the show that she does deeply regret it.

Della did not intentionally leave her kids when she did this. There is a difference between leaving your family intentionally and going missing. It’s clearly shown throughout the show that Della cares for her kids so she would never leave them permanently. She tried her best to go back to Earth to get back to Huey, Dewey, and Louie.

Even when Della was stuck on the moon all she talked about was her kids and how much she missed them. No matter how many years went by she still talked to them through her camera to communicate a message to them (that, at the time, she believed would get to them) and would even talk about them to people she didn’t even know that well. She never stopped thinking about her boys.

“Whatever Happened to Della Duck?!” Episode 7, season 2

I fully believe that her only optimism and motivation to keep going was her kids. She always tried to remain positive even after several years went by. It can be really hard to remain optimistic while being stuck on the moon especially when you have no one else there with you. It can be isolating and terrifying.

Della has gone through ups and downs especially after seeing a beast who turned out to also be a mother. Della felt she related to the beast and even gave the mother her gold tooth even when she didn’t need to. She realized there was no way she’d be getting home if she did this yet she selflessly did it anyways. She felt heart break after heart break of losing her ways to get home.

It is unfair to say that Della hasn’t gotten any backlash or a punishment from her mistake. Yes, getting on the rocket was a big mistake and an awful one but her mistake was her punishment. She faced monsters that constantly attacked her and prevented her from getting home, she’s been stuck with no interaction with anyone for 10 years, she faced trauma, and she had to face her children whom she left after 10 years. So yes, she was punished and I don’t see or understand what other punishment she should have gotten.

Once Della had gotten back on Earth she immediately went to Scrooges mansion to see her boys.

“Nothing Can Stop Della Duck!” Episode 12, season 2

Della apologized and even asked her boys if they could have her back as their mother. I do understand that they are children and it can be difficult to make such a choice. And, being children, it would be likely that they’d say yes. But I believe Della handled this apology well and the most important thing is that she DID apologize and even asked for forgiveness. Not a lot of parents do that.

I understand that during this scene Louie didn’t have a moment to accept like his brothers did. Dewey got excited and instantly agreed to having her as a mother so he didn’t give Huey nor Louie a chance to say anything. This is more of an issue with Louie’s feelings not being heard by, not only Della, but also by his brothers. It can be easy to unintentionally ignore someone’s feelings when you aren’t paying attention.

This isn’t necessarily Della nor Dewey’s fault. Louie in general has very complex feelings unlike his brothers (but I’ll get to that in a moment.)

This is an easy mistake to make especially if you’re too excited when seeing your kids for the first time. To Della she’s meeting new people she doesn’t know yet. Each of her kids are different with different feelings and she just needs to learn more about them. That’s why I believe it made sense for Della to come off as “too much” when first meeting them. She’s still learning to be a parent and that comes with some mistakes.

“Nothing Can Stop Della Duck!” Episode 12, season 2

Della messed up a lot on learning to be a parent which is natural! She’s taking care of ten year olds whom she didn’t know at birth so obviously she is going to have some trouble.

She made the boys cake which she messed up, she told them scary stories, and she tried to act fun. Della may have made these mistakes but she was trying to be the best mom she could for them. It would be completely strange and unrealistic if Della had been completely perfect for them.

“Nothing Can Stop Della Duck!” Episode 12, season 2

Della & Huey

Out of the three triplets Huey definitely had the least interactions with Della but that didn’t make their relationship is any less important. They still related in ways that they are both intelligent and, when first meeting each other, Huey got super excited when he discovered that Della was a Junior Woodchuck too.

The side plot in “Happy Birthday, Doofus Drake!” Is an example of a bonding moment between both Della and Huey. The two were both playing a video game called “Legend of Legend Quest.” This is a game Huey was currently obsessed with while Della mentions she used to play it all the time after adventures. This is another example of what both Della and Huey have in common relating to special interests.

While playing Della discovered that Huey would rather sit and plant his garden than fight because he claimed it was too dangerous. Della, on the other hand, would rather fight than sit around and plant. This seems to be the twos defining differences, super safe VS the not so super safe.

While Della is fighting, however, Huey seemed to be getting jealous and antsy, suddenly getting the urge to fight as well.

