- "A Lesson In Fear!"
Produced 2003, aired in U.S. on 10/15/04
Production order: 12 (1-12)
"Danny, when a teacher looks at a student, he hopes to see the reflection of his own abilities. When I look at you, I see my own “F.” I don’t like to fail, do you?"
Tropes found in this episode:
- Continuity Nod: When Mr. Lancer suggests to Danny's parents that Danny study under his supervision, Danny and Jazz protest at the same time that he has things he has to do after school. When Danny asks how Jazz knows, she hastily brushes it off. She's his Secret Secret-Keeper after finding out his powers from a previous episode.
- Gotta Pass the Class: Danny keeps failing his tests due to playing video games over studying. He gets grounded by his parents until his grades improve and Mr. Lancer forces him to study in order to retake an important exam. He ends up getting an "A" in the end.
- Hidden Depths: Subverted and played straight: Mr. Lancer tells Danny that he misses his dear sister but can never afford to travel to see her due to his measly teacher's salary, implying that seeing students succeed is his only reward in life. He and Danny bond over this, and he helps Danny pass the make-up test... only to reveal to the audience that the picture of his "sister" is really just himself in a dress. In the end, he's also revealed to be an even bigger master of the game than Sam, having beaten the game multiple times.
- It's All About Me: Zig-zagged. Mr. Lancer gives Danny another chance to take his English test, but the only reason he’s doing it is so he can retain his vanity and credibility as a teacher. Later, when he catches Danny goofing off instead of studying, he takes matters into his own hands by telling Danny's parents about his recent conduct in class and the test, so he advises that Danny should study under his supervision after school until he’s ready to take the test again. Eventually, he tells Danny that the only reason for doing his job is to save enough money to see his “sister”, and then it’s revealed the picture of his “sister” is just him in a dress.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Mr. Lancer isn't wrong that Danny could get good grades if he really knuckled down and applied himself to his studies, which Danny does when he gives it a shot. Danny also comes to appreciate 18th century poetry more than he thought he could.
- New Superpower: Or more like a new power stunt: Danny manages to create a rectangular version of his force fields.Danny: Cool! – How did I do that?
- Paper-Thin Disguise: Mr. Lancer has a good point: it would take someone gullible to think the picture of him dressed as a woman is really his sister.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: When Lancer sees Danny using his computer to play video games and claiming his class is a waste of time, he calls out Danny on his blatant disregard.Mr. Lancer: There are no cheat codes in school Danny, or in life! But if you don't care, why should I?
- Reverse Psychology: Mr. Lancer's tutoring sessions with Danny amount to this. After Danny shows little concern that Mr. Lancer can't afford to visit his "sister," Mr. Lancer gives up trying to teach Danny since he figures if Danny doesn't care, why should he? This causes Danny to give 18th century poetry a try and ask Mr. Lancer for help. After Danny passes, Mr. Lancer chuckles that the old "can't afford to see my sister" sob story works every time.
- Sadist Teacher: Zig-zagged. Mr. Lancer is unpleasant and self-centered as ever. He's tough on Danny because he wants to see him succeed, so that he can succeed as a teacher.
- Samus Is a Girl: The powerful video game character who keeps kicking Danny and Tucker's butts... is Sam! Sam also implies that all the other top-ranking players are girls as well. Since unlike the boys trying to one-up each other the girls share tips and secrets they find in the game.
- There Are No Girls on the Internet: Danny and Tucker believe that only boys enjoy the sci-fi online game that they play. Not only does Sam thoroughly discredit this when she reveals that she's the mega-player who's been kicking their butts, but she implies that most top players in the game are girls too since they tend to share tips and secrets they find with each other, as opposed to the boys who keep trying to one-up each other. (Unsurprisingly, this episode aired early enough in the days of the internet that this trope wasn't completely discredited yet.)
- Useless Bystander Parent: Deconstructed: Jack and Maddie Fenton inadvertently fall into this when Mr. Lancer informs them about Danny's performance at school. Needless to say, not only are they oblivious of Lancer’s ulterior motive for “helping” Danny, but also a) don’t give him a fair chance to explain himself and b) set the gold standard for his education.
