Nerds of a Feather

Now we've done it, Ferb. We've brought the entire convention center to the brink of an inter-genre geek war! Phineas and Ferb head to the Tri-State Area's annual sci-fi and fantasy convention to meet their hero, special effects guru Clive Addison. Their plan gets sidetracked when they're swept into a duel between the fantasy fans and the sci-fi geeks. Meanwhile, Candace tries to keep secret that she's a fan of Ducky Momo, another convention staple. Across the convention hall, Dr. Doofenshmirtz has taken television executive Jeff McGarland hostage so he can pitch him a show he's developed, "Doof 'n' Puss."

Episode Summary
Candace opens her eyes to find herself in a 'trippy' land which seems to be a dream that she can control. The Talking Zebra flies up and past her which makes her believe that she can fly as well. She jumps off her bed, only to fall to the ground. The land around her begins to crack and crumble and she worries she has broken her own mind. She almost gets scared when Phineas and Ferb walk up to her, assuring her that she's fine and that it's all just special effects. They're warming up to meet Clive Addison at the science fiction and fantasy convention. She notices that they're all dressed up with Phineas as a captain from Space Adventure, and Ferb as an elf prince from Stumbleberry Finkbat. Both of those movies had their special effects done by Clive Addison. She tells them to get out of her room, but it turns out they were already at the convention. What she was seeing was just more special effects.

Dr. Doofenshmirtz narrates as Perry pulls down a flier that reads, "Where's Perry? Wanted." The music kicks in "Chicka chicka chow, chicka chow chow, chicka chicka chow" and the opening credits start "like one of the '80s TV shows with a voiceover". It stars Perry the Platypus, an amateur stage magician framed for a crime he didn't commit (the 1865 assassination of Abraham Lincoln). Doofenshmirtz as a rogue, trillionaire inventor extreme fighting champion from the future. The two of them, along with Rick, played by Major Monogram, bring hope and justice to the Tri-State Area in peril. Together, they are Doof 'n' Puss. Today's episode, ‘'Ham On Rye, Hold the Mayor." Doofenshmirtz is reading the paper and Perry is playing with cards when Rick shows them the mayor's out-of-character behavior. The two have to find out what's going on.



Back at the Flynn-Fletcher house, Candace attempts to sneak past Linda, carrying a large bag on her back. Her mom asks where she's going and what is inside the large bag, without even looking at her. Candace replies that she is going to Stacy's house and that the bag is holding smaller bags. Linda believes her and tells her to have fun. Phineas and Ferb, meanwhile, are walking around the convention, passing by Albert and Irving who are arguing with each other. Phineas excitedly spots Clive Addison and the two walk over to him. Unfortunately, Irving notices them and asks Phineas to tell Albert that the Space Adventure movies are superior to the Stumbleberry Finkbat movies in every way. Phineas is disappointed when Clive Addison walks away, but Irving thinks he is in mourning that he didn't have a brother anymore. Phineas is confused. Irving and Albert begin to argue about which is better between sci-fi or fantasy. It brings a whole crowd of fans over and separates Phineas and Ferb since they are dressed as characters from the two different genres.

900 Hours, City Hall Mayor House. The mayor thanks Doofenshmirtz and Perry for auditioning with a magic act, but they want something more dazzling. Doofenshmirtz says they can dazzle and proceeds to cut Perry in half with a saw as an assistant shows the mayor a photo of the two trying on their costumes. Roger realizes they are Doof ‘n' Puss, and immediately has his ninja vampires fight them. They are cornered and Doofenshmirtz states that he picked the wrong day to stop carrying garlic scented throwing stars.

