'Phineas and Ferb' was so good in helping me through my tough periods during its run, which were many. Still do get a lot of pleasure out of watching re-runs of what was, when airing, one of the few shows on the Disney Channel regularly worth bothering with. Admittedly the later episodes are not quite on the same level as the more creative earlier seasons, but 'Phineas and Ferb' at its weakest still managed generally to be better than a lot of animated shows recently at their best.
Both "Mom's in the House" and "Minor Monogram" are excellent and pretty much equally so. There is a minor preference for the former, due to it having the better main plot, although the Doofenschmirtz subplot is marginally better in the former. There are even better episodes of 'Phineas and Ferb' about (which says a lot about how brilliant the show is at its best), but the exceptionally high quality that the show had at this point is still very much there in both episodes.
There is nothing inherently wrong with either episode, though the main plot for "Minor Monogram" isn't as inspired as that for "Mom's in the House". You would think the opposite though looking at the titles for the episodes.
Everything else cannot be faulted. Coming onto the individual elements, the animation is bright and colourful, with such vibrant colours that literally pop out at you and beautifully detailed backgrounds. The character animation visuals in the Doofenschmirtz subplot in "Minor Monogram" is particularly good and has some inventive and wonderfully exaggerated details, big and small. The music is in the style that is not usually my style of choice when listening to music, but it is very catchy and pleasant to listen to. The theme song is irresistible with a melody that sticks in the head for days without being an earworm and with very quotable lyrics. Some nice visuals accompanying it too.
Writing is full of wit and intelligence in both episodes, equally so and not one being better in this regard than the other, and the pacing is lively. It is never simplistic or forced, neither is it too complicated or tries too hard to be clever. The stories in both episodes are charming and fun, both Doofenschmirtz subplots represent him very well as the wonderfully kooky character that fans know and love.
Overall, great. 9/10.
Both "Mom's in the House" and "Minor Monogram" are excellent and pretty much equally so. There is a minor preference for the former, due to it having the better main plot, although the Doofenschmirtz subplot is marginally better in the former. There are even better episodes of 'Phineas and Ferb' about (which says a lot about how brilliant the show is at its best), but the exceptionally high quality that the show had at this point is still very much there in both episodes.
There is nothing inherently wrong with either episode, though the main plot for "Minor Monogram" isn't as inspired as that for "Mom's in the House". You would think the opposite though looking at the titles for the episodes.
Everything else cannot be faulted. Coming onto the individual elements, the animation is bright and colourful, with such vibrant colours that literally pop out at you and beautifully detailed backgrounds. The character animation visuals in the Doofenschmirtz subplot in "Minor Monogram" is particularly good and has some inventive and wonderfully exaggerated details, big and small. The music is in the style that is not usually my style of choice when listening to music, but it is very catchy and pleasant to listen to. The theme song is irresistible with a melody that sticks in the head for days without being an earworm and with very quotable lyrics. Some nice visuals accompanying it too.
Writing is full of wit and intelligence in both episodes, equally so and not one being better in this regard than the other, and the pacing is lively. It is never simplistic or forced, neither is it too complicated or tries too hard to be clever. The stories in both episodes are charming and fun, both Doofenschmirtz subplots represent him very well as the wonderfully kooky character that fans know and love.
Overall, great. 9/10.
