Scooby-doo, who liveblogs you?: A Scooby-doo Mysteries Inc. liveblog.

Malkavian

Welcome to Crystal Cove, the hauntedest place on earth. Or at least, that's what the tourist market and town government of would have you believe. In reality, the Crystal Cove revenue is largely built off of proven hoaxes of various criminals preying on the superstition of the town residents generally as a way to make money. As much as the town government hates it, every time a real monster seems to have appeared, it's proven to be a dude in a suit with gadgets by a group of meddling kids!

Scooby-doo: Mysteries Inc. is a soft reboot that starts from scratch though it does reference older series with the implication those investigations happened during previous summer vacations. The show follows the Scooby gang in their senior year of high school as their usual mystery solving leads them to discover a dark conspiracy in the town of Crystal Cove in what I find the best western cartoon since Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Seriously, this show is great. It's surprisingly well-plotted and paced for a kids' show and while it does occasionally get a little too callback-heavy for my tastes, it all flows into a feeling of continuity for the show. Not only that, but now being run by fans of the show, this has actually given Scooby to be the kind of show that kids thought it was. If you're like me (or some of the writers of the show) Scooby was probably one of your gateways into the horror genre and it shows that a lot of the people here actually have a knowledge of horror history.

That said, let's meet the cast!

This is Fred Jones, voiced by voice acting legend Frank Welker. Fred has often been (rightfully) derided as the most boring character of the old series and that's something that this iteration quickly fixes. Instead of being the generic every-leader, Fred is now an over-enthusiastic and socially oblivious investigator with a literal fetish for traps. He even has a subscription to Traps Magazine. (which he reads for the articles of course) Beyond that, while every member of Mysteries Inc. has a dysfunctional family in some way, Fred's take center spot revealing someone with deep insecurities due to his father's emotional abuse and disdain for his passion. It's the rare cartoon that a character as boring as Fred and turns him into someone who actually deserves his leadership position.

Meet Daphne Blake voiced by Grey DeLisle, the youngest of several children of a rich estate. Daphne is still somewhat ditzy but nowhere near the damsel in distress she used to be. Daphne is very similar to her earlier incarnations with some important distinctions. Her ditziness is played up and contrasted with moments of lucidity and instead of simply sharing vague romance with Fred, she's actively interested and frustrated at his prioritizing his mystery solving 'career' and earning the approval of his father. Daphne herself is very focused on her family, particularly her emotionally damaged mother who is also implied to be a drug abuser (It's never said and it's pretty much always played for laughs) Also played up is the fact that she is the emotional tether that helps hold the group together, making her the group's chick in a more solid way. Yes, I'm using a TV Tropes term, Suck it up.

This is Velma Dinkley, voiced by Mindy Cohn. She' always been the clear, rational, inquisitive, and vaguely jewish one of the group and the new series has decided to both logically upgrade her to a computer whiz and contrast it by making her more emotional in social situations. While Velma is skeptical in matters of boogey men and vampires she's more of knee-jerk responder when it comes to people. She also has a humongous crush on Shaggy Rogers who is anything but emotionally stable enough for a girlfriend. Of note is that while her home life is disruptive, she's the only character who seems to have parents who actually care about her. They're embarrassing and they're into new age mysticism and homeopathic medicine but they are seen being actively interested in her. Velma's mom even reads her blog, which is so totally embarrassing! They're also the people heading the tourist business in Crystal Cove, making their money off of scamming the superstitious. This puts Velma's rationalism in a more contextual position, having her insistence on logic and a search for the truth be a response to seeing her parents manipulate people with superstition.

This is Norville 'Shaggy' Rogers, voiced Matthew Lillard. Shaggy hasn't changed much since his original appearance, which is understandable since he was always part of the most fun duo in the old show. The only real change to his character is that his cowardice is highlighted with the fact that he loves to spend his Saturday nights with Scooby watching cheesy horror movies, especially if they star the greatest actor of all time: Vincent Van Ghoul. Shaggy's parents are seen the least of any of the group, but it's clear from their dismissive attitude that they're ashamed of their son but don't really feel the motivation to do anything about it other than offering dismissive statements that they wish he wouldn't embarrass them. Shaggy clearly shares feelings with Velma but is a lot more conflicted on them than she is. There are a lot of implications that a lot of Shaggy's actions just come out of a fear of the world reacting to him and so throws himself into his relationship with his pet, food, and media as an escape and you're projecting again Malk. Stop it.

