“I planned on simply capturing you and letting you live the rest of your life in a cage, but now, I will rest your pelt at the foot of my bed!”


TITLE: One of A Kind: The episode starring two Gorillas—can you spot which one?
LOGO: "Shocking"
EPISODE #: 3
SEASON: 1
AIRDATE: April 10, 2004
DIRECTOR: Butch Hartman, Wincat Alcala
WRITERS: Butch Hartman, Mark Banker, Steve Marmel
STORYBOARD: Erik Wiese, Ray Angrum, Butch Hartman
ART DIRECTIONS: Bob Boyle
MUSIC: Guy Moon
APPEARANCE: Mikey, some football kid hanging with Dash, Connie, Sampson—err—Delilah (1st appearance), Main Trio, Fenton Folks, Jazz, Lancer, Dash
GHOST APPEARANCE: Box Ghost, Skulker, Business Suited Ghosts (1st)
FENTON GADGET APPEARANCE: Fenton Ghost-Gabber
LESSON: Note to Zookeepers: Under no circumstances do you blatantly put a cage lock system in the middle of a public area for some idiot to push it. HAVE SOME COMMON SENSE SO I WON'T HAVE TO SPEND AN ENTIRE SUMMARY WRITING IN CAPS!

SUMMARY: Dead silence occurs in one of the storage building located inside Amity Park Port (or whatever they call it), its content empty except for, ya know, the boxes/packages...and cookie-eating rats. Ignoring the creepy music that doesn’t dwell too far from Magus' Castle, Danny battles the Box "I-have-power-over-all-container-Cardboard-and-square." Ghost. I can’t be the only one who ponders on the possibility that Box Ghost was once a longshoreman working in AP Port, he has the stereotypical clothes to make it work. If anything, it explains the boxes. But cardboard cubes does not a threatening weapon make as a tiresome Danny cries out for Sam and Tucker. Despite their ridiculous scrawny legs, the two are somehow able to bust open a FRIGGIN’ METAL DOOR. Vitamins, it doth a body good.

Tucker delivers the blow and sucks up Box Ghost into his Fenton Thermos (a far cry on what he’ll do in latter episodes, mind you) before answering a question for an upcoming test; seals are dogs. ..........Danny, YOU ARE 14 YEARS OLD! ANY 14 YEAR OLD KNOWS WHAT THE BLOODY HELL A SEAL IS. How did this kid turn from smart to severe book dumb in the span of one episode? I think the writers are underestimating his intelligent capability. Danny shouts at his sidekicks—I mean friends—on their inadequate job of helping him: Sam as his study buddy, Tucker by helping him capture ghosts. It’s a strategy they must’ve abandoned because we never see the trio use it again. Tucker, spinning the Fenton Thermos like a basketball (LOL CUZ’ HE’S BLACK) accidentally drops it, releasing the Box Ghost and some twelve identical ghosts in suit. Do they metaphorically represent the Nickelodeon/Viacom executives? If so, that’s a niiiiice "Take that"! Tucker stupidly brings up Danny’s schedule on his PDA after, claiming they should be done with ghost hunting by now. Well, damn! Maybe if you didn’t ass around with the thermos, YOU BIG IDIOT. It’s only been two minutes and I already adore this page with CAPS.

The entire event was under secret watch by Skulker (AKA stalker), the Ghost Zone’s best ghost hunter, collector of rare and challenging Ecto-creatures. Being half ghost, Danny is especially poignant and he vows to add him to his collection of other rare ghouls—all shown trapped in a crowded floating, glowing cage. So does Skulker know Vlad is half ghost or is he in no position to capture Vlad due to his employee/employer relationship? You can see the animators were experimenting; Skulker possesses a rigid, spiky ‘do as oppose to his flame-like Mohawk later on. Box Ghost sneakily hovers near the ghost cage, but Skulker (with his back turned, no less) feels his presence and threatens him off.

