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First, let's get one thing straight: I'm not crying. I'm just sweating through my eyes. And second, I lost Biff!

— Buford Van Stomm

After Buford loses his goldfish, Phineas and Ferb help him search for it. An accidental good deed causes Dr. Doofenshmirtz endless trouble.

Episode Summary[]

Phineas and Ferb are at the beach along with Isabella and Baljeet. They have just finished building a giant sand Eiffel Tower and are enjoying their day, but then Phineas hears someone crying. He discovers that it is Buford who is crying. He asks Buford why he's crying, to which Buford replies that he's not crying, he sweating through his eyeballs and that he has lost his beloved pet goldfish Biff while swimming in the ocean.

Buford then tells them he used to be a "wimp" like Phineas and Ferb. Then one day he was drawn to a game at the carnival and won a goldfish, which he named Biff after his mother. He loved Biff and did everything with Biff at his side. Then one day the local bully stole Biff and was about to eat him. The young Buford knew he had to defend his only friend, so he attacked the bully, hung him up onto a clothes wire and got Biff back, thus becoming the bully himself and growing to fear nothing but giant squids because they're all "suction-cuppy and beaky". He then catches up to the present by relating how they went for a swim (with Biff still in his goldfish bowl) and after a while, Buford could no longer hear Biff and panicked once finding that he was gone, leaving him in this sorry state. Phineas is desperate to stop Buford's crying, saying that "this is more annoying than when he was bullying us" and decides to help Buford find his goldfish. He and Ferb agree to build a submarine to start searching, and once hearing the news, Buford tries to get Phineas to hug him. Phineas politely turns it down. But Buford is persistant, and still wants Phineas to "Let Buford hug you!" Phineas then wonders where Perry is...and Buford still wants a hug.

Perry rides a wave through a pipe and enters his lair. Major Monogram tells him that Dr. Doofenshmirtz had just appeared on the news saving a falling kitten and has evidently defected to the good side. Perry is to deliver a Standard Welcome Package to him.

Candace and Stacy are shopping for sunglasses nearby when Stacy points out a submarine being air-lifted into the water. Candace sees the boys and decides to bust them with photographic evidence. She grabs a disposable camera and runs out of the store, but is stopped because she nearly forgets to pay for it.

When Perry arrives at the building, he rings Doofenshmirtz's doorbell. Doofenshmirtz opens it, sees that Perry has come with a gift basket, and removes the door chain, inviting Perry in. Doofenshmirtz reads the card that came with the gift basket; it congratulates him on becoming good. He vehemently protests, saying that he is still evil and that saving the kitten had been a mere accident. He tells Perry that he was walking out of the Inventors Emporium when he tripped and the kitten fell into his bag. Unfortunately for him, everyone thought he has purposely saved the kitten. He gripes about how this one accident is ruining his reputation and destroying his evil credibility, and that now the evil scientist community will "cut his benefits". Perry is unconcerned with Doofenshmirtz's troubles; he looks at his watch and attempts to leave, but Doofenshmirtz does not take lightly to being walked out on and traps Perry in a metal sphere with spider-like legs.

Phineas and Ferb are well on their way to find Biff, thanks to Ferb's ability to talk to dolphins. He communicates to them through the portholes. The dolphins quickly find Biff in an underwater cavern. Phineas, Ferb and Buford head out to get Biff; they don diving gear and ride their way to the cavern on the fins of the dolphins. They reach the cavern and find that Biff is just floating there all alone. Buford eagerly puts him back into his fishbowl (Biff makes no attempt to resist) and the gang rides the dolphins back to the sub. As they disappear off-screen, tentacles emerge from the cavern and follow them menacingly.

Doofenshmirtz then shows Perry the Media-Erase-inator, a device the can delete any bit of media, like the news cast of him saving the kitten. As he prepares to operate the machine, Perry spots the remote in his pocket and thrusts his head so that his hat is flung towards the remote, knocking it out of his pocket and smashing it on the floor. Perry breaks out of the sphere and catches his hat like a boomerang, then knocks Doofenshmirtz into the machine.

After the boys re-join the submarine, it heads back to the surface. Phineas, Ferb, and Buford are all standing on the surface of the submarine. Although Buford has regained his friend, he is still not himself; he keeps thanking Phineas profusely, asking for hugs, and crying. Then two giant tentacles emerge from the water and wrap themselves around Phineas and Ferb, lifting them into the air. The owner of the tentacles, a giant squid, surfaces and reaches a third tentacle for Buford. Buford flees from the giant squid and heads inside the submarine. Isabella and Baljeet both greet him, but are cut off when kidnapped by the squid. Buford (still holding Biff's fishbowl) curls up into a corner and cowers, sniveling, but the squid takes Biff right out from under his nose.

