Children Shows Part One

I'm going to do a couple of little reviews of children television shows. Basically, I'd decided to get my criticisms of the shows my kids are watching off my chest. Join me as I bitch, moan, and complain about the "quality" children's programming of today!

Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated


I remember the original Scooby-Doo fondly. Sure, I was watching re-runs, but hey, I loved 'em. "Sooby-Doo", "What's New Scooby-Doo", "Scooby-Doo and the Thirteen Ghosts"... Hannah Barbara had my complete loyalty on Saturday mornings growing up. Even ABC's A Pup Named Scooby-Doo got me to watch. The more recent string of direct-to-DVD movies ranged from entertaining to "ow, ow, my my eyes and brains are melting!" (Scooby-Doo and the Goblin King, I'm looking at YOU). I haven't yet been able to force myself to watch the live action offerings, but my kids said they liked them. Bottom line, the old stuff was great when I was a kid, and my kids love the new stuff, so any new show featuring the talking dog and his meddling kids has a good chance of being pure gold.

Right?

"Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated" is Cartoon Network's latest offering to the franchise. While it continues the classic "monster of the week" feel that the old shows had, it also adds in a continuing plot to the series. Each episode is listed as a "chapter" in the story, and a larger mystery lurks behind the scenes, slowly revealing itself to  the characters and viewers as the hidden figure of "Mister E" (honestly, wasn't that joke used enough in the third Batman movie?) provides hints and clues Scooby and the gang.

The show is set in the town of Crystal Cove, supposedly the most haunted place on Earth. The whole gang are a group of teens (their age hasn't been announced, but they're old enough to have toured a college campus) that have formed a tight friendship due to their love of solving mysteries. Here's a quick description of the characters in their latest incarnations:

• Fred Jones is the son of Crystal Cove's Mayor, and it is safe to say that he's a mix of idiot and genius. This incarnation of Fred is obsessed with traps to the exclusion of all else. He builds traps in front of his house to catch the mail man, goes to trap exhibits, critiques any traps the police try to set, and even keeps a scrapbook of the various traps the gang have used over the years. Part and parcel with his obsession, Fred shows an amazing mastery of physics (as they pertain to traps, of course), but is clueless when it comes to everything else, including girls. He has recently come to realize that he is romantically interested in Daphne, having repressed his feelings over the years because he doesn't think boys are supposed to have feelings.
• Daphne Blake is one of several daughters to the extremely wealthy Blake family. While the rest of her sisters have progressed through school at an astonishing rate (her mother claims they had all graduated from the same school early) and gone on to careers in the military, science, and medical fields, Daphne wants nothing to do with it. All she wants is to date Fred, though she's trying to keep everyone else from knowing her feelings, probably because Fred's oblivious nature frustrates her so much. Daphne has an "odd" view about some things do her family's wealth; at one point she makes a comment that locking people up when they go crazy is normal because her family has to do that with her mother periodically. Daphne is also an excellent singer, singing with the Hex Girls at one point in the show. Of all the characters, Daphne is probably the most aware of what's going on with the rest of the gang. She's the first to figure out that Velma and Shaggy are in a relationship, and she often tries to comfort Velma.
• Velma Dinkley isn't the shy nerd that everyone remembers. She's still a genius/nerd, but she's also VERY aggressive and outspoken, at one point ordering Fred to "man up" in the first episode. She likes Shaggy and is trying to date him, but she also insists on changing him. She demands that he eat better, stop using the word "like", dress nicer... It's actually hard to understand how she likes him since she wants to change EVERYTHING about him. Velma's parents run a tour of Crystal Cove's haunted attractions, often having Velma give the tours. Velma hates being a tour guide, especially since all of the ghosts of Crystal Cove have been proven to be fakes. Frankly, Velma's a bitch in this new series, but at least she doesn't lose her glasses EVERY episode.
• Shaggy Rogers is the ever-hungry son of another of Crystal Cove's wealthy families. His parents seem completely disappointed in him, wanting almost nothing to do with Shaggy. They're upset with his lack of ambition, slovenly attitude, and the friends he keep. They seem to feel everything he does is an embaressment to them, at one point asking him not to tell anyone his last name. Shaggy is best friends with Scooby-Doo, but is conflicted because he also likes (and wants to date) Velma. Velma's possessive and controlling nature grates on Shaggy, and he feels caught between hanging out with his best pal and his girlfriend. The fact that Scooby and Velma are unwilling to share Shaggy doesn't make things easier on him, and Shaggy is constantly trying to get out of needing to choose between the two, creating huge amounts of tension among the gang.
• Scooby-Doo is still a talking dog, who is capable of eating one out of house and home. He is best friends with Shaggy, but their friendship has become strained due to Shaggy's relationship with Velma. Scooby-Doo seems to think that Shaggy is "cheating" on him. Scooby-Doo retains the magical ability to manipulate things as if he had opposable thumbs, such as tying complicated knots.Frankly, if you leave out the jealous nature, this is the same Scooby-Doo that we've always known and loved.

The show has been tuned up for the modern age despite the anachronisms (people still wear ascots). The local radio station host (a friend of the gang; they often hang out at the station with her) actually thinks its funny that the gang doesn't know what an 8-track tape is. Most of the monsters make use of fantastic technology to deceive the people of Crystal Cove. One monster, a mass of Cicada insects, is using military-grade sonic technology to coordinate and control the insects. Another uses advanced robotics to create a killer robot hound. Another use of sonic technology allows a monster who can knock over CARS with its sonic scream. Frankly, the rare appearance of a dude wearing a mask and using a projector is welcome in this series, because the villains are usually making use of such fantastic and unbelievable technology that it seems implausible that this gang of kids could catch them.

The show has been written for parents as well as kids. Many jokes are hidden within the episodes, and most of them will only be picked up by parents. At one point Fred's father says "By Grabthar's Hammer!", a reference to a line in the movie "Galaxy Quest". An entire episode is dedicated to writers like H.P. Lovecraft (called "Hatecraft" in the show), Harlan Ellison, and Howard E Roberts. It's actually great fun to pick the jokes out, and provide a nice distraction from the silly plots. There is also, disturbingly, a "Silence of the Lambs" reference in the show, though it is a talking bird (parrot maybe?) playing the role of Hannibal Lector.

Kids are going to like this show, because it's Scooby-Doo, and that's a tried and true formula. Older kids might even enjoy it because of the romance elements in the show (that's the only reason I can think of to include them). Adults should enjoy the hidden jokes. The show has its flaws, but there are far worse things out there. I'm happy might kids like to watch this show, and I'll keep showing it to them in the future.

End of Demented Rambling.