Phantom Planet
My thoughts. MAJOR SPOiLERS.
FUDGE. I…I need to collect my thoughts. I have now finished watching “Phantom Planet”. I’ve also finished updating the PP article in Wikipedia with both a recap and images. Naturally, I think I went a bit overboard, but me and like the millions of DP fans have been awaiting for this day and while in American, the series finale we’re watching is premature, most of watched it anyways. That PP trailer did little justice, I’ll say that. It confirmed my suspicion on hiding off the plot as much as possible, making us guess. So…what do I have to say? Read on.
Keep in mind these are my thoughts. I am NOT reviewing this episode yet. So far now, you’ll see me decide my pros and cons of the episodes. Spoilers ahead. MAJOR spoilers ahead.
PROS
Oh, sweet George, that be pretty
While I could point out some of the iffy parts on some of the animations, they’re minor. The animation is gorgeous overall. Granted, I am tempted to say this actually isn’t the best DP animated episode I’ve ever seen, but I can see the efforts the team went into. Drawing literally hundreds of ghosts and humans for one thing, not to mention the CGI. Usually in terms of cartoons on TV, whenever they try to incorporate CGI into it, it always looks so blatantly awkward. Even some DP episodes suffered from that, but they certainly went all out here. The spanning of the planets ala Power of Ten, the giant asteroid, etc. It was incredibly and near flawlessly put together, creating an absolutely beauty to watch.
Oh, THAT obvious pairing
One of the things I disliked about Season 3 is the forced need to push Danny and Sam towards us, like they need to hold our hands to cross the street when we’re perfectly capable of doing it ourselves. By the time I watched “Frightmare”, I just took the hints for granted, because whether or not they’d emphasize it, it’s obvious as hell Danny and Sam will get together by the series finale. Predictably, they did, but I’m pleased on how it was handled.
The Danny/Sam angle actually doesn’t really come until at least the last 15 or so minutes of the episode for one thing and even then, there’s no actual too vomiting lovey dovey business you’d see out of a romance flick. No, Danny and Sam do not say they love each other--they don’t even say they like each other--instead keeping their words ambiguous as they finally kiss. THIS is probably the biggest chemistry I ever felt for the two since “Reign Storm”. While it is shameful that it was the LAST episode that did this; the Danny/Sam moment was played beautifully, with Hartman and his crew letting us, the audience know they are closer together without blatantly saying it. For that, I can almost forgive all the forceful shoving of the pair they've given us…almost.
Ring a Ding Ling
I never really listen to the music, but if it gets good, they garner my attention. DP may not have much memorable musical scores, but I can always count on Guy Moon to be able to create epic scores when the episode calls for it. The music truly helped played this episode and I’m thankful. No, I don’t think it’s the best thing ever, but it’s fitting.
“An Old friend, no…you? Yes!”
Jack is mostly always played as a comical character, occasionally getting in serious moments. When the time FINALLY came for Vlad and Jack to confront here--where Vlad confesses his plans to take Maddie from him, how he resented him--well, that entire scene left me in shock, the GOOD kind of shock. Jack, even when Vlad is antagonistic tries so hard to plead that he wishes to be friends, only to stop when Vlad refuses. After Vlad finds his plans debunked, Jack--in possibly his most serious and darkest moment ever--leaves Vlad stranded in space. After 53 episodes of Jack assuming Vlad to be his best and most greatest friend ever, it finally ends. I like Vlad a lot, but damn, that certainly did great justice for Jack’s character--making possibly one of the most powerful scene in DP.
Epic-ness of thy Story
One of the reasons why I loved “Reign Storm” was the HUGE epic-ness of it. I am a sucker for big giant battles. This didn’t have it, but it had something I’m also a huge fan of; reuniting like every single character in the show to combat something much bigger and greater. Having to see literally all the ghosts using their powers to help Danny phase the entire planet is ambitious. In fact, the entire plan is.
I could claim on how ridiculous it is to phase the ENTIRE planet (I’m sure there’s some science explanation against this, but I’m no science person, so someone else can do it), but ya know, it doesn’t matter. It is funky, but I know now WHY the episode is called “Phantom Planet”. Thankfully, it does NOT have anything to do with aliens or a planet called Phantom. In fact, it hardly ever takes place in space as so many theorized with the only space thing being an asteroid. No big villains to handle, no epic battle, but a huge threat to the world nonetheless. Seeing both humans and ghosts work together was thrilling and wonderful to watch. It could have been SO much worse, but I was so pleased it wasn't.