Meanwhile, Phineas, Ferb, Isabella, and Baljeet are still in the clutches of the squid and are contemplating the odds of Them vs. Giant Squid (with all bets on the squid except Isabella who bet on their survival). The squid brings Biff over for inspection and decides that he looks like a really good meal. Just as it is about to drop Biff into its beak-mouth, Buford emerges from the submarine and commands the squid to "drop the fish", because, as Buford says to it, "You and me are gonna dance." Evidently, Buford has decided to face his worst (and only) fear. He storms over to where the squid is at the far end of the submarine, making the whole thing rock to and fro in the process, and challenges the squid head-on. The giant squid grimly places Biff back into the fishbowl and prepares to tangle with him. Buford marches up to the squid until he is right in its face and delivers a single punch right in the beak, felling it and causing it to drop everyone. Once their ordeal is over, they pile back into the submarine. Phineas compliments Buford on his bravery, but this only makes Buford angry. He asks Phineas menacingly if he'd thought Buford had been weak before. Baljeet answers, saying no, but he had been a lot more sensitive. Buford stalks over to Baljeet, grabs him by the collar, and gives him a Wet Willy.

Candace has been catching everything on camera, but when she tries to get back inside the door, she discovers with horror that it is locked and she is trapped out of the submarine. What's worse, it is re-submerging. She somehow manages to swim to land and staggers over to a bike rental. She tries to ride off, forgetting to pay again, and so has to return and pay for it first.

The Media-Erase-inator is shooting "all willy-nilly" through the town and erasing every media image it hits. Candace is riding home on her bike, exclaiming that she can't wait to show the photos to her mother. The Media-Erase-inator hits a stop sign, causing a car accident involving a semi skidding off of the road and hitting a water tower. The tower collapses, releasing all the water it held. Candace has just arrived home and is standing on the doorstep, about to show her mother, when the water comes, thoroughly soaking her and ruining the camera.

The Media-Erase-inator is going haywire. Agent P recognizes the danger, pries a piece of metal siding off of the machine, and uses it as a makeshift hang-glider to evacuate the building. The machine explodes. Doofenshmirtz survives and is left standing in the middle of his ruined apartment. Then, out of nowhere, a cat falls out of the sky and lands in the doctors hands. All he can do is exclaim "Oh, come on!".

As Linda Flynn-Fletcher is vacuuming the floor, Candace opens the door with a sour expression on her face. Linda asks why she is all wet and if she is okay. As Candace stammers out the events of the day, Linda assumes she is just being overly-dramatic and walks off, telling Candace to dry herself off before she comes in. Phineas and Ferb walk in right under her nose, with Phineas asking her if she'd had a good swim. Candace growls in frustration.

Transcript[]

Read the transcript of Voyage to the Bottom of Buford.

Songs[]

End Credits[]

The last verse of "Fish Out of Water".

Gallery[]

Click here to view more images from "Voyage to the Bottom of Buford".
View the image gallery for "Voyage to the Bottom of Buford".

Running Gags[]

The "Too Young" Line[]

None.

Ferb's Line[]

Phineas: I can't believe how fast we put this together.
Ferb: Yes. Usually takes us at least a montage.

What'cha doin'?[]

None.

Hey, where's Perry?[]

Buford: Really? You guys would do that? How about a hug?
Phineas: Maybe later.
Buford: Let Buford hug you.
Phineas: Hey, where's Perry?
Buford: Come here!

Oh, there you are, Perry[]

None.

Perry's entrance to his lair[]

Perry surfs on a surfboard into a tube.

Evil Jingle[]

Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated!