“Happy Birthday, Doofus Drake!” Episode 18, season 2

Huey wanted to step out of the area that caused him comfort and Della was fully encouraging of this. It’s good to step out of your comfort zone every once in a while and to not stay so boxed in to one area. She claimed that “every journey begins with a single step” which is a motivating and good thing for a kid to hear.

Della never once forced Huey out of his comfort zone and slowly allowed him to do it himself. This is completely his choice and Della is just encouraging it which is a good thing. Theres nothing wrong with stepping out of your comfort zone as long as you aren’t being forced into uncomfortable situations.

“Nothing Can Stop Della Duck!” Episode 12, season 2

Della & Dewey

In season one Dewey discovered information about his mom and found out about the Spear of Selene so it’s only natural that the two would bond well together once she had come back.

Della does relate to each of the boys in different aspects but Dewey was definitely meant to be the one she related to the most. Dewey is like a mirror of Della. They’re both very similar and the show wants you to know that. They’re both hyper, ambitious, and jump into action/danger.

With this information in mind, it is known that since they’re similar they have a lot of moments together throughout the show. This does NOT mean she picks favorites as some people like to point out. She loves each of her kids individually and just because she is similar to Dewey that doesn’t mean she favors him the most.

Della and Dewey instantly went on an adventure together after the episode Della came back. Throughout the episode “Raiders of The Doomsday Vault!” Della taught Dewey how to fly the plane and they both defy Scrooge to go on their own little adventure to the money tree. Della and Dewey both struggle in this episode with each other: learning to say no.

Della is very encouraging to Dewey and tells him he can do anything he sets his mind to. When a kid as young as Dewey gets told this by their mother they truly feel that they can do anything no matter how impossible. This can be both good and bad for a multitude of reasons. While, yes, it is good to encourage your kid that they can do things it can also be very dangerous since the kid could get into bad situations.

Dewey started to get more risky the more Della convinced him he could do anything. When he hopped toward the money seeds, no ground beneath him, Della started to panic, thinking he’d fall. Dewey just convinced her it would be fine, “I can do anything! Just like you told me!”

Della started to realize that maybe what she had said wasn’t the best but she didn’t stop him. Once he made it to the money seeds, accidentally planted them, he slipped and fell when he realized he couldn’t do it. Della saved him and Dewey suddenly felt like he let her down.

“Raiders of the Doomsday Vault!” Episode 13, season 2

Dewey let out his emotions and Della convinced him that he didn’t need to impress her. Dewey didn’t need to be her. He had limits, obviously, and there was just some things he couldn’t do that she could. But no matter what she would always love him.

Della made a very simple mistake that a lot of parents make. It’s not talked about a lot because not everyone sees any bad in encouraging your kid but sometimes in situations like this it can go too far. No one usually wants to say no to their kid or tell them they can’t do something.

Throughout the show Della seems to be very supportive of Dewey and what he wants to do (an example of this is “The Lost Cargo of Kit Cloudkicker!” Episode 20, season 3.) It’s hard for Della to say no because she wants to support Dewey no matter what even if it’s something he’s not so good at.

Again, theres nothing wrong with doing this. Dewey will grow and learn that the hobby he wanted to do so bad wasn’t something he was so good at. Dewey is a kid who seems to jump from one hobby/activity to the next. And once he discovers he’s bad at something he will just hop to the next thing to see if he’s good at it. And Della will always be encouraging and supportive no matter what new thing he tries.

I’ve seen a point being made that Della is too dangerous and isn’t considering her kid’s safety. Just to clarify this is a Ducktales! This shows whole premise is big, dangerous, adventures. Scrooge Mcduck puts these kids through so many dangerous situations that is the point of the show. But people seem to pick on Della more for doing the same thing Scrooge does. I understand not every character is into big and dangerous adventures (Ex: Louie, Donald) but that is more of an issue that needs to be communicated with the rest of the family.

“Nothing Can Stop Della Duck!” Episode 12, season 2

Della & Louie

This is where people have the most complaints regarding Della. You could say that Louie is the complete opposite of how Dewey is with Della. But this doesn’t necessarily mean Della and Louie don’t have a good relationship. In “Nothing Can Stop Della Duck!” It is very clear to the audience that Louie is confused and has complicated feelings towards his mom unlike Huey and Dewey.

Not only does Della unintentionally ignore Louie’s feelings but so does his brothers. Both Huey and Dewey are happy that their mom is back while Louie seems confused and conflicted by his own feelings. This is a completely valid emotion for Louie to have. If someone you barely know comes back after a long time it can be hard to trust them or see them as family.

