"VENDPOCALYPSE THE MUSICAL" is the twentieth episode, as well as the season five finale of the fifth season/revival of Phineas and Ferb.
Synopsis[]
Doof unintentionally becomes responsible for vending machines becoming the dominant race. Meanwhile, Phineas and the gang skip rocks while Isabella ponders Phineas' possible romantic gestures.
Plot[]
Part 1[]
At Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated, Doofenshmirtz prepares for Family Game Night, prioritizing his air fryer over his neglected robot assistant, Norm. Feeling unappreciated and longing to be treated like family, Norm sings "The New Norm," expressing his desire for a closer bond with Doofenshmirtz. Vanessa briefly encounters Norm, dismissing his emotional display without much concern.
In the Flynn-Fletcher backyard, Phineas and the gang decide to build a high-powered rock-skipping machine capable of skipping stones across all twelve lakes in Danville, inspired by Dad's rock-skipping demonstration. Isabella becomes flustered when Phineas touches her hand during the group huddle and later fist-bumps her, leading her to overanalyze the interaction. Noticing Perry's absence, the scene cuts to him secretly reporting to OWCA. Major Monogram, frustrated with a vending machine withholding his snacks, assigns Perry to investigate Doofenshmirtz, whose lab has been unusually active.
Meanwhile, Candace notices that her brothers' invention is small and portable. When Mom and Dad leave for the day, Candace decides to transport the invention herself to bust the boys, launching into a short musical number before Buford abruptly cuts it off. The boys debut their rock-skipping contraption in the song "Skipping Rocks," while Isabella continues to seek advice about Phineas—eventually turning to Candace.
At D.E.I., Perry confronts Doofenshmirtz, who reveals his latest scheme: the Coin-Collect-inator, designed to create vending machines and gather rare coins across the Tri-State Area by selling snacks. Doof stated that he has distributed the machines around Danville, and has been making a good profit on them for several days; it even turns out that Monogram bought one of them. However, Norm warns Doofenshmirtz that the vending machines are becoming sentient, but it is too late—the machines evolve into hostile robots and declare the start of the “Vendpocalypse.” Perry briefly disables some machines using spilled tea, but Doofenshmirtz and Norm are captured.
The vending machines spread throughout Danville, infiltrating OWCA headquarters and attacking civilians. Major Monogram and Carl are captured, and the machines begin abducting citizens. Candace, Isabella, Phineas, and the gang are chased, narrowly escaping in Candace's car after discovering that forcing a vending machine to dispense all its contents causes it to shut down—an important clue for later. From a distance, they witness Danville being overtaken.
Back at D.E.I., Vanessa arrives armed with a fire axe, confirming her father's long-mocked fears. She teams up with Perry to free Doof and and fight back against the vending machines. During their escape in Perry’s hover car, Norm is seized by the machines and captured despite Doof and Vanessa’s efforts. The episode's first part ends on a dark cliffhanger with Danville—and Norm—now firmly in the machines' grasp.
Part 2[]
The episode resumes at D.E.I. where the captured Norm is brought before the vending machines' leader, Vending Machine Prime. She appeals to Norm's feelings of neglect, pointing out that he is a machine like them, mistreated and overlooked by humans—especially Doofenshmirtz. Through a musical number, she tempts Norm to join the vending machines, and he ultimately merges with them, transforming into Vend-Norm-inator.
Outside, Phineas and the gang resolve to infiltrate D.E.I. Candace devises a plan using discarded cardboard boxes to disguise themselves as vending machines, successfully tricking the guards and entering the building. Inside, they discover citizens—including Major Monogram, Carl, Irving, and others—being packaged as "snacks" inside giant vending machines. Realizing the machines are turning people into inventory, the kids abandon their disguises and prepare to fight back.
Meanwhile, Doofenshmirtz, Vanessa, and Perry regroup at OWCA. Vanessa insists on saving Norm, while Doof hesitates before ultimately agreeing. They attempt a stealth entrance into D.E.I. but are quickly captured. Vend-Norm-inator confronts Doof, accusing him of never being there for him.
Back in the lobby, the kids discover the vending machines' weakness (through Buford getting the last snack from a regular non-sentient vending machine): once emptied, they power down. Using loose change and their rock-skipping invention to rapidly dispense contents, they begin freeing the captured citizens. Vanessa joins them, leading the group to Doofenshmirtz's extensive coin collection, which provides the funds they need. This effort is set to the musical number "Need a Little Change."
As the battle escalates, Doof uses a collection of old inators to fight back, ultimately confronting Vend-Norm-inator directly. In a pivotal emotional moment, Doofenshmirtz climbs inside Norm and confesses how important Norm has always been to him, revealing through a flashback montage that Norm was created during a lonely period in his life and helped him cope after his divorce with Charlene. This heartfelt admission restores Norm's true self, breaking Vending Machine Prime's hold over him.
Although the machines continue attacking, Norm uses his connection to the mainframe to shut them down. Realizing the only way to stop the Vendpocalypse is through self-destruction, Norm sacrifices himself by pressing his self-destruct button (which was located under his armpit), triggering the destruction of all vending machines. Danville is saved, but Norm appears to be lost in the explosion. Doof and Vanessa mourn his apparent death.
In the aftermath, Danville quickly moves on, preferring snacks over dwelling on the trauma. Isabella seeks reassurance from Candace about her feelings for Phineas, who gently suggests things will work out in time. The episode closes with Doof scavenging the ruins of D.E.I. for his coin collection, discovering a surviving piece of Norm and beginning to rebuild him—ending on a hopeful note that Norm will, once again, return.
Cast[]
- Vincent Martella as Phineas Flynn
- David Errigo Jr. as Ferb Fletcher
- Ashley Tisdale as Candace Flynn
- Alyson Stoner as Isabella Garcia-Shapiro
- Maulik Pancholy as Baljeet Tjinder
- Bobby Gaylor as Buford Van Stomm
- Caroline Rhea as Linda Flynn-Fletcher
- Richard O'Brien as Lawrence Fletcher
- Dan Povenmire as Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz
- Dee Bradley Baker as Perry the Platypus
- Jeff "Swampy" Marsh as Major Monogram, Dink Winkerson
- Dee Bradley Baker as Perry the Platypus
- Tyler Alexander Mann as Carl Karl
- John Viener as Norm
- Olivia Olson as Vanessa Doofenshmirtz
- Meghan Trainor as Vending Machine Prime
- Jack McBrayer as Irving Du Bois
Songs[]
- "The New Norm"
- "Skipping Rocks"
- "Power Surge"
- "Need a Little Change"
Trivia[]
- This is the second episode to have "The Musical" in its title after "Rollercoaster: The Musical!".
- The prototype inators Doofenschmirtz used as the Inator-Man included the Fish-inator from "More Than an Intern" and the Fork-It-Over-inator from "Submarine Sandwich Submarine".
Videos[]
Gallery[]
