Vanessa tries to prove that she is responsible to her dad by chasing down a capsule of Pizzazzium Infinionite he wants to use in his next -inator, and teams up with Ferb to get it. In their way are various other characters (Perry, Baljeet and Buford, and Candace and Stacy), all of whom are also after the capsule for their own reasons.
"Vanessassary Roughness" contains examples of:
- Action Girl: Vanessa gets to show off her skills as she chases down the Pizzazzium Infinionite.
- Anywhere but Their Lips: As a token of appreciation, Vanessa kisses Ferb on the cheek.
- Asshole Victim: The unnamed biker who tried to flirt with Vanessa at the beginning. It's unknown what his intentions for Vanessa are, but given the way how he offered her a ride, this was unwarranted on his end as he ends up sent to an alternate dimension by Doof and squashed with a rubber mallet held by a giant baby alien. Even Vanessa herself is indifferent towards the biker's behavior, implying that she doesn't approve of his intentions.
- Applied Phlebotinum: Parodied with the Pizzazzium Infinionite. According to the expositional newsreel at its display, nobody knows exactly what it does, yet Doofenshmirtz is convinced it will be perfect for his next -inator, and Baljeet thinks it will be perfect for his latest science project. Stacy and Candace don't even realize that there's anything special about it; they just think it's a lantern that would make a nice anniversary gift for Jeremy.
- Brick Joke: In the beginning of the episode, Candace says she's getting a gift for Jeremy for the anniversary of the first time they went to Slushy Burger, where he spilled his cheese dog on Candace and got mustard all over the place. Stacy's response? "Tough one; I don't think they make a card for that." Towards the end of the episode, after Candace and Stacy crash into the greeting card section of the store, Stacy finds a card for a spilled cheese dog with mustard.
- Bully and Wimp Pairing: Invoked by Baljeet, who has recruited Buford to be his personal "angry wall of meat" to protect his science project.
- Camp Gay: Perry disguises himself in some trendy clothes, and another man, wearing the same outfit, says, with a lisp, "You look fabulous!"
- Continuity Nod: Ferb sees Vanessa for the first time since "I Scream, You Scream", and gladly takes the opportunity to impress her. At the end of the episode, she gives him a quick kiss on the cheek, and the flowers and music sting from before return.
- Likewise, the biker who hits on Vanessa at the start of the episode is banished to the same dimension seen in "It's a Mud, Mud, Mud, Mud World".
- Cutaway Gag: Phineas' screen time is extremely limited in this episode. While exploring the store, he wanders into the massage chair area, and spends the entire episode relaxing there, occasionally cutting back to him in the midst of all the chaos.
- A Day in the Limelight: For Vanessa and Ferb, who spends most of the episode apart from Phineas.
- Disney Acid Sequence: Parts of "I'm Me" have Vanessa singing into a microphone with Ferb accompanying her on guitar.
- Even Evil Has Standards: While Doof may be an evil scientist, he will go Papa Wolf mode against those who try to make a hit on Vanessa, as he did with the unnamed biker.
- Foul Ball Pit: The Pizzazzium capsule eventually ends up in a ballpit. Vanessa sees it, and hopes that no one sees her searching for it. She then notices Ferb in the ballpit with a vacuum cleaner. Linda passes by and asks Ferb if he is too old to play in the ball pit, and he replies "Yes, yes I am". Linda accepts this and walks off.
- Hate Sink: You can't hate Doofenshmirtz or Vanessa, but you can hate the unnamed biker who likes to hit on underage girls as he tried to do so with Vanessa, which only sealed his fate at the wrath of an angry Doof.
- Headphones Equal Isolation: Phineas is wearing noise-cancelling headphones while he's in the massage chair, and they're so effective that he completely misses the 4 parties passing behind him as well as a runaway lawnmower.
- Hulk Speak: "What? Buford hungry."
- Hypercompetent Sidekick: Ferb, already established to be pretty handy with a wrench and technology, shows off some agility here. Vanessa meanwhile gets to show off some acrobatic skills.
- "I Am Great!" Song: Vanessa sings "I'm Me". Doubles as a Pep-Talk Song as she psyches herself up for all the nonsense she has to contend with to retrieve the MacGuffin.
- Laser-Guided Karma: For trying to make a pass on Vanessa, the biker ends up being sent to an alternate dimension by Doof and gets whacked with a rubber mallet held by a giant baby alien.
- Lower-Deck Episode: The normal episode formula is tossed out in favor of an ensemble piece. Phineas and Ferb don't build anything extraordinary, Doofenshmirtz does not attempt to build an Inator, and Candace does not bust her brothers.