“Nothing Can Stop Della Duck!” Episode 12, season 2

Louie expresses his feelings about his mom and even felt guilty for feeling this way. Della over heard this and it hurt her, for obvious reasons. But then later, near the end of the episode, Della saved Louie from the Gilded Man which was a very emotional moment for him. Della and Louie hugged then Della said to her three kids, “I know you’re not used to having a mom…and I am not used to being one, but I’ll figure it out as we go along. In time.” To which Louie smiled and responded back with, “we all will.”

Even though Della was talking to all three of her boys here you can tell it was more directed toward Louie considering he was the one that felt conflicted with their mom coming back. Della saying this and Louie’s response is like a silent agreement that they both understand each other in some way. Della will figure out how to be a mom and Louie will figure out how to have a mom.

Another big important moment between the two comes from “Timephoon!” In season two episode 21. Throughout this episode Della is convincing herself, and others, that she is a cool mom. She’s not strict and she is completely ok with the kids bringing in a cave Duck that came from no where. While a storm is happening outside the family is forced to stay indoors. Dewey and Webby get food prepared which is revealed to be chili dogs. Beakley is highly against it while Della is fully ok with it.

While watching it’s noticeable how often Beakley picks on Dellas parenting style. She’s too ok with what her kids are doing and she lets things go easily. That is until things get more and more out of hand when they discovered that different people from the past were appearing in the present time. Scrooge and Beakley instantly assume that one of the kids must have caused it. Della, on the other hand, is certain that her kids could not be the cause of it.

While Beakley and Della fight ninjas from the past, Della is still not convinced that her kids would be the cause of the time incident. She believed that her kids are “good kids” and says so to Beakley.

“Even good kids do dumb things and we have to make sure those dumb things don’t turn into bad things.”

Beakley is stating that good kids can make mistakes but that it’s a parent’s responsibility to make sure they don’t make more or worse mistakes. If a kid makes a big mistake, but they don’t learn from it, that can lead them down a bad path. At the end of the day a kid needs discipline to learn from their behavior and to never make that mistake again.

That being said there are right ways to discipline but there are also very, very, bad ways to discipline (ex: any form of hitting/spanking). But i believe Della handled it well.

“Timephoon!” Episode 21, season 2

In the end Della found out that Louie had been hiding the fact that he stole the time tub from Gyros lab to steal treasure from the past which, in return, caused time to get screwed up. Della was furious when she found out and took Beakleys advice into account. She realized that Beakley was right: kids need discipline even if you love them. Tough love. So Della gave him a stern talking to and explained that what he did was wrong: he stole and he almost lost his family by causing them to go back in time. So Della grounded Louie when no one else was going to.

Louie was mad, obviously. He’s a kid and to him he felt it was unfair, no kid wants to be grounded. But he needed the grounding to learn his lesson. Once Louie marched to his room Della dropped to her knees. On her exterior she had been trying to remain strong and tough towards Louie but once he was gone she expressed how hard it was for her to do it.

Beakley let her know that it would make Louie a better person in the future to learn from those mistakes. No matter what anyone says a child needs proper discipline. It’s hard to raise a kid and not everyone wants to discipline their child. But it is needed so they don’t step all over their parental figure and get away with things.

No one else was going to do anything about Louie’s behavior. He’s a kid and he’s obviously gonna make mistakes but he needs to learn from them and not get away with it, especially if it hurts others.

People seem to take this scene way too seriously even going as far as to say that Della is an abuser or a terrible parent for this reason. This is an absurd way of thinking. No good mother is going to allow their kid to get away with their behavior and potentially hurt others.

Louies grounding was completely deserved because he did something he really shouldn’t have done. Also this clearly isn’t Della “picking favorites.” If Dewey or Huey did something this bad Della would also ground them. Huey, Dewey, and Louie are all different and those differences come with some negative and some positive attributes and behaviors. Louie gets into more trouble than his brothers due to his money schemes so, eventually, it’s gonna bite him in the ass. And as we see here, it did.

The episode that comes after (GlomTales! episode 22, season 2) is another big moment between Louie and Della. In this episode Louie is grounded and he’s forbidden to leave his room. The family is getting ready to go to Big Rock Candy Mountain without Louie which is unfortunate since it’s the perfect place for him. Cherry pep springs, gold/money, being lazy. This was unlike their other adventures which were usually more dangerous and less enjoyable for Louie.

