#pnf ask

Keep in mind this episode where the boys get “busted” was Perry’s dream but it’s the only time we see Linda introduce young Candace to her new baby brother and there's no “Dad” in sight

I theorized that Candace is about five years old in this photo (→ age theory post here ←) and again there’s just the three of them! We know Phineas has a Summer birthday (with no confirmed date) and that this family portrait was supposedly taken on the first day of Summer

Linda: “Now you know how every year we take a family photo on the first day of Summer?”

Then Linda eventually married Lawrence on June 15th and they lived happily ever after!

(In case you were wondering, I also believe Ferb’s bio Mom likely passed away, resulting in Lawrence and Ferb moving to Danville for a fresh start but that’s also speculation and I won’t get into it here)

Another factor I’ve thought about is that when Linda occasionally sees Phineas and Ferb’s inventions (even if it’s not "canon" or she is unaware it was built by them) she usually gets angry, freaks out, or calls it unsafe/dangerous! This could be due to what might’ve happened to her “first husband”

Perhaps he was an engineer who died from something he built/worked on? But we don’t know! This is just a theory/speculation but it could explain why Linda wouldn’t immediately approve of Phineas and Ferb’s inventions unlike Lawrence (→ my video compilation on that here ←)

It might also be part of why Candace tries to bust her brothers for building potentially dangerous inventions. There have been times when she outright says this like in the AT2D movie

Candace: “Oh, great and powerful Mysterious Force. I know you are just trying to protect my brothers, but I am simply trying to protect them too from their dangerous inventions. Show yourself so that I may reason with you!”

And there are times she waits for things to get “dangerous” before calling Mom like in “Happy Birthday, Isabella”

Candace: “Waiting for things to get dangerous, so I can call my Mom to come bust the boys.”

My final piece of evidence is that Candace apparently felt “very lonely” as an only child before Phineas was born and this could be because of a missing/absent “bio Dad”

Linda isn’t the most attentive Mom to her teenage daughter (but she still loves her don’t get me wrong!) and if she was a single mother for a period of time while young Candace was growing up it would explain some things like why she loves Ducky Momo so much

The song “Ducky Momo is my friend” shows young Candace doing everything with her Ducky Momo plushie after an off-screen Linda gifts it to her. Since then Candace has been a “lifelong Ducky Momo fan” according to her own words. She might not have felt this strong emotional attachment if something hadn't happened to her unknown biological Dad...

Also just want to say the Doofenshmirtz theory has been repeatedly debunked!!! A "bio Dad" was only ever briefly mentioned in the Star Wars special but that’s not canon to the original show

Phineas: “Oh, this is Ferb. He's our step-brother.”

Candace: “Mom remarried? What happened to Dad?”

Phineas: “Funny story actually. He—” (Death Star explodes)

Additionally, the show's creators have officially stated in the past that the topic isn't important to the overall story↓

But let’s not forget Candace has many episodes bonding with Lawrence! He's Phineas and Candace's real Dad in every way that actually matters!

❀ When Phineas was in Elementary School the “young” excuse stopped being effective since crushes are more common during that age group. Baljeet in particular would talk the most about who he was crushing on, which earned him a lot of eye rolls and teasing “they’re out of your league” comments. But Phineas didn’t really have anything to add to those types of conversations. When they talked about who the “cutest” girl or boy was, he was always objective. Even Ferb had more to say than Phineas did and that was rare

❀ Phineas never had to desire to search for a girlfriend or boyfriend or soulmate because the relationships he already had with his friends and family fulfill that “requirement.” Especially, the bond he has with Ferb since despite being step-brothers they are cut from the same cloth. They’re “twins” without needing to be biological twins

❀ Teen Phineas had mixed feelings when he found out Isabella had a crush on him. She’s one of his best, closest friends and she’s already deeply intertwined in his life! He already enjoys spending time with her, whether it’s going on adventures around the world or just hanging out in the backyard. So he doesn’t say no to dating and being called her boyfriend

But when it starts going beyond that into “serious territory” and Phineas is expected to give Isabella all his attention that’s when things go south. Suddenly, Phineas can’t build anything with Ferb without feeling guilty that he’s doing that instead of going on a date with Isabella. He starts to unconsciously push both her and Ferb away. He’s not made for these “expectations” of putting one person over another and he feels like he’s been torn in half. Who’s more important? His brother or his girlfriend? But more importantly Phineas is already known to put the needs of others before his own

The dates that felt fun start to feel like obligations and Phineas gets frustrated and starts to snap at Isabella more and more often. When Isabella tries to hold his hand now, Phineas instinctively tenses or flinches away. He’s uncomfortable in his own skin and he doesn’t understand why because he loves Isabella! But does he love her in the way she and society seem to expect him to? He likes the kisses but they don’t give him butterflies in his stomach like Candace said they should...

