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brendalaSo, it turns out that a bunch of new episodes of Mystery Incorporated aired in Canada over the past couple of months while the USA got a six month hiatus. We just didn't know about it because, apparently, Canadians have more respect for copyright law than we do and they didn't put anything online. Go fig.
Anyhoo, I couldn't stop myself from watching becausethis show is slowly turning me into a masochist they were right there on YouTube. So I did reviews/talkbacks of the leaked episodes for the ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
scooby_doo comm I moderate. I thought I'd cross-post them here since I know quite a few people on my friend list have become enamored with this train wreck of a show via my venom-laced comics (like this, this, this, and this). Enjoy!
Here are the YouTube links:
Ep 14 (part 1) & (part 2)
Ep 15 (part 1) & (part 2)
--
And here are the reviews:
THE MYSTERY SOLVERS STATE FINALS
--This one was just good, cracky fun and it felt good to get away from the relationship drama for one episode. The writers for this show do comedy WAAAAY better than they do drama/romance and this episode is the perfect example of that. I really wish the whole series had been done like this
--Velma was finally acting like a friendly, pleasant human being again. IT'S A MIRACLE!!!!!
....too bad it's only for one episode. -_-
--Even if it was just Scooby's fevered dream (and therefore may not be entirely in-character), it was great to see Angel have a big part in the plot instead of just sitting in the background like a token. We finally get to see her in action and she's a lot of fun to watch. And I can't help wondering why Scooby imagined the principal the way he did. O_O
--The one-liners were hilarious. Here are some of my faves...
1) [Scooby to Funky Phantom] "Who died and put you in charge?.....oh right."
2) [unmasked Phantom] "I planned to ship the kids to Africa. Where there is a desperate need for teenage sleuths!"
3) [Fred to the other contestants] "My daddy is the Mayor! Good luck to you, LOSERS!!"
4) [Scooby to Speed Buggy] "I'm sorry. But....are you a car?"
5) The principal: "Let's drown him so I can save him again!!!!"
THE WILD BROOD
This episode had it's good points and bad points for me. So I'll make it easy by listing them
THE GOOD
--The date scene. Mayor and Sheriff were great (as usual) and hearing the Mayor whine about how he'll never have grandchildren was pretty funny. And Fred bringing the gang on his date was cute even though it was a pretty thoughtless thing to do.
--We FINALLY get to see Velma doing smart things instead of just being told that she's smart.
THE BAD
--Since Odnarb has to be at least 20-years-old (he's the head of a big, top-secret computer/game project after all), his flirtation with Daphne comes off as kinda skeevy (same with the dude who was flirting with Velma).
--Daphne and the slutty outfits:
What is it with this show and making Daphne into extreme fan-service fodder? First the bikini, then the Crush costume, and now they have a scene where she's in bed wearing lingerie!?!!? No girl would wear THAT to bed unless she had someone to impress! Who was she wearing that for? Her father? Or did she know that Freddy would eventually break into her room and wanted to be prepared for it?
And why was she so calm when she woke up to find all those people in her room. If I slept in my underpants and woke up to find a bunch of people in my room, my first instinct would be to scream and throw heavy things! I certainly wouldn't be in the mood for a conversation.
Also, Daphne is a twig whenever you see her in her normal clothes. But she suddenly gains HUGE hips in the bedroom scene! What the hell? Does she normally wear girdles under her dress or something?
--Shaggy and Scooby's attitudes toward Velma still don't make much sense.
I guess I can understand Shaggy wanting to salvage their friendship. But it rings hallow because he never seemed to like her very much even back when they were still an item. So I don't see why he would be so gung ho about making nice now (especially when she has such a nasty attitude toward him).
And Scooby's change of heart back in the college episode literally came out of nowhere. So, as relieved as I am that this beloved childhood icon is no longer acting like an angry, abusive, misogynist douchebag; I still can't help being annoyed by the fact that the writers did such a poor job writing this Scooby vs Velma feud (which is yet another sign that THEY SHOULDN'T HAVE WRITTEN IT IN THE FIRST PLACE!)
--A lot of people think that Velma refusing to let Scooby die redeems her. I don't. In my opinion, she's not a good person or a likable character just because she's unwilling to kill someone to get what she wants. Remember, back in the Frighthound episode, she was totally fine with letting Scooby rot in prison for a crime he didn't commit just to get alone time with Shaggy. So, yeah, I still think MI-Velma is a horrible character, a stain on this otherwise good series, and an insult to the Scooby Doo franchise as a whole. The writers dropped the ball with her big time and at this point I don't think they can make her any better.
