Last Train to Bustville

It's so simple, I don't know how I didn't think of it before. I'll give up!

While visiting their grandparents, the kids decide to create and race a giant hot air balloon. Meanwhile, Candace is inspired by train engineer Glenda's can-do attitude and decides to "give up" on busting her brothers. On the other side of town, Dr. Doofenshmirtz finds a Dodo bird egg and is convinced that it is a fierce bird-monster that can help him take over the Tri-state area, but discovers the exact opposite when the egg hatches.

Episode Summary
The entire Flynn-Fletcher family along with Isabella, Baljeet, and Buford are spending time at the Flynn cottage with Grandpa Clyde and Grandma Betty Jo. Phineas asks Candace if she knows what she wants to do today. She replies that she’ll probably try to bust them, fail miserably, and add another link to her summer long chain of disappointments and regrets. Phineas is impressed that Candace already knows what she’s going to do today. Inside the cottage living room, Lawrence and Grandpa Clyde are sitting and staring at each other, neither of whom are talking. Grandpa Clyde asks how the antique business is going, to which Lawrence replies it is doing okay, and there’s a saying in the antique business though he doesn’t use it himself. Just then Phineas and Ferb walk in much to Grandpa’s relief. They ask him to tell the story about how he went into the barn, built a balloon, and won the most famous balloon race in history. Grandpa says that he went into the barn, built a balloon, and won the most famous balloon race in history, to which Ferb comments on how he makes history come alive. Phineas decides what they’re going to do today, and Phineas, Ferb, Isabella, Buford, and Baljeet head out to the barn where the find all this cool old junk lying around. Phineas then wonders where Perry is.

Perry has run into the chicken coop, and accesses his lair via pushing a button underneath a chicken and falling through a trap door into his chair via umbrella. Major Monogram states that after extensive research and computer-data analysis, they conclude that the Tri-State Area is experiencing an unprecedented shortage of eggs, and they want Agent P to investigate. (During this entire briefing a chicken pops up shortly on screen till Agent P pushes it down) After Agent P leaves, Major Monogram tells the chicken to start laying eggs, and the chicken runs off.

Back in the cottage, Linda and Betty Jo are making Lemonade, and Linda almost puts salt into the lemonade instead of sugar. She comments on how she needs new contacts because without them she’s as blind as a bat. Betty Jo gives her her spare pair of glasses, to which Linda comments on how everything is a new type of blurry. Then Glenda and Candace walks in. Linda explains to Candace that Glenda was the first female conductor in the entire Tri-State area, but the train is being decommissioned and today is the last train ride. Glenda decides that she’s going to take the train up Gearheart summit, to which Betty Jo replies that no one has taken a train up there because it’s too steep. Glenda replies that she’s not one to give up, how they told her to give up but she never gives up and how she’s not the type of person to give up. Glenda offers the 3 of them to ride along with her this afternoon and they accept. Betty Jo comments to Candace how Glenda’s a woman who would never give up. However, due to Candace’s teenage selective listening all she heard was a lot of "blah blah blah" and "give up". She then realizes that the best thing to do is just give up on busting her brothers and her life would be so much better. Then she sings the song Give Up

Back in the Barn, Phineas and friends launch their balloons out of the barn, which look like the faces of Phineas, Ferb, Buford, and a heart. As they rise up, Isabella asks Phineas “whatcha doin'?” to which Phineas replies “5 knots” and Isabella says she’s doing 6. They race to get to the top of Gearheart Summit. Buford and Baljeet are in a balloon together and are falling behind. Baljeet says that they have too much excess weight which is slowing them down, so Buford dangles him from the balloon on a rope, commenting on while it doesn’t lighten the load, it lightens his spirits.



At Doofenshmirtz’s vacation condo, Agent P lands behind him in an Agent P balloon. Doofenshmirtz seems very bored and without turning around acknowledges him, traps him in a giant egg, and comments on how they’re in a serious rut. He introduces him to his Dodo-bird-Incubatorinator. This device turns any regular egg into a Dodo egg to which he’ll march his mighty Dodo bird army against the Tri-State Area. Although he doesn’t exactly know what a Dodo bird is, he knows they’re extinct like Dinosaurs so he imagines them like giant extinct dinosaur like monsters, and this thought picks him out of his “dodrums”.

