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This article about the new DuckTales episode is exemplary of something troubling I see often in modern media criticism, and that's the strong desire to hold fiction accountable. https://io9.gizmodo.com/ducktales-has-blown-my-dang-mind-1845648171
The article is built around the scene where Captain Penumbra watches Dewey and Webby feed non-talking, non-upright, regular ass ducks, and look confused. Which is a simple meta joke poking fun at the idea that both kinds of ducks exist in this world.
....and that's the extent of the joke. It does not need to raise further questions about WHY talking ducks exist in the text. That can be reserved for parodies and stand-up comedy jokes. It's a show for kids, and kids like talking animals.
Also, and this might be A Take, this tends to happen a lot with adults who review childrens' media. Especially media rooted in genre and ones that prioritize worldbuilding. Even though kids' media is more sophisticated than it was when these reviewers were kids...
...that doesn't mean it's now Actually For Adults. I remember first seeing this phrase come from Bronies. In fact, a lot of aspects of modern fandom-media interaction can be traced back to Bronies.
So when reviewers overanalyze, it feels like an attempt to apologize for being an adult who consumes childrens' content. As if to say a kids' cartoon that holds itself accountable and dabbles in adult themes is a Smart Show for Smart People, and kids are too stupid to understand.
But that's not a smart way to look at a TV show. You can look at Anti culture and see. This is not a window into another world that continues existing when the cameras are off. If anything it's childish to act like the people inside the TV are real.