When Louie found out they were going he was mad and demanded he go too but Della claimed that he was still grounded and couldn’t come. I see this as an unfortunate coincidence considering Louie conveniently got grounded before they went on the trip. Scrooge chose this adventure as a victory to when he would beat Glomgold in the money bet. Della didn’t choose this adventure to purposely upset Louie as she didn’t choose it at all. But her grounding against Louie still stood. Just because they were going on a fun adventure this time that didn’t make him any less grounded.

The only complaint I have against this situation is that I wish Della didn’t go on the adventure. Even though Louie did have protection at the mansion due to the home security I still feel as though Della should have stayed home with him. I also do feel like the family going on this adventure is to poke more fun at Louie since it’s a place he’d actually enjoy but that isn’t necessarily the fault of Della or Scrooge. It was just imperfect timing.

While grounded Louie tries to use his phone or even Hueys tablet but Della programmed a way to only show videos of her giving lectures. This can be a good way to get your kid to listen when they have nothing else to do in a boring room. Preferably, though, I’d say Della should give those talks in person so it’s most likely that Louie would listen. But I believe those lectures on the phone are meant to be taken lightly just in a way that Louie can’t use his phone or any other device.

Throughout the episode Louie is trying to escape his room to go to Big Rock Candy Mountain but the DT-87 (security robot) doesn’t make it any easier. He tried to escape multiple times only to fail each time.

Louie even dressed up as Huey to try and trick the DT-87 into believing he was Huey. This unfortunately didn’t work out as Huey conveniently called at the same time. Huey talked about how cool the place was (which obviously only made Louie more jealous). When Louie tired to ask for more details Huey hung up the call.

Louie got mad at this and asked out loud to no one in particular, “What’s so wrong with an innocent scheme?” to which the DT-87 replies back with another lecture video from his mom. Louie just rolled his eyes until Della in the video said,

“Your plans, your schemes, they only lead to bad things for your family. If you wanna be apart of this family, you’ve gotta stop.”

Louie looked guilty and slowly sat back on the floor while saying out loud, “this is the one thing I’m good at. Why can’t you see?”

“GlomTales!” episode 22, season 2

This shows a big miscommunication/misunderstanding between Louie and Della. Louie believed that his only good trait was his schemes and his ability to see every angle of a situation. Meanwhile Della is concerned about whether these schemes Louie has are good for the family if they just end up hurting everyone.

I don’t fully agree with how Della worded her statement. I understand her worry that Louie’s schemes might hurt the family, since it has before, but saying that the only way he can be apart of the family is if he stops entirely, i’d say, is going too far. This is the first time Della had ever disciplined one of her kids and, again, she’s still struggling with what’s right and what’s wrong when it comes to parenting.

I understand this doesn’t excuse her words and it may have cut deep with Louie. I do genuinely wish we got a call back of what Della had said here and that maybe Louie would bring up how much it hurt him.

Near the end of the episode after Louie took the villains (and Scrooges) money, he talked to his mom.

“I know I messed up before but seeing all the angles is what I’m good at.”

She smiled and hugged him, “ok, but you need to take care to not hurt the ones you love and i’ll be here to help you see the angles you can’t.”

“GlomTales!” episode 22, season 2

Here we see a bit more of them understanding each other. It’s not a lot but it’s a start. Della says she will be there to help him when he needs it and Louie’s learning to not hurt others with his actions (which can be debatable). There are some instances after this incident (Ex: The Richest Duck in the World! Ep 23 season 2, Louie’s Eleven! Ep 5, season 3.) where Louie does still come off as mean or selfish. This doesn’t necessarily mean he didn’t learn what his mom said. It could be the case where Louie struggles with being more considerate and thoughtful of others. Again, not every kid is the same and they all learn differently.

In the second half of the “Moonvasion!” Episode, Della is struggling with wanting to keep her kids safe. They’re going through an invasion by the moon people and the kids want to help. Della, on the other hand, wants to keep her children safe. She’s already lost them once and she does not want to lose them again.

Her kids later pick up on the fact that Della was trying to get them to safety instead of getting help for the war. When they get stuck on a deserted island the kids try and find a way to get home. Meanwhile, Della is still insistent that they should just stay on the island since it’s so safe.