- Mineral Macguffin: The Pizzazzium Infinionite. Every person of the main cast (except Phineas and Linda) wants it for their own reasons:
- Doofenshmirtz wants it as it has the power to be used for some theoretical future purpose, and decides he needs it for a future Inator.
- Stacy and Candace want the Pizzazzium because they think it's a cool futuristic lamp that Jeremy would like as a gift from Candace.
- Perry wants the Pizzazzium to stop Doofenshmirtz from using it in a future evil scheme.
- Vanessa wants it to prove to her father she's responsible enough to own a car.
- Baljeet and Burford want it for Baljeet's science project.
- Ferb is the only subversion in this trend. Once he realises Vanessa wants it, he goes out of his way to help find it for Vanessa and give it to her, acting on his Precocious Crush for her.
- MacGuffin Melee: Vanessa and Ferb, Buford and Baljeet, Candace and Stacy, and Perry the Platypus all struggle over the last tube of pizzazzium infinionite at the Super-Duper Mega Store.
- Oddly Specific Greeting Card: Candace tries to find a card to celebrate the anniversary of when she and Jeremy went to Slushy Dog together for the first time and he spilled a cheese dog with mustard on her. Stacy says, "I don't think they make a card for that." Later in the episode, Stacy actually finds a greeting card for a spilled cheese dog with mustard.
- Opening Shout-Out: The number on the periodic table for Pizzazzium Infinionite is 104, after the number of days of summer vacation in the theme song.
- Out of Focus: Phineas spends the majority of the episode in a massage chair.
- Papa Wolf: Doof doesn't take kindly to any grown man trying to flirt with his daughter; this was justified when he made a good example on the biker who tried to hit on Vanessa.Biker: (noticing Vanessa) Hey, sweetheart! How'd you like to take ride on a real bike?
Doofenshmirtz: (angrily) She's sixteen!!
(Doof activates his inator on his helmet to send the biker to another dimension, where the biker gets squashed by a baby giant alien's rubber mallet) - Paper-Thin Disguise: Perry wears a silly outfit as he walks around the store, but it doesn't hide that he's still clearly a platypus. Luckily, the only other character to get a good look at him is Doofenshmirtz.
- Pun: Major Monogram contacts Perry on a communication device disguised as a dog bone. When Carl interrupts him, he says, "Carl, I'm trying to use the bone."
- Rollerblade Good: In a bit of a continuity error, both Candace and Stacy are adept at roller skating, despite Candace being a poor skater in other episodes.
- "Shaggy Dog" Story: In the end, Doofenshmirtz winds up with the pizzazzium, but since he can’t win in this show, Perry moves a metal detector so he triggers it and is detained by security.
- Shout-Out: At one point, Doof looks at a book that is similar to the Magic Eye books.
- Subverted Catchphrase: Lampshaded, as when Perry moves the metal detector toward Doof and he is taken away by store security guards, Doof shouts he has no one to curse, since he doesn't recognize the disguised Perry.
- Throw the Dog a Bone: While no one actually gets the pizzazzium in the end, Candace and Stacy stumble across the perfect card to give Jeremy instead of the "lantern".
- The Unreveal: "Ferb" is actually a nickname, though Ferb finds the pizzazzium and cuts himself off before he can tell Vanessa his full name.
- Unusually Uninteresting Sight: Linda seems more concerned about Ferb "playing" in the ballpit than the fact that he is using a tube vacuum.
- Villains Out Shopping: Literally, as the Doofenshmirtzes are at the superstore for the day.
- We Sell Everything: According to Phineas at the start of the episode, the Super-Duper Megastore is the largest supplier of everything in the Tri-State Area. He later goes on to describe it as "52,637,000 square acres of unbridled consumerism"; in Real Life, that's roughly the size of the state of Kansas.
- William Telling: Discussed. When Candace and Stacy are deciding on what gift to buy for Jeremy, Stacy suggests a compound bow, before proceeding to mimic shooting the bow and exclaiming, "Take that, apple on kid's head!"
- You Can Say That Again: When Phineas and Ferb first enter the Super-Duper Megastore, Ferb lets out a Wolf Whistle in awe. Phineas says, "You can whistle that again," and Ferb does.
- You Know What They Say:Doofenshmirtz: You know what they say about taking the easy way...
Vanessa: What do they say?
Doofenshmirtz: Well, I could tell you, but that would be taking the easy way, and you know what they say about that.