Memorable Quotes[]

Buford: I'm not crying! I'm sweating through my eyes.
In reaction to Buford crying
Phineas: Wow. This was more annoying than when he was bullying us. We gotta do something to get the old Buford back. Maybe we should help him find his fish.
Buford: Really? You guys would do that? How 'bout a hug!
Phineas: Maybe later.
Buford: Let Buford hug you!
Phineas: Hey, where's Perry?
Buford: Come here!
Candace: ...Right after I pay for this.
Dr. Doofenshmirtz: Oh, how sweet of you! What's this note attached? 'Congratulations, Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz, on defecting to the good side—' oh, no, not you too the whole news has been repeating that clip all day! First, I'm not defecting to the good side. Second, I'm keeping this gift basket there's a lot of goodies here.
Isabella: Hey, Buford... are you sweating out of your eyes?
Buford: No! I'm just cryin'!
Ferb lands on top of him while climbing into the submarine
Buford: Thanks. I needed that.
Phineas: Don't worry, Ferb can communicate with dolphins.
Phineas: (Seeing Buford crying again) We've gotta find that fish. Soon.
Dr. Doofenshmirtz: Perry the Platypus, allow me to introduce the Media Erase-inator. Patent pending, Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated.
Buford (referring to a giant squid): It's all suction cuppy! And beaky!
Phineas: Hmm, a giant squid. What are the odds?
Baljeet: My money is on the squid.
Isabella: Cut me off a slice of THAT action!
Phineas: Hey Buford, you were really brave out there.
Buford: What's that supposed to mean? Buford grabs Phineas by shirt collar You think I was a wimp before?
Baljeet: No, not really, but you were a lot more sensitive.
Buford: What did you say?!
Buford drops Phineas, goes over to Baljeet, and gives him a Wet Willie
Phineas: Yeah, Buford is back!
Candace: (After swimming back to the beach with one hand holding the camera) ...Save the camera, save the camera... save the camera...

Background Information[]

  • This episode explains how Buford became a bully in the first place.
  • Buford's bully looks like a younger version of the guy who started the wave in "I Was a Middle Aged Robot".

Production Information[]

None.

International Premieres[]

  • July 10, 2008 (Disney Channel Germany)
  • July 31, 2008 (Disney Channel Latin America and Brazil)
  • September 7, 2008 (Disney Channel Poland)
  • February 16, 2009 (Disney Channel Spain)

Errors[]

  • Buford said he was only scared of giant squids, but in "One Good Scare Ought to Do It!" Buford said he is scared of Little Suzy Johnson.
  • In Dr. Doof's flashback, things fell out of his bag while he "tripped." In the news report, no object flew out of his bag.
ERROR Linda with 5 fingers

Linda has 5 fingers when she should have 4

  • At the very end of the episode, when Linda says "I don't have time for these games" you can clearly see she has four fingers and a thumb on her hand. Normally she, like every character on the show, has three fingers and a thumb.
  • For unknown reasons, Phineas and Ferb are left with their friends at the beach.
  • In Buford and Biff's montage, when they are playing video games, the console is not connected to the TV.
  • In the last scene of Buford and Biff's montage, it shows Buford and Biff sleeping. Biff's eyes are closed, which is unrealistic, because in real life, fish do not have the ability to close their eyes.
  • On the news Dr. Doofenshmirtz is seen falling on the sidewalk, but in his flashback he falls on the road.
  • Several times, mostly at the beginning of the episode, Phineas' hi-top shoes are short and he has white socks up to the point on his ankle where the top of his shoe should be.
  • Biff must be some sort of super goldfish, as he seems to be at home in both fresh and sea water. And the only non-goldfish behavior he exhibits (instead of just blankly swimming around) is when he "sleeps" with Buford in his bed.
  • In the first scene when Stacy is shopping with Candace, Stacy doesn't have her bracelets on her arm. In the next scene, after she spots Phineas and Ferb and their submarine, bracelets appear.

Continuity[]

  • A billboard with the Love Händel logo is erased when Doofenshmirtz's machine goes willy-nilly.
  • Buford's encounter with the giant squid is later mentioned in "The Lemonade Stand".
  • The "sweating through my eyes" line is referenced at the end of Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension, in which Major Monogram responds with it to Carl's question about him crying while watching Phineas and Ferb saying goodbye to Agent P.

Allusions[]

  • Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea - The title of the episode is a spoof of the old sci-fi fantasy movie/TV series, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. Coincidentally, it's also structurally similar to "Journey to the Center of Candace", which was based on Journey to the Center of the Earth.
  • Sobre las Olas - The music at the carnival is this instrumental composition by Juventino Rosas, otherwise known as "Over the Waves", often associated with circuses and fun-fairs.
  • Back to the Future - The name of the goldfish "Biff" was also the name of the Biff Tannen, the main antagonist of the first two Back to the Future movies. (Note that Buford shares his name with Buford Tannen, Biff's great-grandfather and the antagonist of Back to the Future III.)
  • 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea - The giant squid is an allusion to the giant squid in the 1954 Disney film 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
  • SNES - During Buford's flashbacks, you see them playing a game system which looks like a SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System).