At the convention, Jeremy answers his phone. It's Stacy, who is wondering if he has heard from Candace lately. He replies that he hasn't, and that he thought she was with her. This confuses Stacy as Candace said she would be hanging out with Jeremy for the day. Jeremy tells her that he's at the sci-fi fantasy convention with his little sister, Suzy since she was into the little kid stuff like Seahorsie Hospital, or lame things like Ducky Momo. He hangs up quickly when he realizes someone in a Ducky Momo costume heard him. Suzy whirls around when she sees the costumed character and chases it. Ducky Momo manages to hide from her after Jeremy takes her away. It is revealed that Ducky Momo is actually Candace. She wonders why it must be so hard for a Ducky Momo fan to find collectables in a convention without anyone finding out.

Phineas and Ferb are still caught in the middle of the argument of which genre is better. Phineas tells them they're blowing it way out of proportion, something that they all agree isn't true. Irving tells Phineas to come with him and speak with their sc-fi leader. Phineas doesn't want to leave Ferb behind, but is pushed away by Irving who tells him Ferb is nothing to him anymore. Albert tells Ferb he is his new brother now and asks him to carry his action figures. Irving and Phineas arrive at the men's bathroom and Irving knocks. The door opens and they enter to meet with the one, who actually turns out to be Baljeet. Phineas sees Clive Addison again, but Irving tells him to pay attention. Irving tells Baljeet the unfortunate news that Ferb is dressed as an elf. Though Phineas thinks Ferb's costume is cool and says that he is enjoying another genre, Baljeet claims that Ferb is lost. Phineas says they should consider the fact the fans of Space Adventure (Speckies) and fans of Stumbleberry Finkbat (Finkies) have more in common than they do differences and that they should just talk with each other. Baljeet doesn't think this is possible, as the Finkie leader is Buford. Phineas manages to convince him to prepare a peace treaty and has him read it to Buford. The Speckies vow to live in peace and harmony with the Finkies. All they ask is for the Finkies to admit that Space Adventure is better than Stumbleberry Finkbat and that they had brought a total shame to their families forever for believing otherwise. It wasn't at all what Phineas meant for Baljeet to write, and it causes the two genres to declare war on one another.

At Doof 'n' Puss, Perry the Platypus and Dr. Doofenshmirtz are tied up in a storage closet, Perry struggling to get out of his binds and Doofenshmirtz talking about their battle before. They both turn their attention to some grunting and see the mayor in the struggling to untie himself as well. Doofenshmirtz tackles him and the mayors tells him he is the "real" mayor and that the one they met before was a shape-shifter posing as him. That makes sense to Doofenshmirtz as it would be a weird plan for the mayor to tie himself up with them in a dark closet. Perry chatters and shows he managed to free himself with his skill as a magician... and also scissors.

Phineas and Ferb have brought the entire convention center to the brink of an inter-genre geek war. It's up to them to extend the olive branch of diplomacy. Phineas will go talk to Buford, and Ferb will go talk to Baljeet. Candace, in the meantime, is admiring all of the Ducky MoMo merchandise. She is forced to stop, however, when Suzy spots her and chases after her. Jeremy calls out after her but she doesn't listen and chases Candace into the "Alien Nest". Suzy gets scared and runs away, allowing Candace to escape and find a piece of Ducky MoMo merchandise she doesn't already have.

Phineas is alone, wondering how he can get to Buford. Irving finds him and asks if he's working on a battle strategy. At first, he denies it, but then realizes that Irving could help him and says he is. Irving is glad to help, but a bit worried since Phineas wants to modify his costume so he can get behind "enemy lines". Not long afterwards, Irving meets up with Buford disguised as a stump and displays a holographic message from Phineas. Phineas wants Buford to hear him out, Finkies and Speckies are all outcasts, they should be friends. However, Buford disagrees, and refuses to change his mind.

