TITLE: Double Cross My Heart
LOGO: "Double the Romance! Double the Terror!"
EPISODE #: 39
SEASON: 2
AIRDATE: May 5, 2006
DIRECTOR: Butch Hartman, Daniel De La Vega, Gary Conrad
WRITERS: Sib Ventress
STORYBOARD: Butch Hartman, Sam Bullock (A name that sounds awesome), Steve Dave, Shaunt Nigoghossian, Robb Pratt
ART DIRECTIONS: George Goodchild
MUSIC: Guy Moon
APPEARANCE:
GHOST APPEARANCE: Tiny giggling decoy ghost (1st appearance), Skulker, Ectopuss
FENTON GADGET APPEARANCE: None!
LESSON:Guys kissing makes everything hornier.
SUMMARY: How's this for the Amity Park Tourist Guidebook: "If you’re walking down the streets of Amity Park late at night, please kindly ignore and avoid the giggling menacing ghost flying around. He may look small, but he could probably shoot Ectoplasm out his squiggly ass. Note: Amity Park is not responsible for potential lost limbs and traumatic psychological effects." Surely Danny will come and save the day? Nope, this time it’s Skulker, hunting his "minor prize" (and scaring the crap out of an old, bald man). He flies behind the critter and bags it, "The element of surprise; the hunter’s best friend!" He’s about to celebrate in victory with, I don’t know, a recipe to eat the little guy or something, until he gets a little surprise of his own. The fucking Guys in White. Turns out the teeny ghoul was a decoy. Striking the "Unfriendly" Skulker, they bombard him with missiles (that he doesn’t bother to phase through, no, he just shields himself with his arms—not even a ghost shield) and drag him to their jet plane. Unable to break free, Skulker auto-ejects himself (get your mind outta the gutter), leaving the Guys in White with nothing but his robotic suit. It’s all still good, the suit is hard-wired with potential data to find and capture Danny Phantom. Just what is the Guys in White’s beef with the kid? Are they pissed he embarrass them in "the Million Dollar Ghost"? Do they hate him for breaking into their base at the tail end of "Reality Trip", or are they simply doing their jobs to eradicate all ghosts that pose some level of threat? Or are they worried he’d go power hungry and basically terrorize Earth like a God?
Tucker: Drool on a tofu-soymilk isn’t drool, it’s seasoning.
The two exchange the usual quips in the Nasty Burger while Danny silently stares at Valerie (still an employee) with a passion of a thousand Fabios. As Valerie leaves for work, she gives Danny a passing smile after he waves. Tucker, Master of Rejection tells Danny to let go and move on. Danny’s trying, but it’s hard to get over someone you like, but can’t be with, a situation Sam perfectly relates to. Enough to spit back her prune or plum or grape juice...soda. Tucker eggs her on about it (again), but a smack with her soda shuts him up proper. "All I know is you’ll never catch me going googly-eyed over some—"
Wait. Hold the Phone. Stop the press. Release the elephants. Ground Control to Major Tom. Who IS that hunk of chunk of fiiiiiiine over there? Lancer brings out a white haired, sunglasses sporting, sleek looking young man and introduces the foreign exchange student (from Hungary) as Gregor. He makes a good first impression by milking off a pun of his native country, prompting a girlish giggle from Sam. Let me repeat that: a girlish giggle from SAM. Danny however flinches in annoyance. Oh, come on! I know you guys are playing the jealously card, but this occurred no more then thirty seconds after he confessed his still developed feelings for Valerie! Lancer notices the immediate interaction between him and the trio (well, him and Sam) and leaves because he "doesn’t get paid overtime". Why the fuck are you even dragging a student to the Trio at the Nasty Burger? Shouldn’t he be introduced in class? Since when did Danny, Tucker, and Sam constitute as the entire Casper High representatives? That’s just a cheap way of introducing him. Gregor could have just easily popped him, declared he was a foreign exchange student, then make with the flirting.
To one up his first impression, Gregor announces he’s an Ultra-Recyclo Vegetarian, prompting Sam to smile from ear to ear. She then introduces herself, giddy and excited ("Why am I still talking? I’m such a spaz.") After a brief stare between the two (and a glare from Danny), decoy ghost appears. Customers scream while Gregor confusingly gets used to the strange sight of flying Ectos. Welcome to Amity Park, kid. That doesn’t stop him and Sam from staring at one another calmly while Danny handles the little bastard. Why the fuck does he need a dime to unlock the men’s room? He can phase through it! Tucker can even serve as cover up from the panicking people who probably doesn’t give a shit about a fourteen-year-old going to use the bathroom right now.
