Employees of Destroido are being attacked by a Cicada Creature which can command swarms of the insects.
The episode contains examples of:
- 2D Visuals, 3D Effects: The Cicada Creature is somewhere between this, Medium Blending, and Uncanny Valley. All the previous monsters and creatures were animated in the same 2D style as the characters, so a 3D swarm of cicadas really sticks out especially in its fluid motion.
- Adults Are Useless: Mayor Jones and Sheriff Stone, per usual.
- Mayor Jones tells the Gang to not go after the Cicada Creature, in spite of it hurting people, because it's the town's latest tourist attraction.
- When Mr. Yantz calls them to complain about the Gang harassing him in mistaken belief that he's the Cicada Creature, they don't do anything about it and instead ask him and the Gang to come to the festival to make a spectacle out of it.
- After learning that the Cicada Creature is after the Gang, Mayor Jones welcomes them to go to the festival so that the monster will show up. He shows no regard for their safety and even hopes that they get attacked.
- All Is Well That Ends Well: When captured, The monster of the week reveals that Destroido has has been putting landfill waste in their snacks to make them taste better. No one bats an eye to this, without even a mention to following up on this news, just to end the episode.
- Almost Kiss: Daphne puckers up to kiss Fred, who suddenly gets conveniently distracted after seeing his dad, the Mayor.
- Bait-and-Switch: The second victim is taking a shower right before the Cicada Monster attacks him. At first, it seems that the cicadas are going to rain down on him through the showerhead (while he looks into it with his eye)... and then they enter through the drain instead.
- Black Comedy: The gang manage to frighten the second victim into flatlining.
- Cannot Spit It Out: Like usual Fred refuses to admit that he has feelings for Daphne in front of people. Though he is improving as he actually tried to ask her out on a date.
- Crazy Jealous Guy: Fred doesn't take the fact that Daphne is attracted to their biology teacher and as a result is more than a bit eager to prove that he's the Cicada Creature.
- Did I Just Say That Out Loud?: Daphne overhears Fred call the biology teacher, whom they think is behind the cicada attacks, a "girlfriend stealer".
- Eat the Camera: The Cicada Creature when attacking Ed Machine.
- Eco-Terrorist: Grandma Moonbeam's plot was to use the Cicada Creature to torment Destroido until they stopped putting landfill waste in Nature Slivers.
- Evil Sounds Deep: The cicada monster has a sinister, gravelly voice thanks to Frank Welker's classic Dr. Claw voice.
- Friend Versus Lover: Velma's relationship with Scooby is still strained, as she's still mad that Shaggy chose him over her.
- Green-Eyed Epiphany: Fred tried to ask Daphne out on a date when he saw that she was attracted to their biology teacher.
- Hot Teacher: The biology teacher, Mr. Yantz. At least Daphne and Velma think so.
- Kick the Dog: After the gang reports that they were threatened by the Cicada Monster, as typical, Mayor Jones insists that the kids come to the festival so that they can take photos of them getting attacked for the tourism business. Nothing comes out of it.
- Lampshade Hanging: Mr. Yantz wonders why he even lets Scooby attend his class.
- Monster of the Week: The Cicada Creature, a giant cicada comprised of millions of regular cicadas, who threatens Destroido employees before swarming them.
- Red Herring: Mr. Yantz may be weird for being obsessed with caring for cicadas, but he's not the culprit.
- Rewatch Bonus: Grandma Moonbeam leaves right before the Cicada Monster confronts the gang in the basement.
- Shout-Out: The title is a reference to Higurashi: When They Cry, a psychological horror mystery thriller whose full Japanese title (Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni) roughly translates to When the Cicadas Cry.
- The second victim having a Freak Out and flatlining after remembering how the cicadas were all over him
is reminiscent of Keiichi having a fatal heart attack in the hospital when he hallucinates that Shion is about to kill him and a common symptom of Hinamizawa Syndrome is formication. - Mayor Jones gets the City Council to approve setting up a cicada-centric festival on the weekend. The Watanagashi Festival is a major part of Higurashi.
- The second victim having a Freak Out and flatlining after remembering how the cicadas were all over him
- Skewed Priorities: Mayor Jones (and Sheriff Stone) would rather make a tourist attraction out of the Cicada Creature. When Mr. Yantz calls them to deal with the kids for harassment, they do nothing about it and Mayor Jones blatantly asks him to come to the festival.
- Wham Episode: Ed Machine, the man who has helped Mr. E, is revealed to be the head of Destroido, and Destroido's business ethics are appalling to say the least.
- Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Sheriff Stone has a fear of bugs. Mayor Jones tells him to get a grip.
Daphne: Sorry, gang, but Fred and I are going to have to pass, we've got a date.
