As Team Dominate and the Mighty Ducks prepare to face off, tensions boil over at a dinner leading to a food fight on the latest episode of the Disney+ Original Series, “The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers.” Eventually, the two sides come together and decide to skip the championship game in favor of hanging out by the lake and just being teenagers at summer camp. Team Dominate and the Mighty Ducks eventually merge as they get ready to face off with the elite hockey players from Canada coached by a familiar foe.

While there are some parts of this episode that work, there are plenty that don’t. Teenagers at a summer camp, even an elite hockey camp, need time to unwind, but there is no way that wouldn’t be worked into the schedule, and there’s no way they would blow off a championship game to go play in a lake. Merging the two teams to prepare them to take on elite hockey players from elsewhere is a great way to guarantee a loss. Several of these players haven’t played together before this game with Canada. How do you expect them to have any chemistry? Yes, it’s a show meant for kids, but this is just lazy storytelling.

Of course, the elite Canadian players would be coached by the former coach of the Mighty Ducks. He’s back to stand in the way of the Mighty Ducks/former Don’t Bothers. It’s like a teenage version of a recurring Bond villain; it just gets more comical each time we see him. He was a great villain for season one, but his appearance in season two feels forced and unnecessary. The show was better when Coach Cole was playing somewhat of an antagonist who just needed help learning a lesson to bond with his son. Bringing in a new antagonist for the final episode with a previous history with most of the main characters is just rather meh.

I really want to love this show. I loved “The Mighty Ducks” films when I was growing up. I understand that I’m no longer in the target demographic, but I wanted to give this a fair chance. The first season was a bit bland, but still a well told story. This season is just not working. Coach Cole has been correct the entire time while being painted as the show’s antagonist. In the end, the show is painted into a corner. Either the team loses, and Alex was wrong. Or the team wins, and Alex is proven right, but that’s not really a good story. I hope kids watching like it, because I want it to succeed, but it’s just not clicking for me.

Ranking: 2 stars

What did you think of this episode of “The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers?”

Jeremy Brown

Jeremy has been a big Disney fan since he was a kid growing up during the Disney Renaissance. One day he hopes to go to every Disney Park in the world.

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