One intro song later, the Fenton Work’s kitchen is filled with three out of four Fenton members: Jack and Danny enjoying a normal and relaxing breakfast and Maddie in the midst of fixing/building something. Cue older sister who comes in squealing like a fan girl, clutching "Genius Magazine", a magazine made by genius women for genius women. Not to sound misogynist, but wouldn’t it sound better if it was called "Women’s Genius Magazine", the current title just sounds vague and potentially misleading. Jazz squeals in delight when her letter was accepted, asking to interview her mother in yet another one of her ploys to normalize her family. Danny defends their jobs until Jack stuffs the Ghost Gabber in his direction, a device used to translate ghostly words into their own—a relatively useless device when 99% of ghosts speak English on this show. Jack gets Danny to test it for some reason (Jack, you don’t know your son is a ghost yet) which works perfectly when he utters a meek "boo", much to the family’s confusion. Danny takes that cue to leave for school...quickly. Maddie focus her attention on her daughter and humbly appreciates her offer, but she and her father are a team, so unless Jack is involved (who would rather be in that [women’s] magazine more then her), she will have no part of it. Jack emphasis further, declaring that "the world needs to know the Fentons are a family of genius."

"I GOT A D?!"

Scene cut to Danny in the school library who singlehandedly disproves Jack’s words when his biology test returns, three grades lower then what geniuses usually gets. Sam becomes his personal hero when she decides on his makeup assignment, a report on the critically endangered Purple Back Gorilla; only two species remind—both males. Sampson resides in the Amity Park Zoo. So is AP a major city in the DPverse? Such a rare creature like him would likely be placed in a better known zoo. Of course, Sam’s major focus on the report is to justify Sampson’s release into the wild. I know you think cages are cruel, but animals have a better chance of living longer and healthier in zoos then they would in a wild. You're essentially offering a worse choice. Danny says he’s too busy (which is code for, "I don’t give a flying fuck") until Tucker pops in, wanting to be his time manager (I thought he already was?). Danny remains reluctant until Tucker persuades him. So naturally their first order of business is to head to the zoo to research.

Skulker enters the library after, completely tangible despite the meretricious amount of public faces in plain view. Danny's ghost sense doesn’t even go off! How’s that for annoying plot inconvenience? He eyeballs the computer Sam was using, studying the location of our favorite ghost kid. School student Mikey (pre-puberty voiced) timidly asks if he’s done with the computer, unable to comprehend that Skulker sticks out like a sore thumb. Maybe he mistook him for a punk or a very, very intimidating bully. Skulker hisses and retaliates by blasting the poor boy to a wall through use of sticky ectoplasm or something. He then makes a large ham speech about how lowly a guy like Mikey could sneak up on GZ’s greatest hunter. Sheesh, relax. He flies off by the time Dash and another fellow football player/bully (not Kwan) enters to admire the anonymous bully that did this to Mikey.

At the zoo, the trio situate themselves inside a T-shaped tower (The Teen Titan’s tower?), spying Sampson from above. Did Sam use her money to bribe the zookeepers to stay past their curfew watching a gorilla scratch his ass? Sure as hell wouldn’t be able to do that in normal situations. Only Sam passes any interest in the creature (for the past six hours). Danny and Tucker could care less and both quickly drift off into dreamland, leaving Sam to do all the work—at least HER work, but not before she snaps the two hugging each other in their sleep. They share everything indeed. Who says rational ones can't be mischievous?

Meanwhile, Skulker phases from a wall of a tiger’s cage to seek his prey. The once sleeping tiger wakes up, causing a feline vs. ghost hunter wrestling event. Sampson notices this and tries to point out the incident towards Sam who has arrived to watch the gorilla in all his glory as if he’s the Messiah or something. Sampson grabs the edge of the cage door to emphasis the shit that’s going on, but Sam uses that as an excuse to free him *sigh* Okay, anyone want to tell me what IDIOT decided to built a cage door lock sequences in a public place without any security around it?! What the fuck do you think will happen if some curious eight-year-old or a sadistic adult pushes it and release a herd of elephants or lions or tigers or bears?! OH FREAKIN’ MY!