This Scooby-doo. Based on some obscure Hanna Barbera cartoon I'm sure you've never heard. Seriously, why didn't they go with Jabberjaw? If there's something that says 'lasting appeal' it's a talking shark based on sixties ideas of what the future would be like! In any case, Scooby is also mostly unchanged playing his ever-lovable double act with his owner Shaggy. The main change is that Scooby now wants to prove himself to the group as more than just the mascot and also that he's very possessive of his best friend, creating some friction with Velma.

This is Mayor Fredrick Jones, Fred's father. Mayor Jones is focused on keeping a lid on the various 'supernatural' happenings of Crystal Cove, something that frustrates him immensely about his son. Mayor Jones is a symbol of conservatism, superstition, and is actively manipulating the visitors' gullibility for their money. In essence he is everything Mystery Inc. is fighting against. 

This is Sheriff Bronson Stone, Sheriff of Crystal Cove. While Mayor Jones is a representation of the people who prey on superstition to make money, Stone is a representation of the people who are duped. While it's clear Mayor Jones doesn't believe in monsters but will pretend to so he can make cash, Stone is all too willing to give into the newest monster and declare it a g-g-g-g-g-GHOOOOOOSST!  As a result his relationship with the gang is slightly more friendly and the kids have even helped him get out of a jam.

Join me as I go through 26 episodes Twin Peaks With A Talking Dog Scooby Doo Mysteries Inc.

DYRE

I'm... actually pretty interested in this, based on this first post.

So... I guess I'll be following this?  Yep, sounds about right.

ClockworkUniverse

fetish for traps

Traps Magazine. (which he reads for the articles of course)

Heheh.

Seriously, though, I might have to check it out.

MillerCross

Twin Peaks With A Talking Dog

how

is there an agent cooper?

this is an important question.

Icalasari

Now I'm going to have to find a torrent

ClockworkUniverse

Just fire up the you tubes.

DYRE

>watching shows on Youtube

http://i.imgur.com/TSFJX.jpg">

ClockworkUniverse

Why? I have an SSD, so I have very little storage space (to the point that I have to uninstall games when done with them), but I can generally watch them in 1080p and not have to wait ages to download them, so...

Icalasari

^^ I've done that for a few series

I admit though that it is far harder than just getting a torrent, though. I was lucky that there were people dedicated to uploading 90's Spiderman because if there weren't so many people doing it I would have not found all the episodes and some I would have found would be crappy quality

DYRE

^^ Ads, videos are compressed so they look significantly worse than the source material even if you're watching them at 1080p, less of a guarantee you'll actually be able to find every episode of a series if it's not on an official channel, plus having to deal with streaming sites, which absolutely never is a good experience for me.

Though, admittedly, at least Youtube manages to be better than most other sites for streaming TV shows (legally or otherwise).  Which... is kind of pathetic, but is nevertheless true.

ClockworkUniverse

>Ads

I haven't actually seen an ad on Youtube in...probably six months or so. Maybe I'm just lucky?

>Look worse than the source material

And in live-action, that might make a difference. Cartoons? Not so much.

>Less of a guarantee of finding every episode.

Admittedly true, but when that happens, I can download it as a backup.

>Having to deal with streaming sites

Honestly, I've never had trouble. But that's just me.

I'll agree that it's pathetic that nobody can do better than Youtube, though. I blame flash.

DYRE

And in live-action, that might make a difference. Cartoons? Not so much.

Really?  People say this a lot, and... I don't get it.  I actually notice visual artifacts and the like more in cartoons than in live-action shows.  There are a lot more sharp lines and smooth gradients and such, which makes certain compression artifacts ridiculously prominent, often distractingly so.

ClockworkUniverse

I see your point, but...I just kinda don't pay attention to it?

