Coming straight off the bandwagon from "Kindred Spirits", all that is love is lost. After the incriminating charges Danny did to Vlad’s clone lab and his perfect clone, Vlad entered a villainous breakdown the likes of which anyone has ever seen from the usually calm and rational man. His bitter anger and frustrations has finally taken over and his brilliantly uttered rant after an apologetic Danny makes it clear: his yearnings for a half ghost son are over. He and Danny are mortal enemies from now on. And that starts Season Three with a bang.
What started off as innocent, harmless pranks turns into nightmarish dictatorship ruled by Vlad’s iron fist. The consequences are dire when you mess with a billionaire and the battle, lengthier and riskier. Vlad continues to be the diabolical bastard we know and love, utilizing new and bolder plans. When one topples, he has another up his sleeves. The sheer brilliance of Vlad’s character is that for as much loss he claims, he is an endless source of vindictive creativity. He relishes on what little victory he has, then either rubs it in Danny’s face or turn it into something grander. The sheer badassery is matched by Martin Mull who delivers Vlad’s quick mood swings from pompously charming to quick causality to violent temper with ease, flow, and care. There is no one who could voice him with the charisma that Mull’s voice possesses.
But Vlad’s goals aren’t without karmic punishment. His biggest flaws is that he still underestimates Danny and his abilities. Pummeled extensively in battle or not, Danny slowly is getting better combating Vlad one-on-one without the aid of Fenton gadgets or added enhancements. Danny is maturing, meaning he’s quicker on the draw and highly suspected, never once relaxing or uncaring. Though he started off the prank, Danny is fast to react on Vlad’s many throwbacks and counter just as equally. The two are gravely similar then Danny cares to admit, but the boy can use that without getting corrupted and veiny. And most importantly, Danny is smart to know when enough is enough; he has grown to suck in his pride and apologize to Vlad. For that brief moment, Danny is more adult then Vlad is, even if he’s faced with the grim realization that the real world is far less kind then he thinks. It is through this that Vlad will have to accept that he’s become more then the boy he first met.
The only flaw I have is Vlad’s seemingly random entrée into politics. While his first and prominent reason is to control the very town Danny lives, it came out of the blue and didn’t feel as natural as the rest of the pranks. Still, it’s a major leap in character development and a new outlook into the Danny Phantom world. Along with new ghost powers (disappointingly no firebending to counter Danny's ice abilities), Vlad is believable as a villain who truly wants to put the hurt—emotionally and physically—on Danny and it is only through Hartman’s meddling that he didn’t take in the potential Marmel and Ventress boldly hinted. Just watch the next episode and you’ll see what I mean.
For the time, relish in very last of the Marmel-inspired Danny Phantom because the train wreck starts after this. It makes this episode all the more special, intense, and perverse (I thank Marmel/Ventress for the last one especially).
9.5/10
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Article Written revised in: Aug. 21, 2009
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