As far as I know, everyone who has seen Ducky’s greed with the shiny stones in “Search for the Sky Color Stones” has considered that to be very out of character for her, a flaw from the writers. In fact, I did as well for the longest time. Now, sitting in my chair, contemplating a new a LBT thread, I couldn’t help but wonder if this was actually NOT out of character and very-well planned out. Even in children’s shows, things can be pretty subtle.
The first episode was “The Cave of Many Voices.” In it, we see Ducky being greedy for the first time in the television series. There are plenty of leaves in the area, but just because she had her eyes on some, two domeheads run by and eat them. Instead of the usual, sweet, innocent Ducky saying, “Oh well, there is plenty more where that came from. Yep yep yep!” she startling takes chase, shouting that they aren’t theirs (or in other words, they’re hers and they can’t have them). This might have been a foreshadowing to the bigger scene of selfishness in “Search for the Sky Color Stones.”
However, just because it wasn’t a one-time thing, that doesn’t mean it’s in character. So is this sequence of events accurate for Ducky? Actually, I think it is. Ducky and Spike have been sharing most everything ever since they came to the Great Valley- food, hiding spots, opinions, and more to a large extent. They’re inseparable. I don’t recall any “Mine’s!” from Ducky in the movie series (in terms of an aggressive claim). Now then, none of the other main characters have a sibling they adventure and play with to share to such an amount with, so I would be surprised if they changed in this area.
When a couple shares everything for so long, one or both of them may begin to long for a bit of personal aspects in life. Sharing everything may grow tiresome, and irritability can set in. In fact, the foreshadowing of Ducky’s behavior with the sky color stones may date as far back as the first cold time of the Great Valley. Ducky had literally gotten tired of her brother, and being as Spike was less troublesome than many other characters, I can’t help but think it was the constant contact and sharing that she needed a break from to experience some individuality. (For example, if they weren’t sharing the exact same sleeping place, Ducky wouldn’t have been affected by his sleep movements which contributed to her anger.) When she was on her own long enough, wasn’t sharing every little thing, she got the break she needed, calmed down, and reconciled with her brother.
So it’s possible that the eighth movie has been starting to show a break in Ducky’s tolerance and selflessness, and rightfully so. We see it at the beginning of the series, then to a larger degree with Cera and Ruby with the stones. Yet, things don’t stop here. Anyone else notice that in “The Hidden Canyon,” which takes place after the selfish scene with the domeheads, Ducky’s mother puts their food in separate piles? I don’t recall her ever doing that before. (Did she?) So it could be that even Ducky’s mother saw that Ducky was growing up, wanting a bit more to herself, so maybe she thought it best to give them their own piles of green food. Also, in “The Great Log-Running Game,” Ducky wanted the title of best log runner. In other words, she wanted something the others didn’t have.
So many these writers didn’t goof up. Maybe their simply geniuses who decided to work with the psychology of what it’s like when you’re young and growing while having to share every aspect of your life with someone. I now see her greed as very realistic given the circumstances. Imagine you had someone you shared EVERYTHING with for years. Wouldn’t you, at some point, just be screaming in your mind, “I want something all of my own!” Now don’t get me wrong. I don’t think Ducky is regressing but quite the contrary. Wanting her own things out of life is very common in adolescence. Kids are more apt to share than many teenagers I’ve seen.
Kids: Want to play with my ball?
Want to try my chips?
Want to ride on my bike?
Teenagers: I want my own room.
Buy me my own car.
Give me an allowance for my work.
Now I know it’s not black and white like that, but that is generally how I see the conversion nowadays from child to getting older. So perhaps we shouldn’t look down on Ducky for her behavior, but instead, try and connect with what it’s like to be in her “shoes” and watch with care as she grows before our eyes. Some people feel that the gang never gets older. I can’t help but disagree, but does anyone disagree with me?
