TITLE: Pirate Radio (More literal then illegal music downloads)
LOGO: "It will SHIVER your timbles" (Yep, innuendo riiiiiiiight there)
EPISODE #: 23
SEASON: 2
AIRDATE: July 22, 2005
DIRECTOR: Butch Hartman, Wincat Alcala, Kevin Petrilak
WRITERS: Sib Ventress
STORYBOARD: Butch Hartman, Wincat Alcala, Ben Balistreri, Lothell Jones, Bob Pratt, Fred Reyes
ART DIRECTIONS: Bob Boyle
MUSIC: Guy Moon
APPEARANCE: Bunches of kidnapped parents and adults--including a just married couple (1st and for most, only appearance), Danny, Tucker and Sam, Fenton Family, Dash, Kwan, Paulina, other High school kids no one would bother to glance at for more then two seconds, Lancer
GHOST APPEARANCE"Youngblood and Pirate Crew (1st appearance)
FENTON GADGET APPEARANCE: Fenton Grappling Hooks, Fenton Jumpsuits, Fenton Blimp, Fenton Opt-Center (the inner parts anyway), Fenton Skateboard, Fenton Staff, Fenton whatever! Fenton Ghost Shield
LESSON: What does gym equipments, easy listening, and pirates have in common? Nothing, but whatever drug you're one, I want some.
SUMMARY: “Clear skies, no moon; a perfect night for stargazing.” The space lovin’ Danny starts, gazing via telescope with his buddies (no wonder, we get some beautiful star animations here). And what better to eye the final frontier then the roof of FentonWorks (or any part of my backyard, the perfect place for stargazing that doesn‘t require driving to a remote location, in my opinion), away from those damn suburban lights that blocks nightly view...even if Fenton Works wastes more light bulb then then entire neighborhood combined. Sam points out their only mood ruiner, a mellow tune broadcasted on the stereo they brought up. No amounts of radio changing helps, all the radio stations plays the same tune. I consider that a raise of suspicious. But I don’t blame the Trios for not suspecting anything because in about .5 seconds, a ghost pirate ship shoots up from the ground then proceeds to launch hooks at the Fenton Ghost Shield Generator. Oh, and pirates.
“Survey says: Going Ghost.” The pirate crew takes out their pirate swords and proceeds to battle Danny pirate style, though that deters the ghost boy about as much those goddamn Jehovah's Witnesses who keep knocking at my door--the same people, too (he even makes the “come hither” finger motion which in my book is actually rather corny now, but is pretty awesome here, more specially because Danny of people is doing it). Before an EPIC WIN battle could occur though, the leader of the pirate crew makes his grand appearance, complete with hook hand slamming the deck of the ship in all it’s dramatic glory. Enter Youngblood, the child pirate brat and his lesser annoying skeleton pirate parrot (he RAWKS, but thankfully speaks in a dignified manner then standard parrot speak, whew--dodged a bullet there, Hartman).
“Hey, isn’t it past your bedtime?” Danny makes a crack shortly before Youngblood turns his hook into a makeshift slingshot and slings an Ectoplasmic ball (complete with skull imprint on it, but no crossbones) towards Danny. “Don’t call me kid, I’m mature beyond me years!” He shouts in defense. Oh yeah, because throwing temper tantrums is real mature, kid, as is the raspberry (why do they call it that?). The ghost pirates then proceeds to steal Jack’s Ghost-Shield Generator for a plot point that’ll be revealed later. Danny flies after, only to be CANNONBALL’ed right in the guts, leaving the pirates to run off scot-free. “Nice going, matey, you just got your butt kicked by Short John Silver.” Couldn’t have said it better myself. Danny is irritated and Tucker shows his ten-year-old side by giggling at the word “booty”. Anyone over the age of thirteen who finds that word funny are really ten-year-olds in disguise or very high.
