YMMV / Phantom Planet

• Alternate Character Interpretation: When Sam called Danny a "not-special-human," was she upset because she preferred him as a ghost, or was she upset because she felt Danny was a better person than how he was acting and that he pretty much threw in the towel when things got too tough for him? There is evidence that supports both. While it's understandable that Danny seemed to have all but given up, her use of words like "one of the crowd" hints more to the former. However her stating "Now that's the Danny I know. So much for sitting on the sidelines, huh?" when he decides to come up with a plan to save the Earth from the Disasteroid before he gets his powers back does lean toward the latter interpretation more.
• Ass Pull:
  • The very existence of "ectoranium." It was never mentioned in any prior episode. Where it came from, how it works, why it harms ghosts, and what its origins are is completely unexplained.
  • Danny regaining his powers. It was foreshadowed by the white streak in his hair, but why being blasted by ghosts now serves to recharge his powers instead of hurting him goes contrary to everything we've seen ghosts do in the series. Particularly wonky since the episode already planted the idea that the portal could be rebuilt.
• Broken Base: There are those who enjoyed the Grand Finale, feeling that it was a good way to close out Danny's journey. Others felt that it was an unsatisfying capstone to an unfortunately lackluster final season, thanks to wasted plot elements and character behaviors such as his friends and sister (especially Sam) appearing to care more about Danny as a superhero than Danny himself. The fandom is so divided on this final episode that any fan work set after the end of the series always clarifies whether or not Phantom Planet occurred in the continuity of their story.
• Catharsis Factor: For as divisive as the film is, many fans appreciate finally seeing Jack tell Vlad off after he spent the entire series mocking him behind his back and attempting to steal his wife. The fact that they finally don't hit the Reset Button in response to the world learning of Danny's ghost powers is also a plus.
• Cry for the Devil: Vlad's final fate of being stranded in space and falling into depression at the realization that he's lost everything can easily make you feel sorry for him.
• Designated Hero: Sam's outburst at Danny over giving up his powers feels less like calling him out on something he genuinely did wrong and more of a preference for Danny Phantom instead of Danny Fenton, guilting him and making him think he's worthless without his powers. Yet, she ends up becoming his girlfriend.
• Fanfic Fuel: Despite its Broken Base status, the episode has given fans much room for speculation on many details: the aforementioned Aborted Arcs, Valerie's full reaction to learning Danny's secret, the concept of the whole world knowing Danny's secret and how several people would react to it, and how things would move forward now that Jack and Maddie know Danny's secret and Danny and Sam have completed their Relationship Upgrade.
• Fanon Discontinuity: It's not uncommon for fanfiction to either ignore the finale's events or undo them. A sizable number of the fanbase prefer ending the series with the previous episode D-Stabilized rather than this episode, feeling that the former was a more satisfying story. Aided by the fact that, either way, the audience is left with a lot of unfinished plot threads.
• Signature Scene:
  • "An old friend? No. You? YES!" is the most quoted line of the movie and considered one of the most badass moments of the whole series — ironic given the mixed to poor reception of the entire rest of the movie.
  • While a portion of the fanbase is divided over the D/S pairing, Danny and Sam's Big Damn Kiss is still memorable with the shippers.
• Strawman Has a Point: Exactly why was Danny in the wrong for giving up his powers? As he points out, he had to save his parents from being arrested, and even foregoing that, Vlad's team (despite taking payment for their work) were doing a much better job of protecting the city than him. He's wanted to be a normal human again for a good while, and everyone's attitude towards him (especially Sam's) comes off as them caring far more about Danny Phantom then Fenton.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot:
  • Valerie (Danny's first love and one of his most prominent foes) learns his Secret Identity, with the episode directly prior to this dealing with her changing perspective on the ghost boy. Her reaction to the monumental discovery that her ex-boyfriend and her Arch-Enemy are one and the same is lumped into a generic crowd shot of people smiling and clapping. This combines with her lack of role in this episode, and the season as a whole, to become a huge case of Aborted Arc.
  • There are concepts that are never explored upon, in virtue of being introduced in the last episode:
    • A team of teenaged villains who hunt ghosts for money would have made an excellent recurring foil or even Evil Counterpart (with Biting-the-Hand Humor, considering that a similar team served as inspiration for the series, and were the good guys).
    • The episode also introduces ectoranium, the ghost-equivalent of kryptonite. Again, being the last episode, the endless possibilities this could be used for are left completely unexplored.
  • They never show how Dash and Paulina (both admirers of Danny Phantom) reacted upon Danny revealing his identity. Especially Paulina, who has a big crush on Danny Phantom, who's officially going out with the "goth geek."
• Unintentionally Sympathetic: We're supposed to be upset with Danny for choosing to give up his powers. This ignores the fact that he had wanted his life normal again and did this to save his parents from getting arrested from unknowingly harboring a ghost. Add to the fact that his friends and sister were disappointed with him, and Sam in particular calls him selfish, even though he rightfully defends himself by admitting he cares more for his loved ones than his powers. Sam's answer to this, about how he's just a normal person and not someone amazing, doesn't make Danny less sympathetic, only more since it comes off as his loved ones only valuing his powers instead of him.
• Unintentionally Unsympathetic: We're clearly meant to side with Danny's friends and sister about his decision to get rid of his powers. However, they come off as rather uncaring to his feelings over it, showing boredom over doing normal things despite doing the same things even with his powers, coupled with how they don't come across as grateful they aren't being attacked by evil ghosts anymore. Sam, in particular, comes across as abusive and controlling. She calls him selfish, even though she was the reason he got powers that he never asked for by suggesting he check out the ghost portal, as well as the reason he was so stressed out by stating he should work harder to fight ghosts, and expresses dislike of being on the sidelines, ignoring how happy he is that he doesn't have to worry about his life anymore.

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