One does not simply walk into Mordor nor reboot The Might Ducks: Game Changers without Charlie Conway (Joshua Jackson). It was said that Ducks fly together, apparently not. “The Flying V” was lead by another in the Disney+’s series; someone who, like Charlie, isn’t the fastest, strongest, or most skilled player but possesses admirable leadership qualities and is loyal to the Ducks. Quack. That someone is Evan Morrow (Brady Noon), a contemporary re-imagining of Charlie Conway fully equipped with a single mom for Coach Gordon Bombay (Emilio Estevez) to hit on. That mom, Alex (Lauren Graham), helps her son form the Don’t Bothers after he fails to make the cut and join the now morally bankrupt Mighty Ducks. So, where was Charlie and will he be in season two?
Cover Photo: Disney+
Goldberg: Shaun Weiss of ‘The Mighty Ducks’ Is Shining Example We All Need a Little Help (And Should Ask For It)
Newly Sober: ‘Mighty Ducks’ Star Shaun Weiss Shows Off New Teeth (Which True Hockey Fans Will Appreciate)
Visit the Mandatory Shop for great deals on your very own Mandatory merch.
Follow Mandatory on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Charlie Conway
-
Some thing never change.
Season one is a nostalgia check that made us yearn for more of a genre that doesn’t abide by standard Hockey regulations and might as well be categorized as fantasy. Game Changers stuck to the formula; having Bombay say “I hate hockey and I don’t like kids,” Alex forget that sports should be fun (like Bombay in D2: The Mighty Ducks) and even reuniting some of the original players from The Mighty Ducks movie trilogy in its sixth episode. Again, Charlie was not one of those players.
-
No one can make him cheat.
Jackson’s Charlie was the heart and soul of the original Ducks. So, it seemed strange to watch Fulton Reed (Elden Henson), Lester Averman (Matt Doherty), Connie Moreau (Marguerite Moreau), Adam Banks (Vincent LaRusso), Guy Germaine (Garrette Henson), and Ken Wu (Justin Wong) without their team captain. His absence is ultimately explained after the former players reunited with Bombay in episode 6, “The Spirit of the Ducks Gala,” when Fulton addresses Bombay’s lack of effort regarding keeping in touch with his old team by saying, “don’t tell me Charlie was right about you.” Fulton then explains that Charlie didn’t come to the reunion because “he said it’s not like [Bombay has] been showing up for us lately, so why should he show up?"
-
Daddy Issues
Let’s take a step back. Game Changers sees Bombay in a similar position to where it in the first movie before meeting Charlie and his mother, Casey (Heidi Kling). Thanks to that intrepid duo, Bombay finds his way; becoming his surrogate father figure. Charlie doesn’t attend the Mighty Ducks gala in Game Changers because Bombay stopped reaching out—kind of like Charlie’s absent father (who gets a pass if he died or something but the films never really explain his absence). Regardless, Bombay is an over-grown man who periodically needs a new, surrogate family to shake him out of apathy. Bottom line: we stand with Charlie Conway from this day until his last day...
-
Where was Joshua Jackson?
The real-world explanation for Jackson’s absence probably has something to do with COVID-19. Estevez explained to USA Today, "it was just impossible to coordinate everybody's schedules and bring Kenan [Thompson] and Josh [Jackson].” Game Changers' first season ends with the underdog Don’t Bothers beating the Ducks and winning the latter’s name. Now that Bombay and the Duck’s spirit has been renewed, if (and when) Game Changers is renewed, it seems likely both Jackson (who Bombay owes an apology) and Thompson’s Russ Tyler will come back into the fold. Hopefully, Golberg (Shaun Weiss) stays sober.
-
Bring back the Knuckle Puck and the almighty Triple Deke.
