In the episodes "She's the Mayor" and "A Real Boy" Candace achieved the impossible: She busted Phineas and Ferb to Linda. Not in a dream within Perry's dream; not cheating by using time travel; actual, successful busts that are canonically legit. Sure, Doof's inators reversed it afterwards, but it still counts.
I think when Dr. Doof used his combine-inator to make a triple-scoop garlic roach cone, that was his most diabolical creation, because not only was Perry genuinely disgusted and horrified by it (he didn’t even look like that when forced to almost eat gum off the sidewalk), but even Doof himself seemed freaked out by it. This nearly never happens in the show, and that roach cone was clearly living in freezing torture, too. “Sooo. . . coooold. . .”
AT2D came out 15 years ago now (makes me feel old as hell), and the concept of meeting alternate versions of ouselves from a parallel universe has always fascinated me.
I don’t think I’d be very amicable with my 2nd dimension counterpart, because they’d probably be a Doof-2 loyalist working for his autocracy, and I’d be much more aligned with the resistance.
This might be an unpopular opinion, but please hear me out. Many seem to think “Candace Gets Busted” is a bad episode, or even one of the worst episodes, but I think it’s a great episode. While there are valid criticisms of it, I enjoy it despite its flaws. I’m going to go over both the bad and the good aspects, give examples, and explain why I still think it’s a solid episode overall.
The most common complaint is that it has a mean-spirited ending, which is true, but there are other episodes that are even worse in this regard. In “The Secret of Success” and “Tri-State Treasure” for example, Candace gets just as bad of endings, maybe even worse. The worst ending for an episode in the entire show, in my opinion, is “Chez Platypus” which was played for laughs, but it just comes across as cruel, and I never found it funny, even when I first saw it as a kid. They’re still good episodes, but their endings suck. Why isn’t there such vitriol for those episodes because of their endings, but “Candace Gets Busted” always gets trashed because of its ending?
Another thing people say about the episode is that Candace did nothing wrong. I get the sentiment, but she wasn’t 100% blameless. P&F offered to help at the beginning, and Candace told them to go away (understandable, given their history). Then, when complete strangers showed up uninvited, she didn’t give them the same treatment; she inadvertently let them in. Afterward, she insisted that the “intimate get-together” (totally not a party) was hers, not P&F’s. Had she let the guests think it was P&F’s event, they would have gotten in trouble, not her. Candace took full responsibility, which is admirable, but it also meant she’d get the blame if things went wrong (which is exactly what happened).
Although Candace made mistakes in this episode, she still tried her best, which is why the ending is so frustrating. My guess as to why so many viewers don’t like it is because it hits too close to home; we all know how horrible it feels to be blamed and punished for problems or situations that were either beyond our control or that we were actively trying to fix. It’s extremely bleak and far too real for a feel-good cartoon like P&F. The way that Candace doesn’t even try to explain her side of the story; the way she looks down and accepts it, saying, “Thanks, guys. I’ll see you in a week” in a depressed tone; I think it’s the show’s saddest moment (not counting specials or movies).
An understated problem with the episode is that a lot of the characters seem more unlikable than usual. Stacy and Jeremy dipped as soon as it was convenient; P&F made one-liners instead of standing up for their sister (something they almost always do when she’s distressed, which she clearly was); Perry was uncharacteristically amateurish and incompetent (should have just moved the chair and the table, possibly got an extension cord for the outlet), and Linda went far beyond her normal obliviousness into petty cruelty, cancelling an entire trip that was already paid for, just to stick it to Candace. The only characters that are likable in this episode are Candace and Heinz.
Speaking of which, the way the episode is written forces the viewer to cheer for Candace and Heinz. They’re already my favorite characters in the show, but usually, they’re trying to ruin other people’s fun. In “Candace Gets Busted,” they’re the ones trying to have harmless fun, but this time it’s Perry who ruins it for both of them. I think making Perry the unintentional villain was a stroke of genius by the writers. Throwing a party is harmless, making up some MST3K-style dialogue for movies across the street is harmless, and that fedora-wearing platypus made sure to put a stop to both of those activities. If anything, the sour ending is Perry’s fault.
The humor of the episode is phenomenal. Candace insisting on using proper nomenclature for the event always makes me chuckle. Her popping out of the mirror while a random dude shaves his pits with scissors? Hilarious. The guests cheering at P&F eating chips like it’s the most impressive thing ever is also funny. Heinz has countless funny moments, too: “Too late, I’m lucky now!” made me laugh. His fake deep voice for the made-up dialogue is endlessly entertaining: “Sheila, I love you, but now I have to defuse this bomb” “I’m a condominium. I’m just standing there” “I am a dry cleaning wheel. Why do I exist?” “I’m your daughter. I will stop being sarcastic and untie you.” Then there’s the whole party getting transported into his pants and him having “my pants” as an “undesirable location” (seems like a dirty joke even though it isn't; he simply confused it for his dry cleaning wheel).
The music is great. “Breath” is good, but you don’t get to hear the whole song, so I don’t count it. There’s only one full song in the episode, and it’s one of my absolute favorites. “Candace Party” is a total bop, the dance is fun, and the animation/visuals are iconic. This is the only time in the entire series (that I recall) where Candace raps, and she’s good at it too. My enjoyment of this song is greater than my dislike of the episode’s ending, and I really do hate the ending.
This episode gets far too much hate; it’s subversive, it’s tragicomic, and it’s a black sheep. Sure, it has issues, but so does every episode to varying extents. I think “Act Your Age” and “Space Adventure” are far better candidates for the worst episode (Cliptastic 2 was so abysmal I don’t even count it as an episode; there’s a reason it’s not on streaming). “Candace Gets Busted” gets a disproportionate amount of shit for its ending, but I think the humor, the music, and the nighttime setting more than make up for it.
TL;DR: I think“Candace Gets Busted” is a great episode even though it definitely has some problems.
What do you think? Let me know if you agree or disagree.
There are millions of these so-called “pests”living in your bedding, clothing, and carpeting; they poop and die all over these things, which can cause allergies and trigger asthma for some people. However, these microscopic, headcrab-looking critters, which you can’t see or feel, are essential for disposing of your dead skin cells. Dust mites are little sanitation warriors, scavenging on old and unused material, simply taking the garbage out at a smaller scale. They are a net benefit, overall. Sleep tight tonight, because they have your back (literally, they’re crawling on it right now).
For example, when someone says it's a "misnomer" that all dinosaurs went extinct (birds still exist and are technically dinosaurs) or that chocolate milk comes from brown cows (yes, there are idiots who genuinely believe that; don't even get me started), it makes them sound almost if not just as silly as the people who think chocolate milk comes from brown cows. The word "misnomer" is the real misnomer in those contexts.
Misnomers are misleading/misused WORDS. Misconceptions are misinformed/false BELIEFS. At this point, unless you're living in extreme poverty or an isolated rural area without access to the internet, a public library, or a dictionary, there's no good reason for people to confuse or conflate these terms because it takes 3 seconds to look it up. I get it, it's just semantics at the end of the day, so it doesn't really matter that much, but it is still annoying to me and it makes me roll my eyes whenever I hear it.
