I don’t know how many of you are watching the Mighty Ducks reboot. If you’re not, you should be, especially if you loved the original movies. Ducks fly together or die together based on the series…
I was a little skeptical of the reboot at first. The feeling was similar to how I first felt when Cobra Kai dropped on YouTube Red. I didn’t give that show a chance until January when season 3 dropped and now it is in my top 5 favorite shows. There are some reboots you hear about and give the classic ehhhhh I don’t know face.
Much like the Karate Kid series, the Mighty Ducks series more so than maybe any other series holds a special place in my heart. Naturally, a reboot better be better than good.
The first episode didn’t help my skepticism much. I see Gordon Bombay in a bad way wondering what the fuck happened. He was running a broken down ice rink. He has signs saying no hockey. He dropped a familiar line that he hates hockey and he hates kids. The Hendrix sponsored Ducks are led by Coach T who is the epitome of sleazy fuck boi. We are just starting to scratch the surface on that story.
I can connect the dots to some degree on that fallout, but he was also a successful attorney in D3 when he left the Ducks at Eden Hall to Coach Orien. He eventually explains the story to some degree. There were just so many questions I had.
However…
As the season continues each week, I am loving it more and more. This past episode gave the ultimate shot of nostalgia bringing back some of the original ducks including Fulton Reed who is apparently working construction. How did he enter the show? By breaking Bombay’s car window. I would expect nothing less. It was awesome.
I talked about this in a blog regarding Cobra Kai. The reason I love that show so much is a perfect blend of past and present giving those little jabs of nostalgia. Game Changers blends that line really well also.
Connie Moreau (bae), Guy Germaine, WU WU WU Kenny Wu, Lester Averman and the original cake eater himself Adam Banks made their returns. Of course it was awesome seeing all of them back with Bombay having some drinks and pizza.
The window wasn’t the only nod to the originals. The original Ducks showed up to the Don’t Bothers practice in a limo as Averman drove it right on to the ice. The Ducks crashed the gala to commemorate the dynasty in true duck fashion, wreaking havoc hooting and hollering after finding out Bombay wasn’t invited. LIKE WHAT IN THE ACTUAL FUCK! He’s Gordon Bombay damnit.
Now you may be asking what happened with Charlie Conway? We don’t know any hard details, but there was apparently a falling out with Bombay and Conway. That actually makes sense given their relationship troubles in all 3 movies. It’s always been a great bromance, but has many ups and downs. It was a great way to write it into the show. The actual reason for Joshua Jackson not reprising is pandemic related so that means Charlie will make an appearance eventually. I can’t wait for that to happen. Going back to Cobra Kai, they have a great way of introducing reprised roles like Kreese and Ali. I get that same sense from Game Changers with the way Fulton was introduced.
It looks like we will get some original duck appearances here and there, which is enough reason to watch.
From the new story to subtle reminders of the past and everything in between, I love this damn show. Here are some of my favorite parts of the show…
Nick – The Podcast Body
It is no surprise Nick is my favorite character of the new “ducks.” I was always a big fan of Averman and he is the new Averman. He started out as a podcaster for the hockey league keeping pages of stats and scouting reports on everyone. While Averman didn’t have a podcast, he was comedic relief calling games from the bench.
Nick has what you call a podcast body so playing was never in the cards until now. He is the purest form of comedic relief to the series. After each episode, you can watch Nick’s Mighty Minute on YouTube and it is glorious. I love that he doesn’t break character and is fully embracing his role in the series.
The Don’t Bother Mantra
The Don’t Bother name came during a speech from Alex (Lauren Graham) about how hockey should be fun after her son Evan was cut. The Ducks have turned into a powerhouse and parents are using 12-year-old peewee hockey like it is a damn collegiate program. The parents are all strung out on competition, diets and everything that makes youth sports unbearable sometimes. Thus we have the new D5 basically with a bunch of misfits.
I’ve been a “Don’t Bother” before so I love the theme. My 8th grade baseball coach told me I should be a distance or cross country runner instead of play baseball. He basically told me I was wasting my time. He’s not a wrong about me being a good runner. I have always been a great distance runner and always had great cardio naturally. I am not about to train to be a goddamn runner though. It fit the mold of sports being about way more than just having fun. Of course we all want to win and there are goals some people set out to achieve. That being said, if you’re not having fun, then why the fuck are you doing it?
Evan – A Blend of Multiple Ducks
Going back to the Don’t Bother mantra, he is the mold of it. He was booted from the Ducks being told he wasn’t good enough because he didn’t act like hockey was the end all be all of life. He is likeable making him a great protagonist for the show. There are blends of him from multiple original Ducks.
The most obvious is Charlie. He is the heart and soul of the Don’t Bothers. He is their leader and captain. He also recruited the entire roster of the Don’t Bothers. Very Conway-esque like when he recruited Russ Tyler to join in D2. It is painfully obvious they want him to be the new Charlie. So far, it is working.
Then I get a Banksy / Bombay vibe. I will say Banks and Bombay were more talented by a mile than Evan. He is still a very talented player. The relationship with his father has a few parallels to those two. Bombay drags the absentee rocker of a dad to a game and Evan goes absolutely ape shit helping lead the Don’t Bothers to victory. Bombay lost his father. Banks’ father was heavily involved. But the fact remains that both wanted to score 100 goals for their dads. Once Evan saw his dad in the stands, it is essentially what he did (hyperbole obviously).
Coach Alex
Lauren Graham is a great actress and a good high profile name to take on the role of Evan’s mother and coach. She doesn’t know much about hockey, but we do uncomfortable things to make our kids happy. That’s what she did when she agreed to coach the Don’t Bothers. I also love the relationship she is building with the GOAT Gordon Bombay. That draws another parallel to Evan being the new Charlie as Charlie’s mom had a brief relationship with Bombay.
The New Ducks
You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain. I was a little skeptical of not rooting for the Ducks and it was one of the many reason I wasn’t sure about the show after episode 1. But, it makes sense. You need someone to root against right? The Ducks have become the old Hawks…a bunch of cake eaters. It certainly sucks to see, but makes the story better. As I alluded to in the intro, Coach T is the epitome of douchebaggery. It’s not hard to root against them. The team and their parents fit the mantra of preppy bullies.
Bombay Over Everything
The GOAT. The Minnesota Miracle Man. The former face of Hendrix Hockey. Without Bombay, the series wouldn’t be watchable, period. Having Bombay back in the fold is nothing short of glorious. He is easily my favorite sports movie character of all time. Obviously part of the story is rebuilding Bombay back to the Minnesota Miracle Man as he clearly gave up and he himself became a literal cake eater. He is slowly returning to his old ways.
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