The final episode of
Mystery Incorprated. With Pericles' plan to release Nibiru a success, the gang must find a way to defeat the evil entity before he devours the universe.
The episode provides examples of:
- Alternate Timeline: Implied to actually be the one from the original series.
- And the Adventure Continues: Road Trip!
- Arc Words: "This has all happened before." This time with an Ironic Echo.
- Babies Ever After:
- In the alternate timeline, Sheriff Stone and Mayor Nettles are married with four children, who Daphne apparently babysits sometimes—they have three sons named Eastwood, Norris, and Billy Jack, and a daughter named Lynda Carter.
- While Fred's technically an only child (at least for this series), Brad Chiles and Judy Reeves (his biological parents) are obstetricians (doctors that deliver babies) in the new timeline, delivering "happy babies" and have never even touched a trap.
- Back from the Dead: Everyone who died over the course of the series once the Nibiru Entity is destroyed.
- Bizarro World: What the gang thinks they landed into seeing as Crystal Cove is now the sunniest place on Earth, the Darrow Mansion exists (and Danny Darrow's still alive and currently the head of Darrow University), Brad and Judy are obstetricians, Fred Jones Sr. is the high school principal and head soccer coach, and crazier ones including Ricky Owens and Cassidy Williams married and Pericles is the sponsor/mascot of their company.
- Book Ends:
- The gang congratulates other each in a manner similar to their introduction in "Beware the Beast from Below".
- The gang (except for Velma) talk to their families before the end of the episode and find that they approve of their happy lives, just like back in "The Beast Below" after the beginning of the episode except they were expressing disapproval of their mystery-solving lives then.
- The order in which the gang addresses their personal life is in opposite order, previously in the order of Velma, Fred, Shaggy and Scooby, and Daphne, now in the order of Daphne, Shaggy and Scooby, Fred, and Velma. This time, however, Velma talks to Marcie instead of her parents, and Fred talks to all three of his parents.
- Meta-example: This episode aired on April 5, 2013, three years to the day that the first episode premiered.
- Call-Back:
- In "Nightmare In Red", Nova said that those who have fallen for the Curse of Crystal Cove will be forgiven once the Entity is defeated, as things will become "undone." It turns out the result of this is a Cosmic Retcon/Reset Button Ending.
- Fred mourns ex-Mayor Jones's death when he gets consumed by the Entity, as they had reconciled the last time they met back in "Nightmare In Red".
- The Cameo: Harlan Ellison serves as Mr. Exposition as well as the new Mr. E.
- Character Death: The Nibiru Entity consumes the people of Crystal Cove, including the original Mystery Inc., Mayor Jones, Mayor Nettles, Sheriff Stone, and more. Onscreen. They get better, thanks to the Cosmic Retcon.
- Chekhov's Gun: The Mystery Inc. is accepted into Miskatonic University, which was mentioned back in "Nightmare In Red" as where Dr. Kharon worked.
- Continuity Reboot: Harlan Ellison explains that this isn't the first time the gang has moved into a different universe, but it's the first time they actually remember it.
- Cosmic Retcon: The destruction of the Nibiru Entity erases him from time and space, making it as if he never existed.
Velma: With no actuality of wave function collapse, alternative histories and futures are real. I know why everything's different. We destroyed the Entity and by destroying it, it was as if it never existed. So everything it touched: all the evil, all of the curse, all of the losers in rubber masks and the dumb monster attractions, none of it ever happened. By destroying the Evil Entity, we created an entirely different timeline.
Daphne: Our neighbors, our families, they've never been negatively influenced by the Evil Entity.
Shaggy: It's come undone, all of it. Our actions created a better world where we all have normal and productive lives.
- Covers Always Lie: The DVD cover shows the Entity in the background, but it has a different colour and looks much cartoonier than in the episode.
- Creative Closing Credits: In keeping the finale's Broad Strokes lead-in to the original Where Are You series, this episode's credits play against a background of classic Mystery Machine flowers on green and blue, rather than the usual locket.
- Deal with the Devil: Pericles offers to serve as the host to the Nibiru Entity. He gets what he wants, but he has no control. In fact, he's as good as dead.
- Death Equals Redemption: Ricky Owens. When the Entity grabs him, the kids attempt to save him, but he urges them to let him die so that they can flee.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: The Nibiru Entity being erased from existence and the destruction of the universe means that universe must restart without the Entity. However, it ultimately results in the gang (and by extension, pretty much everyone else in Crystal Cove) having better, happier and, essentially, more "perfect" lives —
- The sign in front of Crystal Cove now reads "The Sunniest Place on Earth."
- Sheriff Bronson Stone and Mayor Janet Nettles are now married with four kids, consisting of three sons named Eastwood, Norris and Billy and one daughter named Lynda Carter.
- Darrow Mansion is still above ground and has also become a historical landmark—Danny Darrow (and presumably the rest of his family) is still alive, with Danny even being the head (and possibly the founder) of Darrow University.
