“Don’t strive for attention” may not be a classic theme of Western Literature, but it fits well with the continuity of the series as Danny gradually fights his way out of his status as Public Ghost Enemy Number One. His popularity among his teenage fans evokes a memory of the disastrous outing in Reality Trip, and there’s also an echo of Identity Crisis in that Jack and Maddie again saw their son and Danny Phantom in the same place at the same time. This may be a problem when the time comes to tell them the truth.

In fact, the Danny vs. Danny moments were my favorites of the episode. It was a hoot to see Jack and Maddie passionately defending Amorpho from the evil intentions of their son. This identity mixup was the most entertaining element of the plot.

Sam’s and Tucker’s decoy plan was well executed, and was quite believable for their characters. I’m pleased that they made a vital contribution while relying entirely their wits and human endurance. In contrast, Jazz’s role was a major disappointment. Other than a gentle “I’m proud of you” moment, her only contribution to the plot was to activate the house defense systems and put her brother in peril. Stupid move The same outcome could have been achieved more in character if she had grabbed a weapon and tried to help Danny fight his doppelganger; Maddie and Jack would have been drawn by all the noise.

It’s a pity that Lancer’s only role was to be ridiculed, but at least he was in the episode. (As were Dash and Paulina—nice to have the supporting cast back.) I do wish they hadn’t made Lancer faint as soon as he saw Amorpho; it could have been fun to have two of them running around.

Little things grated. . . . For example, there was the way Danny crashed-landed in Sam’s bedroom—he’s not that clumsy in flight If the writers wanted him to destroy something, to show the urgency of the situation, why not have him crash through the window? It would have fit in with his loss of intangibility, and made more sense. It also would have tied in well with the subsequent damage done by the Fentons. There’s also the way he effortlessly lifted the school bus by the rear bumper. While I suppose that Danny’s constantly growing range of powers might also include Superman-level strength, the vehicle’s own structure wouldn’t have stood the strain; the only way this could have worked is if he had turned the whole thing intangible.

I was irritated by a number of moments in this episode when characters did not react to events in real-time. For example, the crowd of kids at school stood perfectly still while Dash reacted to seeing two Mr. Lancers; they did the same thing moments later while Danny shot out several lights in the hallway. Also, Maddie and Jack stood quietly by while Danny “attacked” Mr. Lancer in the lab, and then stayed down in the lab—only a flight of steps away—while Danny and Amorpho had a leisurely conversation up in the kitchen. On a smaller scale, but in the same vein, Danny’s silent reactions to his family’s debate about his heroics were so understated that I would rather he hadn’t been in the room for what should have been an extremely uncomfortable conversation to hear.

Which leads me to Danny’s uneven reaction to the public in this episode. His newfound tendency to react to “his public” with stilted pronouncements (eat all your vegetables?) was off-putting. He says he dislikes all the attention, but the only thing that could bring him attention is his own willingness to pose for the cameras and bask in the admiration of his fans. Why not turn invisible and fly away? Now that he’s Learned His Lesson™ it would be interesting to see how he would behave differently the next time he saves a bunch of puppies or little old ladies and the crowd starts cheering.

By: bluemoonalto

Rating: None given

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