When they deny her she started to sulk and hide in the plane. Louie walked over and decided to talk to her. When they talked Della expressed more how she’s scared to lose them. Louie, who’s usually scared of most things, comforted her to believe it’ll be fine.

Louie noticed how Della is in clear distress about possibly losing her kids again. He sat down next to her and had a talk with her.

“Moonvasion! Part ll” Episode 25, season 2

Louie admits to her that he hates surprises and that’s because they come unexpectedly and a lot of the time they’re bad. But when a bad surprise comes, that can also lead to a good surprise. Implying that his mom was a good surprise for him.

Louie loves his mom no matter what anyone thinks or believes. He wouldn’t just lie to her face if that was the case and probably wouldn’t have said this at all. He was really happy when his mom came back he was just indifferent about her which is understandable.

Just because he was confused about her at first, that doesn’t mean he hates her. Just because he got discipline from his mother, that doesn’t mean anything. They both still love each other.

“Moonvasion! Part ll” Episode 25, season 2

Della & Donald

Donald and Della broke down once they saw each other (of course, after yelling at each other). Donald thought Della, his sister, was dead for all those years. And, even though Della seemed to put him under a lot of stress, he never stopped loving her. Even when he had to take care of her kids.

He doesn’t and has never hated his sister. He also doesn’t seem sad to let Della take care of the kids again. If anything he’s probably grateful since he was struggling so bad with money (this doesn’t mean he doesn’t still love the triplets.) Obviously he’s still gonna see them, he is their uncle, after all.

Just because Della is taking her kids back, that doesn’t mean Donald is against this. He was going to go on his own trip with Daisy and start his own life with her (“The Last Adventure! part I” Ep 22, season 3). Della was even against this, as she wanted to spend more time with him, but eventually she knew it was best to let him go.

Donald and Della never show any awkwardness and hatred towards one another once she got back. Donald loves his sister and aways will.

OVER ALL

Did Della make a mistake? Yes, obviously, but that isn’t her defining feature. Donald has made mistakes (Ex: Quack Pack! Ep 2 season 3) and Scrooge has as well (Ex: New Gods on the Block! Ep 15 season 3) but no one holds those mistakes against them as much as people do with Dellas mistakes.

You could say that their mistakes weren’t as impactful or important but, and I don’t know about you, but Donald wishing he’d rather have a “normal” family isn’t too loving.

“Quack Pack!” Episode 2, season 3

I’m not saying he’s awful for this. He obviously has reasons for wishing and thinking this (wanting his family to remain safe and out of trouble) but he still made a mistake and he then went to apologize to them and help them. He was forgiven by his family and no one in the fandom bat an eye.

Scrooge is another example. He treated the triplets and Webby like they were useless, even if he did it unintentionally, he was still going to replace them in some way. Della was even the one to try and help the kids and motivate them that they could do anything and to not listen to Scrooge.

“New Gods on the Block!” Ep 15 season 3

Scrooge has done this a few other times in the show where he would hurt the kid’s feelings. Sometimes unintentionally while other times he would intend on coming off as hurtful.

“The Missing Links of Moorshire!” Episode 11, season 1

“The Rumble for Ragnarok!” Episode 7, season 3

People can be biased when it comes to their favorite characters which I think isn’t a set way to determine whether a character is good or bad. If Donald, Scrooge, or Della did something bad it should be acknowledged and not just thrown under the rug just because they may be your favorites. But to obsess over EVERY mistake a character has made can also be very tedious because they will always make a mistake of some kind.

I acknowledge Dellas mistakes but I don’t obsess over it and make it her whole personality (just like how I don’t do this with Donald or Scrooge). I see how she genuinely feels bad and has made up for her mistakes and THAT’S how I determine whether a character is in good faith or not. If I saw that she didn’t feel bad about her actions then my opinion on her would change into a negative one. But since the show represents Della as a kind hearted character who saw how negative her actions were my opinion on her is a good one.

These characters are bound to make mistakes it’s natural and it’s what makes a character realistic and complex. Sometimes it can range from little things like lying and other times it can be big things that can impact a characters life. It can make a story interesting and, in Dellas case, I was really interested in what the Ducktales 2017 show did to her and her story.

It was heartbreaking and sad, in my opinion. She was lost and she had to be stuck for years knowing that it was her fault that she was in that predicament. She knew that her kids were growing up without her.