- Fred was raised by his biological parents in the home where he was raised in by his "Mayor Dad." Pictures show that he lived a happy childhood with Brad and Judy, both of whom now work as obstetricians (doctors that deliver babies).
- Daphne's parents are now more proud of her than they are of her sisters, who no longer hold the successful careers they had in the pre-Nibiru timeline (at least in the case of Dawn, Dorothy, Delilah and Daisy—we never find out anything about Daphne's astronaut-sister). Daphne's parents also approve of Fred and Daphne's relationship and like him and his family, and are even helping to plan Fred and Daphne's wedding (revealing that the two are still engaged).
- Shaggy's the president of chef's club and he has won many cooking awards. His parents are proud of him and don't believe that he's a slacker.
- Destroido Corp. has become an environmentally friendly corporation called "Creationex Corp."
- Instead of becoming the first Mr. E, Ricky Owens is now friendlier, in much better/healthier shape and is even married to Cassidy Williams, who appears to work with him.
- Professor Pericles is the happy, unscarred mascot of Creationex Corp.
- Marcie Fleach now appears to be Velma's girlfriend and the two of them work together in the Tri-State Olympiad of Science, which they win every year.
- Gary and Ethan are good friends with Fred, mostly because he is a great goalkeeper.
- Fred Jones, Sr. is now the principal of Crystal Cove High School as well as the school soccer coach—he sees the students as his children and is especially proud of Fred.
- The Mystery Machine is just a plain white van, until the gang paint it to the colors it was in the original timeline.
- Harlan Ellison is now Mr. E, possibly because of his last name.
- Nova is still possessed by the Anunnaki.
- Crystal Cove is probably higher because in the new timeline, Porto had no reason to blow up the old town of missionaries.
- The Horrible Herd and the Kriegstaffebots don't exist since Professor Pericles nor Abigail Gluck never had a reason to create them.
- According to to
Word of God, Skipper Shelton would still have his nose. - There were no disguises of monsters in Crystal Cove nor any mystery-solving groups before our Mystery Incorporated.
- Eldritch Abomination: The Nibiru Entity.
- Evil Is Not a Toy: Pericles and Fred's biological parents free the Nibiru Entity, and are its first victims.
- Exposition Dump: The last few minutes of the gang learning about the new timeline involves them running into people explaining what has happened in this timeline.
- Family-Unfriendly Violence: In the final battle—to wit, at one point there is a sequence of the Nibiru Entity devouring the inhabitants of Crystal Cove, complete with limp bodies hanging from its mouth.
- Finale Credits: During the credits, the background (the Mystery Incorporated symbol) is replaced by the familiar Mystery Machine aesthetic, with the end theme being replaced by the opening theme instead, to reflect the rebooted nature of the show's universe.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus: While Principal Jones is talking to Fred, his clipboard reads a checklist of Crystal Cove High School's athletic schedule, which is just a list of some of his various exclamations from throughout the show.
- Freudian Slip: Upon seeing Principal Jones, Fred calls him "Mayor Dad" out of habit—Principal Jones, being confused, goes on to say that Fred has called him a lot of names throughout his high school career, including "Principal Jones," "Coach Jones," "Mr. Jones," and so on, and though he's never found any interest in being mayor, says that he does likes the "dad" part of Fred's new name for him.
- Grand Finale: The series draws to a close in this episode, with the evil entity finally being defeated and the universe being altered so that it never existed. We see that because of this, Crystal Cove is now a much happier place and everyone's lives have changed for the better. The gang feel upset about a world that seemingly has no mysteries to solve, but find a chance for more adventures when Harlan Ellison leaves them a message inviting them to go to his college to solve mysteries there.
- In Spite of a Nail: Implied to be the doing of the good Anunnaki.
- Despite the implication that Brad and Judy never met Mayor Jones, nor did he kidnap an unnamed baby Fred twenty-ish years ago, Brad and Judy coincidentally named their son "Fred."
- The Rogers and the Blakes (and presumably the Dinkleys as well) still act the same as they did in the original timeline, except they treat Shaggy, Scooby, and Daphne better due to their better reputation in the good timeline.
- Fred Jones, Sr. still moved to Crystal Cove, despite the haunted treasure not existing anymore. The implication is that he still got accepted into Darrow University to pursue a career in the historical field and decided to stay in Crystal Cove to be a teacher.
- Fred still lives in the same house he lived in with Mayor Jones in the previous timeline.
- The gang is still friends with Mayor Nettles and Sheriff Stone.
- Jaw Drop: Shaggy and Scooby upon seeing the commercial with Ricky Owens and Cassidy Williams kissing onscreen, alongside a not-evil Professor Pericles as their sponsor/mascot.
- Laugh Track: Used at the very end.
- Lighter and Softer: The end credits used the show's more upbeat opening theme rather than the somber tune that had been previously used. Also Mystery Machine's pattern is used as a background rather than the dark violet background that had been used during the rest of the series.
