Rereading the transcript for the episode Girls’ Night Out just affirms my convictions that Jack Fenton is a wasted comedy potential character because he is both funnier, and more accurate to what they show him canonically being capable of, when he’s permitted to be competent.
Like… rewatching Danny Phantom as a story reminds me that I adore all of these characters, but, also, it is extremely obvious that they are tethered to posts of character writing and not really allowed to roam- and for Jack, it’s the Bumbling Dad stereotype. He has to acquire whatever traits make him unthreatening, comical, and move the plot.
But the few precious times they really actually let him off the leash and allow him to act as you would expect a scientist in an extremely niche field who knows how to build and operate complex laser guns and was instrumental in synthesizing a hole in reality twice, he doesn’t get less funny, he’s hilarious. This is, by all logics, a terrifyingly educated man who brutalizes a lake monster with cheese spray while yelling about the fudge festival rodeo.
Like I joke about him having Dr. Coomer energy but I am also dead serious about him having Dr. Coomer energy.
#BUTCH LITERALLY JUST COULD’VE LET THIS MAN GO AND HE WOULD’VE BEEN ABOUT THIRTY TIMES FUNNIER #DANNY SITTING THERE LIKE ‘WHAT WOULD DAD SAY IN THIS SITUATION?’ #IMAGINARY JACK FENTON POPS UP ‘REMEMBER DANNY; PHYSICS IS A FICKLE GOD AND IT DOESN’T LOVE YOU!’ #‘SO ALWAYS MAKE SURE PHYSICS DOESN’T WIN!’
Why did you leave this in the tags OP?
