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"Control Freaks" is the 20th episode of the television series Danny Phantom, and the last episode of Season One.

Plot[]

Danny must deal with Freakshow, the ringmaster of Circus Gothica, yet the ringmaster bears a mysterious staff that can control ghosts, causing issues for the half-ghost.

Synopsis[]

When Sam hears about the new goth circus, Circus Gothica, her overprotective, extremely peppy parents forbid her to go. She still goes, though she is unaware the ringmaster, Freakshow, uses a staff that controls ghosts and has come to add Danny Phantom to his employment roster.

Danny spots four ghosts robbing jewellery at a local jewelry store. His battle with all four ends in disaster when they escape before the cops come, making the cops think Danny is the thief. He escapes, however.

The next morning, Sam is woken by her cheery parents who urge her to try on a new pink floral dress, much to her dismay. Much to their dismay, she "fixes" it up by spray-painting it black and cutting it short.

At breakfast, Danny enters to give Sam a new CD while her parents watch in disdain over him. A commercial for Freakshow's Circus Gothica plays saying, "Cross over to the dark side," putting Danny in a trance. Sam's parents forbid her to go, but she states that they already have tickets.

Taking him outside, Sam expresses her concern over her parents' opinions of Danny. She then says she's going to cut first period to watch the opening ceremony on the Circus Gothica train with Tucker (who is free first period) covering for her, much to Danny's concern.

Danny's ghost sense goes off, and he ends up chasing after the four ghosts he fought last night, all of them flying away with stolen money in their hands.

S01e20 show them who you really are

He shoots the bag out of one of the midget's hands, but it hits the chasing police car, causing them to crash into a fire hydrant and raising their grudge against him. The ghosts fly through a Circus Gothica billboard, which temporarily hypnotizes Danny when he sees the picture of Freakshow's staff.

After shrugging it off, Danny ends up in Circus Gothica, where Sam finds him. Turning human, he hides from the police and watches the opening ceremony with her. As Danny watches, he is once again hypnotized by Freakshow's staff.

The ceremony is interrupted by Sam's parents, who have formed an angry mob behind them to boycott the circus, thinking it corrupts children.

Freakshow encourages the goths to show the parents their true colors (all black) and to let them see them for who they are. With that, Danny “announces” to the public that he and Sam cut class, much to the crowd of goths' delight. Sam's parents find the two, and they end up in school in a meeting with Principal Ishiyama and their parents.

Given detention, Sam is also forbidden by her parents, who immediately takes a strong dislike to Danny's parents as well, to see Danny and her other "troubled friends," viewing him as a troubled youth. Sam states that her friends are normal, but Lancer then brings in Tucker, who is dressed like Sam.

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.

S01e20 no such thing as too much trouble 2

"Unleash your dark side at Circus Gothica."

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 once again is hypnotized and is ordered to "unleash [his] dark side at Circus Gothica."

Leaving his desk to go out the door, Lancer confronts Danny, preventing him from leaving until he overshadows him and locks him in the janitor's closet before leaving. Sam and Tucker, shocked by his sudden behavior, sneak out of detention, and follow him to the circus.

S01e20 Danny red swirling eyes

Danny in a trance.

At Circus Gothica, a hypnotized and corrupted Danny Phantom, in a grim reaper costume, performs for the audience. Sam sneaks in backstage, where she meets Freakshow. Danny, however, comes over and immediately snaps out of his trance state when he spots Sam. Freakshow quickly retakes control of Danny, and Sam realizes that he is controlling him. Freakshow commands Danny to attack Sam.

Sam finds herself blindfolded and forced to walk on the tightrope. Danny removes her blindfold and then cuts the rope that holds her, causing her to fall. Seeing her in danger, Danny immediately snaps back to himself 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, Danny's parents, and the rest of the angry mob. Sam's parents reveal they have a restraining order against Danny. Danny in the meantime has just robbed Amity Park Museum with the other circus ghosts, escaping and attacking the police.

The news shows Freakshow, who tells the angry mob to see his show to convince them it's harmless entertainment, then Danny and the other ghosts robbing a bank, and finally reports that Lancer (who is still locked in the closet) is missing.

Sam is angry her folks gets to watch a free show and is worried about Danny being stuck under Freakshow's spell. Despite her house arrest, she escapes from her window only to be confronted by her grandmother, who reveals that she too was rebellious when she was younger, and then lets Sam escape.

S01e20 Sam begs Danny to stop

Danny as the Grim Reaper.

Sam and Tucker look for Danny inside Freakshow's train, but are blasted out by Danny and the train leaves with Freakshow, Danny, and three of the other circus ghosts.

