Dead End: Paranormal Park (TV Series)/YMMV

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


These things about Dead End: Paranormal Park (TV Series) are subjective - not everyone will agree with all of them.

  • Alternate Character Interpretation: Ultimately, it's unknown in the season 2 premiere why Pauline Phoenix left everything in her will to Barborah. Barborah certainly deserves it, and the park runs much better while under her management, but she knew Pauline had no benevolent intentions in life, and after Pauline possessed her for thirty years. Pauline later appears in doll form with plans to possess Norma's mother, to get her park back, but ultimately decided to pursue redemption in her words by allowing Chester to move on and helping rescue the prisoners in the demon realm. Did some part of Pauline genuinely feel guilty for what she did, or was she planning to ensure that she still possessed Barborah if that happened? The season two finale shows that Norma made Pauline part of Dead End, to Barborah's approval, so the truth is ambiguous.
  • Anvilicious: Barney makes a speech to his parents about how they use their love as an obligation and that they didn't defend him where it counted. He says that parents are supposed to protect their children and support them, rather than hold it over their heads. It's necessary, and the blow lands where it should.
  • Angst? What Angst?: Parodied in the game show episode. Out of pure spite, the host kills Barney by pushing him down the lightning stairs. Pugsley tries nudging him awake, only to realize that his human is dead. Badiya and Courtney watch with dropped jaws before eating more popcorn. Norma immediately uses their lifeline, which creates a clone of Barney. This Barney sees his original body disintegrate into dust; he says with a Thousand-Yard Stare, "When we get out of here, remind me to call my therapist." No one brings this up again in season one, though there is a Call Back in season two.
  • Crosses The Line Twice: Courtney and demons in general are keen at bringing up this humor:
    • Courtney spends most of "Night of the Living Kids" trying to scoop out Pugsley's eyes with a melon baller. She also casually tells the kids at the birthday party how to summon the Night Hag.
    • The game show features many instances of this.
      • The host actually kills Barney onscreen. This should be horrifying, especially when Norma is forced to use their lifeline. Then a new Barney is created, and sees his old body disintegrating. He comments with a traumatized expression that he needs to call his therapist.
      • When round three is called the Chamber of Cuddles, Norma wonders what it means. Barney suggests maybe they have to cuddle each other. Norma goes Oh Crap because she hates physical touching and says they're never passing the round.
      • Then the punchline: Cuddles is a giant crab creature that has to fight them to the death. When Barney attempts to wrestle him, Cuddles casually flicks him off like a person would do to an ant. Then when the host orders Cuddles to throw the fight, Cuddles does an overly dramatic death scene. He would make Shakespeare proud.
  • He Really Can Act (Sugar Wiki): Alex Brightman gets to shine in "Phantom of the Theme Park". Most people know him from the stage versions of School of Rock and Beetlejuice where he plays the gruff leads. As Pugsley and Temeluchus, he has a duet with himself where Temeluchus convinces Pugsley that the only way to save Norma is to let him take over, "briefly" and that Pugsley stands no chance against Pauline. The season finale follows up with a hilarious scene where Pugsley pretends to be Temeluchus briefly to Zagan, Temeluchus's sister, so she doesn't hurt Patrick.
  • Moe:
    • Pugsley is a Precious Puppy and becomes more adorable when he gains the power of speech and magic. Barney awards him with a fez, something that makes Pugsley look even cuter.
    • Patrick is cute as a button. Norma even mentions that his resemblance to Barney, his older brother, makes him adorable.
  • Moral Event Horizon:
    • Pauline crossed this thirty years ago by deliberately tossing herself off a cliff, making it look like a stunt gone wrong, and possessing her best friend and stuntwoman Barborah when the latter climbed down to check on her, saying tearfully Please Wake Up. This revelation completely breaks Norma, and it's revealed Barborah hasn't forgiven Pauline understandably for stealing her life, and then moving on to other Pauline impersonators.
    • Zagan crosses this when she realizes that Temeluchus has grown attached to humans like Patrick and Barney, and uses their stone forms as a Human Shield to get her big brother to surrender, with the intent of killing Pugsley and removing his influence from the demon. Even Courtney is shocked by this when realizing that Patrick, Barney and Logs are at a great risk of being shattered; she has to convince Pugsley to let Temeluchus go full-tilt to save everyone. Season two lampshades this when Badyah schemes to ship Zagan with Norma in the hope of finding Norma a rebound crush. It doesn't work; Zagan is attracted to Norma but they both acknowledge that neither will forget Zagan invading the park and nearly killing Barney, Patrick, Logs, and Pugsley. The most they can do is an Enemy Mine in the season 2 finale to take on the angels.
    • Played straight when Fingers kills Barney to manipulate Pugsley. Granted, the red flag was maybe imprisoning the evil twins for the crime of existing.
  • She Really Can Act: Emily Osment is best known for playing Lily in Hannah Montana. During "Phantom of the Theme Park", while singing as Courtney, Emily gets to show off a lovely singing range while singing about all the levels of hell and torture rooms that she wants to visit, especially when Courtney tearfully begs Zagan to let her go home.
  • Signature Scene: Barney calling out his parents in the Western saloon in Phoenix Park is the one often advertised by Netflix and shown in Tumblr GIFs. It tells you that this isn't going to be an ordinary show where kids encounter adventure and danger.
  • Some Anvils Need to Be Dropped: Barney's calling out his parents is very pronounced, how they don't stand up for him against Grammy-Gram.
    • Barney's speech to his parents
  • Squick:
    • When Norma agrees to unleash and live through her worst fears for Harmony, aka the fear-demon "Harm-Many," she starts causing him to swell up because her fears are the real world, and they're too much for him. He explodes all over her, Barney and Courtney.
    • The way that Pauline's spirit sings to a disguised Norma, "Succumb to me! Succumb to me!" seems less like a demonic possession and more like assault. And in case you need any reminders, Norma is confirmed to be fifteen. Also, Pauline has done this demonic possession many times over.
  • They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot: Alas, in the season 2 finale owing to time constraints, we don't see Barborah and doll-Pauline talking things out, as Barborah is fine with Pauline haunting Dead End after the woman stole her life. One can hope season three will pick up on that plot thread, with Pauline saying that she's seeking redemption.
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