TITLE: Memory Blank: Yeah, but Danny's feelings for Sam sure hasn't...
LOGO: “The Episode You Won’t Forget!”
EPISODE #: 21
SEASON: 2
AIRDATE: June 24, 2005
DIRECTOR: Butch Hartman, Ken Bruce, Gary Conrad
WRITERS: Steve Marmel
STORYBOARD: Butch Hartman, Wincat Alcala, Sam Bullock, Fred Reyes, Shawn Murray
ART DIRECTIONS: Bob Boyle
MUSIC: Guy Moon
APPEARANCE: Danny and Sam, Tucker, Dash, Kwan, Paulina, Jack Fenton, Mikey, Lancer, bunches of school students, Reggae Disco Jockey
GHOST APPEARANCE: Femalien, Terminatra, and Nightmerica (1st appearance--though to be fair, they’re not so much as ghost as they are manifested monsters/cyborgs/burnt faced humans conjured by one) Desiree
FENTON GADGET APPEARANCE: Fenton Deflector, Jack o' Nine Tails
LESSON: This episode just proves Danny isn’t a kid-friendly imaged teenager as most cartoons tend to portray them as: he sneaked inside a Girl’s Locker Room AND shoot Ecto Ray out of his ass, the kid’s hormones is a beast crying out in hunger, HUNGER!
SUMMARY: A frustrated Sam endlessly waits for her two best friends so they can get to school on time. Danny and Tucker (minus the drool, but equally in awe) stare at the Gi-normo 6000, a giant beast of those incredibly horrible looking monstrous Hummers. While the boys busy themselves on humping its prime, pump, and equally sized monster wheels, Sam lists all the dangerous environmental hazard presented on the car--no, wait--monster vehicle (“Owl Leather?” Wha…). Being the Greenpeace Samaritan that she is, Sam asks Danny to haunt the car shop with his ghostly powers. Wising up to the hypocrite (“Splitting Images”, Sammie), Danny refuses with Tucker as back up, pointing out another folly of Sam’s misbegotten youth that landed Danny boy in trouble.
An obligatory flashback occurs, a month prior to “Mystery Meat” where Sam managed to convince Danny to show off the then nonworking Ghost Portal, taking pictures to complete her stalking inducing Danny scrapbook she probably has lying somewhere in her bedroom. A reluctant Danny hurries Sam with her constant pushing before his parents arrive, but she further manipulates him into exploring the possibilities within the Ghost Portal, working or not. Oh, Danny, considering it’s not just Vlad, but Sam that can snap your mind back and forth like a paddleball, you really are a naïve child. I can’t blame you, this is before Season Two (the beginning parts anyways) and Season Three--hell, BEFORE Season One, so I’ll let it slide, but don’t think you’re getting off any easier after Season One, buddy. Wearing a purely white jumpsuit (minus the Jack icon on his chest which Sam takes off out of embarrassment), Danny curiously explores the crevices of the portal, accidentally pushing the “on” button and...wait, why the hell am I explaining this to you? You people only seen the intro like sixteen bazillion times at this point, the lyrics probably emitted into your mind while the more openly obsessed no life fans screen cap every single frame of animation of it.
Flashback ends and Sam defends herself. In theory, I’d defend myself at this point, too; logical considering Danny sees his powers as a GIFT (or at least a good cause) at this point, I don’t see why both he and Tucker need to address the issue any further at this point of the episode. Adding to her defense, she tells Danny to crush a few trucks. “Sam, I’m the good guy, so unless these super awesome trucks are being used for evil I can’t do anything.” A startling mature Danny explains. Quite noticeably, Inviso-Bill crushing a few trucks would add bigger waters of pain then he already has over his head since “Public Enemies”, so seriously, use your head, Manson. Danny and Tucker continue their all encompassing love for all things trucks, leaving Sam to walk off to school alone, stating she wished someone would destroy those damn things. Fortunately for her, Desiree hears from a close distant (unbeknownst to Sam though) and grants her wish by making a giant cow located atop a dairy store come to life, destroying the trucks and evoking Danny’s wrath. You wouldn’t like it when he’s angry.
