Control Freaks (Danny Phantom)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Control Freaks" *Danny Phantom episode*
Control Freaks title card "The Freakiest Show on Earth"
Season	1
Number	20
Prod. code	020
Airdate	June 16, 2005
Special Guest(s)	Jon Cryer as Freakshow
Writer(s)	Marty Isenberg
Directors	Gary Conrad, Butch Hartman, Ken Bruce
Villain appearances	Freakshow (1st)
Ghost Appearances	Lydia (1st), Goliath (1st), Elastica (1st), Midget Ghost (1st)
Abbreviation	CF

Previous episode The Million Dollar Ghost
Next episode Memory Blank

"Control Freaks" is the twentieth episode of the TV-series Danny Phantom. Danny comes under the spell of Freakshow who controls any ghosts he desires from his staff, so now it's up to Sam and Tucker to free Danny from his control.

[edit] Episode Recap

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Danny spots four ghosts robbing jewelry at a local jewelry store. His battle with all four ends in disaster when they escape before the cops come, them thinking Danny is the thief. He escapes however. By next morning, Sam is awaken by her cheery parents who urge her to try on a new pink, frilly dress, much to her dismay. To their dismay, she 'fixes' it up by spray painting it black and cutting it short. Upon breakfast time, Danny enters to give Sam a new CD while her parents watch in disdain over him.

Freakshow doing the commercial for Circus Gothica

A commercial for Freakshow's Circus Gothica (to which Sam has tickets for) plays which slowly puts Danny in a trance. Taking him outside, Sam expresses her concern over that little matter, then later says she's going to cut first period to watch the opening ceremony on the Circus Gothica train, much to Danny's concern. Danny's ghost sense lets loose and he ends up chasing after the four ghosts he fought last night, all of them flying away with stolen money in their hands. Danny ends up in Circus Gothica where Sam finds him. Turning human, he hides from the police and watches the opening ceremony with her. It's interrupted however by Sam's parents who have formed an angry mob behind them to boycott the circus, thinking it corrupts children. Freakshow displays his defense, showcasing his crystal ball on his staff that slowly hypnotizes Danny again. With that, Danny announces to the public that he and Sam cut class, much to the crowd of goths' delight. Sam's parents finds the two and end up in school where Danny's parents also attend. Given detention, Sam is also forbidden by her folks (who immediately takes a strong dislike to Danny's parents as well) to see Danny, viewing him as a troubled youth.

Back in the privacy of the circus, Freakshow reveals to his minions on how he uses the staff to control ghosts to steal money and goods for him, and that he plans to add Danny Phantom to his little party. In detention, Sam is upset over not being able to go to the circus while Tucker watches it via his PDA. Seeing the staff from the screen, Danny again is hypnotized. Leaving his desk to go out the door, Lancer confronts him until Danny turns ghost, overshadows him, then causes him to lock himself in the janitor's closet before leaving. Sam and Tucker, shocked at his sudden behavior follows him to Circus Gothica (which he mentioned before he left).

At Circus Gothica, a hypnotized and corrupted Danny Phantom (in a Grim Reaper costume) performs for the people. Sam sneaks in backstage where she meets Freakshow. Danny however comes over and immediately jumps out of his trance state when he spotted Sam. Freakshow controls him further with his staff (which Sam discovers) and causes him to gang up on her. Sam finds herself blindfolded until she ends up force to perform for the people atop the tightrope. Danny removes her blindfold as well as cut the rope that holds her, causing her to fall. Seeing her in danger, Danny immediately snaps back to his old self and rescues her before being hypnotized again; Freakshow warns Sam to stay away from Danny. Sam leaves with Tucker after telling him of how Freakshow is controlling Danny, only to be reunited with her parents (who reveal they have a restraining order against Danny), Danny's parents, and the rest of the angry mob against the circus.

Under Freakshow's spell, Danny performs for "Circus Gothica" with a reluctant Sam.

Danny in the meantime afterwards has just robbed Amity Park museum with the other circus ghosts, escaping and attacking the police, which the news makes note of, as well as showcasing Freakshow who tells the angry mob to see his show to convince them it's harmless entertainment. Sam is angry her folks gets to watch a free show as well as Danny stuck under Freakshow's spell. Despite her house arrest, she escapes from her window only to be confronted by her grandmother who lets her escape, seeing how she can relate with Sam, something she is grateful for.

Inside the circus area, Sam and Tucker chase after Danny who's inside the train with Freakshow and the other circus ghosts, making it's escape while the parents are literally bricked inside the circus and getting attacked by Lydia, one of Freakshow's ghosts. Jack and Maddie uses whatever arsenal they have and commences an attack, defeating the ghosts and Lydia to which the Manson's give gratitude for. They then escape by raging up the angry mob, causing the crowd to smash their way out. Meanwhile, Sam and Tucker leap onto the train from atop a bridge where they are surrounded by the circus ghosts, Freakshow, and Danny himself. Freakshow comes over, lifts his staff up proudly, only to be knocked off by one of the poles atop.

Evil Danny with the scepter

Tucker tries to grab the staff but fails, causing Danny to get it himself. Now stuck deciding who to choose: Sam or Freakshow, the train speeds over a tall bridge. Sam tries to convince Danny to join their side, but she accidentally falls over the runaway train. Seeing his friend again in danger, Danny quickly flies over, drops the staff, and grabs Sam, who passes out for a few seconds. When she wakes up, she realizes that Danny had saved her. The staff falls and breaks, freeing Danny as well as the other ghosts. They then all gang up on Freakshow who ends up captured by the police.

Sam and Danny's parents both express how proud they are of their kids who have captured Freakshow, but they all end up grounded even still. Luckily, Sam managed to convince her parents to lift the restraining order by wearing the pink, frilly dress for them. Afterwards, Tucker expresses he feels they forgot something...namely Lancer, still stuck in the janitor's closet.

[edit] Allusions

When Tucker and Sam enter the Circus Gothica train, one of the stolen paintings is the famed Mona Lisa.

Title: A control freak is someone who is extremely bossy, meddling, or controlling.

When Danny traps Mr. Lancer in the janitor's closet, Mr. Lancer mentions a cask of amontillado, probably a reference to the book The Cask of Amontillado, written by Edgar Allan Poe. Mr. Lancer is in a very similar situation to Fortunato.

[edit] Trivia/Goofs

When the scepter breaks and Freakshow's brainwashed ghosts turn against their "employer", Lydia (the tattooed ghost) is nowhere to be found, for she was attacking the trapped audience members in the circus tent. "Reality Trip", ultimately reveals that Lydia was and still is working for Freakshow on her own free will, instead of being brainwashed like the other ghosts.