In all the remakes and sequels, you ever notice that we don’t really mind when there is a new Scooby-Doo as long as the voices sound similar, Shaggy and Scoob are still eating snacks and large sandwiches and the villain says “And I would have gotten away with it if it weren’t for you meddling kids.” After talking to my best friend, I discovered she was watching this on Netflix and so that night, I started the series. The series originally aired on Cartoon Network in 2010 until it finished in 2013.
So I have a few pros and cons to this series and I’ll elaborate on them each.
So what I enjoy is the fact that we get to see more of each character’s personality, which I didn’t get when I watched Scooby-Doo when I was a kid. We get a full realized picture of who each person is, who their parents are and yes, they played up Daphne and Fred and Shaggy and Velma. More on that later. I also love the fact that not only is there a mystery per episodes, like normal, but there is also a larger mystery that the gang is trying to solve, which I always wondered why we never had that format before. Overall, when I watch this show I am actively trying to solve the mystery. We also get to meet their parents and see them through high school, college and then into adulthood which is a different take than I’m used to seeing. Usually, they’re already adults and on their own. We don’t really know much about their background but we discerned from how they dressed who they were and where they came from.
Here’s what I don’t like. Each member of the gang has a role in the group. Velma was the smart one and usually pieced the mystery together. Shaggy and Scooby were usually bait, lookouts or just comic relief. They also pointed out that it was usually a bad idea to split up. Daphne was the vixen but she was smart, too. Fred was the leader in the sense that he created the “Let’s split up, gang” plan and also concocted the traps. In this series, they had Fred a trap-obsessed forced leader who is not that smart. Forced leader means he just assumed he’s the leader because he’s making, what he believes, are the best traps in the world. I don’t like dumb Fred. His dad neither. I don’t know when people believed that Velma and Shaggy should be together but this version believes they should be together and I, wholeheartedly, oppose. I hate it and they had Velma lovesick over Shaggy. Shaggy, y’all. The Daphne and Fred love, from where I am in the series, took entirely too long and was just a mess in general. I also don’t like the fact that I can fully understand Scooby-Doo. I don’t particularly care to know exactly what he’s saying. That’s what the gang is for. To translate.
Overall, it’s a good series but it has a few hiccups that I’ve just mentioned. For those who were born before me, can someone tell me why the show is called “Scooby-Doo”? Like he’s part of the gang but technically the sidekick so who decided that he was the show? He’s not solving any mysteries. He’s eating snacks. Also, did the people pay the gang to solve the mysteries? In this series, all the mysteries are in their hometown of Crystal Cove, which has a whole host of secrets that the gang uncovers. I also should mention that I don’t really know what decade we’re in in this particular series. Usually, Scooby-Doo gives us that 60’s-70’s vibe but there are computers and other this decade type of things but the gang still dresses with the original vibes…so….someone help me help myself.
“Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated” is now on Netflix. There are 26 episodes per season and two seasons. If you want nostalgia and a good couple of mysteries to solve, this is for you.
BLACK WATCH 