Phineas & Ferb Series Talkback (SPOILERS)

[The Huntsman]

Note: This Is Now A Series Talkback

I can’t for the life of me make a talkback image for this series, so you’ll have to excuse the lack of one. The characters tend to have different sizes than one another and I couldn’t find an image that could be taken down to 211 x 72 without the characters looking like butchered ants. Regardless, I thought I’d make this thread so that we can all discuss the first season of “Phineas & Ferb”, and once the second season rolls around, we can discuss that as well.

Despite the fact that I have enjoyed this series, I have only seen a handful of episodes. However, I have liked what I have seen and I am looking forward to the second season, though I sincerely hope that they will cut back on Candace’s attempts to bust her brothers. Quite frankly, that is too formulaic and my favorite episode of the first season, The Ballad Of Badbeard, didn’t involve that plot at all. I would like to see things like that done more often. “Phineas & Ferb” can be quite clever at times and I fervently believe that it has earned every ounce of its success, which is the reason I am trying to generate some discussion about it. With that, I’ll ask a question.

What was your favorite episode in the first season?

 

[Silverstar]

I haven't seen enough episodes of Phineas & Ferb to declare one my favorite.

Based on what I've seen, however, P&F is a cute show, but like you said, it's a bit formulaic: I actually think the idea behind P&F is better than the show itself. I'm not fond of the character designs, I'd like to see the occasional break from the show's "lather, rinse, repeat" story structure, the characters, most notably the titular stars, could stand to be fleshed out a little more (maybe the boys' plans could go awry once in a while, maybe sometimes they could actually get busted or they could disagree or a have a dispute over the pecking order once in a while just to mix things up), and I personally would enjoy the series a lot more if it weren't so overtly boy-centric; I'd have liked for one of the title duo to have been a girl rather than how the female characters are just relegated to the requisite supporting roles (the annoying sister, the girl-next-door with a crush one of the boys). I'm a big fan of Disney's Yin Yang Yo! (as evidenced by my current avatar), and I'd like to see Disney get off this 'boy-centric or girl-centric' kick they're currently on and start making more shows which are all-inclusive, with equal play among both genders.

Also, I'm probably in the minority here, but I personally think Perry's overdone. Don't get me wrong, it's an OK idea, but does every single story need a Perry plot running alongside of it? IMO, they should only trot the Agent Perry subplots out every once in a while, especially if they're not going to mix things up; why does Perry have to face the exact same advesary every time? It would be more entertaining if he faced different foes, like the "Dial 'M' for Monkey" shorts on Dexter's Laboratory.

But all nitpicks aside, Phineas & Ferb could be much worse. It's not my favorite current Disney cartoon (as prviously stated, YYY currently holds that title), but it's at least a premise with promise.

 

[The Huntsman]

…I'm not fond of the character designs…

I agree with you to some extent, as the character designs are a little off-putting at first glance. However, the series has poked fun at the character designs on certain occasions. In the episode that I mentioned earlier, The Ballad Of Badbeard, one of the characters told Phineas that he didn’t even have a chin when he was wanting to open up the treasure chest and be cursed with bad beards for the rest of his life. Little things like that have helped the designs grow on me.

…maybe sometimes they could actually get busted…

The season premiere for the second season is called “Phineas & Ferb Get Busted”. If it’s not a dream or some other cop-out, it could be a chance for some character development and a change in the flow of the series. We’ll have to wait and see.

…and I personally would enjoy the series if it weren't so overtly boy-centric…

Yeah. I agree with you on that one. “Phineas & Ferb” was in development while Disney was working to bring back boys, so I can only assume that’s why they have done that. There’s not a whole lot being done in the series to attract a female audience; I suppose Candace’s desire to romance Jeremy may counter that, to some extent, but the series is definitely masculine in nature. There definitely should have been more balance.

…Also, I'm probably in the minority here, but I personally think Perry's overdone. Don't get me wrong, it's an OK idea, but does every single story need a Perry plot running alongside of it? IMO, they should only trot the Agent Perry subplots out every once in a while, especially if they're not going to mix things up; why does Perry have to face the exact same advesary every time? It would be more entertaining if he faced different foes, like the "Dial 'M' for Monkey" shorts on Dexter's Laboratory…

I enjoy Perry’s segments quite a lot. I agree with you that there doesn’t need to be one in every episode, but I find the segments to be a refreshing change of pace and it’s remarkable how the writers manage to merge those segments into the overall story with Phineas & Ferb. There are times when you can see the merge coming from a mile away, as Dr. Doofenshmirtz will be doing something that you can tell is going to ruin Candace’s attempts to bust her brothers, but they have thrown a lot of curveballs. As for other villains, it’s possible, but I’ve grown rather fond of Dr. Doofenshmirtz.