Ferb goes to the bathroom where Baljeet is, but is stopped by two guards since Finkies aren't welcomed there. To get past them he covers himself with a sheet and walks past the guards, who think he disappeared using a cloaking device. Once he's inside, Baljeet tells him to speak, but Baljeet interrupts him, thinking he is going to attempt to charm with his "silver tongue" and use "magic rune signs". The "conversation" is over and Baljeet commands others to transport him away. They are shining a flashlight on him and making sound effects as Ferb walks away to go meet Phineas. Phineas is disappointed that the day didn't turn out the way that they had wanted, and Clive Addison tells them he knows how they feel. Phineas looks up in surprise, immediately telling him they are his biggest fans. Clive Addison wishes there were more fans, since they are the only ones there, but Phineas tells him there are a lot more. Everyone else was busy getting ready to have a war over his two movies. Phineas gets and idea of how to resolve the fight. He knows what he and Ferb are going to do from this point of the day on.

Phineas and Ferb better resolve it fast, because the Speckies and Finkies have already begun their march to war singing, Our Movie's Better Than Yours. Candace has spotted a rare piece of Ducky Momo merchandise, a plate where they printed the wrong saying, "I hate people!" All she has to do is walk over without drawing too much attention to herself. She doesn't accomplish this though, as she walks right through the middle of the war as they are about to charge. This forces everyone to stop and stare at her as they wait for her to walk past. A moment after she has passed, the fans of the two different genres charge again. A fight then breaks out.

In Doof 'n' Puss, the mayor impostor appears in front of everyone to establish his various new pro-ninja vampire laws. Doofenshmirtz and Perry appear, prompting him to transform into a large monster. The scene freezes there. Jeff McGarland, the television producer, tries to tell Doofenshmirtz that throwing a monster into a story is lazy writing. He changes his mind when an apparently real monster storms past them, making everyone run around screaming in panic. Doofenshmirtz is excited that soon fans of his show will like him so much they will do his bidding. However, when Jeff suggests giving Perry a girlfriend, Doofenshmirtz angrily refuses to compromise his artistic vision and storms out.

The monster is still storming around the convention and Baljeet stops Buford from running away. The two decide to join forces and fight the monster. Candace buys the plate, but when she sees the monster, she drops it and it shatters on the floor. Phineas and Ferb, along with Clive Addison, are up on a deck overseeing the convention. It is revealed that the monster is just special effects used to make the sci-fi and fantasy fans work together. Candace is the only one who notices them and tries to get the other to see as well. She takes one of their wands and chants a fake spell to show them how fake it is, but as she does so, the monster disappears. Everyone lifts her up in the air since "Ducky Momo defeated the Monster". Now confident that everyone will like her for being a fan, Candace reveals who she is and tells everyone she loves Ducky Momo. They all laugh at her and put her down, leaving her alone. Jeremy walks up to her, not at all embarrassed that he's talking to Ducky Momo. He tells her she was cool, and that Ducky Momo wasn't so lame after all since Suzy seemed to like him very much. Suzy runs up to Candace and gives her a hug, exclaiming, "I love you, Ducky Momo!" Candace smiles and hugs her back. "Ducky Momo loves you too, Suzy."

Back with Phineas and Ferb, Clive Addison tells them that they showed him the best special effects show ever. It's clear that the two of them are going to have amazing careers in special effects, and if they wanted that, they could give him a call anytime and he would hire them in a heartbeat. Ferb says what he would love to do is direct, to which Clive Addison replies, "You and me both."

Doofenshmirtz is back at his home, watching a new show called The Platypus and His Girlfriend. Realizing it was better than the original idea he had pitched, he tells himself he should have sold out.

Songs

 * Doof 'N' Puss
 * Ducky Momo is My Friend
 * Our Movie's Better Than Yours
 * Ducky Momo Theme Song

End Credits
Ducky Momo Theme Song

I know what we're gonna do today!
The "know what we're gonna do today" music is heard when Phineas says "What? No! I-I mean...yes! Yes I am."

What'cha doin'?
None.

Perry's entrance to his lair
None.

Oh, there you are, Perry
None.