We never get to see the fight because the intro song blocked most of it (the title card was very clever to hide Danny’s new chest insignia--oops, I‘m sorry, did I SPOIL something that aired nearly three years ago?), though Danny waltzes off the winner, just covered in milk (Tucker, too). Sam complains about the cruelty of fake cows. *sighs* She then proceeds to gush over the release of “Trinity of Doom”, a movie composed of female monsters (Femalien, Terminatra, and Nightmerica--Aliens, Terminator, and Freddie Kruger parody respectfully) kicking the shit out of each other. Danny finally realized how to remove the milk stains him by phasing himself and later Tucker while Sam declares the two boys promised they’d go with her on Friday, so she already has tickets bought. Cue Paulina (well, that’s a surprise) who sounds incredibly nervous (at first) on asking Danny to her Quinceañera (15th) birthday party this Friday and forgetting to invite Tucker and remembering not to invite Sam. Paulina passes an invite each to the two, knowing Danny wouldn’t come without them, stating her party will be held in a country club during a meteor shower. It seems Danny’s dreams of any romantic chance with Paulina might come true…until he realizes he’s only invited because of the off shot Danny Phantom will come, she having figured out the pattern that Phantom only comes whenever Fenton is around. Oooh, close, but no cigar. Either way, both he and Tucker are giddy as jackrabbits until Sam points out the movie happens at the same time as the party and those tickets are nonrefundable, damn it! For once, I agree with Manson, after all, a promise is a promise and come on; you guys are being rat bastards. What better a movie with friends then a party with some chick who hates the outie and inners of your very body and soul? Oh, but Saaaaaaaaaaaam, “Pretty please with those dark licorice sprinkles and the black frostings you like with those little gummy bats on top?” Sam reluctantly agrees to join the two knuckleheads and wished something bad happened to Paulina, not that she’d wished that. Desiree pops in, declaring “she did say “wish”, then commencing to fire her powers at the movie poster.
“Thousands of meteors will be visible in the skies of Amity Park this Friday. People tend to wish upon these…falling stars…without realizing that at the speeds they’re falling, they could drill through your tiny skulls like they were wet toilet papers!” Lancer states to his class the following day. Lancer, with that kind of attitude, I think you’d be great candidate for companionship with another Nickelodeon teacher: Ms. Bitters of Invader Zim fame, some of her inspiring words being how reality is one horrible, nightmare vision and how society is “nothing but perilous houses of cards destined to collapse under its own weight”. Needless to say, I think I’d be interested in having a teacher like that, or terrifying. Sam chocks off Lancer’s words (despite how Gothically gruesome it sounds) to focus on making various “DP” logos. Seriously, Manson, stalker-crush. Paulina shares her own brand of crush (which I’ll deem the Bubbly Pink-Crush) on her wish to meet Danny Phantom while Dash wishes for extra arms for football and double the wailing he can administer towards Danny whom he proceeds to punch anyways. His ghost sense comes through at this point and Femalien bursts through from the ceiling, uttering Paulina’s name. While she thinks it’s “cool” (note to self: giant, evil monsters uttering your name is never cool, it’s traumatizing--although it’s hard to take it seriously when that monster has two pink bows on her hair), Lancer smacks it with a fire extinguisher to no avail. Well, he tried, so he settles for pulling the fire alarm and telling everyone to bolt.
While the students are in the midst of panic, Danny turns ghost and phases Femalien away from Paulina, though not in time for him to hear Paulina officially try to invite him. The beast manages to smack Danny with his tail and send a barrage of missiles that the boy easily dodges sans one that only cuts part of his sleeve before he takes her down with one teeny Ecto Blast. Riiiiight. Demanding who sent her, Femalien utters Sam’s name and vanishes. Desiree witnesses this from behind and flies off. Danny’s ghost sense curiously is not triggered, making way for the next scene. There Danny and his posse curiously decipher why it uttered Sam’s name with Danny’s conclusion being she had something to do with it, just not sure how. Giving her the Specter Deflector, Danny tells Sam to lay low for the time, all the while as Sam takes this all in with as much acceptance as her cumbersome nature allows her to AKA not at all. Terminatra appears next (looking pretty durn hot, by the way); pursuing Paulina who’s aboard her motorized scooter, dress in hand for her party. Danny goes ghost and makes off with the rescue with an angry Sam in pursuit, refusing to be belittled, especially after his (and Tucker’s) broken promise. Terminatra manages to capture Danny by transforming every part of her body sans her head into one giant net, capturing and electrocuting him. So, it’s okay to show him being tied down and fried here, but in “D-Stabilized”, it’s only advisable off-camera?! Terminatra dumps Danny into the water fountain, turning him human from the extraneous pain.