Metaphorically, the title could also symbolize Danny’s contribute to the entire world whom are all grateful for him. Aside from every single ghosts ever, every single people in Earth helped Danny with Danny in return helping them in a symbiotic relationship. And it worked. Even the comical bits (sans one I mentioned in the cons) didn’t deteriorate from the overall grand scale of the show.
And surprisingly, despite putting a lot of crap in, the story never once--to me anyways--felt rushed, squeezed, slow, or anything. It’s like everything was just right in candy coated goodness. "The Ultimate Enemy" will remaind my favorite DP episode still (I swear no DP episodes can top that one), but PP stood on it's own with their own brand of emotions, stories, and characters.
Surprisingly Continuity
I’ve ragged on about Season 3 for it’s mostly filler content episodes and while I still agree that Season 3 just does not have the emotional and great story depths as Season 1 and 2, by the end, I am still surprised and pleased. DP is known for it’s continuity and I was shocked--after having seen all Season 3 episodes--that most of them came into play by the end. Everything from Vlad’s satellite (while ambiguous does give theories on why he acquired Axion Lab) to the Infi-Map to the Danny/Sam to Valerie and Dani’s revelation ("D-Stabilized") to Danny’s sudden distraught on the downsides of superheroism throughout the season to Vlad’s current animosity towards Danny to Jack and Maddie finally knowing their child’s secret (and actually KEEPING IT, no cop outs this time) and etcetera, it’s all pretty much solved by Season 3.
Yes, there are still some lingering traces (No info on why the Fright Knight potentially teamed up with Vlad, no return of Phantom)--fortunately, most of them are minor and the majority basically got shoved to satisfying degree, even if it was at the very end. Fortunately I didn’t feel like it was all rushed and despite the filler content, any continuity from those episodes flawlessly worked their way by the end of “Phantom Planet”. Season 3 will never be as good as the other two, but I can safely say my faith has risen up a bit higher.
Oh, and no, I'm actually not distressed that Phantom did not reappear. It actually puts my fear to rest that his second coming wouldn't be as good as his first.
The End of Plasmius
I knew by beginning of this episode that Vlad would play the role as final villain. I said before months--maybe a year back--that if Vlad can’t redeem by the end, I want him to go out with a bang. What did I get? I got something different. Vlad went out with a whimper. He couldn’t stop the asteroid he brought to Earth, he couldn’t patch things up with Jack because he refused to, sealing his fate. He couldn’t do anything. With nothing left, he wallows in space, guilty.
Nope, he didn’t go out with a bang, but he left with a heart. It’s too late for this man at this point (not unless there’s like a Season 4 or something), for now he realizes what he’s done. For that brief moment, we get to see his “The Ultimate Enemy” side and it left my heart aching for the poor man. He deserved it, but I was crushed emotionally for all the right reasons.
…Space Vlad is still hot, despite that damn prong on his helmet.
CONS
Masters Blasters my Ass
The concept of Danny turning into a human is interesting in itself and at least he has the good of the family and friends at heart, but Sam is right, that was selfish, so I was a bit irritated. Keyword, bit. Only because both “Forever Phantom” and “Livin’ Large” actually gave some hint of continuity on the downsides of Danny having powers and tiring portrayal as a hero to others. It’s really more of the first half that I didn’t care. Masters Blasters are yet another team of pointless characters to advance the plot when I felt some other method could have been used and I’m glad when they were cut off for the rest of the episode.
Vlad’s last scene
If it wasn’t for the heartfelt Vlad beforehand, this scene would have irritated me more then it should. Vlad is in space and the asteroid…well, gets him. No clue if it killed him since it's pretty comical in nature. I don’t mind if Masters dies or not, I had hoped for a more dramatic way. Of course, we don’t know if that killed him, it’s ambiguous. The point I’m trying to make is I wouldn’t mind this if it weren’t so comical. COME ON, he’s faced guilt for what he’s done and this is how Vlad’s last exit goes?! Bah. You’re VERY lucky he had REALLY good parts in the episode.
The New Mayor
Tucker’s the new mayor of Amity Park? Um…what? How did THAT happen? It’s so…out of the blue. What? Does he mean he doesn’t have to go to school? Does he even HAVE any experiences in this? “King Tuck” doesn’t count cuz’ he obviously sucked there. I mean, he's FOURTEEN. God conscience would not allow a 14 year old to govern an entire town.
_________________
I'll make a review one day, but in short, I admit, I am pleased. When Season 3 was on the brink if disaster, it barely managed to save itself, mostly to great degrees. Now I am rather hopeful that if Season 4 exists (not bloody likely), something good can come off it.
Poor Vlad, it must be hard to be one of the few cartoon mayors who's not psycho/idiotic.
