"Flirting With Disaster" is the thirty-second episode of Danny Phantom. Danny and Valerie's romance comes full circle as they start dating, much to Sam's jealousy. Technus seems to be pushing the two together in order to keep Danny from interfering with his latest plan for global domination.
Episode Recap
Sam is bored from Tucker's continuous explanation of the various functions of his PDA inside the food court of the Amity Park Mall. Valerie and Star sit on a table next to them where the interaction between the two sets of friends are anything but kind. When Star asks where Danny, Sam's "loser boyfriend," is, both Sam and Valerie jump to his defense. Valerie then asks where he is as well to which Sam answers he's busy. Immediately Danny crash lands on their table as he battles with Technus. Technus easily escapes by taking advantage of Danny's emotions, particularly when he gets angry because Valerie gets slightly hurt from Technus (she is unable to fight because her father has taken her ghost hunting equipment away). Technus then makes his escape, hiding inside Valerie's cellphone. There he witnesses Danny and Valerie's interaction and decides to use their emotions for his own gain.
Later, the students of Casper High are at Axion Labs (recently bought out by Vladco) on a field trip. Inside, Damon Gray gives the tour, but briefly stops to chat with Danny about his daughter and tells him to keep all ghost related matters away from her. Meanwhile, Tucker makes note of a space jetpack, the X23 booster, able to launch a single person into space in two minutes as well as the Mega Cybertron hub computer, which is linked to a satellite computer above, a computer so powerful that can take over every computer in the world (it is in space to make it much harder for anyone to take over). Valerie takes this time to sneak around, but Technus one ups her by leaving her cell phone, entering the main computer, and trapping her inside the room she entered.
Valerie's ghost hunting suit comes crashing down and wreaks havoc. Danny quickly flies off and fights as she exits. Damon enters, immediately sees the mess, and finds Valerie still stuck in the room. She wonders how the mess was created, but her father quickly pins the blame on her. Technus meanwhile needs time to crack the 10,000 digit firewall code to gain access to the main computer, so he plans to distract Danny with Valerie. Back home, Valerie is punished by her father, though she insists that she didn't wreck the lab. Grumbling to her room, she gets an online instant message from Danny. Danny meanwhile is chatting with Sam and Tucker, wondering why Valerie was silent as they fought.He cuts the two off when Valerie instant messages him. The two end up chatting all night and get to better know each other. But based on Technus's earlier dialogue, Tucker's PDA acting up, and the fact that both Danny and Valerie received the first message, it is clear that he orchestrated the chat (though it is not clear whether he set them up and then let their conversation go naturally or if he controlled what each saw. Though if the latter is the case, he did give them true information, Danny does want to be an astronaut and Valerie is a ninth-degree black belt).
At school the next day, Danny tries to defend Valerie while Tucker and especially Sam continue to express concern over his company with her. Valerie later defends Danny while Star criticizes him. They then meet Danny in the hallway, Star leaves, and Valerie asks him out for lunch. The two have a romantic date together with Technus playing a silent role in keeping the two involved, all as Tucker and Sam spying on them, the latter in obvious jealousy. Her emotions turn worrisome when Tucker finds out Technus is around wherever Danny and Valerie are (his PDA acts up whenever the ghost is around), leading him to conclude he's pushing the two together. They try telling this to Danny the next day, but he merely laughs it off, after which he expresses that he really wants to be serious with Valerie, much to both Sam and Valerie's (who is spying nearby) shock. Before they can carry on more conversations about Technus, Sam spots Valerie eyeing them from afar and quickly covers up, stating if Danny is going to be with Valerie, they would accept her as well. Danny leaves his friends while Valerie walks to the two, ultimately hugging Sam for finally accepting her, which is rather painful for Sam.