The same mellow music accompanies the Fenton kitchen, enticing not just the parents, but Jazz as well. All three of them bans Danny from changing the radio station, citing it as relaxing--enough that Jack ignores the alarm indicting his missing Ghost Shield. That‘s some powerful stuff! Danny's ADD mind can take him so far. He complains about his parents’ strange behavior to school after, both Tucker and Sam chiming in their similar concern. They again hear “vapordrone” music and follow it inside the school gym where Lancer is listening to it, standing inside the radio station where DJ auditions are being held. A point that Casper High’s school got better funding then my ol’ alma matar: they have a radio station, we never did. In fact, I don’t think a lot of high schools have one or am I behind the times again? G.M. Chrysler, I’ve gotten to that point in my age where I can safely declare a generation gap between now and the youth of today.
“Sweet! Where do I sign up to get this crud of the air?” Danny declares, pushing the popular kids out the way. He tries to get the other kids' spirits up over quality music, but they instead stare at him in disbelief, he ain't no Jazz. Dash then steps in and rouses the audience, but before things get out of hand Youngblood appears with his pirate crew via a DP transformation-like entrance, complete with it’s trademark sound effect. After all the innocent bystanders run off in fear, Danny goes ghost and commences with the action as the pirates make do with stealing treadmills and exercise bikes. Why they chose a school where the hero blatantly resides is beyond me. All the membership gyms featured one too many fatty people or overeager trainers for them to take? Maybe Youngblood really is that pesky. And apparently at the moment, a great deal better strategist then Danny, trapping him by shooting hooks. Danny doesn’t even think to phase ’em, so I can conclude he’s clouded with frustration, is an idiot, or being a ghost, Youngblood’s hook has an affect that render Danny’s intangibility impossible. You know it’s a plothole if I’m trying to half-ass an explanation.
Actually, it might not be option number two because Danny turns boy genius when he suspects the pirates connection with the music, having now taken over all the adults mind in the tricounty area. Sam figures the way to counter back is through “good music” and declares they need their own radio station. And what high powered room has it? The Fenton Opt Center! Danny is hesitant at first, but is quickly convinced. He marches in to ask, but finds both them and his sister gone, all of them having spontaneously boarded the M. Bersback Cruise. Sam and Tucker are all too eager to jazz it up over their new radio station, Danny worries about the suspicious behaviors and it’s connections to the plot. You have no idea how much I’m smiling right now. Mature. Danny. By the next day, a whole bunch of parents have left for the cruise, leaving the kids completely unsupervised and Sam, incredibly happy. Immediately she and Tucker devised a party at his house with the radio-aboard-the-Opt-Center idea, using it now for entertainment then ghost hunting. Danny doesn’t care for no party and throws out the invitation. Kwan and Dash spots it and decides to “crash and trash” the whole place.
That night, Danny makes it to the cruise where it hasn’t left port yet. Getting in is an even bigger problem, the ship is lined with a...ghost shield generator. DUH DUH DUUUUH! Youngblood sneaks from behind and Danny spends yet another battle with Pirate Tykebeard. A radio transmissions jams the signals and shows the cruise’s true form as the pirate ship. Yeah...okay. Danny is defeated once more, the ship leaves (REALLY quickly), and he returns home, anguished that the pirate kid can get his crews to listen to him, but he can’t with anybody.
His return home is filled with his peers taking advantage of the whole party situation. “Not getting invited to a party is one thing, but not getting invited to a party AT MY OWN HOUSE?!” Danny unplugs his radio, but finds the sound to be in the Opt Center (essentially a techno version of “Remember”--come on, Guy Moon, you can be more diverse then that). Danny runs over and tries in vain to get them to stop. Sam meanwhile removes one of the vinyl records holding the relaxing tone, stating it makes “great scratch fodder”. Doing so pulls off a subliminal message, “Leave your kids, come for the cruise.” Danny finds it to be mind control through music and there’s only one person in town for that job! Youngblood’s pirate ship makes a timely entrance and with them, Ember, dressed in a awesome pirate gear.
Ember’s guitar waves continuously hits Fenton Works. Sam figures out the cruise line’s secret message (M. Bareback = Ember’s back) and Danny goes ghost. Danny can’t get in with the ghost shield up, leaving Ember to explain away both her and Youngblood’s entire plan: because of their mutual hatred of adults, Ember uses her music to ship the over 30’s so she can take over the world while she provides him with an endless energy source to supply her ship. Pirate ships need energy sources? It can’t fly on it’s own? Youngblood must really take to the technology scene. Problem is, Danny’s radio jam is interfering with her signal. Danny then gets pelted with Ecto bullets. He tries to block the goddamn things without creating his own shield or phasing through it. Stupid, stupid moment. He’s sent back inside the Opt Center where he and friends commence button pushing to try and activate the defense system. The pirate ship rams the house and a faltering Sam accidently scratches a DJ, sending a wavelength that counters Youngblood’s ship. Good, they have a weapon.
