Phineas and Ferb want to create a good birthday present for Candace, feeling what they did on her last birthday was lackluster. They then get an idea involving Mt. Rushmore...
Meanwhile, Perry The Platypus must thwart Doofenshmirtz's latest plan: digging a tunnel to China in order to build a lucrative toll highway.
Tropes
- Artistic License – Geography: The real Old Faithful Geyser (upon which Old Reliable is based) is in Wyoming, not in South Dakota where Mt. Rushmore is.
- Birthday Episode: For Candace.
- Bittersweet Ending: Candace is unsuccessful for showing the remodeled monument to Linda, who makes it up right when it's destroyed and returned to normal. Fortunately, in the end credits, Jeremy cheers her up by getting her a Mount Rushmore bobblehead, and she says she liked her birthday after all.
- Busby Berkeley Number: Candace's dream is a song singing her praises done in this style. The song is also the very first musical number of the series.
- Convection Schmocvection: While the lava destroys the Candace carving, it doesn't hurt anyone near it. Phineas and Ferb even use the heat of the passing lava to roast a pair of hot dogs.
- Digging to China: Doofenshmirtz plans to build a toll highway to China, and make millions. Too bad he forgot about all that magma.
- Dissimile: Candace is like the Venus de Milo, except she's not a statue or limbless. Also inverted, as the song points out that she has many qualities that distinguish her from a praying mantis.
- Didn't Think This Through: Done twice.
- The first is when Perry travels all the way from Mount Rushmore back to his lair at the Flynn-Fletcher home to receive his briefing that Doofenshmirtz is at Mount Rushmore, lampshaded by Major Monogram.Major Monogram: Yeah, I know. You were just there. Small error on our part.
- The second is Doofenshmirtz himself who admits he completely forgot about the magma at the center of the Earth when planning to dig to China as mentioned above.
- The first is when Perry travels all the way from Mount Rushmore back to his lair at the Flynn-Fletcher home to receive his briefing that Doofenshmirtz is at Mount Rushmore, lampshaded by Major Monogram.
- Early-Installment Weirdness:
- Not once do we ever see Phineas and Ferb deliberately hide their project themselves after this episode, only showing up one or two times later on. (Though this one is justified as it is supposed to be a surprise for Candace.)
- Doof's scheme in this episode (digging a tunnel straight to China and building a toll highway) seems more worldly-like, when his later schemes are regulated to just "the entire Tri-State Area".
- Expressive Accessory: When Candace's monument is being destroyed by the lava, its smile briefly changes to a shocked experssion.
- Flashback: We see P&F got Candace a gorilla in a cake for her last birthday.
- Imagine Spot: The brothers imagine a musical number for Candace as a gift. It partly turns into a Busby Berkeley Number.
- It's the Best Whatever, Ever!: Candace proclaims, “This was the best birthday ever!” after getting a Mount Rushmore bobblehead from Jeremy.
- Hide the Evidence: Phineas and Ferb are forced to resort to Plan B and hide their work with a mock-up so Candace doesn't see their surprise.
- Left the Background Music On: An orchestra is playing the dramatic music that plays when the volcano erupts.
- Medium Blending: The shots of Mt. Rushmore are photorealistic live action.
- Old Faithful: One of these is located near Mount Rushmore.
- Overly Long Gag: Perry has to travel from Mount Rushmore back to O.W.C.A. headquarters through a long, subterranean tube only to find out that Doofenshmirtz is up in Mount Rushmore. Major Monogram admits it was a mistake on their part.
- Rushmore Refacement: Done with Candace's face by Phineas and Ferb.
- Second Episode Morning: Being the second produced segment of the first episode, it begins with Phineas waking up on the morning of Candace's birthday.
- Spoiler Title: While the title refers to the idiom of losing control, which is what Candace does throughout the episode, it also spoils the ending, where Candace in fact, loses the monument of her own head.
- Stealth Hi/Bye: When Linda looks through the telescope to see the evidence, the water from "Ol' Reliable Geyser" blocks the action. By the time she leaves, the geyser has stopped gushing.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Doofenshmirtz’s plot to drill through the Earth to China results in him and Perry running into the magma from Earth’s core
- Tears of Joy: Candace sheds these when Phineas and Ferb present her head carved into the monument.
- Time for Plan B: With Candace and Linda getting closer and the monument not finished yet, Phineas resorts to Plan B and the Fireside Girls hide their work with a doodle.