Bear in mind, I play Dwarf Fortress in ASCII, not because I don't want to bother with tilesets but because I like the ASCII better, so my visual tastes are...odd.

Icalasari

INUH liked ASCII before it was cool to like it

Malkavian

Episode 1, motherfuckers!

Beware The Beast From Below!

We open with our gang of heroes high fiving and congratulating each other for solving another mystery... 

From behind bars. Yes, Sheriff Bronson Stone has put them behind bars for interfering with his investigation again and tells the gang that he's calling their parents, who he already has on speed dial. Stone also awkwardly references the fact that Fred's dad is the Mayor to keep us viewers informed.

Daphne mentions that she'd like to be thanked for once and Fred says it's a good thing they're not in this to be liked. The others do not appreciate the sentiment.

After a spooky intro, we get to see the town gate while Velma leads some tourists around.

Velma's really not into it as she talks about a pirate curse and later the disappearance of the Darrow family disappearance. Is that a plot seed we're looking at? It just might be! An oh hey look it's Don Knots. 

Velma continues the tour and in the background you see wax dolls of a bunch of monsters from the classic show. When the tourists start commenting on how scary it must have been, Velma gets a 'fuck this bullshit' look on her face and explains that they all turned out to be fakes. The Dinkley parents quickly come in to run interference by ending the tour and get angry at Velma for trying to reveal them for the shams they are. Like I said in my initial post, this actually provides a really good example of the generational conflict in the show for Velma.

"Reboot, Parentals."

Ow. Ow ow ow ow.

Velma, while much better written than Chloe from Smallville, does occasionally get the Chloe-esque line. 

Velma explains that her generation only has one thing on their minds:

"Solving mysteries and building traps!" says Fred Jones. He also tells his father 'We just want answers, is that wrong?" Goodness Gracious me, we've stumbled on the theme with a surprising amount of straight-forwardness and literalism! Did Geoff Johns write this scene?

Mayor Jones tells his son he shouldn't do anything he'd regret. 

"You mean like making a bad trap?"

"NO! Life is not just about traps! It's also about-"

"Pancakes!"

So says Scooby-doo.  Our pals Shaggy and Scooby are of course chowing down. Shaggy's father is expressing concern over his hobbies and his mother is flat-out telling him to hang with a different crowd. As you can no doubt tell, we're dealing with model parents here.

Shaggy assures his parents that he's a coward and as such won't get hurt due to all the running he does.

"If you guys just gave 'em a chance you'd see-"

"The gang is just misunderstood."

says Daphne and let me tell you it got some taking used to the voice of Jeanette Voreman was coming out of Daphne's mouth. Daphne assures her folks that all the kids are also solving mysteries and that Fred is actually a misunderstood genius. Her parents ask her why she can't be more like her sisters. Cue shot.

Jesus, how much fanfiction did this image inspire?

Daphne then hears the honk the mystery machine and runs off so she won't be late for school.

Meanwhile, a bunch of construction workers are working in the sewers, with the supervisor chowing on Fruitmeyer's smoothie right before he falls through an unstable wall that leads into a cave...

Now, for a town full of people making money off the monster scam nobody seems to understand the basic rules of horror survival. So naturally the workers decide to investigate. In said cave, they find several barrels of toxic waste... which rumble. Totally natural.

"Those symbols mean it's radioactive... meaning it's dangerous... meaning we need to open it right away!"

Perfect logic right there.

As they open it, one of the workers says he thinks he sees something... before getting a face full of toxic sludge and screaming.

Cut back to the mystery machine where Velma is trying to work her charms on Shaggy which is turning out to be... less than effective.

And that sound you heard was the small but oddly vocal branch of Velma/Daphne shippers howling in rage.

Shaggy doesn't want to reveal their relationship in public because it would apparently hurt Scooby's feelings. He wants to break it to Scooby at the right time. Velma thinks now is perfect.

Except she's interrupted by a manhole lid blowing open. This is when a shadowy glowing figure crawls out, still obscured by the mist. One of the things that's notable is that Mysteries Inc., for all its adherence to skepticism, can play itself as a kiddie creepshow perfectly and this scene shows it. 