FUDGE. I…I need to collect my thoughts. I have now finished watching “Phantom Planet”. I’ve also finished updating the PP article in Wikipedia with both a recap and images. Naturally, I think I went a bit overboard, but me and like the millions of DP fans have been awaiting for this day and while in American, the series finale we’re watching is premature, most of watched it anyways. That PP trailer did little justice, I’ll say that. It confirmed my suspicion on hiding off the plot as much as possible, making us guess. So…what do I have to say? Read on.
Keep in mind these are my thoughts. I am NOT reviewing this episode yet. So far now, you’ll see me decide my pros and cons of the episodes. Spoilers ahead. MAJOR spoilers ahead.
PROS
Oh, sweet George, that be pretty
While I could point out some of the iffy parts on some of the animations, they’re minor. The animation is gorgeous overall. Granted, I am tempted to say this actually isn’t the best DP animated episode I’ve ever seen, but I can see the efforts the team went into. Drawing literally hundreds of ghosts and humans for one thing, not to mention the CGI. Usually in terms of cartoons on TV, whenever they try to incorporate CGI into it, it always looks so blatantly awkward. Even some DP episodes suffered from that, but they certainly went all out here. The spanning of the planets ala Power of Ten, the giant asteroid, etc. It was incredibly and near flawlessly put together, creating an absolutely beauty to watch.
Oh, THAT obvious pairing
One of the things I disliked about Season 3 is the forced need to push Danny and Sam towards us, like they need to hold our hands to cross the street when we’re perfectly capable of doing it ourselves. By the time I watched “Frightmare”, I just took the hints for granted, because whether or not they’d emphasize it, it’s obvious as hell Danny and Sam will get together by the series finale. Predictably, they did, but I’m pleased on how it was handled.
The Danny/Sam angle actually doesn’t really come until at least the last 15 or so minutes of the episode for one thing and even then, there’s no actual too vomiting lovey dovey business you’d see out of a romance flick. No, Danny and Sam do not say they love each other--they don’t even say they like each other--instead keeping their words ambiguous as they finally kiss. THIS is probably the biggest chemistry I ever felt for the two since “Reign Storm”. While it is shameful that it was the LAST episode that did this; the Danny/Sam moment was played beautifully, with Hartman and his crew letting us, the audience know they are closer together without blatantly saying it. For that, I can almost forgive all the forceful shoving of the pair they've given us…almost.
Ring a Ding Ling
I never really listen to the music, but if it gets good, they garner my attention. DP may not have much memorable musical scores, but I can always count on Guy Moon to be able to create epic scores when the episode calls for it. The music truly helped played this episode and I’m thankful. No, I don’t think it’s the best thing ever, but it’s fitting.
“An Old friend, no…you? Yes!”
Jack is mostly always played as a comical character, occasionally getting in serious moments. When the time FINALLY came for Vlad and Jack to confront here--where Vlad confesses his plans to take Maddie from him, how he resented him--well, that entire scene left me in shock, the GOOD kind of shock. Jack, even when Vlad is antagonistic tries so hard to plead that he wishes to be friends, only to stop when Vlad refuses. After Vlad finds his plans debunked, Jack--in possibly his most serious and darkest moment ever--leaves Vlad stranded in space. After 53 episodes of Jack assuming Vlad to be his best and most greatest friend ever, it finally ends. I like Vlad a lot, but damn, that certainly did great justice for Jack’s character--making possibly one of the most powerful scene in DP.
Epic-ness of thy Story
One of the reasons why I loved “Reign Storm” was the HUGE epic-ness of it. I am a sucker for big giant battles. This didn’t have it, but it had something I’m also a huge fan of; reuniting like every single character in the show to combat something much bigger and greater. Having to see literally all the ghosts using their powers to help Danny phase the entire planet is ambitious. In fact, the entire plan is.
I could claim on how ridiculous it is to phase the ENTIRE planet (I’m sure there’s some science explanation against this, but I’m no science person, so someone else can do it), but ya know, it doesn’t matter. It is funky, but I know now WHY the episode is called “Phantom Planet”. Thankfully, it does NOT have anything to do with aliens or a planet called Phantom. In fact, it hardly ever takes place in space as so many theorized with the only space thing being an asteroid. No big villains to handle, no epic battle, but a huge threat to the world nonetheless. Seeing both humans and ghosts work together was thrilling and wonderful to watch. It could have been SO much worse, but I was so pleased it wasn't.
