Scooby Doo Mystery Inc. - New episodes 3/25

[Mr. Adventure]

"Current" Schedule EST:

Tue Apr 2 5PM Nightmare in Red
Wed Apr 3 5PM Dark Night of the Hunters
Thu Apr 4 5PM Gates of Gloom
Fri Apr 5 5PM Through the Curtain
Fri Apr 5 530PM Come Undone

This will takes us to 52 episodes which is the expected total. So we shouldn't have to hunt for it after that.

Found a link on Wikipedia to an article from 2/25 that confirmed the show is indeed done as we suspected.
http://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/s...orporated-cartoon-network-season-three-27057/

The link had this gem in regard to CN scheduling:

Cervone said, "There are 11 shows left that will finish the series off at 52 episodes. I’m not sure when they’re coming back. I never know when they’re coming back. If I had to guess, probably in the summer because it usually airs in the summer. But I can’t wait for these last 11 to get out for people to see them because they’re crazy."

 

[RJDiogenes]

^^ Sounds like we'll at least get some kind of an ending, rather than a cliffhanger.

I like it that they actually provided an explanation for why Scooby can talk and other dogs can't.

Yeah, I liked that, too. But it also confirms that we're going beyond the limits of the Scooby Doo format-- something definitely Science Fictional is happening.

Maybe once he left the studio, they were out of range of the receiver picking up her signal. Or maybe he sent Evil Fred to the factory because he knew signals would be blocked there. I can't think of any other reason to send him to the Disk's actual hiding place. (I was assuming it was just a painted replica Fred had planted -- I was startled when it turned out to be the real thing.)

Makes sense, it's just too bad it wasn't referred to in dialogue.

In the latest episode, Fred was strangely ingenious.

Well, he was trapped after all. And we know Fred knows traps...

Good point.

 

[Christopher]

Wow, really an epic finale. One hell of a departure from what one would expect of Scooby-Doo, but some pretty impressive storytelling, and with some nifty in-jokes. (Particularly some Trek nods in Thursday's episode. Fred doing Kirk's "What have I done" in Shatnerian cadence after sacrificing the Mystery Machine -- and Pericles's pain-inducing remote control looking just like an agonizer.)

I'd been uneasy with the injection of what seemed like real supernatural phenomena into the Scooby premise, because a while ago I read a great essay about how the supernatural had no place in the franchise because it's basically a series about kids thinking critically to expose the lies adults tell them, and if there really is something to fear then it's not a lie and it undermines the theme that rationality and skepticism can overcome fear. But I think they handled it fairly well here through Velma's reactions, through the way the story stressed that her skepticism was not folly or blindness but invaluable critical thinking skills which enabled her to adjust to new realities and find explanations for them. And though it was fanciful, they did make an effort to explain it as a consequence of science and multidimensional physics rather than the supernatural.

Moreover, the theme of standing up against liars and manipulative authority figures continued right through the end. The evil entity itself tried to stymie them with lies, but as always, they stood up to the lies and insisted on finding the truth. So although it's a bit iffy, I think the show found a way to incorporate something paranormal into the premise without undermining the basic rationalism that underlies the franchise (and I never would've thought that about it before I read that essay).

As for the ending,

Spoiler: the ending

I think it was a bit of a copout to resurrect the characters who'd been killed off, like Cassidy. But on the other hand, when they killed Marcy, that really hit me kind of hard, and it felt like things had gone too far, so I was hoping they'd find a way to undo it. And I was quite glad of Marcy's "That's my girl" line at the end -- all but acknowledging that Velma's her girlfriend in the new reality.

Although it sucks a little that Velma so casually ditched her to travel cross-country with the rest of the gang. Not to mention Fred and Daphne walking out on their wedding plans. I'd think the folks back home would be kind of miffed about being ditched like that. On the other hand, I love the idea of Harlan Ellison as the new Mr. E, enrolling them at Miskatonic University to solve the mysteries that would inevitably arise in such a place. And it could've been nice to see a third season that was about their road trip and a fourth and beyond about their college careers... but it would've been kind of an anticlimax after this.

Given that the show was cancelled, it doesn't seem likely that CN would give these same producers another shot at the Scooby franchise; whatever comes next will probably be more conventional and thus less appealing to me. But it'll be interesting to see what these producers do next. I know that Mitch Watson has moved on to Beware the Batman, which is good reason to think that show will be interesting.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

Interesting ending, and the series really did have an ending with a good amount of closure, the series not only wrapped up the current storylines but even positioned it to be a prequel to existing continuities. It's too bad they themselves couldn't really enjoy the brighter world they brought forth as they didn't experience those lives to that point. Kind of makes sense why they'd pull up their roots and do what they do and their sense of camaraderie.