The monster walks off. for some reason and Fred declares that they have a new mystery to solve which is way more important than school, according to him.

The gang goes into the sewers and finds that same group of radioactive barrels. Velma figures out that they're military grade and about forty years old because she's Velma and knowing shit is her bag and Daphne seems to have found an important clue. 

Inside is a picture of a fifties-looking couple and Fred compliments Daphne on finding the clue which gives her a case of jelly knees. Fred remains dutifully oblivious though.

Shaggy finds a hardhat, no doubt belonging to the now missing workers and when they look on the ceiling they find...

A bunch of workers in cocoons!

Scooby freaks and the paramedics are called. Sheriff Stone is pissed at them and won't listen Shaggy's protestations that the group actual saved those workers' lives. Stone informs them that it's a crime scene/future tourist attraction so GTFO.

Fred says he'll talk to him and figure something out...

which turns out to be kidnapping one of of the cocooned workers and driving off! GENIUS!

Velma thinks it's actually pretty awesome.

The gang take the body to biology teach Professor Rofolo in the hopes that he can help them out. The body they put on the table freaks the kids out, prompting the professor to ask them to wait for the lunch break next time.

The professor aids and abets the kidnappers of a possibly radioactive man. The professor says he's alive, but appears to be in a dehydrated state. He assures them it's temporary and the cocoon is organic. Fred then assures the professor that the sheriff okayed it and they all agree the idea of stealing a body would be just plain silly.

We then go to a restaraunt which sells Fruitmeyers, which is neither ice cream nor yogurt and the salesman isn't quite sure what it is. Sounds healthy to me! Shaggy and Scooby, for a change of pace, chow down.

Velma offers her theory on what the cocoon go is, while flirting with Shaggy who suddenly gets nervous and hungry. Daphne asks if something was going on and Velma's denial sounds more angry than nervous. Wonder why.

Fred mentions that he's glad Daphne isn't into such girly stuff which is why they're such great friends. Daphne seems less than pleased.

And that's part one. Join me later for part 2!

Malkavian

Welcome back, mystery solvers!

The Prof is up late at night, trying to solve the compound that cocooned the guy, and is getting a case of the heebie jeebies. He then walks off-screen, screams, and disappears. 

I wonder how many tiny children this show has traumatized.

The Janitor walks in to see what happened, but doesn't see him so he goes back to cleaning, but prof has been cocooned too! 

The gang meets up with Crystal Cove's resident DJ and blaxploitation chick extrodinairre: Angel Dynamite. 

Angel herself is a recurring character and one of the few adults in the show that isn't completely antagonistic to the kids and helps them out with mysteries. She's a hell of a lot of fun.

It turns out Fred was in the back, wracked with guilt over the professor getting slimed cocooned. Daphne is trying to be supportive while Velma is yelling at him grow his balls back and states they still have their original clue of the goop... which Scooby is eating.

Scooby informs them all that it's 'RootReyers!'. Shaggy completely wisely has a taste as well and tells them that it's actually the Fruitmeyers not-ice cream they were having earlier. The people were being cocooned in dessert. nummy.

Daphne asks what that means and Shaggy says it means if they capture the monster the'll have an endless supply of Fruitmeyers. There's a guy who's got his priorities sorted.

Fred instead says it means he'sobviously not a radioactive monster. They decide to investigate the Fruitmeyers store by having the girls apply for the server position to snoop around. 

 

Oh right... this is Scooby-Doo...

When the shop closes, Shaggy and Scooby let the others in to start snooping around. Which is when we get our first glimpse of our monster!

Shaggy and Scooby run into the Daphne and when they look back the monster has disappeared... and so has Daphne.

It turns out Shaggy knocked Daphne through a hidden hole in the floor into the caverns below. She also says she thinks she found something. 

It's the same cave from the other day and someone's been mining in it. They've been making a tunnel that leads directly to Crystal Cove Bank. Velma and Fred decide it's trap time. 

Everybody begins using themselves as bait to lead the monster to where they want him. Then they spring the ludicrously elaborate trap to capture him. Seriously, you need to watch this episode to see it. It's amazing.