Skulker subdues the tiger and traps it in a net. He flies out to continue his search for Danny through, using his binoculars that soon alerts him of an oncoming gorilla attack. He must have faced a load of pissed gorillas in his afterlife; his goggles didn’t even register a tiger attack! Sampson starts beating Skulker’s chest until he kicks him away. Sampson retaliates by spinning Skulker like a ball then trying to bite his gauntlet. Skulker fights back by blinding him with ectoplasm and trying to net him like he did Tigger. Through a stroke of luck, Sampson grabs said net and swings him around, sending him to the (Teen Titan) tower, crash-landing next to Tucker and Danny, both of them heavy sleepers enough to remind placate when a GIANT SHATTER occurs. After he silences Sam with another blast from his Ecto-goo gun, Skulker slowly aims for Danny until SHIT, SAMPSON ATTACK. He leaps out of nowhere and continues to beat the shit out of him. Skulker again pushes the gorilla away and phases out. Fortunately this wakes Danny and Tucker, both screaming from the noise, then from hugging each other, then finally upon seeing the gorilla. Danny goes ghost and takes him back into his cage. He is quick to blame Sam (correctly), interrupting her before she can mention Skulker. Apparently this is the only chance she gets because she doesn’t say anything about it later! Tucker backs up Danny, giddy to tell the entire school that she released a gorilla until she blackmails the both with the pic she took earlier of them. You lost the game.

Another day, at Fenton Works, Maddie is being interviewed by a woman named Connie for "Genius Magazine". She has one of the most aerodynamic hairs since Tron Bonne. Jack interrupts with the Ghost Gabber, but Jazz quickly berates him and puts the thing away. She then lies about her mother, saying she's working on a new form of "self-generating energy". Maddie doesn’t bother to play along and truthfully states her experimentation are primary ghost-related. Connie raises an eyebrow, Jazz raises a silent fit. Danny and his friends return home at this point, the former looking worse for the wear, prompting a concerned Maddie. Danny makes an excuse then races to his room. Jack intervenes again.

Before Danny reaches his room, Tucker gabs he has thirteen minutes to sleep before the next schedule stop. His disgruntled patience can only take him so far—his ghost sense lets off. Opening the door, the three find Skulker waiting. He again brings out the net and drags the boy in. Skulker introduces himself and states his plans for him, then pities his lacking fighting spirit. Danny turns ghost and phases out of the net (rule of thumb, Skulker, you hunt ghosts, you get net that is phase-proofed) giving him said battle, trashing his room in the process. From the outside, Tucker and Sam try their darnest to unlock Danny’s door before heading downstairs when the Fenton family and Connie overhears the noise. Jazz quickly tries to steer Connie away from anymore potential ghostly matters, but more rumbles forces Jack to shout "Ghosts!" multiple times. Sam and Tucker tries to stall for time, the latter leaving to go to the kitchen to get some snacks while Sam makes a pathetic excuse that Danny is lifting weights. Mother knows best and she knows her son doesn’t carry exercise equipments. As he enters the kitchen, Tucker witnesses Danny crash-landing from his room to the kitchen floor, smashing the breakfast table along the way. Skulker comes down and phases himself and Danny to the basement lab. The rest of the family, Connie, and Sam reacts and enter said kitchen. Tucker thinks fast and administers some cheap martial arts move to make an excuse for the broken table. The noises again rage on and the duo zooms to the basement to take care of the "rats". This is a long way from the last episode where nobody could hear anything! The ever so perceptive Maddie heads to Danny’s room. Connie follows behind with an expressed interest on the young lad, all the while as Jazz panics as her plan falls to pieces and pieces and pieces.

Skulker is about to take Danny to the Ghost Zone to stuff him in his own cage until Sam gets in front of the portal, stalling him by crying out the inhumanity of cages, comparing it to Sampson’s situation. Kid, Skulker couldn’t be any less human. Danny takes this time to kick Skulker away who lands near Tucker and his PDA. Drooling over its technological contents, he rips out his old PDA (or whatever he has) from his gauntlet and puts in Tucker’s. Somehow, it gains the ability to launch out a friggin’ laser gun, shooting ectoplasmic rings around Danny’s arms and legs. Again, Skulker came close to succeeding until Tucker’s schedule kicks in, forcing Skulker’s jet pack to pop out and send him to the library to research Purple Back Gorillas. He phases his way out of the house, preventing future damages, flying just past Jack who shifts his eyes when he thought he saw something. The sound effect for that is absolutely priceless. Hearing his mother’s voice (FROM ALL THE WAY DOWN IN THE BASEMENT!?), Danny flies up to his room. Maddie opens the door—remaining blissfully unaware of his messy room—and introduces Connie to him. Danny quickly shuts the door though, leading Connie to think he’s "broody, messy, and reclusive, true signs of a genius".