Metaphorically, the title could also symbolize Danny’s contribute to the entire world whom are all grateful for him. Aside from every single ghosts ever, every single people in Earth helped Danny with Danny in return helping them in a symbiotic relationship. And it worked. Even the comical bits (sans one I mentioned in the cons) didn’t deteriorate from the overall grand scale of the show.
And surprisingly, despite putting a lot of crap in, the story never once--to me anyways--felt rushed, squeezed, slow, or anything. It’s like everything was just right in candy coated goodness. "The Ultimate Enemy" will remaind my favorite DP episode still (I swear no DP episodes can top that one), but PP stood on it's own with their own brand of emotions, stories, and characters.
Surprisingly Continuity
I’ve ragged on about Season 3 for it’s mostly filler content episodes and while I still agree that Season 3 just does not have the emotional and great story depths as Season 1 and 2, by the end, I am still surprised and pleased. DP is known for it’s continuity and I was shocked--after having seen all Season 3 episodes--that most of them came into play by the end. Everything from Vlad’s satellite (while ambiguous does give theories on why he acquired Axion Lab) to the Infi-Map to the Danny/Sam to Valerie and Dani’s revelation ("D-Stabilized") to Danny’s sudden distraught on the downsides of superheroism throughout the season to Vlad’s current animosity towards Danny to Jack and Maddie finally knowing their child’s secret (and actually KEEPING IT, no cop outs this time) and etcetera, it’s all pretty much solved by Season 3.
Yes, there are still some lingering traces (No info on why the Fright Knight potentially teamed up with Vlad, no return of Phantom)--fortunately, most of them are minor and the majority basically got shoved to satisfying degree, even if it was at the very end. Fortunately I didn’t feel like it was all rushed and despite the filler content, any continuity from those episodes flawlessly worked their way by the end of “Phantom Planet”. Season 3 will never be as good as the other two, but I can safely say my faith has risen up a bit higher.
Oh, and no, I'm actually not distressed that Phantom did not reappear. It actually puts my fear to rest that his second coming wouldn't be as good as his first.
The End of Plasmius
I knew by beginning of this episode that Vlad would play the role as final villain. I said before months--maybe a year back--that if Vlad can’t redeem by the end, I want him to go out with a bang. What did I get? I got something different. Vlad went out with a whimper. He couldn’t stop the asteroid he brought to Earth, he couldn’t patch things up with Jack because he refused to, sealing his fate. He couldn’t do anything. With nothing left, he wallows in space, guilty.
Nope, he didn’t go out with a bang, but he left with a heart. It’s too late for this man at this point (not unless there’s like a Season 4 or something), for now he realizes what he’s done. For that brief moment, we get to see his “The Ultimate Enemy” side and it left my heart aching for the poor man. He deserved it, but I was crushed emotionally for all the right reasons.
…Space Vlad is still hot, despite that damn prong on his helmet.
CONS
Masters Blasters my Ass
The concept of Danny turning into a human is interesting in itself and at least he has the good of the family and friends at heart, but Sam is right, that was selfish, so I was a bit irritated. Keyword, bit. Only because both “Forever Phantom” and “Livin’ Large” actually gave some hint of continuity on the downsides of Danny having powers and tiring portrayal as a hero to others. It’s really more of the first half that I didn’t care. Masters Blasters are yet another team of pointless characters to advance the plot when I felt some other method could have been used and I’m glad when they were cut off for the rest of the episode.
Vlad’s last scene
If it wasn’t for the heartfelt Vlad beforehand, this scene would have irritated me more then it should. Vlad is in space and the asteroid…well, gets him. No clue if it killed him since it's pretty comical in nature. I don’t mind if Masters dies or not, I had hoped for a more dramatic way. Of course, we don’t know if that killed him, it’s ambiguous. The point I’m trying to make is I wouldn’t mind this if it weren’t so comical. COME ON, he’s faced guilt for what he’s done and this is how Vlad’s last exit goes?! Bah. You’re VERY lucky he had REALLY good parts in the episode.
The New Mayor
Tucker’s the new mayor of Amity Park? Um…what? How did THAT happen? It’s so…out of the blue. What? Does he mean he doesn’t have to go to school? Does he even HAVE any experiences in this? “King Tuck” doesn’t count cuz’ he obviously sucked there. I mean, he's FOURTEEN. God conscience would not allow a 14 year old to govern an entire town.
_________________
I'll make a review one day, but in short, I admit, I am pleased. When Season 3 was on the brink if disaster, it barely managed to save itself, mostly to great degrees. Now I am rather hopeful that if Season 4 exists (not bloody likely), something good can come off it.
Poor Vlad, it must be hard to be one of the few cartoon mayors who's not psycho/idiotic.