If you know anything about the show “Phineas and Ferb,” you know that Jeremy Johnson is RELATIONSHIP GOALS. Let’s talk about it.
Jeremy is a boy who lives in Danville. Candace, Phineas and Ferb’s neurotic older sister who is obsessed with exposing their exploits to their mother, falls for Jeremy early in the show. They develop their relationship over the course of the show and, according to the show’s creator, Dan Povenmire, remain a couple forever, getting married and having kids. <3
Jeremy Johnson aka the Best Boyfriend Ever! Photo via https://phineasandferb.fandom.com/wiki/Jeremy_- Johnson
Here’s the thing: Candace is a total disaster of a human being and mishandles almost every step of the relationship, but we’re not here to talk about Candace, so we will reframe her mistakes as Jeremy’s victories.
Jeremy’s first green flag is his patience. Candace is constantly losing it over something: her brothers’ creations, Jeremy’s opinion of her, her friends, the list goes on. Jeremy handles these moments with grace and patience. He consistently reminds Candace that he loves her, encouraging her to not assume things about him. He is also patient with his younger sister, who has significant beef with Candace. Honestly, I don’t think I could put up with the levels of toxicity that Candace exudes, but Jeremy does it and makes it look easy.
Secondly, Jeremy is a HARD WORKER. Jeremy is always putting in the hours at Slushy Dawg, securing the bag and using his paychecks to take Candace on dates (even to the exclusive Chez Platypus) and buying her cute gifts. But he isn’t picky with how his time is spent with Candace (from exclusive restaurants to roller coasters), and he NEVER leverages his gifts against her. In one instance, (“Christmas Vacation”) Candace works herself into an atomic hurricane of a meltdown trying to get Jeremy a gift as good as he’s given her. Jeremy simply assures her that he loves her no matter what—the gift doesn’t matter to him, he just loves Candace.
Jeremy exudes wholesome energy. He is always willing to listen to Candace and try the things she wants him to try, even if he feels nervous about it. In the episode “Nerdy Dancin’,” Candace begs Jeremy to go on the show “Let’s all Dance Until We’re Sick” with her. He doesn’t know how to dance but goes along with the plan by working with Phineas and Ferb to create a solution (wearing an exoskeleton through which Ferb’s superior dance moves can be mirrored). In “Best Lazy Day Ever,” Jeremy sings his original song “Do Nothing Day,” showing his heart of gentle-spirited kindness.
Regardless of his placid spirit, Jeremy is confident and sure and unafraid to stand up for himself. In the Christmas episode mentioned above, when Candace is panicking about her gift for Jeremy, she wildly forms assumptions about him when he says he doesn’t want a perfect gift from her. In her frustration, Candace states, “It's just that I think you're perfect, Jeremy. So I don't understand why you want to make me feel like I'm not.” Jeremy simply responds, “Candace, you should know me better than that” and goes home. I love this interaction because Candace (as usual) is letting her anxiety and insecurity wildly run free. However, Jeremy doesn’t overreact or let her assumptions stand. He points out her key (and recurring) issue—that she doesn’t trust his love for her—and creates space for her to reflect.
Jeremy can be summed up as a person who is so true to himself that people around him cannot help but be changed, especially Candace. We see her slowly adapting to the stability and kindness that Jeremy models and becoming a better version of herself because of it. His surety and stability are ultimately what create the key change in Candace. Thus, we see, Jeremy Johnson is king.