Loved the Sheriff's kids: Eastwood, Norris, Billy Jack and Lynda Carter. I also liked the shot of the kids in their classic series postures and gaits.

Scooby looked surprisingly cool in his Kriegstaffebot disguise. I've mentioned that he often seemed to get the short shrift in this series so I'm glad he got to play a larger role in these final episodes.

Is it me or were they getting a bit cheeky with the girls? Seemed there were a lot of leering angles there at times. At least I didn't remember as many previously.

 

[DarthPipes]

Awesome last couple of episodes. That was a pretty epic finale and I'm impressed with the story they built. Even the ending wasn't quite what I expected.

 

[Christopher]

Interesting ending, and the series really did have an ending with a good amount of closure, the series not only wrapped up the current storylines but even positioned it to be a prequel to existing continuities.

How so? I'm not that familiar with the existing continuities.

Loved the Sheriff's kids: Eastwood, Norris, Billy Jack and Lynda Carter.

The one reference I didn't get was Billy Jack.

I also liked the shot of the kids in their classic series postures and gaits.

I missed that too. When was this?

Scooby looked surprisingly cool in his Kriegstaffebot disguise. I've mentioned that he often seemed to get the short shrift in this series so I'm glad he got to play a larger role in these final episodes.

I liked how much he and Shaggy grew, overcoming their habitual fear and developing real strength as the stakes rose.

Is it me or were they getting a bit cheeky with the girls? Seemed there were a lot of leering angles there at times. At least I didn't remember as many previously.

I noticed a few shots where Velma's sweater seemed to be hugging her kind of closely, but I don't think that's unusual for this version of her character design. Beyond that, I didn't notice any such pattern.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Christopher, you're not familiar with the Billy Jack films starring Tom Laughlin? The character is a sort of proto-Rambo.

 

[Christopher]

Never heard of either the films or Tom Laughlin.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

How so? I'm not that familiar with the existing continuities.

In the sense, that in the other ones the world's less sinister, and why. The laugh track at the end hints that it might be a lead up to the classic cartoons. It helps explain why these kids are off on their own travelling the roads solving mysteries. It makes it easier to reconcile this series with other ones if one was so inclined.

The one reference I didn't get was Billy Jack.

Billy Jack was the character of a couple of movies who basically defended pacifist hippies against rednecks with his karate kicks. They were preachy and indulgent but despite better intentions were mostly enjoyed for their exploitative b-actioner elements. Billy Jack in Mystery Inc. was dressed like his namesake. It was a staple of HBO in the 80s.

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v325wdgoFH4[/yt]

I missed that too. When was this?

It was while they were down in the mines. There's a shot of the five of them in side profile where Shaggy is hunched over and they all have their familiar animations.

 

[Galileo7]

I'm getting a kick out of the Twin Peaks homages.

They even got Michael J. Anderson (the original actor) to do the voice of the Little Man From Another Place!

Agree.

 

[RJDiogenes]

I was too busy to watch the last four episodes, and they are not on On Demand. Crap. I may have to wait for the DVDs.

Never heard of either the films or Tom Laughlin.

The Billy Jack films were big back in the 70s for a while. If you've ever heard the song "One Tin Soldier," that's the theme from the first movie. Actually, even if you've never heard it, it's still the theme from the first movie.

 

[Christopher]

I was too busy to watch the last four episodes, and they are not on On Demand. Crap. I may have to wait for the DVDs.

On Demand may get to them eventually. My service is rerunning some season 1 episodes at the moment.

And Netflix already has the full first season for streaming. I hope the second shows up soon, though it may not until the DVDs come out.

Still... whatever happened to just plain reruns? When I was growing up, an animated show might have only one season's worth of episodes, but those episodes would get rerun over and over again for years on end. And it was a lot more common for cancelled shows to get picked up in syndication by local stations, cable stations, etc.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

I notice when CN dumps episodes it takes a while to get to On Demand which is probably designed to schedule an episode a week for new shows. Even the TV Guide services didn't have the correct airtime for these episodes until days before they aired.

 

[USS Mariner]

I was too busy to watch the last four episodes, and they are not on On Demand. Crap. I may have to wait for the DVDs.

On Demand may get to them eventually. My service is rerunning some season 1 episodes at the moment.

And Netflix already has the full first season for streaming. I hope the second shows up soon, though it may not until the DVDs come out.