WARNING: Feminist rant ahoy!!
It seriously bothers me how this show is turning Daphne into a piece of fetish fuel. At the end of the day, Scooby Doo is still a kids franchise; so I don't think it's a good idea to sexualize the girls too much. And it only gets worse when you compare the sexualization of Daphne with the way Velma is being portrayed in Mystery Incorporated: She NEVER removes her sweater, the only people who've shown an overt attraction to her have been Jason (the fat, creepy, stalker guy) and that dorky biker, and she seems to have implied body image issues. This is the exact opposite of the way she was portrayed in What's New and the most recent movies (she didn't run around showing off the goods. But she wasn't too self-conscious to put on a belly dancer costume or a white swimsuit).
The way I see it, all those things combined seem to send a message that girls who aren't super-model pretty (like Daphne) should stay covered and aren't as desirable. Maybe that's not what the creators intended; but that's the message that comes across to me (and I'm sure it comes across to some little girls, too).
Keep in mind, I normally don't like playing moral crusader when it comes to cartoon shows. And I REALLY don't like pulling out the "OMG THAT'S SEXIST" card (I'm a Republican, remember? ~_^). But this show has handled the female characters so badly that it's impossible NOT to!
Anyhoo, I couldn't stop myself from watching because
scooby_doo comm I moderate. I thought I'd cross-post them here since I know quite a few people on my friend list have become enamored with this train wreck of a show via my venom-laced comics (like this, this, this, and this). Enjoy!Here are the YouTube links:
Ep 14 (part 1) & (part 2)
Ep 15 (part 1) & (part 2)
--
And here are the reviews:
THE MYSTERY SOLVERS STATE FINALS
--This one was just good, cracky fun and it felt good to get away from the relationship drama for one episode. The writers for this show do comedy WAAAAY better than they do drama/romance and this episode is the perfect example of that. I really wish the whole series had been done like this
--Velma was finally acting like a friendly, pleasant human being again. IT'S A MIRACLE!!!!!
....too bad it's only for one episode. -_-
--Even if it was just Scooby's fevered dream (and therefore may not be entirely in-character), it was great to see Angel have a big part in the plot instead of just sitting in the background like a token. We finally get to see her in action and she's a lot of fun to watch. And I can't help wondering why Scooby imagined the principal the way he did. O_O
--The one-liners were hilarious. Here are some of my faves...
1) [Scooby to Funky Phantom] "Who died and put you in charge?.....oh right."
2) [unmasked Phantom] "I planned to ship the kids to Africa. Where there is a desperate need for teenage sleuths!"
3) [Fred to the other contestants] "My daddy is the Mayor! Good luck to you, LOSERS!!"
4) [Scooby to Speed Buggy] "I'm sorry. But....are you a car?"
5) The principal: "Let's drown him so I can save him again!!!!"
THE WILD BROOD
This episode had it's good points and bad points for me. So I'll make it easy by listing them
THE GOOD
--The date scene. Mayor and Sheriff were great (as usual) and hearing the Mayor whine about how he'll never have grandchildren was pretty funny. And Fred bringing the gang on his date was cute even though it was a pretty thoughtless thing to do.
--We FINALLY get to see Velma doing smart things instead of just being told that she's smart.
THE BAD
--Since Odnarb has to be at least 20-years-old (he's the head of a big, top-secret computer/game project after all), his flirtation with Daphne comes off as kinda skeevy (same with the dude who was flirting with Velma).
--Daphne and the slutty outfits:
What is it with this show and making Daphne into extreme fan-service fodder? First the bikini, then the Crush costume, and now they have a scene where she's in bed wearing lingerie!?!!? No girl would wear THAT to bed unless she had someone to impress! Who was she wearing that for? Her father? Or did she know that Freddy would eventually break into her room and wanted to be prepared for it?
And why was she so calm when she woke up to find all those people in her room. If I slept in my underpants and woke up to find a bunch of people in my room, my first instinct would be to scream and throw heavy things! I certainly wouldn't be in the mood for a conversation.
Also, Daphne is a twig whenever you see her in her normal clothes. But she suddenly gains HUGE hips in the bedroom scene! What the hell? Does she normally wear girdles under her dress or something?
--Shaggy and Scooby's attitudes toward Velma still don't make much sense.
I guess I can understand Shaggy wanting to salvage their friendship. But it rings hallow because he never seemed to like her very much even back when they were still an item. So I don't see why he would be so gung ho about making nice now (especially when she has such a nasty attitude toward him).