Well, that didn't go as planned. The monster spurts his fruit on them... oh god what did I just type... so they can't do anything to get out.

Only Daphne wasn't captured and she quickly runs from the monster while the others start eating their way to safety.

Before Daphne can be captured, the rest of the escaped Mystery gang decide turnabout is fair play and fire a hose of fruitmeyers at him, finally trapping him, just in time for Sheriff Stone and Mayor Jones to show up. The gang tells them that it's actually Franklin Fruitmeyer, which is impossible because he was with the Mayor at the time.

Well then, let's see who you really are!

It turns out it was the Prof who made himself look cocooned to avoid suspicion! Daphne asks why he needs more money when he's got a job as a teacher. Uncomfortable silence ensues.

Daphne then asks about the locket she found and the prof says he's never seen it, though the Mayor's expression says that he knows something about it.

Back at the radio station, the group is celebrating while Daphne is wondering about the locket, which is when they got a mysterious call from someone who calls himself... Mister E...

"You don't know what you've uncovered. A truth that should have remained hidden. The real mystery has just begun!"

Cue credits.

And that's the first episode. It's a much tighter package than older series and it's just as focused on being a mystery as it is being funny. Solid introduction. 

Icalasari

You'd think that the employer would have guessed Shaggy wasn't a girl =/

Malkavian

It's pretty much a proven fact that the citizens of Crystal Cove are just a hair less intelligent than the residents of Sunnydale.

MillerCross

My question was never answered >:[

Icalasari

The original scooby doo already showed their town =/

Why does this bug me? =/

Malkavian

^^If I tell you Fred is like Agent Cooper will you watch it?

MillerCross

I'd consider it.

Icalasari

Final episode of the series:

Fred is revealed to be Agent Cooper in disguise

Malkavian

Okay kiddies! Time for Episode 2: 

The Creeping Creatures

We open in the town of Gatorsburg. A family in a station wagon is driving though and the daughter expresses doubt that this is New York City which either means Crystal Cove is somewhere on the east coast or this dude is REALLY bad at navigation.

Okay, 2000 miles. He really is that bad. They go over to fill up on gas.

Their dog Peddles runs off because of something spooky and the girl chases after him.

And here's what she finds.

She runs off screaming 'GATOR MAN!' 

The father acts all brave and reassuring... until the Gator man actually shows up. Then he screams like a girl gets in the car and drives off.

Cue the opening.

At Fred's house, Velma complains about the lack of mystery lately while Fred works on a new trap. Daphne wonders if Fred has any interesting magazines to read and stumbles upon this.

'I read it for the articles!' Fred insists. In fact it gave him the idea for the trap that just went off.

Turns out he caught the mailman who has a package for him.

It's from Mister E! It turns out to be a Gator Skin purse from Gators burg and Scooby says it smells new, but that's impossible since the Gator mines dried up decades ago! Velma relates the story of gold prospectors finding alligators instead.This made them a boom town Gator skin exporter until the wells ran dry. 

Velma and Fred are excited to finally have a mystery on their hands.

and so they head off to Gatorsburg.

Velma makes some disparaging comments on economies founded ononly one resource. Holy shit, has Velma been reading Paul Krugman? 

The gang decides to split up to search for clues. Velma latches onto Shaggy making it clear she's going to be searching for something that's not clues. "Not in front of Scoob!" Shaggy answers. Seriously, a lot of people have ragged Velma for her reactions to Shaggy in this show but how would you feel being second banana to a dog?

And so they decide to investigate Gator Burger

That ends part 1 which is short because of family stuff. I'll finish later.

Malkavian

Hey kids, let's get back on track!

In Gator Burger there's a monster who's about to snack on the burgers but decides to hide as soon as he sees the three coming his way. The burgers themselves look pretty disgusting but it'll take more disgusting stuff than that to frighten Scooby and Shaggy from eating!

Velma's, of course, frustrated at being ignored at walks off in a huff and Shaggy shares the thought of every bone-headed male and lesbian of why women are so confusing. Fred meanwhile is disappointed by the lack of things to trap and decides to head home.