Background Information

 * This episode shows that Ferb wants to be a director when he's older, which is rather ironic, since directors generally need to do a lot of talking.
 * At the part where Candace makes the giant monster disappear, at a certain frame, you can see a blue tent which looks like an Illuminati pyramid.
 * The Doof 'N' Puss segments appear with slightly muted color to make it look aged like a show from the 70's or 80's.
 * This is the second time where a school was shown in the series, but was in a flashback. The first time was in the song "My Undead Mummy".
 * This is the first full length episode where Irving makes a non-cameo appearance. ("Phineas and Ferb Musical Cliptastic Countdown", "Phineas and Ferb Christmas Vacation!", "Phineas and Ferb Summer Belongs to You!")
 * Isabella is the only one of Phineas and Ferb's friends to not appear in this episode.
 * This may be the longest time Phineas's "I know what we're gonna do today" line is from the beginning of the episode. He didn't say it until midway through part two.
 * Major Monogram does not appear as himself in this episode, instead he plays as a robot rickshaw named R.I.C.K.
 * Jeff McGarland requesting that the platypus in Doof 'N' Puss 'have a girlfriend' may be a subtle shot towards Disney executives requesting the same to Dan Povenmire and Swampy Marsh of Perry.
 * List of known fans of Space Adventure:
 * Phineas
 * Irving
 * Django Brown
 * Baljeet
 * Ferb (Although he dressed like a Finkie, he likes both)
 * List of known fans of Stumbleberry Finkbat:
 * Ferb
 * Albert
 * Buford
 * Unnamed Pinhead Pierre actress
 * Phineas (Although he dressed like a Speckie, he likes both)
 * This is the first time Irving has shown or even hinted dislike towards Phineas or Ferb
 * Doofenshmirtz does not build an inator in this episode.
 * During Candace's fantasy, the zebra holds up a Candace-based parody of the Barack Obama poster Hope, which also appeared during the rewind in "She's the Mayor".
 * Stacy has a Paisley Sideburn Brothers poster on her wall again ("Fireside Girl Jamboree"). This would later appear in "The Secret of Success".
 * During Ducky Momo is My Friend, Candace is seen younger again, wearing a red shirt and white overalls ("Phineas and Ferb Get Busted!").
 * Dr. Doofenshmirtz says "Out, Peace!" ("Unfair Science Fair Redux (Another Story)", "Invasion of the Ferb Snatchers", "She's the Mayor", "The Beak", "Phineas and Ferb Hawaiian Vacation").
 * The 70's-style music from "Isabella and the Temple of Sap" and "Finding Mary McGuffin" is heard for the third time.
 * Baljeet feels a disturbance, similar to Dr. Doofenshmirtz in "Thaddeus and Thor" and Isabella in "Phineas and Ferb Christmas Vacation!".
 * The Talking Zebra who calls Candace "Kevin" appears ("The Ballad of Badbeard", "Phineas and Ferb Get Busted!").
 * The Fireside Girls' clubhouse and Nosebud were blown up in the fight scene with the vampire ninjas in Doof 'N' Puss. ("The Lake Nose Monster", "Isabella and the Temple of Sap").
 * It's the second time Candace has been laughed at. ("Out to Launch")
 * Doofenshmirtz is briefly seen watching The Platypus and His Girlfriend in his underwear right before the credits, officially marking the fifth time Doofenshmirtz is in his underwear. ("Lights, Candace, Action!", "Tip of the Day", "Bubble Boys", "Phineas and Ferb Hawaiian Vacation") This is the last time we will see his underwear in Season 2, but it will reappear in in the Phineas and Ferb Season 3 episode, "Run, Candace, Run."
 * Another one of the few times Candace does not attempt to bust her brothers.