And Scooby's change of heart back in the college episode literally came out of nowhere. So, as relieved as I am that this beloved childhood icon is no longer acting like an angry, abusive, misogynist douchebag; I still can't help being annoyed by the fact that the writers did such a poor job writing this Scooby vs Velma feud (which is yet another sign that THEY SHOULDN'T HAVE WRITTEN IT IN THE FIRST PLACE!)
--A lot of people think that Velma refusing to let Scooby die redeems her. I don't. In my opinion, she's not a good person or a likable character just because she's unwilling to kill someone to get what she wants. Remember, back in the Frighthound episode, she was totally fine with letting Scooby rot in prison for a crime he didn't commit just to get alone time with Shaggy. So, yeah, I still think MI-Velma is a horrible character, a stain on this otherwise good series, and an insult to the Scooby Doo franchise as a whole. The writers dropped the ball with her big time and at this point I don't think they can make her any better.
WARNING: Feminist rant ahoy!!
It seriously bothers me how this show is turning Daphne into a piece of fetish fuel. At the end of the day, Scooby Doo is still a kids franchise; so I don't think it's a good idea to sexualize the girls too much. And it only gets worse when you compare the sexualization of Daphne with the way Velma is being portrayed in Mystery Incorporated: She NEVER removes her sweater, the only people who've shown an overt attraction to her have been Jason (the fat, creepy, stalker guy) and that dorky biker, and she seems to have implied body image issues. This is the exact opposite of the way she was portrayed in What's New and the most recent movies (she didn't run around showing off the goods. But she wasn't too self-conscious to put on a belly dancer costume or a white swimsuit).
The way I see it, all those things combined seem to send a message that girls who aren't super-model pretty (like Daphne) should stay covered and aren't as desirable. Maybe that's not what the creators intended; but that's the message that comes across to me (and I'm sure it comes across to some little girls, too).
Keep in mind, I normally don't like playing moral crusader when it comes to cartoon shows. And I REALLY don't like pulling out the "OMG THAT'S SEXIST" card (I'm a Republican, remember? ~_^). But this show has handled the female characters so badly that it's impossible NOT to!
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no subject
Date: 2011-03-31 09:11 am (UTC)I do understand that some girls can find sexy lingerie pretty to wear, even just by themselves. I tried it, wasn't comfortable, and it's back to pretty pajamas that are suitable to be worn as causal wear, or when it's really cold, my fuzzy goldfish pajamas. But there is nice stuff you can wear without exposing a ton of skin. Sexy and pretty doesn't equal stripping.
(And, don't worry, I just ranted all over my LJ as well about character assassination. ^_~)
no subject
Date: 2011-03-31 10:04 am (UTC)The ironic thing is that Velma has slowly been becoming "the hot one" over the years. Just check out these shots from my review of the most recent movie...
<http://brendala.livejournal.com/58717.html>
As much as I disliked the random use of fan-service in that one; I thought it was kinda cool that Velma was totally flaunting her short, curvy body and was presented as being just as attractive (maybe even more so!) than the skinny chicks who were running around in string bikinis.
But NO. Mystery Incorporated just HAS to shove Daphne's T&A in our faces while Velma wears her sweater to the pool and Fred jokes about how ugly Velma's skin is. That's a GREAT message to present to little kids, isn't it!? >_<
**grumblegrumble**
no subject
Date: 2011-03-31 01:27 pm (UTC)Anyway, it sucks how a potentially great shows keeps feeling jarring to watch with how they portrayed Velma and now Daphne. Maybe we'll be lucky and they change writers for the second season (if there is one.) That's what happened with the series Witch. I didn't like the first season, but I heard the second season got a lot better thanks to Greg Wiseman jumping aboard.
no subject
Date: 2011-03-31 02:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-31 10:43 pm (UTC)The second season of Witch is better? I may have to give it another chance! I didn't know Weisman joined in the second season, so I thought the whole series was like season one.
A second season of MI was already confirmed. I really hope the current production crew learns from their mistakes, listens to the fans, and brings in some co-writers who know how to write strong female characters and decent romances.
Sadly, I really don't see how MI-Velma can be salvaged at this point (and I don't see how she and Shaggy can work, either). But maybe we'll get lucky and Greg Weisman will have some free time to give to this franchise. ~_^
no subject
Date: 2011-03-31 10:49 pm (UTC)Also, I think these writers were so in love with the plot that they wrote that they couldn't bear to change it. So, instead of realizing that's it makes the characters act wildly OOC and changing it to fit the characters better, they altered the characters to suit their plot.
no subject
Date: 2011-04-01 01:24 am (UTC)Man, if Greg worked on Mystery Incorporated that would be the best miracle ever. ^_^