Isabella immediately notices, don’t get her wrong. Phineas isn’t singing or humming like he used to. He’s not infodumping anymore. He goes quiet but not “Ferb quiet” it’s more like the quiet before the storm or like a bomb is about to go off. Neither of them really know what to do about it and they don’t talk it over because Phineas feels like he’s about to explode whenever he opens his mouth

❀ Phineas eventually builds a device to “fix” him because he starts to think that something’s wrong with him, that he’s b r o k e n. Why doesn’t he feel what Candace and Ferb feel? All three of them were raised by the same parents. So what’s he missing? Why the lack or insufficient amount of romantic interest? Why can’t he be the boyfriend that Isabella wants him to be?

The device sorta looks like a Cupid’s arrow and he points it at his chest, directly above his heart, trying to convince himself that he needs to do this to be “normal.” But… his hands won’t stop shaking and it feels more like a death sentence. Besides, he’s Phineas Flynn, “normal” isn’t in his vocabulary! He can build a rocket and so much more with his eyes closed! With that thought in mind, Phineas snaps it in half instead of using it and expects to feel relieved!

Candace: “I told you, my therapist is giving a talk!”

Linda: “I’m so glad you’re talking to someone about this. It’s all-”

Candace: “Come on, it’s already started!”

We’re not sure when Candace started therapy or if it was her idea or not but apparently Linda’s glad she’s talking about it with someone that’s not Stacy for a change

Anyway, what they made Linda do so she stays “oblivious” wasn’t funny if that’s what the writers were going for because I didn’t see anyone who found it anything but annoying

*Screen changes to show Candace with her eyes blacked out*

Dr. Shamai: “A teenage girl convinced that her brothers are time-traveling space voyagers who build elaborate inventions that mysteriously disappear each day.”

Linda: *rummaging through her purse* “Now where is that lip balm? What did I miss?”

Anyone else think Linda could have ADHD because she could not stay focused and would constantly get distracted. I feel like the writers could’ve had her pay attention to the presentation but not believe a word of it when the proof disappears and it wouldn’t have left the fandom as annoyed

Dr. Shamai: “Client 1 even told me her brothers are making a flying disco blimp tonight!”

Candace: “We’re gonna bust Phineas and Ferb once and for all!”

Linda: “Sorry, just ran to the bathroom. What’d I miss this time?”

Dr. Shamai: “The question at hand, is this all a delusion or could it all be true?”

Candace: “This is my moment! Woo-hoo! This is about meeeeeee!”

Linda: “Omigosh, I never realized that. Okay, bye. *takes out earbuds* Sorry, honey. Your Dad called with an antique emergency.”

Again I argued Linda is not perfect! She’s flawed and you can argue characters need flaws to be “human!” But this level of deliberate inattention was crazyyyyy

Again can we consider she might have ADHD or something? Also why did everyone’s purses fall like dominos??? Curse you, cartoon logiccc

Dr. Shamai: “My proof! Oh, my beautiful proof! What happened to my... Wait. The disco blimp! It’s real! It’s all real!”

Candace: “Yes, yes, YES!!!” *stands up and accidentally knocks over Linda’s purse*

Linda: “Oh, my things.” *causes chain reaction of everyone in the audience to drop their bags*

Then the writers think that the end where Linda and Candace hug makes up for all of that? Noooo!! No, it doesn’t! Unless we see Candace with a new better therapist in a future episode but the chances of that are slim

Linda: “Candace, perhaps we should get you a different therapist, one that won’t get dragged offstage in a public meltdown. That was a lot. Are you okay, honey?”

Candace: “Okay? Mom, I feel great! What Dr. Shamai went through just once completely broke him! I go through that every day! And look at me! I’m doing just fine!”

Linda: “Mmm, I’m so happy to hear that.” *hugs Candace*

*Candace’s eye twitches during the hug, which shows she’s not actually okay*

I use the pnf wiki transcripts to save time when I use a character’s lines in these posts and here’s what the wiki said:

(She gives Candace a hug, but Candace’s eye twitches indicating that she is not in fact fine.)

And here’s what the pnf wiki summary said:

“Linda suggests that Candace get her a different therapist, but Candace refuses as she feels great about that someone else went through what she went through. However, it might be suggested otherwise as Candace twitches her eye as she hugs her mother.”

Is Linda a good Mom in this episode?

Nope! I hate how she acted! I looked up who were the writers and to my surprise it was Olivia Olson and Martin Olson (who saw that coming?)

So is Linda a bad Mom in general?

Again that’s your opinion! But if you base your opinion mostly on this episode and ignore all the episodes that show Linda is trying (failing miserably but trying at least) then I’m kinda talking to a brick wall

Basically, do YOU think the good moments outweigh the bad?

