Of course, I’m talking about the show’s visit to Spittoon, Arkansas: home of Danny’s Aunt Alicia, home of backwoods hayseeds spittin’ baccy juice, where even an outhouse is too great a luxury. There was not one moment of this episode’s excruciatingly awful B plot that didn’t make me want to throw a brick through my television set. Because of this, I avoid Prisoners of Love like the plague.

But I do have it on tape. And I am going to review it, even if it means I have to watch it two or three times.

I'll have to type with one hand while I hold my nose with the other.

The less said about the B plot, the better. I won’t mention it again. The A plot involves a crucial turning point in Danny’s experience as a half-ghost: his first fearful, tentative ventures into the Ghost Zone. That element is this episode’s only saving grace, as Danny’s reaction to this strange world is appropriate and compelling. Contrasted with his casual bravado in Life Lessons (This is the Ghost Zone; I am a ghost ) these scenes leave me aching with sympathy for the human boy, who is clearly terrified by the prospect of exploring this weird place, much less becoming at home there.

And the Ghost Zone clearly doesn’t want him. From the very start his presence is an offense to the normal functioning of the society, and Walker is eager to be rid of him. It’s interesting to ponder the nature of “law and order” in the Zone: Walker has a prison full of Danny’s opponents, which might imply that Walker is in the habit of arresting any ghost who pops back into the Ghost Zone through the FentonWorks portal. On what charge? Is Walker ultimately Danny’s ally, imprisoning ghosts who dare to venture into the real world?

It’s unfortunate that, although the writers populated the prison with all of Danny’s ghostly opponents, only Skulker and Lunch Lady speak. Budget limitations, I suppose, but it was weird to see Technus and Desiree just hovering there without ever saying a word. Even weirder, I think, because Technus was not wearing his real face.

I actually applaud the show for taking on, however light-heartedly, the notion that Danny might fear that his parents will divorce after he witnesses them fighting. This is actually a good topic to address in a show about a young teenager, and it’s entirely in-character for Danny to experience anxiety and guilt about it. His overreaction, running a vacuum cleaner over the walls and using his powers to clean up the lab, was nicely done.

Jazz’s sub-subplot—flying into a panic when her usually accurate “read” on her parents’ behavior is proven wrong—is cute, but I’m glad they allowed her to grow out of this sort of one-note silliness. After all, she will be proven much more “wrong” about Danny’s odd behavior and she won’t fall apart when she learns the truth

By: bluemoonalto

Rating: none given

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