Trivia[]

  • There are two fourth wall breakings in this episode. Ferb breaks it first by saying "Yes, it usually takes us at least a montage" in reply to Phineas noting how quickly their submarine was built. The second is when Doof is telling Perry about his Media Erasinator where he looks at the camera and says "Patent pending, Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated."
  • This is the second time Phineas and Ferb build a submarine ("Journey to the Center of Candace").
  • Third time Linda is limited to a cameo ("Lights, Candace, Action!", "Run Away Runway").
  • Someone is reading a newspaper at the newsstand where all the magazines and newspapers are deleted. If one looks closely, the newspaper can be read as "Evil Brother vows to get even" with a quote that says "I'm very jealous!" and "Mom loved him best" with a picture of Doofenshmirtz, who is presumably being quoted. The other legible writing says "pigeon missing", which is likely a reference to the pigeon ploy ("Tree to Get Ready").

Cast[]

Main article: Credits
designates a character that did not appear in this episode

References[]

Previous:
"Boyfriend From 27,000 B.C."
Episodes Next:
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Season 1
"Rollercoaster" | "Lawn Gnome Beach Party of Terror" | "Flop Starz" | "The Fast and the Phineas"
"Lights, Candace, Action!" | "Raging Bully" | "Candace Loses Her Head" | "I, Brobot"
"Run Away Runway" | "The Magnificent Few" | "S'Winter" | "Jerk De Soleil" | "Are You My Mummy?"
"Ready for the Bettys" | "I Scream, You Scream" | "Toy to the World"
"Get That Bigfoot Outa My Face!" | "It's a Mud, Mud, Mud, Mud World" | "Mom's Birthday"
"Journey to the Center of Candace" | "It's About Time!"
"Dude, We're Getting the Band Back Together" | "Tree to Get Ready" | "The Ballad of Badbeard"
"Greece Lightning" | "Leave the Busting to Us!" | "Crack That Whip" | "The Best Lazy Day Ever"
"Boyfriend From 27,000 B.C." | "Voyage to the Bottom of Buford" | "A Hard Day's Knight"
"Traffic Cam Caper" | "Bowl-R-Ama Drama" | "Got Game?" | "Comet Kermillian"
"Put That Putter Away" | "Does This Duckbill Make Me Look Fat?" | "The Flying Fishmonger"
"One Good Scare Ought to Do It!" | "The Monster of Phineas-n-Ferbenstein" | "Oil on Candace"
"Out of Toon" | "Hail Doofania!" | "Out to Launch" | "Phineas and Ferb Get Busted!"
"Unfair Science Fair" | "Unfair Science Fair Redux (Another Story)"
Season 2
"The Lake Nose Monster" | "Interview With a Platypus" | "Tip of the Day"
"Attack of the 50 Foot Sister" | "Backyard Aquarium" | "Day of the Living Gelatin"
"Elementary My Dear Stacy" | "Don't Even Blink" | "Chez Platypus" | "Perry Lays an Egg"
"Gaming the System" | "The Chronicles of Meap" | "Thaddeus and Thor" | "De Plane! De Plane!"
"Let's Take a Quiz" | "At the Car Wash" | "Oh, There You Are, Perry" | "Swiss Family Phineas"
"Hide and Seek" | "That Sinking Feeling" | "The Baljeatles" | "Vanessassary Roughness"
"No More Bunny Business" | "Spa Day" | "Phineas and Ferb's Quantum Boogaloo"
"Phineas and Ferb Musical Cliptastic Countdown" | "Bubble Boys" | "Isabella and the Temple of Sap"
"Cheer Up Candace" | "Fireside Girl Jamboree" |"The Bully Code" | "Finding Mary McGuffin" | "Picture This"
"Nerdy Dancin'" | "What Do It Do?" | "Atlantis" | "Phineas and Ferb Christmas Vacation!"
"Just Passing Through" | "Candace's Big Day" | "I Was a Middle Aged Robot" | "Suddenly Suzy"
"Undercover Carl" | "Hip Hip Parade" | "Invasion of the Ferb Snatchers" | "Ain't No Kiddie Ride"