And hasn’t your own Mom or a person in your life ever unintentionally hurt or ignored you? Especially when you were young? Do you still love them?

In conclusion, Candace and Linda are both doomed by the narrative!!!!!💥💥💥

And she takes advantage of the whole “little kids get away with things they shouldn’t because they are supposedly too young to know any better” but I hate that excuse

Saying someone does something wrong because they didn’t know any better and not trying to teach them “better” is so STUPID in any context but I’m getting sidetracked because Suzy is fully aware of her “evil” actions

But you want to know if Suzy will grow out of being the jealous little sister? Well, I think she does eventually! Especially since she failed miserably to ruin Candace’s chances with being with Jeremy since they end up “boyfriend and girlfriend” by the end of Season 2 and will always continue to fail miserably in trying to keep Candace away

So it’d make sense when she’s older that she’ll stop being the possessive/manipulative little sister before Candace and Jeremy get married and have three children in the future (“Phineas and Ferb's Quantum Boogaloo”) like you’ve mentioned

And no one but Candace and Buford know about Suzy being “evil”

Candace: “No, Mom, you don't understand! She's evil!”

Linda: “Don't be silly, Candace. She's just a little girl. How much trouble could she be?”

Then Buford is shown to be terrified of Suzy in “One Good Scare Ought to Do It!”

Buford: “Behold; the face of evil!”

Phineas: “Buford, are you supposed to be Jeremy's little sister? You said you were gonna be something scary!”

Buford: “She is scary, man. She gives me the willies.”

Phineas: “Little Suzy Johnson gives you the willies?”

Buford: “You don't know, man. You don't know!”

So yeah Phineas and Ferb have no idea (Season 5 spoilers: I’ve seen people theorize Buford’s scared of Suzy because she might’ve caught him “flirting” with Jeremy like he does in “A Chip to the Vet” and Suzy doesn’t like anyone getting too close to Jeremy)

But let’s talk about the episode “Suddenly Suzy” which is when Candace accidentally agreed to babysit Suzy and takes place before Jeremy and Candace are officially dating. She throws away kitchen knives, the microwave, the blender, and her teddy bear Mr. Miggins then answers the front door wearing a huge foam protective suit

After Jeremy leaves Suzy does a evil laugh but then she says she won’t make Candace suffer when her brother isn’t around

Candace: “Aren't you going to do something horrible to me?”

Suzy: “Oh, no. Making you look bad is just one of the ways I control Jeremy. If he's not here, I'm off the clock.”

And when Candace says she can’t control Phineas and Ferb like that Suzy immediately is shocked and tries to help her bust them

Candace: “I wanna bust my brothers!”

Suzy: “Even better, get them to bust themselves!”

Surprisingly this works!

Candace: “Could you just help me out and call Mom?!”

Phineas: “What? So she can come and see this gigantic insanely high waterfall we built in the backyard?”

Candace: “Yes?”

Phineas: “Great idea! Can I borrow your phone?” *Candace gives Phineas her phone and Suzy gives her a thumbs up*

But to no one’s surprise the waterfall ride disappears before Linda gets home and Suzy says, “Results may vary?”

So the point is Suzy doesn’t seems to totally hate Candace when it’s just the two of them and yes they both share a love of Ducky Momo

Also her parents have technically caught Suzy being bad once in the “Let’s Bounce” episode where she was accidentally hit by Doof’s Tell-the-Truth-inator

Suzy: “I've been trying to make Candace look bad all morning!”

Mrs. Johnson: “Get over here Suzy. We're guests here, and guests do not behave like that.”

The last point I’ll make is that it makes more sense that Suzy is so jealous of Candace when you realize Candace and Jeremy have known each other longer than Suzy has been alive

Contrary to popular belief, it’s implied that Jeremy has liked Candace longer than she has liked him!

In the “Knot My Problem” episode Jeremy admitted that he admired Candace as early as Grade/Elementary school when she gave him a pencil and he kept it in a small safe for years

Candace: “A pencil?! This is what I've been obsessed with all day, a pencil?!”

Jeremy: “Oh, I remember that! In Grade school, a pretty girl loaned me that pencil and I've kept it ever since.”

Candace: “A pretty girl? Who was she?!”

Jeremy: “Candace, that pretty girl was you. See, those are your teeth marks.”

But Candace doesn't remember doing that and has mentioned she only started to crush on him during seventh grade in “Dude, We're Getting the Band Back Together”

Candace: “Are you kidding? Anniversaries are very important. Take June, for example. On the 3rd, Jeremy spoke to me for the first time back in the 7th grade.”

So yeah it seems Jeremy has liked Candace since before Suzy was even BORN

Thanks for the ask!🩵