The pirates leave and proceed to take the adults the ol’ fashion way: kidnapping. Pirate parrot takes initiative action and steers the wheel away from Fenton Works, leaving the crew to commence hocking people. Animation error: one random adult cries in fear over an invisible ghost. The kids leave the party in panic (they felt the ram, too, of course) to see their parents whisked off. Unable to do anything about it, they start pushing and arguing with one another, all because of an overexcited Asian. Unable to get through the ghost shield, but finding below him perfect cannon fodder, Danny whips out a megaphone and rallies the kids into his own personal ghost army. He gets Paulina to disguise Tucker as an old man so he can infiltrate on the inside while Kwan leads defense to protect Sam who will continue to DJ as their only effective weapon. Danny and Dash team’s is on the offense. Geared in orange jumpsuits (different design from Jack’s), the Offense Team makes their move. TEAM PHANTOM, F*CK YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tucker is taken as the bait and Sam relays the question on how to board the ship. Danny, aware of the Opt Center’s secret, but unaware of it’s location ponders. He finds the button behind the emergency ham. It’s spoiled, by the way. What we get is arguable one of the coolest of all Fenton inventions on the basis that the entire goddamn Opt Center turns into a blimp (with Jack‘s face, yes, but still)! It gets cooler in “Reality Trip”, but I digress. While Ember and Youngblood (and the pirates) eyewitness the Fenton Blimp ramming into them, Tucker uses his techno hacking skills (I will not write it as HaXXoR or however it’s [im]properly spelled) to register the shield to shut down in a minute. Till then, Danny and his team holds off the pirate ghosts, the former unable to transform via the ghost shield. Writers, please explain “Public Enemies” then. No, really, I’ll wait here. *sits* Still, even as Fenton, he kicks just as much butt (ignore “Micro Management”) and the team itself handles fine until Ember traps them in an energy shield. Taking out the ringleader, Youngblood makes Danny walk the plank. Naturally, we don’t get sharks, we get thousands of feet of plummeting gravity. Danny doesn’t go “SPLAT” as he turns ghost and just in time for the shield to die down.
An impressively angry Ember tries to burniate our hero with her hair when he makes off with her guitar, instead getting one of the ship’s sail. She takes this cue to get the shit out of here in classic villain exit (evil laugh included), leaving Youngblood and Danny to have a swordfight: pirate cutlass vs. Ember’s tail end of her guitar. Well, more then what Sokka ever did with his sword in Avatar, though in their justification, most of their cast are actually living beings. I still [currently] find it a pointless item to own. Youngblood gets even more pissed and sends fire to his opponent, causing even more to spread on his ship. He’s ten-years-old, give him a break...or not. He did mastermind a devious plot that would have worked if things went smoothly. Lousy ghost boy. Danny frees the kids and the adults make a run for it now that there’s no music to trance them up. Danny huddles everyone together, uses his intangibility in conjuction with his flight and flies them to safety while the pirate ship crash-lands into the bottom of the sea. After a brief comment on Maddie’s desire that Jack finally exercised, Danny returns in his human counterpart, not in the least bit tired from phasing dozens of people. Well, he never really had a problem with that particular power baring the beginning in mind and that was mostly a puberty thing. Dash punches Danny in belief he left the fight scene like a coward. All the other kids think the same as well. That just leaves Jack and his family to further pin the blame on the boy.
Thinking he created the party and used the emergency Opt Center without permission, the Fenton Folks ground Danny for a month who's stuck cleaning up the mess, unable to explain the true situation. His friends are there to help him out, Tucker even relays good news, saying he pulled the Fenton Ghost Shield in reverse after he hacked into it, forever trapping Youngblood and his crew (his parrot seems to suffer some sort of claustrophobia)...until “The Fenton Menace”.
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Article written in: Jun. 26, 2008
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