....except someone's stolen the engine out of their car. Now that's a monster with dedication!

Enter this guy.

Welp, we've got our first suspect. He angrily demands to know what they're doing in Gatorsburg and Daphne says their car broke down. Not a lie... per se...

The guy asks why he should help them. Velma points out that as a mechanic it's his job and he bows down to the basics of logic. If only political debates were like this.

It turns out the new engine won't come back until morning and Fred's father won't pick them up because he's just gotten comfortable in the recliner. You know how it is. So the gang have to spend the night.

Velma is rather excited to spend the night with Shaggy but Scooby just has to block the cock with the best of them. Damn son.

The only Inn in town is the Drowsy Gator

Seems perfectly safe!

The inn is of course decorated with creepy alligators. 

Oh thank god these two are running it. Things were beginning to look sketchy to me. The owners are Greta Gator and her son Gunther Gator who totally aren't lizard people, nosiree.

There's a ripped painting from which Shaggy has the sense to look for clues and find what looks like a claw or tooth.

Greta demands that girls and boys be kept IN SEPARATE ROOMS! When Velma said she's with Daphne then Greta screams 'NO EXCEPTIONS.' Admittedly I don't get the joke here. Is the implication that she thinks Velma's a lesbian or that she think Velma's a boy?

Also they're not allowed to leave their rooms even if they hear the sound of a body being dragged against a hard wood floor. Low profile this lady.

Oh also NO PETS! (GASP) Scooby will have to spend the night in the Mystery Machine!

Velma of course decides to go out and try and seduce Shaggy again while Shaggy is fretting over whether Scooby is safe or not so he decides to sneak out and the two of course, run into each other. Velma is bit overoptimistic that Shaggy snuck out to give her the rumpy pumpy and Shaggy is all 'yeah let's roll with that, but Fred said we need to check on Scooby'.

Velma grabs him by the shirt. Velma's a seventeen-year-old girl with her first chance at a consequence free shag. No way she's letting him squirm away.

In the Mystery Machine, Scooby is freaking out while Daphne goes to see Fred.  Fred says he wants to show Daphne something important. It turns out it's a scrap book filled with... guess what.

Daphne is less than pleased.

And of course, Scooby is attacked by Gator monsters and high tails it in a chase scene. One of the things worth saying about these chase scenes is there is actual chase scenes and replacing the bland pop songs for more atmospheric and spooky background music is a great choice.

Scooby barges on Fred and Daphne and instead of actually telling them he engages in charades, a holdover joke from the old series. 

Fred guesses 'Skater people!' and I have to say an episode of Skate boarder murdering people while doing sweet jumps over ramps would be a fun episode.

Fortunately Daphne gets it right just as they  try to barge in, ensuing another fun chase scene.

Join me as I wrap this up for part 3!

Malkavian

Fortunately Fred has an idea involving the comforter! If this were a Seth McFarlane production the joke would be 'I'm not doing a threesome with the dog, Fred!" They throw it over the Gator Peoples' heads and run off.

Shaggy is meanwhile dealing with the equally frightening prospect of losing his virginity... until the others burst in to save him from the terrible fate of a sexual encounter and blocking the door.

The power dies out in the room and the Gators start coming through the windows. The ensuing creature feature set-up is actually really well done. I wouldn't be surprised if it spooked some of the especially younger viewers.

Velma is almost caught, but Shaggy comes to the rescue. This gets Velma hot and heavy until she realizes a hand is still on her ankle.. except it's actually a latex glove.

The gang is still running though and Fred then instructs Scooby to get behind the Mystery Machine as the others push... the dog? Really? Okay.

They push the car down the hill and then jump onto the roof and the Gators stop chasing right at the city limits of Gatorsburg, making the others realize what they were after wasn't a snack but to chase them out.

Looks like it's time for investigation! 

The gang finds stashes of 100% pure Gator goods. Upon touching it Daphne has an allergic reaction stating that false animal hide gives her allergic reaction. Must be those Rockefeller-Vanderbilt genes she has.  Obviously the gator people are selling fake gator goods as real ones and using the monsters to keep people from finding out.