Danny flies out of the Nasty Burger, but finds no ghost, but the Guys in White who got better. A lot better. But in a complete Inigo Montoya moment, Danny got better, too. He dishes out all he’s got and ends it by blinding the two with an Ecto Ray. Operative M and O fall off their mini-aircraft and into somebody’s swimming pool. With that over, it’s time to take care of a "smarmy foreign exchange" student. Gregor is walking down the streets with Sam and Tucker (the latter who upright abandons Danny!). Tucker is mad impressed with Gregor’s advanced PDA (Europe = six months ahead) and in an act of European gesture, declares to "beam him" the info to his own device. He also sucks Tuck into the latest of European Goth fashion; beret goes on the other way. It blocks his view, but Tucker doesn’t care; anything to impress the lady. Despite the layer of white (which is also a European Goth thing), Sam continuously finds new reasons to hump the guy. Danny witnesses all this from above; his two best friends sucked into that pretty boy in less then three minutes.
At a motel, the Guys in White (who somehow managed to lug in all their equipment inside...unless the motel is just a front—*cue the dog with the evil shifty eyes!*)—locates the various hang-outs where Danny Phantom potentially might be. Alright, am I the only one who thinks this scene may have accidentally been planted post-maturely? They mentioned Nasty Burger as one of his primary hanging spots, but they already invaded it! The next scene cuts to Casper High for crying out loud!
Speaking of, Tucker sports his new hip backwards view-blocking beret, bumping into passerby on the school hallway. Agitated, Danny tells Tucker to stop being a douchebag and flip it back to normal. Tucker declines and instead changes the subject to Gregor who is further emphasized by a chipper Sam. I can only imagine the reactions her parents gave her when they saw their daughter like this. The opposite of what she represents.
Sam: I’ve been looking for you.Danny: Where? In Gregor’s locker?
Sam: Whoa, thank you, Joe Hostility.
Danny: Look, I’m sorry Sam, I’m just saying that Gregor—
Gregor: That "Gregor" what?
BUSTED. Danny nervously shuts himself up, but ol’ Gregor doesn’t care that he’s talking behind his back; he’s cool like that. He even compliments Danny’s shirt before walking away with Sam. Tucker tries to enlighten Danny, but he still doesn’t trust him. Then his ghost sense ring-a-lings. An Ectopuss terrorizes the school grounds. Danny transforms inside an empty classroom and follows the creature until he thoroughly gets tentacle-smacked by him. I just love how History 101’s bulletin list looks like scribbled Latin-ish writing. The creature leads Danny to the school pool where the Guys in White use a water bomb. Unfortunately it only works for deep water use. That is a terribly interrupted sentence, it takes him like fifteen seconds for him to finish when he had every opportunity before the kaboom. Danny gets blown off (he phases himself out) and Lancer (who wanted to relax by reading/eating by the pool) gets soaked. So, the Ectopuss isn’t strictly a one-employer kind of guy. He’s been cheating on Vlad! For shame. FOR. SHAME.
That night, Danny confesses to Tucker that Gregor may be part of the Guys in White in account of their coincidental show-up whenever he’s around; not to mention the white clothes and hair (though the Guys in White are bald). Tucker’s reluctant to believe (besides, he wants that PDA upgrade so badly), but that doesn’t stop Danny from doing some unwarranted spying. And with his ghost powers, that’s a huge advantage. This is nothing short of creepy, knowing your closest friend can see you sleep at night and you wouldn’t know it. Playing Sam’s rational role, Tucker cries out, "It’s a bad idea!" Gregor and Sam, walking by at this point has the former complimenting his "shout to the heavens" routine (Another European thing apparently), then flips his beret on backwards. Danny flips it back, and then commences his plan. "It’s still a bad idea!" Funny, you didn’t seem to inject the same opinion when Sam did the same towards Danny.
