Why you should watch this show religiously
By Janis McMath, Editor-in-Chief
5/5
Don’t let the family-friendly tone and bright and beautiful illustrations deceive you though; this definitely is not a show for braindead babies.
During a time when murder, crime, and death are popular topics in all forms of media, I feel like we all collectively need a break from heavy content. With spring in full motion and summer on the horizon, now is the perfect time to watch some Phineas and Ferb. The show’s intro song is the energetic Bowling For Soup bop that starts with the iconic lyric “there’s a hundred and four days of summer vacation…” and is a perfect preface for how witty, musical, and hilarious the show is.
Phineas and Ferb features two stepbrothers who are also best friends and prodigy inventors. The two are determined to take advantage of their time off and have as much as fun as possible; each day they build things like rollercoasters, beaches, and mini-golf courses so they can enjoy adventures with their loyal and extremely capable friend group (and sometimes the whole town). Even if your parents were boring and didn’t let you watch the good raunchy cartoons as a child (e.g., The Simpsons, South Park, and Family Guy)this cartoon would undoubtedly get the stamp of approval from anyone as it is jam-packed with positive messages and is genuinely educational. Essentially every single episode shows the main characters stretching their imaginations in a new way, instills a deep love for science in watchers, and depicts healthy and meaningful relationships between friends and family.
Don’t let the family-friendly tone and bright and beautiful illustrations deceive you though; this definitely is not a show for braindead babies. The comedy is clever, universal, and oftentimes very meta. In the episode “Make Play,” a coincidence occurs and character remarks “Oh! Wow! What are the odds?” In response, another character states “Well, it is a cartoon, sir.” One of my personal favourite bits of humour comes from a character named Dr. Doofenshmirtz and his tragic backstories. As the show goes on, his personal history is revealed, and it only gets increasingly dramatic and hilariously sad. For example, Doofenshmirtz says that “it all began on the day of my actual birth. Both of my parents failed to show up.”
Similar to the backstory joke, the show has many other fantastic running gags which are truly the best ones you’ll ever witness in a TV show. Most shows get stale pretty fast when they repeat jokes (Adventure Time’s waving snail sucks) but in Phineas and Ferb, the running gags exemplify exactly how hilarious and talented the writers are. The best running gag shows Phineas’ and Ferb’s gigantic and presumably immovable inventions consistently being dragged away just in the nick of time before their mom comes home and their sister Candace is able to prove the downright insane antics the two brothers commit every single day.
Lastly—but most importantly—this show centres itself around music. Every episode features at least one original hit—and in special episodes they have several bops. The songs are performed by the talented cast of the show like Candace, who is voiced by Ashley Tisdale. The creators get really creative with the musical styles they feature. Their songs range in style any where from hip-hop to Indian pop music. Along with every other perfect aspect of this show, the music is another example of why Phineas and Ferb is the best. All other shows that have the gall to exist alongside this masterpiece should be ashamed of their lack of effort.