Production Information

 * Disney XD MediaNet press release.
 * On a video of Vincent Martella recording for the show on YouTube, he is saying lines from this episode. He was recorded saying a line about using smoke and mirrors to create special effects, a line that was later omitted. This explains Candace's line later on, "take your smoke and mirrors and get out of my room!"
 * In the credits, the production studio was identified as "Disney Television Animation". It will not be used again until the credits for "The Great Indoors" and "Canderemy". The logo for the said production studio will be revealed after the credits for "Excaliferb!".
 * This episode was nominated for a 2011 Annie Award for Writing in a Television Production for Jon Colton Barry and Piero Piluso. They lost to the writers of Robot Chicken: Star Wars - Episode III.

International Premieres

 * August 28, 2010 (Disney XD Latin America)
 * September 3, 2010 (Disney Channel Latin America)
 * September 7, 2010 (Disney XD Poland)
 * October 9, 2010 (Disney XD Spain;Disney XD Germany)
 * October 14, 2010 (Disney XD UK)
 * November 7, 2010 (Disney Channel Brazil)
 * November 21, 2010 (Disney Channel Spain)
 * December 31, 2010 (Disney Channel Asia)
 * March 11, 2011 (Disney Channel Scandinavia)
 * March 18, 2011 (Disney XD Scandinavia)
 * March 19, 2011 (Disney Channel UK)
 * August 13, 2011 (Disney Channel Turkey)

Errors

 * When Ferb says "Always", his mouth doesn't move.
 * When Baljeet said to Buford "You lose an arm", Buford had five fingers on his left arm instead of four.
 * When Suzy chases Ducky Momo (Candace in a Ducky Momo costume) into the Alien Nest, her face painting disappears and does not reappear at the end of the episode.
 * The bathroom symbol on Baljeet's "headquarters" shows a male character but is inside a circle, (which is used for female restrooms).
 * When Baljeet says "And your magic rune signs have no effect in this dimension", if you look closely, 2 squares on his costume change color.
 * In the scene where Candace begins walking to the Ducky Momo badge but not attract any attention. In the Stumbleberry Finkbat side, there are 2 copies of a wizard and 2 copies of a unicorn/fairy hybrid, but in different color schemes. While in the Space Adventure side, there are 2 copies of a teen holding a flag, but in different color schemes. There also 2 exact copies of a teen who seems to be wearing football gear and a gray knight-like teen.
 * In some scenes, Irving wears his usual t-shirt instead of the robot dress.

Continuity

 * Space Adventure was originally mentioned in "Not Phineas and Ferb" and posters for it were seen in "Are You My Mummy?".