What follows is a simple date between the two, complete with musical cue from Danny and Valerie’s date. H-How does Danny’s shadow appear on the movie projector if he’s invisible? Maybe there’s some science stuff I don’t know about or the writers did not do their research. I also find it hilarious that Sam is watching a romance chick flick, completely not her style. Date Gregor any longer and she could end up like her parents. "Oh man, if they share a strand of spaghetti, I’m gonna hurl." Danny later declares as he witnesses the two Lady and the Tramp style(you know which scene I’m talking about) at the Amity Mall.
Coincidentally, the Guys in White have just exited Sophia’s (named after Hartman’s daughter, by the way) just in time for their alarms to also coincidentally beep. How coincidental. Also for insightful viewers, the Abyss store is back, complete with Fleecy Tees. Looks like they got some shipments after all). The Guys in White bust out the big guns and smacks Danny out the mall and to prove they have gotten better, they don "Intangibility Suits" and phase out of the building. Well, damn. Sam also notices the background noises while slurping up a spaghetti strand which incidentally did not connect with Gregor’s. Danny, pissed at the GiWs finally asks why the fuck are they always on his tail. Get past the long words and it generally makes out as, "You’re a ghost that operates freely, we can’t allow that". In short, you ghost bad. We Government good. Oooh, so that’s why. They also called him pre-pubescent which props Danny to whip out a single chest hair to prove otherwise. Hilariously adorable scene. He gets gunned down again, but he smarts up and turns human, hiding behind a car until the Guys in White passes.
Oh, but it only gets better. Gregor and Sam exit the mall and walks nearby Danny where Gregor pulls off the ol, "Oh, you-got-something-on-your-lips" move and kisses her. Danny is crushed. "I’m beginning to think spying is best left to soulless government drones." He flies off (love that expression) in shock, leaving Sam to push Gregor away. Things are going a little too fast (Really?! Sam, you wrapped your arms around him and took it in!), but Gregor understands how the "American girls" think and respects her opinion to take it slow. Honestly, what American chick doesn’t kiss on the first date? Sam however has things to think about (I like the serene musical cue playing around this point), but she’s about to change her mind damn quickly when Danny casually and not so subtly remarks about it with her the next day.
"You used your ghost powers to SPY ON ME?! You really crossed the line!" She shrieks. Okay, stop. Stop. Sam, you have absolutely NO RIGHT to complain. You did the EXACT thing to Danny in "Flirting With Disasters". Your excuse that Valerie is dangerous falls right out of the roof when I know you were just jealous. Danny’s doing exactly the same. YOU "crossed the line" as well and hell, Danny took it a lot better then you did, so calm the hell down, you hypocritical bitch. This is just blatant double standard here, Ventress! Danny retaliates and cries he was spying on Gregor, saying he’s so a Guy in White. *sigh* I miss Danny arguing with Sam on equal footings. "The only way a boy can like me is if it was part of a plot to get you?! Ego much?" Gregor at this point barges in to ask Sam something. She interrupts, agreeing to do whatever he wants and leaves, dragging the foreigner with her.
Tucker cheers Danny up by playing the Loyal Friend card. He’ll spy on Sam and Gregor for him until the heat dies down between the Guys in White and Danny. Oh, NOW Tucker’s also a hypocrite. Sheesh. Tucker makes a bad exit with his eye-covered beret (he falls into a conveniently planned manhole), but Danny’s concentration is on the Guys in White, both of whom pester Lancer, tracing his old Purple Back Gorilla report to him. I love continuity! Lancer refuses to say a word, but you don’t say "no" to the Government...and their tax file accesses. That gets the teacher blabbing and Danny to stay out of the way and let Tucker do his thang.
At the Skulk and Lurk bookstore, Gregor bypasses a Back to the Future reference and picks up an Edward Gory book (the "e" in Gorey is taken out, either they misspelled or it was meant for protection purposes—which may not matter since he died nine years ago), commenting on Sam’s awesome taste in dreary novels. Since when is "A Match made in Space" considered Goth material? From what George MyFly is into, it sounds more Sci-Fi/Romance to me. Tucker barges in, but the two don’t mind, especially Sam who takes this time to shout out to the heavens that a certain somebody had better not be spying on them. Ahh, she does his country proud. Tucker interrupts their date further by being the annoying pest that he is; making Gregor lose his concentration on miniature golf and getting intimate with a Nasty Burger. Sam is thoroughly peeved, but patient Gregor takes it with good [American] humor. Is that a Nasty Burger I see on his plate? I thought he was supposed to be a Veggie, too. Bad animation error...or clever foreshadowing? Lastly, he gets literally in-between them at Sam’s manor, the trio (as in Gregor, Sam, and Tucker—no Danny) watch *squints* Gone with the Wind, I think. Tucker’s cell phone rings in what is quite possibly the most ironic of the geek’s gadgetry. The cell phone is outdated and the sound is 8-bit cheap, hardly fitting for a Techno-Geek. But Danny’s phone is even worse—it looks like it came out of an early nineties grave. Have any of these animators ever seen a cell phone of this time period?! Tucker reports everything is a-okay, course he’s only saying that cuz’ he thinks Gregor rocks. Hanging up, Danny dejectedly realizes both his friends dumped him for Gregor. Hmm, Tucker/Sam/Gregor. I may regret saying this, but did anyone ever fanfic a threesome with these guys?