Enter Sam who turns on the Specter Deflector and rams Terminatra with her motorized scooter (the more toy-like kind), causing the latest monster chick to disappear while uttering Sam’s name. Danny praises her before accusing her again, receiving a shock from the Specter Deflector in the process upon touching her hand (she was trying to lift him from the water fountain). What follows is a rather amusing argument between the two:
Sam: Uh, Excuse me? I save your butt and you’re giving me grief?Danny: Welcome to my world, remember? We should make the menu recyclo-vegetarian, we should let the gorilla out, we should sell all of your dad’s stuff at a garage sale. (To be fair, Danny, the last one was your idea, still, I like the use of past episodes as explanation and continuity).
Sam: Anything else you want to blame me for? World Hunger? The Ice Age? Puberty? (Sorry, Manson, I know you’re pissed, but those aren’t good enough arguments to counter back)
Danny: Sam, both monsters knew your name. Either there’s another Sam involved in ghost fighting or it’s you.
Sam: How about a “thank you”, huh? You think Paulina would have saved your butt back there? Danny: She would if she wanted me to come to her party! (Okay, this isn’t exactly good counter back either).
Sam: *SIGH* Danny, I swear there are days I wish I had never even met you!
Sam rides off, leaving a guilt-ridden Danny behind. To make matters worse, Desiree appears to grant Sam’s wish, but not before explaining the obligatory villain speech of her plans for world domination, this time gaining powers through the many wishes that’ll occur once the Meteor shower begins. With it, she triggers Sam’s desire. By the next day, after Dash and Kwan commences nerd stuffing in an empty locker, Danny asks Tucker if there’s anything to do; Tucker checks his PDA, but until college, they have absolutely no life. Sam approaches from behind, causing Danny to ask who the devil she is. She thinks it a joke, but things turn creepy when Tucker starts flirting with her (“That’s T.F. as in “too fine.”). Before she can begin to contemplate, little adorable nerd Mikey is stuffed in the locker. He wishes out loud for someone to teach Dash and Kwan a lesson (complete with his puberty changing voice) causing Desiree to gain it for him, turning him into some…crocodile…monster. He gets his revenge; Desiree gains more power (added bonus as she spooks Danny who has no memories of his life as Danny Phantom, only because he has none in existence). Sam tells Danny to go ghost, but Danny, already frustrated on this chick he doesn’t know, runs off…away from Desiree. Realizing the full impact of all this, Sam stares at Danny’s open locker to find a picture of the Trio in the eighth grade…only it’s a duo with the Goth girl missing from it, completely evident when she pulls out the same copy from her diary. She bolts to gain Danny’s attention…
…all the way to Fenton Works as she asks why he won’t believe her. Danny states a rather convincing reason why (“Believe what? That I had superpowers? You and I are best friends even though I never met you and you’re the only one that knows it?”) and slams the door on her face. Logically, even if he did witness a ghost, a boy having superpowers and having no memories of a girl that he never met in this lifetime is sure to ring some cynical views, especially since this is a path Danny slowly travels down on (at least the way I see it), even if he did still see a ghost, though I can wager that on his paranormal obsessed parents. Sam ponders on how to get into the “thick-headed mind of a 14-year-old boy” (Oh, do NOT get me started on YOUR thick head) and finds the solution…by dressing up in the world’s most fugliest outfit I’ve ever seen the next day at the local Pharmacy. Even by lack of fashionable standards, no one would ever dress in that outfit at this time and period.
Still, it manages to arouse Danny (apparently, he has a thing for poorly dressed chicks) and slams Tucker out of the way for her. “She surrendered her individuality for a boy, I’m so proud of her!” Paulina squeaks. Quite possibly one of the funniest lines of this show ever. Sam sits next to a gawking Danny and compares the two pictures, one, which Danny thinks is photoshopped. This actually turns him on--creepy--but turned on, “You must really like me…or you’re nuts…” He turns serious when he sees photos of his basement lab and eventually his life as Danny Phantom (and the photo of him and Tucker in homo pose from “What You Want”). Sam starts to explain to the best of her ability of his powers and the reason why she knows all that through the Specter Deflector which she had on to prevent Desiree from wiping her memories off. So that means Sam’s sorta wish for something bad to happen to Paulina is still on when Nightmerica busts through a wall with her big damn claws and wrecks havoc for the Hispanic beauty. With Danny out of commission (under the pretense that he’s currently a sissy pants right now), Sam displays open ghostly justice by slashing up a makeshift mask for herself with Tucker’s beret, then sucking Nightmercia inside the Thermos after tying her up with the Jack o’ Nine Tails. The mask itself is incredibly pointless, considering neither of these weapons were meant to hide the Fenton parents’ identity (people know who they are and what they do) but built to kick ghostly ass. Whatever it is, it gains Danny’s attention (both seriously and romantically) and Sam relieves herself from the fruity outfit.