At the Train Station, the 3 girls arrive and they hop on the train. As they pull out, the Wilkins brothers taunt Glenda telling her she’ll never make it and she should give up, to which Glenda replies that they can’t forget to clean their rooms and the Wilkins brothers say "Yes, mom". As the train does it run, Phineas and friends are still racing. Baljeet and Buford are still in last place, so to pick up the pace Buford tosses out a stuffed Swordfish to which he claims is a Marlin. The Marlin hits a branch and ricochets back through the air and punctures Buford’s Balloon. Ferb saves them by firing a grappling hook at their balloon and they climb up the rope to Ferb’s Balloon. On the Train, Candace looks out the window and notices the boys are racing balloons, but since she’s decided to give up she ignores it and feels much more relaxed.

At Doofenshmirtz’s, he fires the inator and turns the chicken egg into a giant Dodo bird egg. He’s very excited to see how evil it is, but it turns out to be a not so smart and ugly bird. Doofenshmirtz is very disappointed and confused at what to do with this. Perry breaks out of his egg by using his beak and Doofenshmirtz tells him to wait because first he has to figure out what to do with this Dodo. He says it looks like a Turkey, and the Dodo gets upset and starts hitting him in the face with his beak, to which Doofenshmirtz cries out that this is exactly like Thanksgiving.

Back on the Train, Candace goes to see how Glenda is doing, and Glenda comments on how Candace looks really cheerful. She says that Glenda's speech inspired her to just give up and now she’s much more relaxed. Glenda is confused on how her speech about not giving up convinced Candace to give up, but Candace replies that she said give up a bunch of times. The train starts to slow down and Glenda says they’re out of coal so she decides to give up and sits on a box and blows on a corncob bubble pipe. Candace decides that she’s not going to let the train stop and she runs off to go get some more fuel, though she states that she’s knows exactly what Glenda’s doing. She comes back with a bunch of wood. She asks Glenda what’s going to happen to the train after today, to which she replies that it’s going to be torn apart and sold for scrap.

We briefly return to Grandpa Clyde and Lawrence who are still staring at each other and not talking. Doofenshmirtz is seen running with the dodo chasing him in he background. Candace runs back and forth throughout the train taking apart the floor boards, walls, ceiling, furniture, anything she can get her hands on to keep the fire going. Phineas and friends are still racing, and Isabella asks what Phineas is doing over in his balloon from a ways away. He comments on how his steering wheel is a little loose and turns around to see Isabella in his balloon. She offers help and Phineas accepts it by asking her to hold the steering wheel while he tightens it. Isabella is happy to be practically hugging Phineas from behind though Phineas doesn't notice, merely commenting that she was holding it perfectly and she agrees. The Dodo bird has chased Doofenshmirtz off of a cliff, and Phineas and Ferb see it on the cliff ledge. Phineas asks Ferb what else is left on the list and Ferb replies “Frankenstein’s Brain” to which Buford states that it was on his balloon.

The Train has made it to the top of the station, and Candace exclaims that she knew they could. Glenda acts surprised, but Candace states that she knew that it was all an act and there’s probably coal in the box Glenda’s sitting on, but that she learned her lesson and she won’t give up busting her brothers. As she leaps through the window, Glenda calls out that she could have forgotten the coal because she’s old. Linda and Betty Jo have been oblivious to Candace’s actions and they realize that something is different that the entire train cars are gone, to which Betty Jo comments on how everything is 50% off at the gift shop. Phineas and Friends have made it to Gearheart Summit though with two fewer balloons and they land near the gift shop. Candace is looking through the gift shop clothing racks which are selling Phineas and Ferb outfits. Candace sees the balloons and drags Linda over to see them. Linda still can’t see very well, and mistakes the balloon heads and the clothing as Phineas and Ferb and walks away. Doofenshmirtz and the Dodo emerge from the bushes and commandeer both of the balloons and fly away. Candace yells back to Linda that it’s forced perspective and it’s just an optical allusion just as the real Phineas and Ferb walk up. Candace doesn’t know if it’s really them and just looks at them for a second until Phineas says "Hi Candace! How was the train ride?", scaring her. Candace looks at them, a bit annoyed, before she walks away saying "Oh I give up!"

Songs

 * Give Up

End Credits
The dodo-bird is still chasing Doofenshmirtz in Phineas' hot air balloon with Doofenshmirtz in Ferb's. The Dodo bird jumps out and pops Ferb's hot air balloon, making Doofenshmirtz comment on how his vacation is not going well. As the hot air balloon explodes, Doofenshmirtz and the dodo-bird falls to the museum of biological oddities that the Farmer and Farmer's Wife bought. The wife is nagging (though it sounds more like a prepared question) about how the Farmer bought a museum of Biological Oddities but didn't have any biological oddities. Just then Doofenshmirtz falls through the roof, and both the farmer and the wife look at him confusingly. As Doofenshmirtz starts to get up, the Dodo bird lands on top of him. The Farmer's wife says "There it is", apparently having come to the self realization that whenever she says that question it magically appears.