The next day, Danny works up the proper tone to confront Gregor, but the Hungarian already beat him to the punch. He sits Danny down and correctly guesses that he isn’t appreciated, that he wants to protect Sam. Danny hints something more. Gregor is once again right on the money when he figures out his feelings for her. Damn, one episode and already his less clueless then Danny in the love department. "You hesitate which means you are unsure. I am not, and I’m going to ask her out." He hopes they can still hang out and as an act of European gesture; he kisses Danny in the cheeks. Both of ‘em. I don’t care if Europeans are seemingly more affectionate, I’m milking this for all its worth. So yes, you can take advantage and get mileage out of this scene. It was begging to be fanart’ed. Unlike the attempted threesome, this one I’ve seen. Gregor leaves by the time Danny’s stunned look wears off, so his angry retort is all for naught. It’s cool, Danny, a lot of people—especially teenagers—are confused with their sexuality. When you turn gay or bisexual, get back to me; I got a billionaire villain waiting for you.
He later watches Sam and Tucker walking away with Gregor (the former holding his hand). His buddies feels guilty, but Gregor, under the innocent impression that he’s not splitting up the Trio merrily waves to Danny. Then it gets worse. The Guys in White later accuse the Fenton Folk’s son for hanging around ghosts, tracing him via Tucker’s PDA. Jack orders Danny in, but the Guys in White declare him "too pre-pubescent" to be the ghost boy (and Dash too much of an oaf as well). Offended, Danny witness Operative M and O cutting down their suspects to one: Gregor with their only "compelling" evidence: his white hair. Uh-Oh, Spaghetti-Os.
Tucker, still clinging to the new couple discovers a new moon in the Observatory. Gregor pulls Sam aside and asks to go steady with her, but only if they dump Sergeant Retard over there. Sam disagrees and gives off the same reason Grace does with her boyfriends: you date her, you date her best friends. Tucker interjects, but Gregor has had enough of his antics. He looses the accent and tells Tucker to fuck off. Turns out he isn’t a Hungarian foreign exchange student, just an average American boy who wanted to get in Sam’s pants. The kicker is that he really did like her. In some small way, faking his true persona to meet that of Sam’s is heartwarming, but still wrong. Oh so wrong. Not that it stops him from moving onto the cheerleaders the moment Sam finishes the relationship (before it could start).
"Can I hit him for you?" Tucker asks. No need, the Guys in White got it covered, sending a fucking missile his way. Ho, shit. Gregor runs for his life while Sam and Tucker does nothing but stare in horror. The latter does do something when a giant world globe statue is about to crush the imposter. He swoops in and saves his poser ass. Nice. They’re one missile away from being blasted to kingdom come, but Danny, having found ‘em from the Guys in White’s habit of big destruction phases the two out of the plane (don’t worry, G-Rated parents, the plane crash-lands away from the kids) and threatens them or else. The "or else" is dumping them in mud, something their chief commander (who comes out of nowhere) frowns upon. Gregor, known by his true name Elliot, has had enough of this shit and runs away; next stop, Michigan.
Danny apologizes the next day for spying. See? SEE!? Something you never did, Sam! The Goth One is back to her gloomy deposition, more so now that she finds out she’s a perfect target for phony boyfriends. Her friends cheer her up, especially Danny whose compliments render him in spaz mode. He stops just short of calling her "pretty" which is enough to make Sam blush. Tucker meanwhile tries the backwards beret one last time to pick up chicks. He gets an off-screen double slapping.
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Article Written in: Apr. 19, 2009
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