Merit-Time Adventure
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| DuckTales episode | ||
| "Merit-Time Adventure" | ||
 The sea seprent attacks another ship. |
||
|---|---|---|
| Season | 1 | |
| Episode no. | 31 | |
| Airdate | October 19, 1987 | |
| Writer(s) | Sharman Divono | |
| Director | Alan Zaslove | |
| Prod. no. | 35 | |
| Guest star(s) | Jack Angel Will Ryan (Dogface Pete) |
|
| Episode chronology | ||
| ← Previous | Next → | |
| "Catch as Cash Can (4) - Working for Scales" | "Ducky Horror Picture Show" | |
| List of DuckTales episodes | ||
"Merit-Time Adventure" is the thirty-first episode of the Disney animated television series DuckTales.
[edit] Synopsis
One night out at sea, the Lucky Duck, one of Scrooge’s cargo ships is approaching Duckinsack Island, on its way to Duckburg Bay. All of a sudden, a gigantic sea serpent emerges from the water and takes a bite out of the ship, causing it, along with all of its cargo, to sink. It then swallows one of the crew members, Mr Quackerbill, and retreats.
The next morning, Launchpad brings Scrooge to Duckinsack Island to speak to the coastguard, while he takes Huey, Dewey, Louie, Webby and Doofus on their Junior Woodchucks sailing merit badge test. Webby, who only has just her swimming merit badge, is taking the test more seriously than the boys, who just want to play around before leaving port on their sailing boat, the Little Wave.
Meanwhile, Scrooge has to deal with the matter of his sunken ship, which isn’t going too well. He soon spots a truck driving past, carrying the goods that were originally on the Lucky Duck. After catching up to the truck when it stops, he runs into Dogface Pete (Black Pete), who explains that the goods on the Lucky Duck became legal salvage for him to collect once the ship sank, and Captain Mallard, who was on the Lucky Duck, is forced to agree with Pete.
That night, Scrooge is having dinner with his friends and family onboard the Little Wave, when the sea serpent returns, and attacks a nearby boat. Pretty certain that Pete is working with the sea serpent somehow, Scrooge goes undercover, and tries to pass off as one of Pete’s workers. But Scrooge is proven wrong when the serpent breaks into the warehouse, and grabs a hold of him. Everyone is saddened by Scrooge’s disappearance, but Webby is determined to find him. On top of that, one of the nephews notices that Pete and Captain Mallard are planning something.
Despite the Coast Guard’s warning, Launchpad and the others sail out to sea, and Webby, the only one who properly studied sailing, has to help guide them. Soon Launchpad, who Webby points out doesn’t have a swimming merit badge, is knocked into the water by the sea serpent, but it tosses Launchpad back onto the ship and retreats again.
Scrooge awakens, tied up and in a cavern along with more salvage from the Lucky Duck. After freeing himself from the ropes, Scrooge oversees Quackerbill and another sailor along with the sea serpent, who are planning to strike back at Launchpad and the kids. Scrooge then finds some diving equipment, which he uses to escape from the cavern. As he returns to the surface, Launchpad appoints Webby to be the new captain, just as the sea serpent returns. After lassoing the serpent’s neck, the nephews and Webby meet up with Scrooge, leaving Launchpad and Doofus with holding the rope.
Pete and Captain Mallard show up in a boat with a harpoon cannon to attack the sea serpent with, and Pete even gives Scrooge a harpoon of his own. Scrooge dives underwater to sneak up on the sea serpent, and discovers that it’s really a submarine. Scrooge finds his way inside, and sees Quackerbill working the controls in the engine room. Because the nephews lassoed the rope around the serpent’s neck, the submarine is having trouble working properly, and the room is filling up with smoke. Webby and Pete then work together to tie up the serpent and tow it back to port.
Quackerbill gets a hold of Scrooge’s harpoon, and explains his whole salvaging scheme to Scrooge. Scrooge is shocked, because he never believed that an old employee like Quackerbill would turn on him. After exposing the mechanisms underneath the sea serpent’s skin, Launchpad gets knocked overboard by a sail, but Webby jumps in and saves him. The people on board the sub return to the surface, just in time for Quackerbill and his partner to get arrested by the Coast Guard.
Afterwards, Launchpad awards Webby with two merit badges. The first one is for sailing, while the second one is for life saving. Webby announces that she doesn’t care so much about the badges, but about the fact that she can actually accomplish what they represent. The nephews ask Webby if she can teach them how to tie knots, while Launchpad asks her if she can teach him how to swim.