Also, that’s a nice avatar. It’s good to see another “Yin Yang Yo!” avatar on Toon Zone; I had used one for a while, but I decided to move on to other ones. It’s a shame that there are only nine more episodes of the series remaining, but sixty-five episodes is nothing to sneeze at.

 

[The Huntsman]

I think I have a new favorite episode: Hail Doofania! Like The Ballad Of Badbeard, it was an episode that didn’t rely on the plot outline that most episodes of the series use. Well, it technically did, but it really shook things up quite a lot. It’s also the first episode that I’ve seen that didn’t really have an Agent P sideplot, as he was injured and couldn’t enter his secret base. On another note, I got to watch Raging Bully the other day and the series once again poked fun at the character designs; one of the characters noticed how Phineas’ nose takes up his entire face. I love that humor.

 

[The Huntsman]

There is going to be a “Phineas & Ferb” marathon this Friday; Disney even created this promotional page for it where people can see the schedule. So, if anybody has missed a few episodes or merely wants to check the series out for the first time, this might be your best opportunity.

 

[The Huntsman]

It appears that I am talking to myself. I appreciate Silverstar’s post, of course, but I wish more people discussed this series. It’s rather odd; “Phineas & Ferb” was recently proclaimed the most successful animated program in 2008 amongst tweens (9-14) yet hardly anybody on Toon Zone discusses it. That press release also revealed that the series almost tied with “SpongeBob SquarePants” amongst children (6-11), which is quite an accomplishment in its own right.

Regardless, I managed to watch a lot of episodes due to the marathon the other day. I still prefer the episodes that shake things up; for example, there are a handful of episodes where Candace goes along with Phineas and Ferb and is actually worried when she learns that her mother is on the way home. I hope that she’ll do that more often in the second season, as it’s much better than her typical attempts to bust them. Also, I find it cute how much Perry loves Phineas and Ferb. I’ve seen two episodes where Perry absolutely beat down Dr. Doofenshmirtz quite quickly when he feared that his plan would put the boys in danger. Suffice to say, Dr. Doofenshmirtz was somewhat perplexed both times that happened, but Perry didn’t want anything to happen to the boys.

 

[J!!!]

I enjoy it but there are no episode specific talk backs so I don't post in the talkback because things get really confusing with 40 episodes. So it's not you it is more or less us too.

 

[Goldstar!]

I've seen a few episodes of Phineas & Ferb, but I wouldn't call myself a fan. The most annoying thing about P&F is how repetitious the show is. The schemes will be different, but the basic formula is always the same: Phineas and Ferb are bored during Summer vacation. Plot is hatched by Phineas. Phineas and Ferb construct said device. Perry is called away on a spy mission. The culprit is always Dr. Doofinshmirtz. Candace discovers what P&F are doing and sets out to bust them by caling their mother. Perry defeats Dooofinshmirtz (who's really more of a pitiful screw-up than a villain). Mom returns home. Candace alerts Mom to what P&F are doing, but P&F have cleaned up the mess and look completely innocent by the time Mom comes to check on them. Ferb speaks his only line in the short. Candace goes crazy. Lather, rinse, repeat. Like Siverstar, I'm not crazy about the character designs either. The character's just look "off" somehow.

Maybe if the P&F stories had a tad more variety to them, I would be more willing to see them. I need to see some of the episode that mix things up a little. Candace isn't a villain. At the most, she's a mild annoyance, so it's not especially funny when she's given the "punching bag" treatment by the shows' writers. Like Daffy Duck, Candace earns our sympathy through her conflicted ordeal.

 

[The Irishman]

I don't have cable at home so it's tricky for me to see new episodes. I've been catching a few this week while I'm in Ireland though. It's a good show in lots of ways. I appreciate the subtle adult humour the writers throw in there every now and again, as well as the pop-culture references. Besides, there are a bunch of interesting characters; in designs and voices too! Richard O'Brien anyone? There's also the whole Perry the Platypus thing, which is a great way to work a sub-plot into the programme.

I agree that there were a lot of episodes to cover with talkbacks, but as I said at the top, I have a decent excuse. Overall though, it is a great show, especially on the Disney Channel. While it's not my absolute favourite, The Replacements is still in the top spot as far as self-servient humour and writing go, I would love to be able to see a second season.

 

[Silverstar]

It appears that I am talking to myself. I appreciate Silverstar’s post, of course, but I wish more people discussed this series. It’s rather odd; “Phineas & Ferb” was recently proclaimed the most successful animated program in 2008 amongst tweens (9-14) yet hardly anybody on Toon Zone discusses it. That press release also revealed that the series almost tied with “SpongeBob SquarePants” amongst children (6-11), which is quite an accomplishment in its own right.