Fred decides that it's trap time!

Shaggy uses himself as bait while Fred uses the alligator belts as snares to catch them. Naturally it's more complicated than that, but the traps are too much fun to spoil here. 

Sheriff Stone shows up just in time for the unmasking to reveal that they're actually... THE ONLY THREE NEW PEOPLE IN THE SHOW THAT WERE ESTABLISHED!

They reveal their plan to pawn off fake gator products as real gator products and using lizard men to scare people off. 

Bronson is pissed that his track suit isn't real gator.

"Arrest them! Even though I have absolutely no jurisdiction here!"

Sage words, Sheriff.

Sheriff rides off without giving the others a ride, but lo and behold the Mystery Machine has its engine back! Along with another letter from Mister E!

Mister E says this is just one more piece of the puzzle and that more fun is to come!

Cue credits.

This episode isn't as strong as the pilot, as second episodes usually aren't. While pilots establish arcs, characters, atmosphere, etc. the second episode has to establish the formula a show is going to follow. As a result they usually lake aspects of the formula that later show up. This episode suffers from that. It's got a predictable plot, but the jokes are amusing and the horror elements do actually work.

Malkavian

You know what? Fuck it, time for episode 3!

Episode 3: The Secret of The Ghost Rig!

We open with a kid on the highway being stopped for speeding by a cop who doesn't give him a ticket but a reprimand. Why yes, the kid was white. How did you guess?

THEN SOMETHING SPEEDS BY! The cop of course gives chase to find...

Tell me that isn't metal.

The cop valiantly tries to stop him no avail and is FUCKING RUN OFF THE ROAD. But since this is Scooby-doo he survives with barely a scratch.

Back in Crystal Cove Fred's dad has asked his friends to be around for support while his father asks him to come along to learn the family business of being a leech of society politics!

Unfortunately, Daphne can't be there as her parents are trying to hook her up with RRung Ladderton, heir to the ladder-making company who is every bit the douche bag you expect.

"Sorry, but I gotta rung."

YOU HAVE NO CLAIM TO THE BEAUTIFUL ART OF THE PUN YOU BASTARD!

Daphne asks what the problem they have with Fred is and they offer the poignant rebuttal that they aren't actually dating.

"Think of it like trying a new piece of meat."

I'm not even gonna touch that one.

Meanwhile the gang is helping Fred with paperwork to get Mayor Jones re-elected.

Things do not go as planned.

They've gotten some fancy-looking, vaguely hispanic man's suit all inked up too. It turns out the guy's name is George Avacados (pronounce A-vuh-cuh-dose) and he's running against for Mayor and thinks this is a trick to ruin his election... by ruining his suits I guess.

Evidently Avacados' father was mayor until he was caught stealing a diamond from Crystal Cove bank. Avacados' father went to jail despite Avacados insisting his innocence and the diamond was never found.

Rather more detailed than Miner 49er haunting mines, no?

Meanwhile, Daphne is back with the gang, feeling guilty, and they decide to grab a snack at the Clam Cabin which they can't get into because the owner closed the restaurant and took out the doorknob. The owner explains that it's because some landlubber stole his crystal doorknob, just as like the brigand that STOLE HIS NOSE! 

Velma coyly states that she has food at her place but Shaggy and Scooby have it covered. Velma is less than pleased.

On the night drive back, they explain all the thefts of crystal door knobs happening, when a trunk honking is heard. Velma says 'tell the neckbeard driving that truck to dial it back.' no lie.

If course this is no normal truck. It's THE GHOST RIG!

A chase scene occurs in which they are driven off the road but manage to keep from falling into the ocean,, to be chased again. Finally they lose the truck which drives into the mist.

Sheriff Stone takes Scooby's rather baffling testimony and Stone, lacking any pattern recognition, declares it a ghost and new tourist attraction.

Fred takes a picture with Daphne's low-res camera phone to determine that the car left tire tracks, proving it's not a ghost. That's when Rung calls asking if their date is still on. Daphne insists it's not what he thinks but Fred is as usual just fine with it and suggests that they go to The Bloody Stake and get the Vlad The Impaler.