"Not Phineas and Ferb" | "Phineas and Ferb-Busters!" | "The Lizard Whisperer" | "Robot Rodeo" | "The Beak"
"She's the Mayor" | "The Lemonade Stand" | "Phineas and Ferb Hawaiian Vacation" | "Nerds of a Feather"
"Wizard of Odd" | "We Call it Maze" | "Ladies and Gentlemen, Meet Max Modem!" | "The Secret of Success"
"The Doof Side of the Moon" | "Split Personality" | "Brain Drain" | "Rollercoaster: The Musical!"
"Make Play" | "Candace Gets Busted"
Season 3
"The Great Indoors" | "Canderemy" | "Run, Candace, Run" | "Last Train to Bustville"
"Phineas' Birthday Clip-O-Rama!" | "The Belly of the Beast" | "Moon Farm"
"Ask a Foolish Question" | "Misperceived Monotreme" | "Candace Disconnected"
"Magic Carpet Ride" | "Bad Hair Day" | "Meatloaf Surprise" | "Phineas and Ferb Interrupted"
"A Real Boy" | "Mommy Can You Hear Me?" | "Road Trip" | "Tour de Ferb" | "Skiddley Whiffers"
"My Fair Goalie" | "Bullseye!" | "That's the Spirit" | "The Curse of Candace"
"Escape from Phineas Tower" | "Lotsa Latkes" | "Ferb Latin"
"A Phineas and Ferb Family Christmas" | "Tri-Stone Area" | "Doof Dynasty" |"Excaliferb"
"Phineas and Ferb and the Temple of Juatchadoon" | "Monster from the Id" | "Gi-Ants"
"The Remains of the Platypus" | "Mom's in the House" | "Perry The Actorpus" | "Let's Bounce"
"Bully Bromance Breakup" | "Quietest Day Ever" | "The Doonkelberry Imperative‎‎"
"Meapless in Seattle" | "Delivery of Destiny" | "Buford Confidential" | "The Mom Attractor"
"Cranius Maximus" | "Agent Doof" | "Minor Monogram" | "What A Croc!" | "Sleepwalk Surprise"
"Sci-Fi Pie Fly" | "Sipping with the Enemy" | "Tri-State Treasure: Boot of Secrets" | "Doofapus"
"Norm Unleashed" | "Where's Perry?" | "Where's Perry? (Part Two)" |"Ferb TV"
"When Worlds Collide" | "What'd I Miss?" | "Road to Danville"
"This Is Your Backstory" | "Blackout!"
Season 4
"For Your Ice Only" | "Happy New Year!" | "Fly On the Wall" | "Bully Bust" | "My Sweet Ride"
"Der Kinderlumper" | "Sidetracked" | "Primal Perry" | "Mind Share" | "Backyard Hodge Podge"
"Bee Day" | "Bee Story" | "Great Balls Of Water" | "Where's Pinky?"
"Phineas and Ferb Musical Cliptastic Countdown Hosted by Kelly Osbourne"
"Knot My Problem" | "Just Desserts" | "La Candace-Cabra" | "Happy Birthday, Isabella"
"Love at First Byte" | "One Good Turn" | "Thanks But No Thanks" | "Troy Story"
"Druselsteinoween" | "Terrifying Tri-State Trilogy of Terror" | "Face Your Fear" | "Cheers for Fears"
"Steampunx" | "Just Our Luck" | "Return Policy" | "Live and Let Drive" | "Father's Day"
"Imperfect Storm" | "The Return of the Rogue Rabbit" | "It's No Picnic" | "The Klimpaloon Ultimatum"
"Operation Crumb Cake" | "Mandace" | "Lost in Danville" | "The Inator Method"
"Tales from the Resistance: Back to the 2nd Dimension" | "Doof 101" | "Act Your Age"
Season 5
"Summer Block Buster" | "Cloudy with a Chance of Mom" | "Appetite for Adventure" | "License to Bust"
"Dry Another Day" | "Deconstructing Doof" | "Tropey McTropeface" | "Biblio-Blast!" | "A Chip to the Vet"
"More Than an Intern" | "The Aurora Perry-Alis" | "Agent T (For Teen)" | "The Haberdasher"
"The Candace Suit" | "Out of Character" | "Meap Me in St. Louis"
Specials
"Phineas and Ferb: Summer Belongs to You!" | "Phineas and Ferb Save Summer"
"Night of the Living Pharmacists" | "Last Day of Summer" | "O.W.C.A. Files"
Films
Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension
Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe
Crossovers
"Phineas and Ferb: Mission Marvel" | "Phineas and Ferb: Star Wars" | "The Phineas and Ferb Effect"
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