Eh, Disney's TV shows just aren't very popular with folks here on ToonZone, it seems. Yin Yang Yo! is another show which gets next to no love here, except from you, me and a few others. I guess some of The Mouse House's recent tactics just rub a lot of people the wrong way, so much so that their more noteworthy projects tend to get lost in the morass of High School Musical, Zack & Cody and Hannah Montana hate.

 

[Goldstar!]

Well, if nothing else, you have to give Disney credit for trying. At least they still have some original animated programs both on the air and coming down the pike, which is more than Warner Brothers can say at the moment.

 

[The Huntsman]

I've seen a few episodes of Phineas & Ferb, but I wouldn't call myself a fan. The most annoying thing about P&F is how repetitious the show is. The schemes will be different, but the basic formula is always the same: Phineas and Ferb are bored during Summer vacation. Plot is hatched by Phineas. Phineas and Ferb construct said device. Perry is called away on a spy mission. The culprit is always Dr. Doofinshmirtz. Candace discovers what P&F are doing and sets out to bust them by caling their mother. Perry defeats Dooofinshmirtz (who's really more of a pitiful screw-up than a villain). Mom returns home. Candace alerts Mom to what P&F are doing, but P&F have cleaned up the mess and look completely innocent by the time Mom comes to check on them. Ferb speaks his only line in the short. Candace goes crazy. Lather, rinse, repeat. Like Siverstar, I'm not crazy about the character designs either. The character's just look "off" somehow.

Maybe if the P&F stories had a tad more variety to them, I would be more willing to see them. I need to see some of the episode that mix things up a little. Candace isn't a villain. At the most, she's a mild annoyance, so it's not especially funny when she's given the "punching bag" treatment by the shows' writers. Like Daffy Duck, Candace earns our sympathy through her conflicted ordeal.

Well, even Candace has taken notice of how formulaic things are. She mentioned it in several episodes, but the most notable one was the end of Leave The Busting To Us. I wish I had the exact quote, but unfortunately, I don’t. Also, if you haven’t seen Dude, We’re Gettin’ The Band Back Together I would recommend that you check that episode out. It wasn’t as formulaic as many other episodes in the series and it was actually quite sentimental.

 

[Dudley]

I recently saw this episode during a marathon where Candace actually has proof of Phineas and Ferb's exploits on a DVD which she got on a surveillance camera. When the disc gets stolen, Phineas and Ferb help Candace get it back. What i like about this episode is that it shows that the boys don't care if they get in trouble if Candace busts them, because they want to show what they accomplished to their mom as well. They wanted to help out just to make their sister happy.

I think that's really sweet.

 

[The Huntsman]

I recently saw this episode during a marathon where Candace actually has proof of Phineas and Ferb's exploits on a DVD which she got on a surveillance camera. When the disc gets stolen, Phineas and Ferb help Candace get it back. What i like about this episode is that it shows that the boys don't care if they get in trouble if Candace busts them, because they want to show what they accomplished to their mom as well. They wanted to help out just to make their sister happy.

I think that's really sweet.

The boys have never been malicious, except for perhaps in the pilot episode: Rollercoaster. In that episode, Phineas actively lied to Candace about his daily plan and sounded quite pretentious. However, his personality was changed once the series was picked up and both he and Ferb have treated Candace rather well. In fact, they made her so happy in Candace Loses Her Head that she was brought to the point of tears and exclaimed that what they did was the nicest thing that anybody had ever done for her. They also made her quite happy in Lawn Gnome Beach Party Of Terror and Tree To Get Ready, but I digress.

One has to wonder just why Candace wants to bust her brothers so bad. They love her and she loves them, and their plans have made her happy on some occasions, as I mentioned. It seems she would be better off if she joined them more often and reaped the benefits of their labor.

 

[peterg14]

The boys have never been malicious, except for perhaps in the pilot episode: Rollercoaster. In that episode, Phineas actively lied to Candace about his daily plan and sounded quite pretentious. However, his personality was changed once the series was picked up and both he and Ferb have treated Candace rather well. In fact, they made her so happy in Candace Loses Her Head that she was brought to the point of tears and exclaimed that what they did was the nicest thing that anybody had ever done for her. They also made her quite happy in Lawn Gnome Beach Party Of Terror and Tree To Get Ready, but I digress.

One has to wonder just why Candace wants to bust her brothers so bad. They love her and she loves them, and their plans have made her happy on some occasions, as I mentioned. It seems she would be better off if she joined them more often and reaped the benefits of their labor.

What would you do if your two 10 year old little brothers were doing and building dangerous things while your supposed to look after them? It's more that Candice wants them to be safe than she just wants them to get in trouble, so I can sympathize with her.