Damn, this town has awesome restaurants.

Doorknobs are missing from the Mayor's office too, and Avacados is assuring the public there will be no missing door knobs in his administration.

It's GHOST TRAPPING TIME!

HOLY SHIT WHAT TRAP NEEDS A GIANT MAN-EATING SHARK! 

...Fred don't shiv, y'all. Fred don't even shiv.

Daphne can't make it because she's on her date. Angel Dynamite calls to say that the tire treads match George Avacados' tires as well as one other customer's. OH I'M SURE THIS WILL END WITHOUT A TWIST!

And the trap caught someone!

...Mayor Jones.

Fred explains the plot of Avacados and Jones replies that that's ridiculous. Why would a ghost need a truck when they can fly, especially eighteen wheelers which require immense skill. The damnedest part is I can't come to disagree.

I also like how he doesn't seem to be phased that he's hanging over A GIANT MAN-EATING SHARK!

Avacados struts by and the gang gives chase while the mayor is stuck dangling precariously inches away from being a treat for Jaws.

At the Bloody Stake Daphne's being stood up. COMPLETELY COINCIDENTAL I'M SURE!

The others are following Avacados but lose him in the fog... ONLY TO FIND THE GHOST RIG!

Since they haven't been seen yet Fred and Velma decide to investigate while Shaggy and Scooby try to chicken out and fail. It turns out it's painted to look old and rusty and the tires are brand-spanking new.

THEN THE TRUCK WAKES UP!

Cue chase scene.

Seriously, with a few changes the design for the ghost rig could be on a Judas Priest cover. It's seriously awesome.

They manage to lose the ghost truck again and Rung finally shows up and helps himself to Daphne's salad. The gang shows up to get Daphne and Rung is a passive agressive dick while Fred is oblviously nice to him.

Fred compliments Rung because he uses his ladders in his traps while Shaggy finds a letter from Mister E. Inside is a CD they play in the Mystery Machine. Lewis Black tells them to 'follow the fog' and Daphne expresses concern and Fred says he would never let anything happen to her...

because he would never let any of his bestest pals get hurt.

They find tire tracks leading in a mountain face, which obviously means there must be a secret passage way. After opening it they come to the maw of a huge cave, filled with CRYSTAL DOORKNOBS.

Oh, and the diary of Theodore Avacados former mayor, where he admits to stealing the diamond. Daphne proudly proclaims she's figured it out.

THEN THE GHOST RIG SHOWS UP LET'S RUN!

Cue another chase scene. This one gets pretty nuts y'all. Sweet jumps onto the rooftops nuts. Fred leads the rig to one of his amusingly complicated traps and the truck gets flipped upside down right next to the shark tank.

Mayor Jones hears the sounds of demons tearing up city hall and wants to see what's happening.

IT TURNS OUT IT WAS RUNG LADDERTON ALL ALONG! and he would have gotten away with it if it weren't for you meddling... peers.

Rung was trying to find the Diamond because it was hidden as a crystal door knob but he didn't know which one. When asked why, Rung explains that no one ever buys more than one ladder so the company was broke.

Mayor Jones compliments Fred's trap for once and Fred asks if this means Mayor Jones accepts him as he is which sends Mayor Jones into laughter.

And so the money from the found diamond brings in a lot of city revenue and Mayor Jones is re-elected and Scooby gets lots of tasty pizzas!

The big weakness of this episode is that with the type of ghost there's not a room for variety in the set-ups but the storyboarders did a surprising job with making the chases varied (if totally insane) and the character interaction, particularly Fred's obliviousness is still fun as hell.

MadassAlex

I seem to recall watching a recentish Scooby Doo animated movie, and was amused to find that it decided to use light fanservice. I'm not particularly sure which audience they were trying to reach with that.

Malkavian

Was it the one with The Hex Girls?

And it's not like vaguely fanservice-y girls are new to Scooby-doo. It's just the older series had crap animation.

Schitzo

I should probably watch this show.

Malkavian

You totally should. It's awesome.