Perry's entrance to his lair
Perry ducks into a henhouse. He picks up a chicken, pushes something in it's nest, and drops down a trapdoor holding an umbrella. The chicken falls down with him.

Evil Jingle
Doofenshmirtz's vacation condo!

Background Information

 * This episode was aired on Disney Junior on Demand at March 5, 2011.
 * This episode reveals that Wilkins brothers' mother is Glenda, thus making her full name: Glenda Wilkins.
 * It is revealed that Clyde Flynn once won the famous balloon race in history.

International Premieres

 * April 28, 2011 (Disney Channel Brazil)

Errors

 * In the "Give Up" song, in one scene, there was a mistake in layers and Candace appears as a ghost for a frame after she walked out of the screen. Also, when she does the "Give up" gesture to the diver, it looks like some of the frames were deleted.
 * The boxer black eye disappeared after the match scene.
 * In the scene where Linda, Candace and Betty go to the trainstation, in the scene where Cadance says that she won't do anything, Linda's glasses disappear.

Continuity

 * This is the third time that Camp Phineas and Ferb was seen ("Get That Bigfoot Outa My Face!", "The Ballad of Badbeard")
 * When Phineas and Ferb see a Dodo-Bird Phineas says "Check it out, A Dodo-bird! What's next on the list Ferb?," Ferb says "Frankenstein's Brain." ("Phineas and Ferb Theme")
 * The "Summer All The Time Collection" is shown again. ("Run Away Runway")
 * The Wilkin Brothers appear again ("Just Passing Through")
 * This is the fifth time Isabella has a part of the "Too Young" line. The others are "The Chronicles of Meap", "That Sinking Feeling", "Isabella and the Temple of Sap", and "Not Phineas and Ferb".
 * Phineas and Ferb's outfits from "De Plane! De Plane!" are seen again when they're in their hot air balloons.
 * Perry was riding with the Perry the Platypus balloon. ("Hip Hip Parade")
 * The ticks and tocks are heard again ("Unfair Science Fair Redux (Another Story)", "Don't Even Blink", "That Sinking Feeling", "Make Play").
 * The French artist from City of Love is seen again. ("Phineas and Ferb Summer Belongs to You!")
 * According to the Closed Captioning in this episode, the Dodo is saying "narg," one of Tedd Shaw's success techniques. ("The Secret of Success")

Allusions

 * The title parodies the 1966 Monkees single Last Train to Clarksville.
 * Pinky and the Brain- The sound the Dodo makes is very similar to the "Narf" sound that Pinky makes.
 * The Little Engine that Could - Candace saying "I knew we could, I knew we could, I knew we could!" after climbing the hill is a clear reference to this popular children's book.
 * Around the World in Eighty Days - In this classic book by Jules Verne, Phileas Fogg, in his determination to reach Europe from America on his travels around the world, burns all but the hull of the ship they are on when they run out of fuel, like Candace does with the train. Grandpa's mentioning of the most famous ballon race in history can also be attributed to the beginning of the book.
 * Go West (1940 film) - This film, starring the Marx Brothers, also featured a train being demolished into fuel to feed the engine, which was probably inspired from the Verne book.
 * Green Acres - The conversation between Lawrence and Grandpa Clyde is reminiscent of those involving Hank Kimball, the count agent from this 1960s television show, who often began sentences and left the listener hanging, as Lawrence does talking about the saying in the antique business.
 * The Great Mouse Detective - During the flight Buford quotes he and Baljeet must lighten the load and throws off Baljeet similar to when the film's villain Ratigan throws off his sidekick Fidget after he quotes they must lighten the load.

Cast

 * Vincent Martella as Phineas
 * Ashley Tisdale as Candace
 * Thomas Sangster as Ferb
 * Caroline Rhea as Mom, Grandma
 * Mitchel Musso as Jeremy
 * Alyson Stoner as Isabella
 * Bobby Gaylor as Buford
 * Maulik Pancholy as Baljeet
 * Dan Povenmire as Dr. Doofenshmirtz
 * Jeff "Swampy" Marsh as Major Monogram
 * Richard O'Brien as Dad
 * Dee Bradley Baker as Perry
 * Joan Cusack as Glenda Wilkins
 * Barry Bostwick as Grandpa
 * Additional Voices
 * Barry Bostwick
 * Dylan John Burke
 * Jennifer Hughes
 * Jeff "Swampy" Marsh