credit: Mighty Ducks
Season 2 of Game Changers is here, and it would appear that team is light a couple of people, not to mention that, yes, Gordon Bombay gets a mention, but he’s not in the first episode and is not expected to return at this time. It is fun to see that Fulton and Portman, the Bash Brothers, have a cameo in the first episode, but it could be under better circumstances since the Ice Palace, the headquarters of the Don’t Bothers, who became the Ducks, from season 1. A good chunk of the team remains, as Evan, Nick, Koob, Maya, Sam, and Sofi are all back to hit the ice, as they’ve been invited to an elite summer camp for training. The only problem is that once they reach the camp, Epic, they’re informed that the counselors had no idea that the Don’t Bothers had assumed the mantle of the Mighty Ducks and that they’re not considered to be the caliber of players that the camp likes to attract. Yeah, the elitism trope is back in effect, and Josh Duhamel, who’s portraying a former NHL skater named Colin Cole, is determined to let the Ducks know that they’re not ready for this level of competition.
credit: Mighty Ducks
Alex is just as uncertain as ever, and the kids are quick to revert to their old way of thinking. Seriously?
I don’t really like to put down anything that was considered to be epic at one point, but the dialogue in this first episode feels about as uncertain as a teen on their first date, as it has all the hallmarks of a script that was pieced together by two or more writers that haven’t worked together long enough. No matter if the writer, or writers, for this episode were the same people that participated in season 1, it simply feels like something that even kids might feel is disjointed and not entirely real. But getting past that, Alex, played by Lauren Graham once again, is the same uncertain individual that’s all over the place and doesn’t know how to give her son and his friends their space and is, in other words, a helicopter parent who second guesses herself constantly. As for the kids, they appear to be excited for the chance to train at an elite level, but surprisingly, after the titular Ice Breaker, when they’re made to compete against everyone, including each other, they nearly vote to go home rather than taking a further beating in order to get better. Seriously, it’s like they took two steps forward while keeping one eye on the door just in case things went sideways.
So far, Josh Duhamel is a jerk, but he’s not a villainous jerk.
Remember how easy it was to dislike Coach T. in the first season? He was a jock, a jerk, and wasn’t afraid of letting everyone around him know it. Well, Colin, aka Duhamel, isn’t afraid to be who he is, and yet he doesn’t come off as a complete tool or someone that’s out to simply get the kids hurt. There is a moment of doubt about his character and how bad he really is when it’s revealed that his own son is in the camp and that the kid doesn’t have the same type of ambition that his father wants him to exhibit. So, to be fair, it’s likely that Colin has a few hangups that have yet to be revealed. In truth, he feels like a compromise between Coach T. and Coach Riley from The Mighty Ducks 3. Fans of the franchise will know what I’m talking about since Riley was a massive jerk to start with, but once it was discovered that he was a good guy underneath, he was much easier to handle and even became a strong mentor for the Ducks of that era.
credit: Mighty Ducks
How many cameos will there be in this season?
That’s hard to say, really, as it sounds as though there will be another cameo coming up in the episodes that have yet to air. Seeing Fulton and Portman was kind of fun, even if it was brief. The cameos that came in the first season were great since they were used to remind everyone why the Mighty Ducks were so great and who had really started things off in the first place. But this time around it might be that inspiration will come in a different form since the Ducks are already making it apparent that they might not all make the final cut when it’s said and done.
The lessons learned thanks to this show are a little more realistic.
Like it or not, the world of sports is not always a nice place, and while sportsmanship, respect, and honor are all necessary to be a complete human being, there are times when one has to be tougher than their opponent and willing to go further than anyone else around them to get what they want. Teamwork is still a valuable tool to be used in this show, but it’s going to be interesting to see if the Ducks will continue to fly together throughout this season.
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