Tucker isn’t upset over the PDA loss, he has a back-up, complete with back-up schedule. As the trio head for class, Skulker comes out in secret, "Soon, ghost boy, soon". Oooh, that’s SO evil! He makes good on his promise when chains leap out of Danny’s locker and encircles him. Skulker then appears (looking more gorilla-ish then Sampson himself) and is close to capturing him until his PDA reacts and sends him away again to purchase magazines on Purple Back Gorillas. Tucker notes the same thing is written on his PDA. Attempt number #2 comes around the school football field, at the bleachers. Sam tries to get a depressed Danny to eat while Tucker eats HIS food. Opening his milk carton, a blue...energy...sphere...ball...claw thing comes and covers Danny’s face. Skulker then comes, delivers his usual monologue, and is once again interrupted by Tucker’s schedule on more Purple Back Gorilla stuff. Figuring it out, Danny asks what his next schedule is: Gym. In the boy’s locker room, Danny manages to trick Dash into opening his gym locker by saying he’s too much of a weak wimp to bust it loose. The prideful Dash does so and is promptly blue-globbed by Skulker. He bluntly states Dash is destined for an average life, then aims for Danny, but guess what happens? Yep. Away he goes. Proving his theory true, Danny tells Tucker his confirmed suspicious, that Skulker is bound to his schedule, so the next place is the zoo. Smart Danny strikes again! Trying to make up for that seal remark earlier?

Skulker takes advantage of the stuck schedule and eyes Sampson for sign of Danny. Pissed as hell, he leaves his hiding spot and vents his anger towards the gorilla. Sampson turns around to reveal he is not Sampson, but Tucker and Sam in a gorilla tent. How the HELL did they scratch the gorilla tent’s ass so convincingly? Skulker counterattacks with multiple weapons. Holy Shit. Tucker and Sam doesn’t bother to move from their space, proving they’re a lot braver then most fourteen-year-olds (well, they did kick down a FRIGGIN’ METAL DOOR!). I’d shit my pants if I saw this guy coming at me with a platoon of guns. Tucker takes advantage of his machinery and uses his new PDA against his old, causing Skulker’s armor to retaliate against him. Skulker crossbows the PDA off of him after Tucker had his fill of fun. With a free Skulker centered in his direction, the ghost boy starts making primitive gestures, signaling Sampson to come and go postal on Skulker’s ass. Esperanto and gorilla speak, who knew the kid could be versatile? With his ghost suit damaged beyond repair, Danny and friends find the truth behind Skulker: he’s a small green blob barely a couple of inches tall. Tucker thermoes him, leaving levelheaded Sam to give the bad news: Danny has yet to find any research for the gorilla. He’s a bit disappointed, but Danny wearily accepts his flunked grade, his experience as gorilla speaker was more then worth it. Maybe not, Sampson gets close—dangerously close—and Danny discovers something no teenage boy should ever discover from a gorilla.

"Nobody at the zoo bothered to see if it was a boy or a girl?" Lancer spouted upon reading the latest issue of "Genius’ Magazine" where a published article (presumably from Connie) details the exploits of the brave and intelligent Danny who discovered that Sampson is really a Delilah. Please, Lancer, you give the zoo too much credit. They never BOTHERED to get security for the damn cage buttons which, by the way, SHOULDN’T EVEN BE PLACED SO ANY IDIOT CAN PRESS IT, THUS RELEASING ANIMALS THAT COULD POTENTIALLY MAUL US TO DEATH! Seeing he put in some effort, Danny is given a...*drum roll* "C". Next time, don’t risk your life with a gorilla to get a good grade. Doesn’t magazine publication take months for recent articles to pop up? This isn’t People magazine. Danny is noticeably pissed after all the trouble he went through, but fortunately Box Ghost appears, eyeing Lancer’s box of files (lovingly, by the way). Turning ghost, Danny decides to vent his anger the best way he can in this kind of scenario, violence. Hey, he nearly got raped by a gorilla, I think we can excuse the bloodshed.

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