Meanwhile, the parents have been bricked inside the circus and are getting attacked by Lydia, Freakshow's other ghost. Jack and Maddie use whatever arsenal they have and commence an attack, defeating the ghosts and Lydia to which the Manson's give gratitude for and an apology.

The Manson's raging up the angry mob, causing the crowd to smash their way out and allowing them all to escape.

S01e20 Possessed Danny saves Sam

Danny resists Freakshow’s control and rescues Sam from falling.

Meanwhile, Sam and Tucker leap onto the train from atop a bridge where they are surrounded by the circus ghosts, Freakshow, and Danny himself. Sam and Tucker are able to break through to Danny, but Freakshow immediately reclaims him. With Tucker's encouragement, Freakshow lifts his staff up proudly, only to have it knocked off as they pass under a pole.

Tucker tries to grab the staff but fails, and Danny grabs it. Danny is forced to choose between his friends and Freakshow as both sides try to convince him.

The train speeds over a tall bridge and Sam, in backing away from the other ghosts, falls off the 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 and the other ghosts, who then gang up on Freakshow inside the train.

The train comes to a stop surrounded by police cars and the Fenton RV. Danny and the other ghosts leave the train as the police break in, see Freakshow with his stolen riches, and arrest him. Sam's and Danny's parents both express how proud they are of their kids for capturing Freakshow, but they all still end up grounded and having to read for punishment.

Sam, punished to wear the dress, managed to convince her parents to lift the restraining order. Danny says that at least Freakshow's in jail and the stolen riches were returned to their rightful places. Tucker says he feels like they forgot something, namely Mr. Lancer, who is still stuck in the janitor's closet.

Home Media[]

DVD[]

iTunes[]

Series continuity[]

  • This marks the first time Danny turns to the dark side; this would later be repeated in "The Ultimate Enemy." Another foreshadowing of that episode is when Danny has red eyes while under Freakshow's control. His evil alter ego Dark Danny also has red eyes.
  • When the staff breaks and Freakshow's brainwashed ghosts turn against their "employer," Lydia is nowhere to be found, for she was attacking the trapped audience members in the circus tent and was defeated by Jack and Maddie. "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.
  • This marks the final appearance of Principal Ishiyama.
  • This is the second and final time when Jack Fenton wears his jumpsuit hood and the only time when the lenses in Jack's goggles are red (similar to Maddie's) instead of teal.
  • This is the first episode not to feature scenes at Fenton Works.

Trivia[]

  • Allusions: See List of allusions
  • Goofs: See List of goofs
  • "This is so wrong" seems to be the catchphrase for this episode. Tucker says it when he dresses as Sam, Principal Ishiyama says it when she sees Tucker dressed as Sam, Sam's Grandma says it when she tells Sam to sneak out, and Lancer says it when he is still locked in the closet at the end.
  • When Danny wasn't talking, or doing anything at all, he was staring out in space, with stars around his head. This proves Sam's point about Danny fighting Freakshow's control the whole way through.

Site navigation

V - E - H - DDanny Phantom episodes
Season 1
1. Mystery Meat | 2. Parental Bonding | 3. One of a Kind | 4. Attack of the Killer Garage Sale | 5. Splitting Images | 6. What You Want | 7. Bitter Reunions | 8. Prisoners of Love | 9. My Brother's Keeper | 10. Shades of Gray | 11. Fanning the Flames | 12. Teacher of the Year | 13. Fright Night | 14. 13 | 15. Public Enemies | 16. Lucky in Love | 17. Maternal Instinct | 18. Life Lessons | 19. The Million Dollar Ghost | 20. Control Freaks
Season 2
1. Memory Blank | 2. Doctor's Disorders | 3. Pirate Radio | 4-5. Reign Storm | 6. Identity Crisis | 7. The Fenton Menace | 8-9. The Ultimate Enemy | 10. The Fright Before Christmas | 11. Secret Weapons | 12. Flirting With Disaster | 13. Micro Management | 14. Beauty Marked | 15. King Tuck | 16. Masters of All Time | 17. Kindred Spirits | 18. Double Cross My Heart | 19-20. Reality Trip
Season 3
1. Eye for an Eye | 2. Infinite Realms | 3. Girls' Night Out | 4. Torrent of Terror | 5. Forever Phantom | 6. Urban Jungle | 7. Livin' Large | 8. Boxed Up Fury | 9. Frightmare | 10. Claw of the Wild | 11. D-Stabilized | 12-13. Phantom Planet
Lists
Allusions | Goofs | Episode transcripts
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