Maternal Instinct (Danny Phantom)

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"Maternal Instinct" *Danny Phantom episode*
Maternal Instinct title card "The Mother of all shows"
Season	1
Number	16
Prod. code	016
Airdate	February 18, 2005
Special Guest(s)	Martin Mull as Vlad
Writer(s)	Sib Ventress
Directors	Gary Conrad, Butch Hartman, Juli Hashiguchi
Ghost Appearances	Vlad Masters
Abbreviation	MI

Previous episode Fright Night
Next episode Lucky in Love

"Maternal Instinct" is the sixteeth episode of the TV-series Danny Phantom. Maddie, wanting to bond with her son, takes Danny to a mother/son convention, only to be tricked and ending up right in the Rocky Mountains where Vlad suspiciously awaits for them both.

[edit] Episode Recap

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Sam and Tucker keeps track of Danny as he trains his ghost powers inside his parent's basement. Upstairs in the living room, Jack plays with his action figures that he made (of a ghost and himself) while Maddie eyes a photo of herself and Danny years back. She laments on how close they used to be which no longer is the case. Jack gets the doorbell and gives her a letter. Reading it's content, Maddie instantly cheers up and runs to go find Danny.

Danny does not think too fondly of Vlad.

Danny meanwhile is trying hard to duplicate himself, but can only manage to duplicate his head. He turns back into his human half though when Maddie comes down to take Danny to an invite to the mother/son science symposium in Florida from the DALV company which mucks up his plans to train hard over the weekends. Jazz feels Danny has the better deal since she's stuck with her father. Jack gives Maddie the Fenton Specter Deflector, a belt design to keeps ghosts away. Once they leave on a plane provided by the DALV group, Maddie tries to bond with Danny. Her bonding with Danny hardly begins when the pilot leaves the plane causing the two to enter the cockpit and try to escape, only for the controls to be jammed. They escape using parachutes, landing down the cold Rocky Mountains. There they brave the forest until they happen upon a large cabin owned by, of all people, Vlad Masters. While Maddie remains comfortable with him, Danny is suspicious. Vlad then quietly orders Jack's extermination.

Back home, Jack wants to show Jazz his newest invention, the Jack O' nine tails, but she refuses to assiocate with anything ghost-related, in fact, she's going out. As she opens the front door though, a giant ghost mutant animal ambushes her. She is thankfully saved by Jack and grows impressed with his skills. Meanwhile, Maddie explains her predicament to Vlad while Danny continues to suspect him. Vlad then finally confesses his undying love for her and requests she and Danny stay with him, much to the anger of Maddie who storms out of the cabin with Danny.

Jack meanwhile continues to fight off the ghost, but ends up cornered, leaving Jazz to use his gadgets to fight back. Maddie and Danny meanwhile camp out in the forest where she tries to bond once again, failing when Danny refuses to be near her. As they sleep, Danny is kidnapped by Vlad's ghost mutants where he shorts out his powers for three hours using his invention, the "Plasimus Maximus". He then sends his monsters to chase after Danny until he's saved by his mother to which he is eternally grateful for. With little choice left, Maddie suggests returning to Vlad's. She then gives Danny the Spectra Deflector, locking it secure around his waist.

Danny and Maddie bond.

Meanwhile, Jazz dons one of her mother's jumpsuits, something Jack is proud of. Jazz convinces him however that this is merely an experiment, still refusing to assiocate herself with ghosts. However she fights alongside her father when more of Vlad's mutant ghost animals comes to the attack. Meanwhile, Danny gets the key from his mother for the belt upon hugging her and expressing his love. Then she shoos him away for the time while she "flirts" with Vlad. Afterwards, she leaves Danny alone with him while she goes to "freshen up" (in reality, trying to find a phone). Danny takes advantage of this by removing the Spectra Deflector and tricking Vlad into thinking he wants to be his son. When Vlad comes up to hug the boy, he puts the belt around him and a battle between the two begins.

At first, despite Vlad being weakened due to the Deflector, Danny was losing until Vlad tried to duplicate himself only to grow an extra head. Danny attacks both heads at top speed and wins the fight. However, Vlad sends his mutant animals on Danny until he convinces them to fight Vlad after showcasing their species as nothing but pelts and mounts surrounding Vlad's walls. Using the Plasimus Maximus to short out Vlad's power, he runs off as the mutant animals give chase. Maddie returns, dejected that she has yet to find a phone, then remembers the numerous vehicles Vlad kept storage as she was searching. Taking a helicopter, Maddie and Danny fly back home. Inside, Danny states he had a good time with his mother.

Back home, Jack and Jazz cleans up the house in time for their return. Jazz finally expresses her joy over ghost hunting. Both sides lie about their weekend encounters and all is well in the Fenton household.

[edit] Allusions

When Jazz uses the Jack o' Nine Tails for the first time, she screams a battle cry similar to that of Xena, Warrior Princess from the TV show of the same name.

The double-ended device Maddie uses is similar to Darth Maul's double ended lightsaber, almost exactly with the only exception being the color (Darth Maul's being red in color while hers is green).