Still... whatever happened to just plain reruns? When I was growing up, an animated show might have only one season's worth of episodes, but those episodes would get rerun over and over again for years on end. And it was a lot more common for cancelled shows to get picked up in syndication by local stations, cable stations, etc.

Everything goes STRAIGHT to DVD today, allegedely to prevent those episodes being pirated. The delay of OnDemand is explained by this also.

Of course, a rather embarassing chunk of torrent activity is from cable customers who are heading to torrents to catch up on shows that they are paying to access but can't.

You actually cannot be sued for downloading software or media that you already own either a license to (ex. subscribing to a channel which airs said content as part of a cable tv package) or a physical copy of.

Recently, I bought a new copy of SimCity 3000 Unlimited from Amazon, but for some reason the install would freeze before starting. Since I have the CD (and more importantly, the CD Key which companies argue is what I actually bought), I simply torrented an .iso of SC3K and used my legal key on it, and it ran and plays fine. All legal.

This inherently leaves people who don't pay for those channels as breaking the law, but given how most internet and cable packages are structured, that's marginal at best.

So essentially, nobody happy!

 

[Galileo7]

...Still... whatever happened to just plain reruns? When I was growing up, an animated show might have only one season's worth of episodes, but those episodes would get rerun over and over again for years on end. And it was a lot more common for cancelled shows to get picked up in syndication by local stations, cable stations, etc.

Agree.

 

[RJDiogenes]

I think a lot of things do get re-run a lot, but Cartoon Network seems to have a grudge against Mystery Incorporated for some reason.

 

[Christopher]

I think a lot of things do get re-run a lot, but Cartoon Network seems to have a grudge against Mystery Incorporated for some reason.

Given how they've also treated Green Lantern and Young Justice, I suspect it's a matter of target demographics. CN and its advertisers want to appeal to younger viewers, and shows like those and SD:MI are more sophisticated and older-skewing. So they're just not getting the size or type of audience that the network and the advertisers are seeking.

Really, SD:MI was a Scooby-Doo series for people who don't like Scooby-Doo, such as myself -- so it follows that it might not appeal as much to people who are fans of the more conventional Scooby franchise. Sure, there were elements of homage, but also a lot of revisionism and deconstruction, and the stories, despite mostly following the standard formula, tended to be darker and edgier. And especially this last batch of episodes got increasingly dark and strange, and departed further from the sort of thing most people looking for a show about Scooby-Doo would expect or want to see. Honestly, I can see why CN might've been uncomfortable with the darkness and scariness of those last few episodes.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

Everything goes STRAIGHT to DVD today, allegedely to prevent those episodes being pirated. The delay of OnDemand is explained by this also.

Except for Megas XLR and Sym-Bionic Titan unfortunately.

 

[Christopher]

It occurred to me that there's a small logic hole in the finale, and I added a note about it to the Scoobypedia entry.

Spoiler: SD:MI finale

In the new timeline, Mayor Fred Jones never abducted Brad & Judy's baby and raised him as his own son -- so why is our ascot-wearing hero still addressed by the inhabitants of the new timeline (including his father and his soccer teammates) as "Fred?" That shouldn't be his name in this reality. I suppose it's possible that his birth name was Fred by coincidence, but at the very least, in this timeline his name would be Fred Chiles rather than Fred Jones (or maybe Fred Chiles-Reeves, since Judy evidently kept her maiden name).

 

[RJDiogenes]

I think a lot of things do get re-run a lot, but Cartoon Network seems to have a grudge against Mystery Incorporated for some reason.

Given how they've also treated Green Lantern and Young Justice, I suspect it's a matter of target demographics. CN and its advertisers want to appeal to younger viewers, and shows like those and SD:MI are more sophisticated and older-skewing. So they're just not getting the size or type of audience that the network and the advertisers are seeking.

Really, SD:MI was a Scooby-Doo series for people who don't like Scooby-Doo, such as myself -- so it follows that it might not appeal as much to people who are fans of the more conventional Scooby franchise. Sure, there were elements of homage, but also a lot of revisionism and deconstruction, and the stories, despite mostly following the standard formula, tended to be darker and edgier. And especially this last batch of episodes got increasingly dark and strange, and departed further from the sort of thing most people looking for a show about Scooby-Doo would expect or want to see. Honestly, I can see why CN might've been uncomfortable with the darkness and scariness of those last few episodes.

That's interesting. I am a (mild) fan of the original Scooby-Doo and some of its sequels and I liked this a lot. Your description makes it sound like something I'd dislike on various levels, and yet this was a re-imagining that I found to be as good or better than the original. The only similar situation that I can think of offhand is Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol.