The bully and the evil scientist team up! (Image: Disney)
You have to give the makers of Phineas and Ferb credit for not falling into a rut. Too often kids’ shows — and, let’s face it, adult shows — stop being creative once they achieve wide popularity, figuring that sticking to a formula will keep them going. To be fair, it frequently works — if ratings are all they want. That’s why it’s so refreshing to see a show like Phineas and Ferb hit it big but continue to experiment with the show, to change things up here and there. Tomorrow night, two new 15-minute episodes of the show premiere on the Disney Channel, and they’re both good examples of what I mean.
The first, airing at 9:00pm ET/PT, is called “Let’s Bounce” and features the boys creating an anti-gravity machine, but not for any reason you’re likely to guess. Candace happens upon the device just as boyfriend Jeremy’s family arrives at the house for brunch, with very entertaining results. Meanwhile, Dr. Doofenshmirtz has decided to disrupt society in the Tri-State Area by using his Tell-the-Truth-Inator to do exactly what you’d expect it to do, with some help from a robot Abe Lincoln.
The second, airing at 9:15pm ET/PT, is called “Bully Bromance Break Up” and sees Baljeet decide he no longer wants to be Buford’s nerd. While Baljeet celebrates his new-found freedom by climbing a mountain with Phineas, Ferb, and Isabella — without the use of technology, which Phineas and Ferb have a hard time accepting — Buford falls in with Doofenshmirtz as the latter realizes the benefit of having a bully as a partner.
Yes, that is Buford's underwear. Don't ask. (Image: Disney)
Both episodes are very funny, with a bunch of jokes aimed directly over kids’ heads at their parents (or other adults who may want to watch). But it’s also great to see the folks behind the show develop the characters: Having Jeremy’s family come to the Flynn-Fletcher house is a big step in Candace and his relationship, and having Buford work with Doofenshmirtz makes him the only one of the kids who really knows who the evil “doctor” is.
So that’s fun, but as change-ups go it pales in comparison to what’s coming this summer. As part of their 2012-2013 TV schedule announcements, Disney announced plans for a special two-part episode called “Where’s Perry?” Here’s what they had to say about it, from the official press release:
[T]he Flynn-Fletchers are off on an African safari, leaving Perry at home to deal with Doofenshmirtz and his most evil plot yet: to take over the OWCA. But when Doofenshmirtz accidentally zaps Carl the intern with his Ultimate-Evil-Inator ray, Carl takes over the OWCA (Organization Without a Cool Acronym) and imprisons Doof and Monogram. Agent P steps in but gets zapped with one of Doof’s many rays and in the cliffhanger of all cliffhangers, disappears. The mystery of Perry’s whereabouts will be continued in August.
Does that sound as awesome to you as it does to me? No specific air date for either part of the episode has been released yet, but I’ll be sure to let our readers know when it is.
Remember to tune in and/or set your DVR for tomorrow — Friday, March 16 — at 9:00pm and 9:15pm ET/PT for the new episodes.
