"Claw of the Wild" is the fiftieth episode in the TV-series Danny Phantom. A camping trip with Danny's classmates goes bust when campers are slowly being kidnapped by monsters, causing Danny and his friends to investigate the matter, ultimately running into an old friend in the process.
Episode Recap
Danny's class goes on a summer camping trip with Mr. Lancer and Ms. Tetslaff who are not going to be their teachers for the next eight weeks but as their camp counselors, where they all end up in an abandoned, near dilapidated campsite.
When classmates Mikey and Lester leave to go use the bathroom behind the bushes, the former quickly returns in panic, crying over Lester's sudden disappearance by a monster. Danny suggests an investigation, but an aggressive Tetslaff orders a lockdown in the entire campsite.
Danny, Sam, and Tucker later investigate that night, only to find there's more truth to the stories going around as they find a Black lagoon-ish monster ghost. With new Fenton Wrist Rays and Danny's ghost powers, they do away with the beast, but find no sign of Lester.
Danny volunteers to continue the search, letting Sam and Tucker get some rest. Watching from behind a bush is one of Walker's ghost cops who declare no sign of the subject, but the reappearance of Danny Phantom.
Danny returns by dawn with only Lester's camera in the camp's mess hall. To add insult to injury, a panicking Dash rushes in, declaring Kwan, too has been eaten by a monster. While the school mates mull over this current crisis, Sam leaves to spot Tetslaff forcing Lancer to don a bear mascot costume to keep the children at ease while she handles killing any monsters. Sam then witnesses Paulina who runs crying over Star's disappearance as well.
Ms. Tetslaff takes charge and splits the team in two: one that goes on a excursion (that Danny suspects doubles as a search and rescue mission) led by Tetslaff--one Sam is stuck with--and another group to handle the "fun activities" such as canoes and crafts--in which Tucker and Danny are stuck--hosted by Lancer.
During canoeing, mist covers the lake, giving leeway for Danny to go ghost and investigate while Tetslaff's team, Sam wanders off alone when she hears noises from behind a bush, eventually countering a Bigfoot type ghost monster.
Danny quickly flies and delivers the goods. At the same time, every single person, including Tucker are surrounded by numerous Ghost Cops and kidnapped. Danny and Sam quickly return to see the unfortunate site before them, but before they can do anything else, Wulf shows up unexpectedly, damaged and injured.
Sam immediately heals him in the first aid cabin where they find out Wulf had hurt himself while trying to open a portal to the real world, escaping Walker's prison again and unexpectedly allowing other beasts out. Danny and Sam decide to close said portal by nightfall with Wulf as the tracker.
All of this is on being watched via spy camera hovering above, unknowingly to the three. Thrilled that he conveniently can get two prisoners for the price of one, Walker sends his goons to "convince" Danny to turn Wulf in. By nightfall, Danny meets up with two of the Ghost Cops who demand Wulf in return for all the missing campers.
Using Tucker's hat, Wulf sniffs out the way, combating a tiger-like ghost monster on the way and ultimately reaching a waterfall where the inners house the open portal. There, they plan to trick Walker.
Danny enters his prison with a bag that supposedly contains Wulf, though it's really Sam using part of the bear mascot costume. Danny eventually sees his classmates and teachers all suspended in a liquid container, unable to free them. Walker shows up to negotiate his deal with Danny, revealing how his search party coincidentally was in the same woods as Danny's camping trip, ultimately using the kids as bait to lure Danny's attention.
He then tricks him by containing Danny in his own thermos. Walker is just when he's about to open the bag that contains 'Wulf', but is met with Sam who jumps out and uses the Fenton Wrist Ray to attack the warden and his minions. With Wulf later joining, the three immediately team up and fight off the cops, Danny freezing Walker and ultimately saving the students and teachers; later quickly escaping the prison with the container and closing the portal once back in the real world.
Danny tells Wulf he's free after declaring they are amikos. A happy Wulf makes his grand exit, leaving the two friends alone where they quickly decide they don't necessarily have to release everyone yet. By night, Tucker is already free while the others are still suspended in the container.
While Tucker wants to enjoy a relaxing movie, Sam prefers to see and hear nature, one which Danny and Tucker quickly join her in. Tucker falls asleep in mere seconds, leaving Sam and Danny to enjoy nature together.
Series continuity
- This marks the final non-movie episode where Danny and Sam show signs of feelings for each other, continuing on those seen in the previous episode.
Trivia
- Allusions: See List of allusions
- Goofs: See List of goofs
- The character Nathan curiously goes by the name of Lester in this episode.
- This is the only episode where Danny is sucked into the Fenton Thermos by one of the Other Ghosts.
- Unusual for a third season episode, neither Jack nor Maddie make an appearance.
Gallery
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