Taking her to Fenton Works, Tucker keeps a look out as Sam makes sure the portal is in exact position. Donning the white jumpsuit, Danny is about to go in, but not before Sam takes off the Jack logo and slaps something else on it. Diving inside, Danny activates the portal the same way he did prior and turns into his alter ego, now with a brand spankin’ new logo, giving his suit a small, but less empty feel on his outfit, and one confused teenager. Incidentally, I find it very funny how the writers are potentially making a satirical stab at super heroic outfits, which compose mostly of spandex inducing jumpsuit. The fact that Danny wears one on his trip to the portal, considering his family’s stock of ‘em in an almost joking manner, it has got to be some form of jabbing of that particular comic trope around as much as it is an homage. Jack sets foot in when he hears noises (after all this time, the characters aren’t blind to a LOUD thing going off) and steps downstairs as Danny panicking, tries to undo his ghostly powers. He succeeds by giving Sam a fake out, make out, thus admitting more Danny/Sam to it’s growing flock. Jack doesn’t approve of this (playing overprotective father, not a fan of Goths, thinks she’s getting Danny and Tucker in trouble by playing around in his lab?) and demands who Sam is. She states she’s Paulina, causing Jack to ban Danny from seeing Paulina again and turning Sam into one happy bat-obsessed chick. She really is a manipulative genius. If I wasn’t thrown in disgust by it, she and Vlad could make a devious pairing.
Back in school (lovely sky coloring), Danny asks Sam what the next phase of her plan is while accidentally phasing through her chair--which he leaned against--causing him to fall for the classmates to laugh towards and Lancer to criticize. By the way, Sam has no idea yet; she’s just making it up as she goes. The classroom leaves afterwards, Paulina and Dash talking about the meteor shower wishes, prompting Sam to figure out Desiree’s plans while Danny handles his intangibility/invisibility as he accidentally phases himself down, proclaiming why there’s meat down there. I just realized now that that’s a “Mystery Meat” reference. My God, this episode is a treasure trove of continuity and in-jokes. Bravo, writers, Bravo and I meant that in the most non-sarcastic way possible.
The party starts on par Paulina’s cue (return of Reggae Disco Jockey!), wearing a different dress because that one is a tad more detailed then the one she carried off when Terminatra chased her. It has to…because I’m anal like that. Sam spies the party from her binoculars and spots a falling star. Warning her friends not to make a wish, she tells Danny to go ghost. Turning into Phantom is a new experience for him as he nervously/awkwardly covers himself during the process. He then panics on his missing legs, having been replaced with his ghostly tail before regaining it back…then having wispy arms. Poor guy has no clue. Desiree appears as more meteors fall. Sam tosses him the Thermos and instructs him on its usage. Danny gets a clue and tries to fly his way to Desiree who gets more powerful on every wish, including Tucker who wished for one of those Hummers from the beginning, turning into a literal monster truck (hey, he wished for monster truck, he got it). After figuring out his flight and shooting Desiree with an Ecto Ray…from his ass, not to mention Desiree’s frustration that he’s returned, Danny struggles with the thermos. Desiree smacks him down like a fly and conjures ghostly beasts from behind, ones the people from the party doesn't notice (cuz’ they have their eyes close and are busy wishing). A desperate Sam (struggling with evil plants--who the heck wished for those?!) realizes she can wish the entire terrible incident away. So she does and Danny gets a quick tutorial on ghost fighting 101, regaining memories of his past bouts. Now this is something I wish the writers and animators shown scenes from past episodes instead of new footage (rather badly drawn and off-model), considering all the other continuity nods they gave. And the scene of him phasing out of the girl’s locker room. OH. MY. GOD. The backlash from fans because of this one single little panel became a mini-warzone. *shakes head* With his old life back in gear, Danny expertly sucks up Desiree, rendering the town normal. He then asks Sam if she did anything to his outfit to which she casually replied she didn’t. Ya know, nevermind the backlash on the girl’s locker room incident, THIS conjured up a roar from fandom.
Watching the party from afar, Sam states Danny should see Paulina as the ghost boy; he has a promise to keep. Indeed he does…and so he and Tucker accompany Sam to the movie theater where he contemplates his life without Sam. Sam in return apologizes and hopes to forget all this mess. Romantic blushes occurs from both and Tucker interjects. The fact that Sam actually apologized here gains bonus points from me. Close Scene.
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Article written in: Jan. 28, 2008
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