As Danny walks to find Valerie, he encounters Technus operating Valerie's ghost hunting suit, like he did earlier in Axion Labs. Valerie sees Danny being chased by her own suit, so using whatever arsenal she possess (a branch, milk carton, and her keys), she distracts the suit long enough for Danny to go ghost and completely destroy it (now that he doesn't need to hold back because Valerie is not inside). Danny flies off once the suit is destroyed, leaving Valerie to see what a dangerous threat Danny Phantom has become, thinking he was trying to destroy her. She later uses video from the school's security camera as proof that she was not the culprit behind the Axion Labs incident by showing it to her father. With the truth now revealed, the suit destroyed, and Valerie risking her life to save Danny, Damon apologizes and forgives her.
Back in the Fenton household, the trio concludes Technus is planning to rule the entire world by taking over all the computer systems of the world through the satellite. Danny however is more concerned about Valerie and decides that before he can deal with her, he first must deal with Technus. As he makes his way out, Jack Fenton barges in, wanting to have an awkward private father/son chat because he's found out Danny has a girlfriend. In the kitchen, Jack gives Danny some advice in love, ultimately giving him a class ring to give to the girl, going as far as engraving the name "Sam", thinking she is Danny's girlfriend. Danny denies it, which Jack only laughs off, saying that he's clueless.
That night at Axion Labs, Danny gives Sam the Fenton Phones to talk with as well as the school ring to hold onto (Sam mistakingly reads the engraving upside down as "Wes"). Inside, Danny (while invisible) spots Valerie having an awkward father/daughter chat with Damon. She expresses that she likes Danny enough to give up ghost hunting, an idea which Danny is more than pleased at. Sam then talks to him via Fenton Phones and he flies off while the Grays wonder what that noise was. They find Danny taking the booster jetpack. Damon tries to stop him while Technus, seeing all this and declaring he needs more time, uses his technological skills to give Valerie a new suit before departing to the satellite, which he completely possesses.
Danny takes the jetpack and a space helmet, then blasts off into space (something which he is rather excited for) while Valerie follows suit, much to her father's dismay. In space, Danny has to fight off both Valerie and Technus, the latter who slowly starts his invasion of Earth by taking control of computer systems in New York, London, Japan, and other places. Valerie manages to capture Danny by the rims of her hoverboard and electrocutes him, causing him to accidentally shoot his ecto rays out, knocking Valerie unconscious. Angry and shocked at what he has done, Danny overloads his jetpacks and sends it towards the Technus satellite where blows up on contact, thus saving the world. Valerie awakes from her unconscious states, tries to find Danny, then flies off home, unaware Danny (currently invisible) is clinging to the side of her hoverboard as a means to get back to Earth as well.
The next day, Danny tells his friends he's going to give her the class ring, officially making them a couple. Valerie finds Danny and after Tucker and Sam (the latter a bit reluctant) walk off to give them some privacy, she explains the two can only be friends for now as her ghost hunting life is complicating current matters with their relationship, unaware Danny leads the same life. She gives him a kiss on the cheek before walking off while Danny sits down, upset. Sam comes to comfort him and he gives her the ring to hold onto once again. Valerie sadly watches from afar before changing into her new suit and flying off. Meanwhile, Tucker has another set of rejections from a couple of girls (both of whom seem more interested in Danny).
Series continuity
- Danny's remarks on wanting to be an astronaut date as far back as the first episode, "Mystery Meat."
- In this episode, when Tucker mentions that Danny better not forget his and Valerie's "anniversary" due to her being a 9th degree black belt, this is a refrence to the episode 'Prisoners of Love', where Jack forgets his and Maddie's anniversary. It is also mentioned in 'Public Enemies' that Maddie is a 9th degree black belt.
Trivia
- Allusions: See List of allusions
- Goofs: See List of goofs
- Danny, Sam, Tucker, and Valerie's usernames on their instant messaging/video chat program are DFENTON, SMANSON, TFOLEY, and GHOSTH8R respectively.
- When Technus shoots himself into a stoplight in London, he ends up on the corner of Penny Lane and Abbey Road.
- This was the first episode to premiere in 2006.
Gallery
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