No one’s denying that Della has made a mistake, but to make it an excuse as to why Della is a terrible person or parent is lazy thinking. I truly believe that people don’t look as in-depth with her character and only see her for her mistakes. This is ridiculous especially if you don’t hold other characters to that same standard.

That’s all <3

(I also love Della and Webbys relationship. “The Golden Armory of Cornelius Coot.” Season 2, episode 20 is a good example of a nice moment between them.)

#ducktales #analysis #della duck #ducktales della #huey duck #louie duck #dewey duck #scrooge mcduck #donald duck #Ducktales analysis #idk I just love talking about della #I also love talking about Della and Louie’s relationship #they mean sm to me guys I’m sorry #if you disagree you’re wrong #if you hate Della you’re weird sorry #starting to think that Louie and Della have more moments compared to Della and Dewey cause goddamn #i’m insane #I wanna draw Louie and Della again so bad

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strawberryicemoon · 5 months ago

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Does anyone else feel like the Della that was set up and the Della we actually got were two different characters.

Primarily I think Della's just dumber than we were initially lead to believe. And I think there's something in one of the first things we knew about her was that she had pretty handwriting, where I struggle to believe the Della is patient enough to have neat handwriting. The last Crash of the Sunchaser implied she designed the Spear of Selene. Scrooge said someone who "sees the angles". Like I get that don't speak ill of the dead was in play. And I also get wanting Della's legacy to not match perfectly with her true self, but some of the literally flashbacks we saw implied she was clever (she figured out Dewey was from the future, again, she was sketching the Spear). Having the characters stretch the truth is one thing, but flashbacks is another. I mean we literally saw her Scuba-Diving in a flashback, but in show she hates fish.

Not helped by the fact I assumed she named her children, and was using that as a gauge of her personality. And like. Turbo is very funny. I get why you'd make it a surprise reveal. Recontextualize her personality. But we already were introduced to her in the episode before. Also I just didn't like it tbh. (And kinda like my beef with the whole April May and June thing, I'm not a duck fan, I have no horse in this race, and things can be different, but considering to my understanding the few glimpses of previous iterations of Della, she definitely named her sons, and changing one of the few things that previously existed about the character felt weird to me, cheap even. On one hand I get wanting to show just how disconnected from her son she is and how much the incident cost her. But on the other hand it was just salt in the wound at that point, for a few jokes about the boys names… which have generally been changed to be even more embarrassing than they were previously for more jokes).

I really did like Whatever Happened to Della Duck. The only "Weird' things to me was how technically and artistically unsavvy she seemed to be, when we had scene her sketching the spear of Selene. Like that was a whole ass plot point. And also how oblivious she seemed to what was happening with the Moonlanders when she was presumably "sharp". But y'know. I can excuse one misunderstanding, and she was probably just a bit crazy from being alone on the moon for so long (and any prior mental health issues) and when she gets back other characters will probably be unnerved by her a bit because she's changed. But this was apparently normal Della (aside from not liking her reflection). If someone had spelled out in show the ways she had changed while on the moon I think it would have made all the difference. (Though Ducktales in general has an issue for completely neglecting to state important information until its necessary but long after it was relevant, so the fact no one says that doesn't mean it can't be true tbh).

I think the core of the character, and thus why she caught my attention remained. She's a traumatized woman who did something impulsive (that should have been fine), that had disproportionately huge consequences. And now has to get to know her children. She has to learn to parent on the fly. She has to establish herself as an adult when she's otherwise been stuck in place. She has to reestablish herself with her family, and a new sense of identity in a world that's changed without her.

And looking some of the Della description from the pitch bible we got recently, and the Della described there is closer to the one I thought we were getting prior to her debut. It makes me wonder when that changed. I know early on, in the Moorshire episode, they realized they made Launchpad too dumb after they finished it. To me it feels like they did that with Della (and to a certain extent Donald as well), but then never made the realization about what they did. We already had launchpad as the stupid adult. We didn't need more. Also, to be honest, I struggle to name any strengths over other characters besides the pragmatic "better at flying than Launchpad". Now, don't get me wrong, I still like canon Della. She had a lot of great moments. But to be honest I think all of her best moments, would have also worked with the Della I thought we were getting. Her fears about losing the kids, so lying to them about participating in the fight. Her song. Her punishing Louie for being stupid. The bit where she talked about being unable to look at her reflection and breaking her glass. Teaching Dewey to fly. Realizing how much her kids looked up to her and to what extents they might be idiots to prove themselves to her. I don't want her not to be reckless, just more thoughtful. That said, the way the other characters treated her didn't really help. It felt like at least for a while she was being ignored. Like she wasn't being treated seriously, but also no one was trying to help or understand her. (Which we got Donald blasted off into space after being ecstatic to see her, made me feel like Donald might actually see her... but then 5 episodes in to S3 Donald gets a girlfriend and the twins rarely appear together).

