Any appearance by Spectra is always fine by me, though if “Girls’ Night Out” is any indication, she’s best left working alone then with a pair of bitter chicks. Her first appearance garnered a much darker tone in Danny Phantom; her manipulation of the childrens' emotions to which she slowly siphons into her vanity and youth, along with her lack of concern for the fate of the youngsters (her major plan was to kill off Jazz in order to gain more teenage depression) was a brilliant touch, an added notion made better by Danny’s then ailing happiness.
Baring that in mind, Spectra’s plans on her quest for eternal radiance remains largely the same as her first role: gather up all the kids of Casper High and use them for her own means, now employing ghost bugs, exposing the teen tykes to ghostly elements that may seem interesting to them, but is hardly of concern when they’re constantly sick--one that’s slowly killing them. It again proves what a mad genius she is, having no care at all for the leftovers once she’s finished the main course. If they die, why should that matter to her? She only wants their best qualities to perfect herself. Spectra is a true supporter of selfishness and vanity, one that suits her confident, devious personality with little moral sense to break her heart. Spectra is not bound by anything. While her role didn’t capture that sense of grandeur and mystery as her first, her role is absolutely perfect here (though I cannot get over the fact that she was covered in mucus by end, what an insult to her character).
Too bad the episode in general is average at best and dull at worst. Fillers aren’t anything to sing about and only a remarkable few are worth watching. While Spectra shines whenever she appears, her role is limited as oppose to her first appearance--making for a less enticing episode. What we do get is Danny’s early steps into the mature, clever kid he grows into: being suspicious and trying to figure out the puzzle. But it is Tucker himself who gains a spotlight as he makes a unique noticeable step up from his usual role (and considering his treatment throughout the show, that's a godsend). He obviously conquers his fear of hospitals by end...somewhat only for him to hate out of possible bitterness now and it was through some rather unusual methods: a lipstick and his deodorant; two random items that served to raise his confidence. It’s a nice subplot that molds well with the A story with neither characters (Sam, in this case) barging in or adding anything unnecessary and it boosted Tucker’s general two-dimensional layers. For a character with only two episodes to his namesake and the rest just him with a PDA, these little opportunities is all the Tucker we'll ever see beyond his role as Techno-Geek, so I’ll take what I can get. Unfortunately, his entire involvement is anti-climatically wasted by episode’s end when he ends up the with the same fate he’s always had during the show's run: stuck getting the short end of the stick. When Danny and Sam cheerfully leaves him in the hospital with the ranting old man, that irritated me. I’m not a major fan of Tucker and I generally have no concern for him, but leaving him alone in that much torture--however funny the writers were aiming for--is a punch in the gut to his character after all he’s done for this episode.
Not much else can be really said. Spectra, Danny, and Tucker all radiant on screen, but the former only makes so much of an appearance that it feels rare while the latter is someone I don't concern myself for too often. So the episode in general--while a great look at the three's personalities--leaves little for me to watch over and over. Animation is more of a love/hate thing: generally nice color schemes (although expect to see more green then DP should ever have) with some faulty character models. Tucker fans will get a better kick out of this episode then me, but for as dull as it was outside of the developments, it was a generally solid affair.
6.5/10
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Article Written in: Mar. 10, 2008
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