Allusions

 * The title of this episode is a reference to the common saying, "Birds of a Feather".
 * Stumbleberry Finkbat parodies the popular The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter franchises, and Space Adventure is a general parody of the Star Wars and Star Trek franchises. Both Harry Potter and Star Wars featured special effects by Industrial Light and Magic, one of California's most famous special effects studios.
 * Jeff McGarland, a television executive, is an parody of Seth MacFarlane, the creator of Family Guy. Seth is portraying the character and is a television executive himself. Dan Povenmire worked with Seth on Family Guy before moving to create Phineas and Ferb.
 * Comic_Con_logo.png Tri-State Area's annual sci-fi/comic book convention is a parody of various fan conventions which are held in various locales, the largest and most famous of which is Comic-Con International, an annual convention that used to only apply to comic book fans but now applies to more fans of other obsessions, including Phineas and Ferb (and where footage from this episode was first shown to the public).
 * Doof 'n' Puss parodies various crime/action series from the '70s and '80s, in particular The A-Team (an escaped fugitive "framed for a crime they didn't commit"), Kung Fu (a martial arts master), and Knight Rider (a talking vehicle, or parodying the name: Puss in Boots from the old folk tale).
 * Airplane! - Doofenshmirtz's line of picking the wrong day to quit carrying garlic-scented throwing stars parodies an oft-repeated line from the 1980 Airport parody by Lloyd Bridges "Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit smoking/drinking/amphetamines/sniffing glue." The title of the "Doof 'n Puss" episode, "Ham on Rye, Hold the Mayor" is similar to another line from Airplane! "Alright, give me Hamm on five, hold the Mayo."
 * "What I really want to do is direct" is a common expression among people in Hollywood, trying to get their big break.
 * Albert makes a reference to the quality of the even-numbered Space Adventure films, referring to an old adage that the even-numbered Star Trek films are usually better than the odd-numbered ones.
 * Rolling non-traditionally-sided dice and points advantages are aspects of the well-known tabletop role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons.
 * Doof 'n' Puss announced as being [IN SOUND] is a parody of various television shows which announced they were "in stereo" or "in color" during their opening credits.
 * The Alien Nest attraction is like part of the movie ride in the Disney Studio theme park.
 * When Candace had a dream and saw a Talking Zebra, the Talking Zebra is holding a poster of Candace, similar to Shepard Fairey's "Hope" poster with the face of Barack Obama.
 * Star Wars - There were many references to the Star Wars series throughout the episode;
 * Similar to R2-D2, the character that Irving dressed up as can project video messages. The specific scene where Irving is sent in to see Buford in order to deliver a message of peace is a direct parody of R2-D2 and C3PO's visit to Jabba the Hut at the beginning of Return of the Jedi.
 * The disturbance in the universe that Baljeet senses is a reference to the Force.
 * Phineas's statement to Ferb, "May the luck of slufbom be with you", and Ferb's response, "Always," is a parody of the line "May the Force be with you, always" from Star Wars: Episode IV.
 * One Space Adventure fan says that Ferb is wearing a cape of invisibility, like the one Harry Potter owns. They also mention an "elven cloak of invisibility", which originates from The Lord of the Rings.
 * Speckies is a parody of Trekkies, whom are fans of Star Trek.
 * When Candace is walking through the Ducky Momo merchandise a hat that looks like Sorcerer Mickey's hat, and the Sorting Hat from Harry Potter can be seen in the background.
 * One of the Finkies during the battle scene is wearing the same outfit as Wade in the "Vir-Tu-Ron" episode of Kim Possible.
 * When Candace is walking through the Ducky Momo convention during Ducky Momo is My Friend, a statue of Ducky Momo can be seen dressed up as the Statue of Liberty.
 * "Glorf" may be a reference to "Smeg" from the British comedy series Red Dwarf.
 * Doofenshmirtz's character in Doof 'n' Puss may be a reference to the character Karate from the 60s cartoon Batfink.
 * Robot Chicken - The plot of this episode is similar to the Robot Chicken episode "A Piece of the Action". In that episode, Fantasy fans and sci-fi geeks collide when a sci-fi convention erupts into war is similar to a Sci-Fi Convention War in the afforementioned episode.
 * Happy Days - The "Speckies'" headquarters in the restroom may refer to Arthur "The Fonz" Fonzarelli's similar "office" in Arnold's Restaurant.
 * Burning Man - Clive Addison makes a brief reference to this annual event.

Cast

 * Vincent Martella as Phineas
 * Ashley Tisdale as Candace
 * Thomas Sangster as Ferb
 * Caroline Rhea as Mom
 * Dan Povenmire as Dr. Doofenshmirtz
 * Jeff "Swampy" Marsh as Major Monogram (as R.I.C.K.), Additional Voices
 * John O'Hurley as Roger Doofenshmirtz
 * Dee Bradley Baker as Perry, Ducky Momo, Additional Voices
 * Bobby Gaylor as Buford, Additional Voices
 * Maulik Pancholy as Baljeet, Additional Voices
 * Mitchel Musso as Jeremy
 * Kelly Hu as Stacy
 * Kari Wahlgren as Suzy, Ducky Momo Vendor
 * Diedrich Bader as Albert
 * Jack McBrayer as Irving
 * Jeff Bennett as the Talking Zebra
 * Kevin Smith as Clive Addison
 * Seth MacFarlane as TV Executive (Jeff McGarland)