Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated **SPOILERS/ZOINKS**

[Christopher]

It's not about continuity, and if you think that's the point, then you didn't read the piece very closely. (And clearly you didn't follow the link and read the whole piece, wherein Chris Sims mentions that he never considered himself much of a Scooby-Doo fan until Mystery Incorporated came along. And for that matter, neither did I, so I'm sure as hell not approaching this from a "rigid fanboy" perspective.) It's about the underlying message and philosophy of the show, and though I never previously would've thought Scooby-Doo had a message and philosophy, I think Sims made his case very well.

 

[C.E. Evans]

My Comcast still doesn't have it up on On Demand. Grr.

I dunno. On my Charter On Demand service, they had the first thirteen episodes during the first season (it's actually how I got hooked onto it), but they totally skipped airing any additional episodes. On my service, the whole Cartoon Network VOD sucks because the only things they ever offer is Adventure Time, Gumball, Regular Show, and MAD.

 

[Hound of UIster]

Here's a very good essay on why that would be completely wrong:

Interesting read, if not a bit overstated, from an obviously passionate fan, though that hardly dissuades me from my opinion. A bit of deviation from the typical "meddling kids" plots sprinkled with some supernatural forces would, I'd argue, hardly affect the show in the dire manner your op piece admonished. Whether that steps on the toes of diehard scooby fans who prefer the continuity and relative rigidity of the typical scooby framework, that's not of my concern.

-Jamman

I think his entire point went over your head.

It's not about continuity, and if you think that's the point, then you didn't read the piece very closely. (And clearly you didn't follow the link and read the whole piece, wherein Chris Sims mentions that he never considered himself much of a Scooby-Doo fan until Mystery Incorporated came along. And for that matter, neither did I, so I'm sure as hell not approaching this from a "rigid fanboy" perspective.) It's about the underlying message and philosophy of the show, and though I never previously would've thought Scooby-Doo had a message and philosophy, I think Sims made his case very well.

The theme is certainly rationality trumping over superstition in the Queen For Truth. Mystery Inc dumping the cowardly Scooby/Shaggy tropes definitely helped in emphasizing the kids plus dog as the only one willing to stand-up to the lies while their predecessors ultimately becoming part of the obfuscation.

 

[pork3]

It's about the underlying message and philosophy of the show, and though I never previously would've thought Scooby-Doo had a message and philosophy, I think Sims made his case very well.

Admittedly, I did not follow the link as I'd be hard pressed to read the entirety of a fanboy's treatise on the message and philosophy of a cartoon vis a vis the introduction of supernatural elements. For that, you have my apologies.

In any event, who is to say that the tenets of the show must remain invariable and unwavering, if indeed those cited by the author have any merit.

-Jamman

 

[Galileo7]

Harlan Ellison's appearance cracked me up.

Agree.

 

[Christopher]

Admittedly, I did not follow the link as I'd be hard pressed to read the entirety of a fanboy's treatise on the message and philosophy of a cartoon vis a vis the introduction of supernatural elements. For that, you have my apologies.

It's very insincere to preface an "apology" with such snide dismissiveness. And all you're doing is underlining your own ignorance. The article I quoted isn't from some random "fanboy." It's from a professional writer/reviewer who is a regular columnist for ComicsAlliance, a major comics journalism site, and who writes about the full gamut of comics and animation-related topics (primarily Batman). I've found Sims to be a thoughtful and incisive reviewer who's had interesting insights on a number of fictional franchises, and this was simply one of them. As I said, I've never been much of a Scooby fan, but his very thoughtful essay made me look at it in a new light. That's what happens when you actually listen to other people's ideas and think about them -- sometimes you discover things you didn't already know. You should try it sometime.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

My Comcast still doesn't have it up on On Demand. Grr.

Mine didn't have it in HD but did have it listed under SD.

 

[RJDiogenes]

I'll check again today. Cartoon Network has a pretty extensive On Demand section with a bunch of Scooby episodes from the first season, so I don't know what the holdup is.

 

[USS Mariner]

SDMI has been pushed back in the US till July, though apparently it's been running for a few weeks in the UK.

FYIing and all.

 

[RJDiogenes]

That's cool. I don't know what's up with Cartoon Network-- they showed the first episode, then nothing. I'm glad to hear there's some activity on the horizon.

 

[Hound of UIster]

CN is run by idiots.