Scooby Doo has reoccurring nightmares about the Freak of Crystal Cove. The gang enters the dream world to figure out why he's having these nightmares, only to discover the truth about the cursed treasure.
The episode provides examples of:
- And I Must Scream: Ex-Mayor Jones's subconscious somehow knowing how the Sitting Room works suggests that despite all of them being shown as still figures, they're aware of their surroundings and what their physical selves have been doing.
- Arbitrary Skepticism: Velma continues to search for a "logical explanation" even after the encounter with Friar Serra. She bursts into tears when she can find none. Of course in her case that's hardly arbitrary.
- The Bus Came Back: While he had a non-speaking (outside of one offscreen line) cameo in "Wrath of the Krampus", this is the first time since the first season that Mayor Jones has a full-on conversation.
- Call-Back:
- The gang is initially led to believe that the Freak haunting Scooby's dreams is ex-Mayor Jones when they see him in the Sitting Room, referencing the end of Season 1.
- Ex-Mayor Jones says he knows who the Nightmare Freak is, while the kids don't. It turns out at the end of the episode that the Nightmare Freak is the leader of the missing historical Spanish Conquistadors. We learned back in "All Fear the Freak" that he studied up on the group while learning about the treasure, and he in fact started donning the Freak costume after learning about the Spanish Conquistadors — this episode also revealing that he based his costume off of the Nightmare Freak when he started seeing it in his own dreams.
- Dream Land: The Sitting Room.
- Exposition Dump: Dr. Kharon explains to the gang how the Sitting Room works, and later, Ex-Mayor Jones explains to them how it has affected its victims through personal experience.
- Foreshadowing: While El Aguirre is lamenting over the atrocities the conquistadors committed under the entity's influence, Nova assures him that everything that has happened can be undone.
- Forgiveness: When Fred encounters his fake father and forgives him. Made all the better when Fred Sr. acknowledges that Fred was the best part of his life.
- His Name Is...: Fred Jones Sr. knows who the Monstrous Freak is, but doesn’t get the chance to say so.
- I'm Standing Right Here: Averted. Though their presence is briefly commented on, Fred doesn't make as much of a big deal about Brad and Judy as he does about Ex-Mayor Jones.
- Ink-Suit Actor: Michael J. Anderson as Horatio Kharon.
- My God, What Have I Done?:
- El Aguirre is remorseful for the actions he and his men have done while under the curse, which, as penance, led him to actively try to stop anyone from destroying the entity to make sure their suffering never ended.
- Hinted at by Ex-Mayor Jones, who laments that the treasure ruined everyone.
- Not Me This Time: When the gang discovers that the Sitting Room has a bunch of people including Ex-Mayor Jones inside, they accuse him of being the Freak again and causing trouble in Scooby's dreams. He denies it, explaining that he based his Freak costume off of the original Freak, but is unable to say who it is before the monster himself shows up and scares them off.
- Shout-Out: Dr. Kharon taught at the Miskatonic University.
- Was It All a Lie?:
- Before leaving the Sitting Room, Fred decides to have one last conversation with the good side of his false father, telling him that in spite of everything he's done in the physical world, he forgives him. Fred Sr. reveals that yes, he did/does genuinely love Fred and also tells him that he's proud of him.
- Upon learning that the entity had been manipulating mystery-solving groups into coming together for years, the gang is left wondering if their friendship is the real thing.
- Velma: Jinkies. After all we've been through, only to find out that we've been manipulated by some Evil Entity? Is that the only reason we're together?
Shaggy: Like, yeah. Maybe we don't even like each other.
Fred: Gang, wh…what are we gonna do?
Scooby: The Heart of the Jaguar. We have to find the Heart of the Jaguar.
