#if i were to include Heinz's worse backstories id just give you the wiki list wjsosnsvs

[mammalsofaction]

Even just from a world building and meta textual perspective, AT2D kicks absolute ass. You have VERY good taste my friend. If you're curious as to some good subtextual dark angst in the series though, (present possibilities, we exclude Heinz's tragic backstories for now), here's some good rewatch recommendations in a new light:

Cranius Maximus, S3, EP45: Is an entertaining twist on the A-plot C-plot routine. Here, the kids design a brain stimulator for Baljeet bc he thinks he got dumb over the summer. Long story short, he essentially became a mad scientist who tried to shift earth's atmosphere to the moon so he could analyse the stars better. It would have left the earth with NO atmosphere, and the whole episode was a tongue in cheek secret agent vs evil scientist roleplay....down to the trapping, decoys and monologuing. If Baljeet had won, we could've severely endangered the earth in general, and Phineas and Ferb would've been trapped and suffered knowing that THEY were indirectly responsible for that harm.

Undercover Carl, S2, EP42: Francis Monogram accused Carl of not being pro-active enough in his work performance review, and in a state of panic to prove him otherwise, Carl doctors a bunch of statements by Phineas to make him sound like he and his friends planned to help Dr Doofenshmirtz take over Tri State Area. Knowing Perry would be enraged if he found out they suspected his host family of wrong doing, they sent Agent P on a wild goose chase while Carl is sent undercover to find out what the kids were planning. The kids were VERY sweet and welcoming of this suspicious stranger, and he had so much fun with the invention of the day (an anti-gravity device) he forgets to check in with a VERY convinced and concerned Francis at an appropriate time. Francis reacts by dropping by the Flynn Fletcher house personally to check, and Carl hurriedly assures him he'd miscalculated in his earlier assumptions. Just at the nick of time....because Francis had summoned the SWAT army to apprehend the backyard gang. Carl had almost sent a bunch of innocent 10-year olds into OWCAtraz (a high security level detaining facility for the state's worst prisoners)...and Perry would have been none the wiser.

Where's Perry (1) and (2), S3, EPS 55 and 56 ; WP is definitely a gem not talked about enough in sheer angst potential. From an A plot, the backyard gang nearly falls to their death down a steep ravine at one point and their families wouldnt have figured it out, bc even Candace had embraced the jungle and left civilised society (she couldnt find signal for her phone). From a C plot perspective, Carl accidentally gets shot with the Make Everything Evil Inator, taking down OWCA from the inside and jailing all the agents, including Francis. He needed Perry's paw print for something, i think to access all of OWCA's tech all through the state as part of his plan to take over the Tri State Area. He had Perry hunted down with robot lookalikes of his own family, who had instructions to either capture him alive if possible, but cutting off his arm would do in a pinch.

Night of the Living Pharmacists, S4, EP 44: if you're part of the fandom, you'd know we have sung PRAISES about the angst potential of NOTLP. Where do i start. Its basically the dawn of a zombie apocalypse AU. There's no where to begin: the backyard gang get separated from the Fireside Girls and Isabella early on, and they quest to find each other while they lose survivors, one by one. The backyard gang loses Baljeet first, then Buford, Ferb, and finally Phineas. Candace finds out about Perry being a secret agent, before she goes, then Vanessa, then finally Perry himself, and Heinz bore witness to all of it, since he was immune. The three surviving witnesses by the end was Isabella, Doof and Stacy before they figured out the cure. They save the day....but the plague had spread beyond Danville. The entire world, in that case, had been zombified. In that timeline, Danville remains as the only Sanctuary. 10/10, give it a looksie.

Phineas and Ferb, Star Wars Special, S4, EP41: Ferb gets hit with the Sith Inator, which is the Star Wars-ified take on the Make Everything Evil Inator. Theres a scene where he tries to convince Phineas to join him on the dark side, and when he refuses, there is a fight to the death. Not actual death, its a happy ending (duh), but the angsty subtextual layers of the brainwashing is insane 🫡🫡🫡👍

Cheer Up, Candace, S2, EP29: The A plot is light and silly. Perry was fighting for his life tho, literally. Heinz had made a bunch of robotic Perry clones and sent them all to wreck havoc all over town to frame Perry for evil. OWCA attempts to apprehend Perry and send him to jail, and basically Perry had to hide from the agency AND his family while he finds Heinz to figure what was up and clear his own name. At DEI, he was forced up against DOZENS of extremely violent personal clones who were each beating him into submission. The angsty subtext is insane, bc what do you mean he was on the run from his own AGENCY, and he couldnt go home to spare his family, the two things he'd ever known, betrayed by a man he'd thought of as friend. If he'd lost at any point, his options were jail, death or indentured servitude to evil. And not to mention he would never see his family again.

The Remains of the Platypus, S3, EP34: This one's a bit unsettling, due to the non-linear storytelling, but its VERY fascinating and i beg you to give it a chance. Perry's shot with a Butler Inator, making him Heinz's evil minion and indentured servant. Again, Love some good brainwashing ethics.

Some more Honorable mentions for angst/potential angst because I could honestly be here all day:

Phineas and Ferb Save Summer

Primal Perry

No More Bunny Business

Return of the Rogue Rabbit

Meapless in Seattle (less angst, but there IS a brewing intergalactic war)

Phineas and Ferb and the temple of Juatchadoon (also less angst, though some betrayal happens)

Does anyone else think about how Phineas and Ferb basically doomed the universe to slowly loose all air in that episode with the tower or just me?