I've seem the show, and while I enjoy it from time to time, I really hope that they shake up the plots more. I know they'll get busted in the 2nd season premiere, but they need more breaks from Perry, or at least more villains than Doofinshmirtz. And how about Candice do something that doesn't involve busting her brothers, and keeping it that way for the entire episode? And the biggest thing I would like to see is for Phineas and Ferb to actually disagree, because brothers aren't always so chummy with each other.

 

[The Huntsman]

What would you do if your two 10 year old little brothers were doing and building dangerous things while your supposed to look after them? It's more that Candice wants them to be safe than she just wants them to get in trouble, so I can sympathize with her.

It doesn’t seem that way to me. She has said a lot of things in numerous episodes that has implied that she merely wants to get them in trouble; even when the boys did something that wasn’t too dangerous, such as their beach party, she flipped out and wanted to tell their mother. You can’t say that she was concerned that they might drown, as there were plenty of lifeguards on duty. They weren’t in harms way at all.

 

[peterg14]

It doesn’t seem that way to me. She has said a lot of things in numerous episodes that has implied that she merely wants to get them in trouble; even when the boys did something that wasn’t too dangerous, such as their beach party, she flipped out and wanted to tell their mother. You can’t say that she was concerned that they might drown, as there were plenty of lifeguards on duty. They weren’t in harms way at all.

Hmm, I guess I have to go back and watch those episodes again. But I think with some of the things they do, like the golf course and the bowling ally, she's really just looking out for them, but I do sort of think it's to avoid her getting into trouble as well. I mean she's supposed to be looking after them, and then they go off and build/do things that their mom might not approve off. I mean going to space, literally, going to space? I'm sure there mother would freak out over some of the things they do.

 

[The Huntsman]

I usually hate musical numbers in my animated programs, but I have to say that I really liked Love Händel’s Snuck Your Way Into My Heart. It had a really nice tune and the lyrics were quite clever, but what impressed me the most was the episode’s choreography. It was fantastic. The music fit perfectly with what was occurring on-screen and I have to give the series credit for doing such a brilliant job. Besides, Isabella looked downright adorable as a ninja; her character may have been built upon a tired cliché, but that scene was cute. Regardless, I sincerely hope that the band will appear again in the second season

 

[Light Lucario]

The boys have never been malicious, except for perhaps in the pilot episode: Rollercoaster. In that episode, Phineas actively lied to Candace about his daily plan and sounded quite pretentious. However, his personality was changed once the series was picked up and both he and Ferb have treated Candace rather well. In fact, they made her so happy in Candace Loses Her Head that she was brought to the point of tears and exclaimed that what they did was the nicest thing that anybody had ever done for her. They also made her quite happy in Lawn Gnome Beach Party Of Terror and Tree To Get Ready, but I digress.

One has to wonder just why Candace wants to bust her brothers so bad. They love her and she loves them, and their plans have made her happy on some occasions, as I mentioned. It seems she would be better off if she joined them more often and reaped the benefits of their labor.

Candace is one of the aspects of this show that I feel torn with. On one hand, I feel like she's so annoying for constantly wanting to get her brothers busted. It's like that goal totally takes over her once she sees them doing something, even when they're just doing something in the backyard. Even though she has been happy from some of Phineas and Ferb's plans, she still aspires to tell on them. On the other hand, I feel bad for her because her efforts are constantly ruined and I honestly don't think her mom would even care what the boys are doing. They're almost never in actual danger. I do agree that if she joined in on their plans, rather than trying to bust them, she would be better off and much happier.

 

[Ed Liu]

I think you guys are fundamentally missing the point of Candace. Asking why she is always trying to bust Phineas and Ferb and wouldn't she be happier if she went along with them instead is like asking why the Coyote doesn't just give up and chase something else other than the Road Runner since there's lots of other stuff that's easier to eat in the desert. Or why Donald Duck doesn't just give Chip & Dale a nut or two to get them out of his hair instead of constantly screaming at them. Whether it's easier or not is irrelevant -- it wouldn't be funny. Those are the ground rules of the game. Change the rules and you change the game. If Candace stopped trying to tell on Phineas and Ferb, then it wouldn't be Phineas and Ferb.

Besides, don't any of you have siblings? Don't you do things specifically to annoy them? I think Phineas & Ferb do their schemes partially because they know it will annoy Candace, and Candace continues to try to tell on them because she knows it will annoy P&F.

Now, later on, it might be funny if Candace decided she was going to go along with them and causes mayhem. Her participation weirds out P&F enough that they thwart themselves because they think Candace is trying to do a trick. Or something. I'm sure they'll do an episode where they subvert the formula.

-- Ed