SCOOBY-DOO! MYSTERY INCORPORATED : SEASON 2 EPISODE 23

SCOOBY-DOO! MYSTERY INCORPORATED :

SEASON 2 EPISODE 23 – DARK NIGHT OF THE HUNTERS

[Animation, Adventure, Comedy]

In this one Mystery Incorporated heads south to the Yucatan Peninsula in search of Mayan ruins. It is there that the Hunters Of Secrets (mentioned in Episode 22) were buried with a powerful weapon. They are now convinced the only way to destroy an evil entity that has been manipulating them and could take over the world, is to obtain this weapon (aka the Heart Of The Jaguar).

Art wise this is a really strong effort. It’s actually one of the best in the last 10 episodes or so. There are some great designs in here and some awesome “trap” setups that Fred has to navigate with the gang.

Story-wise this is the second time the gang has ventured out of crystal cove. We also finally get a confirmation of something we have pretty much known all season, but it was kind of nice to put a bow on this particular situation. This episode is heavy on Velma’s mom’s younger days. I do like how they slipped a nod to GREASE in this thing. It's also got some INDIANA JONES-ish elements. It is also cool to see an episode where Fred is brave, confident, and puts his knowledge of traps to use, all while being able to express his emotions.

Fact – Velma’s mom has got it going on according to the men in the Yucatan.

Oddities – Not sure what happened off-screen, but Shaggy and Scooby are basically getting eaten alive by mosquitos on a river trip, but no one else seems bothered. We also get a scene where Fred licks the hand of a skeleton to see if there is a trap attached to it? Also regarding the traps, in most cases, once a trap is tripped it’s not going to activate again when you go in the reverse direction. In this episode they inexplicably do.

Best Line – I totally forgot about that guy! – Scooby. He states this after the villain mentions the guy who was the whole reason they even had to go there. It’s pretty fantastic given the events in the episode.

Second Best Line – So you decided to test her love by crushing her with fast-growing killer plants…wow, that’s exactly what I would have done. – Fred.

I give this episode a 5 out of 7. The villain's motive is pretty shaky, but it’s not totally out of the realm for this series. A little tougher to buy is all of the effort he went through in such a short period of time.