- Also, a background inspired by the Mystery Machine replaces the background centered on the magnifying glass symbol of Pericles's Mystery Inc; the gang solved the Mystery of Mystery Incorporated.
- Like a Son to Me: Coach Jones never had any kids, but he always felt there was something special about Fred, from their shared first name and more.
- Mythology Gag:
- Shaggy gets to say "Scooby-Doo! Where are you?" one more time.
- The scenes of the gang running and huddling behind Velma at the end feel very reminiscent of the original series.
- The gang gathered around the laptop watching Harlan Ellison's message; their positions are the same as in the opening titles of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!. You expect to see them suddenly look up at you.
- The last scene nods to the original series with the Mystery Machine driving at an angle where it appears flat like the limited animation of the classic series, only to turn to show it as a 3D model.
- The gang enters their Where Are You?-era run cycles when fleeing Nibiru's minions.
- Brad's shirt in the photo from the new universe resembles Fred's shirt from What's New, Scooby-Doo?.
- The scene where the Gang are charging the Sarcophagus, passing the stick from one to the next as the monsters waylay them evokes the finale of the second film, the stick even changes hands in the same order as the control panel (Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy and finally Scooby).
- The Laugh Track from the original series comes back during the final shot, as the Gang drives off in the Mystery Machine.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: The new Ricky Owens is clearly a pastiche of Steve Jobs.
- Not Hyperbole: In the last episode, the Nibiru Entity said that his freedom would result in the world being bathed in fire. This episode shows that he was being absolutely serious.
- The Power of Friendship: The gang realizes that their love for one another is what is protecting them from the Entity's direct attacks and that they don't literally need the Heart of the Jaguar. They just need to work together to destroy the Crystal Sarcophagus in order to put an end to the Entity.
- Ret-Gone:
- After defeating the Nibiru Entity by destroying him in a collapsing dimensional rift, all of Crystal Cove is changed as if the entity had never existed, erasing all the mysteries the gang had solved from history, as well as making the town a better place.
- It’s implied that Nova doesn't exist in the good timeline, since she's possessed by the Anunnaki now.
- Riding into the Sunset: More like Sunrise given how it was night when they started driving, and that the sun is the east.
- Ripple-Effect-Proof Memory: The gang remember the "original" timeline whereas Harlan Ellison claims writing so much speculative fiction resulted in every alternate version of himself remembering every timeline.
- Rule of Symbolism: In the new timeline, the van does not have its signature paintjob and is blank. Since there was never an Entity to influence kids into forming mystery-solving groups or corrupting people, everything is clean... but boring.
- Shout-Out:
- Nova recaps the Myth Arc in the prologue by standing before a starfield, exactly like Princess Irulan in Dune (1984); even her first few lines are a direct reference:
- Snowballing Threat: The Anunnaki who possesses Nova's image describes the Evil Entity as such in the episode's opening, stating that it'll "grow more powerful every second" now that it's freed onto Earth. Indeed, within minutes, the Entity destroys Crystal Cove, then it grows increasingly larger as it devours all the residents, and Nova explicitly states that the end result of the Entity's rampage will be it obliterating the Earth and devouring the entire observable universe if Mystery Incorporated can't stop it.
- Stranger in a Familiar Land: Having been used to having imperfect lives that have now been completely replaced by perfect lives that they don’t even remember having, the gang is weirded out and feel out of place in the new Crystal Cove, combined with the fact that there are no mysteries in town anymore. Luckily, Harlan Ellison has some things in store for them.
- Title Drop: Done by Shaggy.
Shaggy: It's come undone, all of it!
- Trippy Finale Syndrome: This episode is a serious Mind Screw, even for those who have been paying attention to the series-wide Story Arc.
- Victory Is Boring: The gang reacts poorly when they realize they have created an alternate universe where there are no mysteries in Crystal Cove.
- Wham Line: A very familiar father's voice telling Fred to get his van off of the soccer field, followed up by a Wham Shot of ex-Mayor Jones (or rather, Principal Jones) in an athletic uniform.
- Wham Shot:
- Seeing Crystal Cove get torn apart and its citizens being snatched & eaten by the Entity was enough, and then we see people we do know get eaten, starting with ex-Mayor Jones, the Sheriff, then Mayor Nettles.
- "Crystal Cove: The Sunniest Place on Earth."
- ...followed up by the Sheriff and Mayor Nettles holding hands with four children that look like them.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Since Jones is Crystal Cove High School’s principal in the new universe, it’s unknown what happened to Principal Quinlan from “Mystery Solvers Club Finals”, provided that she existed in the physical world and not just Scooby’s dream. We also don't see what's become of Velma's parents now that they presumably can't operate a mystery museum anymore.
- You Will Know What to Do: The good Annunaki using Nova's body to Scooby-Doo. Scooby complains why can't she just tell him.
Nova:<still possessed by the Annunaki> Thank you, Scooby-Doo. You are the bravest dog that ever lived.
Scooby: Scooby Dooby Doo!
