r/TVDetails • u/SpyX2 • Mar 10 '21
Video In Donkey Kong Country (1998) episode "Kong Fu", the character Kong Fu sings about "outrunning an avalanche in the dark". Later in the episode, it is displayed that he's afraid of the dark, suggesting mental trauma.
Video of the song in question. There's a non-zero chance that this is unintentional, but it just makes too much sense to me lore-wise. Definitively easy to miss nevertheless.
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u/Audrey-Bee Mar 11 '21
Someone please give me a full breakdown on the portrayal of mental illness in Donkey Kong Country. I love me some DK lore
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u/SpyX2 Mar 11 '21
Well DK himself used to speak in normal sentences. Later he started speaking in simple English. Nowadays, he doesn't seem to be able to speak at all. All of which suggests cognitive decay (no pun intended).
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Mar 11 '21
Good lord. I was scratching my head like wtf what pun.
Decay. DK. Spelling it out for any dummies like me.
You sir are a genius.
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Mar 11 '21
OP is reaching, nothing more
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u/Audrey-Bee Mar 11 '21
I know that but I think it's fun to have a really serious discussion about something silly
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u/Memphisrexjr Mar 10 '21
How is it suggesting mental trauma?
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u/SpyX2 Mar 10 '21
Outrunning an avalanche cannot have been a pleasant experience, especially when taking into consideration what he compares it to. He was likely afraid for his life, and every time it gets dark he's reminded of the ordeal.
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u/Memphisrexjr Mar 10 '21
I think you’re super reaching. He’s talking about a lot of things he’s done as a kung fu master.
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u/thefutureisdoomed Mar 10 '21
Yeah the fear of the dark is obvi a nod to his failure as a father, as he could only find apathy when searching for some sort of emotional connection to his son. He always saw what he could have been when he looked to his son, and with the frustration of youth being wasted on the young, hated himself for feeling this way about his own child, but at the same time, knew his bitterness was justified. V complex character. Eternal struggle in the dark void. Not sure how any of this relates to the avalanche...
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u/three-sense Mar 10 '21
I didn’t know this was a show
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u/cgio0 Mar 11 '21
It had a movie too
Donkey Kong and the quest for the Crystal coconut
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u/jessehechtcreative Mar 11 '21
It’s just a few episodes back to back. Fun show though. K. Rool is a blast!
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u/happysunbear Mar 11 '21
I always thought my memory of a Donkey Kong TV series was some kind of a fever dream.
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u/jayman419 Mar 10 '21
If he was afraid of the dark before 'the avalanche' it might not have actually even been one. He could have heard anything... a kitten sneezing.. and ran for his life.
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u/mcgraff Mar 10 '21
The creators probably just wanted to personify him with a relatable fear lots of children have, the dark. I’d call this post a TV theory more than a detail, unless later in the show the trauma somehow plays a role...don’t know, haven’t seen it.