Liking those elements of the pitch bible might be a bit of the classic "the grass is greener" nonsense. And the fact it's just a barebones description not a full fletched character, and to be fair I don't care for every detail in it. But even before the pitch bible, I was bothered by the fact Daisy, not Della was the person who understood Donald best. (My aromantic self does not appreciate the prioritzation of romantic relationships). And here in the pitch bible. It says Della knows Donald best. We didn't get a single glimpse of "was scared to be a mom", even though I'd solidly developed the head canon that the Spear of Selene ride was a form of post-partum fear even before reading this, and I understand that might have been difficult to work into the show, the lack of support for Della in general, or any hints of empathy for why she did what she did doesn't help. Even of dealing with trauma from the instance. I can't say the "stuff just happens" angle is objectively bad. But this is still a story. A narrative. Not reality. It feels cheap as a character, for her biggest mistake to basically boil down to "oops", rather than a huge character flaw. Like yes, being reckless is a flaw. But considering what the family is USUALLY doing, it… isn't? It really isn't any worse than what they family does normally so for her to be punished so harshly for it is a bit unfair.

In the finale the fact it's revealed that Bradford told Della about the spear, also feels kinda cheap to me. I think its an interesting reveal… but considering this is information one of our main protagonists knows it feels bizarre that it is a reveal to the audience. (Or that no one asked Della before). Also it feels a bit like it's trying to absolve Della of blame, but it doesn't address the core problem of (sure the show never states there's a problem but Scrooge makes reference to Della's "one last big adventure" and it's hard not to see this as an attempt to break out of some sort of mental funk. And it again, needlessly victimizes Della. She got stuck in space for 10 years, couldn't even name her own children, loses her leg, gets betrayed, loses her plane kinda-sorta, and is kind of treated like an idiot by many of the other adults around her. Because some guy was trying to mess with Scrooge. Della's moon trip sucks, I don't think they needed to make it worse by making it not even her fault.

I wish we had gotten a scene of Donald telling the boys what Della was like from his perspective. He's her twin. And I really don't want to welcome the comparisons between DT17 and GF. But the lack of any character drawing the parallels between Donald & Della and Huey, Dewey and Louie is absurd. But they don't utilize it. Like at all. No one ever looks at Donald and goes, oh. He lost his twin. That really sucks. The triplets never go. What would it be like if I lost one of you. Like twins are sometimes just siblings. They don't need to have "super special relationship", but in a show about family it's sure awkward that they don't. I am so mad that Huey, Dewey and Louie didn't get to see another side of their Uncle Donald brought out by Della. Or alternatively a Della struggling to connect with her brother. Even better both.

I know the "is the character acting ooc or do you not actually know the character" is well, a thing. I am aware that the post-partum depression, actually clever and observant Della is mostly made up by me. But I also know where in canon it came from to me. Della never acts out of character from once she's introduced. But that character is still a bit off from the character we had come to expect in the first season and a half. She's not completely divorced from what we were told about her. But still. Do I love Della, or the idea of Della. Honestly, I don't know.

This is definitely very OPINION, and not really anything objective.

#I feel like I'm being nothing but negative #Ducktales has fantastic characters who bounce off each other really well #a great sense of humor #and some beautiful animations and moments of pure emotion #But the poor plot #worldbuilding and thematic cohesion really hurts it #I keep feeling like the Della in my head is nothing like the canon one #I can recognize when I'm not talking about the character in canon #But I think my head Della is the way she is because of how she was set up #and how the set ups weren't meaningfully addressed #I take solace in the fact that their Della seems little like previous Della's so I feel free to change her in my fics #But it is really frustrating when looking at canon #tbh I'm not even entirely sure that I didn't force myself into liking Della considering the difficulty I had getting through some of those #I really do like Ducktales #but also...#Anyway #ducktales #ducktales 2017 #Della duck

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