I Decided To Rewatch Phineas And Ferb As An Adult, And To My Horror, I Now Identify With A Character I Used To Hate

Unfortunately, as I get older, I’m starting to realize something: I connect with characters that I really never would have connected with as a kid when I rewatch shows, which I really enjoy doing. While I do love checking out the latest episodes of my favorite series on the 2025 TV schedule and seeing those new stories continue and flesh themselves out, there’s just something so comforting about returning to a show that you once knew so well.

From rewatching Avatar: The Last Airbender and loving Zuko to realizing that Wizards of Waverly Place is still just as hilarious as an adult, there are a lot of benefits to rewatching shows from when I was a child. And now, I decided to take the Phineas and Ferb route ahead of the next two seasons that are going to release after a 10-year hiatus (from the TV show).

But it’s been some time since I’ve watched this series, and I’m surprised, and horrified, to see who I connect with this time around.

Phineas And Ferb Was My Favorite Show As A Tween

First, let me be frank and say that Phineas and Ferb was my default favorite show as a tween.

I know I have sung the praises of several other kids' shows that I used to love as a kid on here, from Avatar to WOWP to, of course, SpongeBob SquarePants and the best SpongeBob SquarePants episodes. But truthfully, as I got older, I started to appreciate those series a lot more for the quality of content they provided (at least with the first few seasons of SpongeBob).

With Phineas and Ferb, however, I just always loved it. Like, a lot.

It was more or less my childish mind trying to escape from the realities of the world and wishing that I could have the entire summer to build whatever the heck I wanted to in order to make it fun and never be bored. Watching the boys go on their crazy adventures, or listening to their songs, was the type of summer that I had dreamed about. The best Phineas and Ferb episodes live in my head rent-free.

So I fell in love with this series. I’m pretty sure I’m one of millions of Gen Z-ers who knows the entire theme song by heart because it’s so iconic. And now, 10 years after Phineas & Ferb came to an official end, it's being brought back, because the love for the series is still there even after all this time.

But this isn’t about my love for Phineas & Ferb – this is about the character that I’m connecting to more. Oh boy, I feel terrible, but it also makes sense.

I Used To Love The Boy, But I Actually Relate To Candace A Lot More Now

Don’t get me wrong, I still love the boys. I find their innovation and idea creation some of the most fascinating I have ever seen, I suppose that sends praise to the creators of the series because they’re the ones who are coming up with these ridiculous machines.

Even so, I’m not really connecting as much to them anymore as I am to Candace, and I’m not sure how I feel about that.

It’s not like it’s a secret – Candace is pretty much considered the “villain” of Phineas & Ferb because she’s always trying to get her brothers in trouble and “bust them” to her mom. Of course, every single time she gets close to doing so, the machines are always carried away in the most unbelievable, indescribable manner that you would never think could occur. But it always does always does, and honestly, I feel bad for her.

Granted, I’ve never been an older sister, so I’ve never had that urge to try and get my brothers in trouble. Heck, I never even felt the urge to get my older brother in trouble because we just weren’t those kinds of siblings. But what I can understand is trying to prove that you’re not crazy when something is clearly happening and people won’t listen to you.

It got tough after a while watching Candace constantly see all her hard work to try and prove to her mother that the boys were doing crazy things. And while there is one episode where she does supposedly “bust” them, it’s painted as if it’s literally the worst thing in the world, and she spends the entire episode trying to “unbust” them. That kind of takes away the whole point of her character.

Candace Isn't Perfect, But I Think Her Intentions Aren’t Horrible

Now I’m not saying that Candace is in the right with her busting. She does, to a point, get a little intense with it, so much so that I’m wondering if it’s a new hobby for the teenager rather than just something she wishes to do with her brothers.

But at the end of the day, I don’t think her intentions are inherently horrible. When it comes to Candace, she’s trying to get the boys in trouble because she feels that as the big sister, she has to keep the younger brothers safe, and as the older sister, she probably didn’t get away with as much as the boys do, and certainly not to this degree.

Phineas & Ferb just blows it up to a point where it’s exaggerated, but I think at a certain point, Candace is honestly jealous of the life that the boys get to live, and maybe there’s also a secret part of her that wishes she could do that too. Heck, there are so many moments throughout the show where she ends up joining their adventures, so I don’t think she’s inherently bad. She’s just a big sister – an excessive version of one, yes, but a big sister all the same.

Candace Also Knew When To Not Be The Buster And To Be The Big Sister, Which I Can Appreciate

Honestly, Candace isn’t bad either. She is actually a really good big sister, aside from the fact that she tries to bust them.

While she’s not perfect, there are plenty of times where she has shown up for her brothers and helped them out, or gone adventuring with them regardless of how she feels about their inventions. And of course, there’s the moment that I mentioned earlier where she makes it her mission to “unbust” her brothers in order to make them happy again.

I still believe that goes against her whole character, but in the grand scheme of things, it also shows that Candace can be complex. She has her moments of busting, but at the end of the day, she knows when to be the big sister, and I can’t help but admire that.

Maybe I’m just freaking out about connecting to Candace so much now because she is the “antagonist” (aside from Dr. Doofenshmirtz), but I don’t think it’s too bad now. Maybe it’s because she’s so well-voiced by HSM cast alum Ashley Tisdale, who has truly brought humanity to this 2D character for more than a decade now.

Either way, I think I like Candace now, so… I guess I grew up. I don’t know where to celebrate or cry. We’ll see when the new seasons come in.