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Scooby Doo Mystery Incorporated / Tropes I to R

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For tropes A to C, see here.
For tropes D to H, see here.
For tropes S to Z, see here.

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    I 
  • Idiot Ball: A trio of construction workers open a canister with a radiation symbol on the front after hearing something inside snarling.
    Worker 1: I think there's something in there. What should we do?
    Worker 2: Well, it's pretty clear, isn't it? Those are radioactive symbols, meaning what's ever inside is dangerous... meaning we need to open it right away. *shrugs* Don't want what's ever in there to mess up our schedule.
    • Fred also qualifies in the episode "In the Fear of the Phantom" because instead of saving Daphne, he takes a look at the trap to see where it went wrong.
  • I'm a Doctor, Not a Placeholder: Shaggy does a version of this: "I'm an eater, not a fighter."
  • Impossibly Cool Clothes: Averted by Fred's team uniforms in episode 9. Fred's the only one who thinks they look any good.
  • Ink-Suit Actor:
    • Professor Pericles, despite being a parrot, bears a slight resemblance to his voice actor Udo Kier, especially the forehead.
    • Horatio Kharon resembles his actor, Michael J. Anderson, furthering the fact that he's a recreation of a particular Twin Peaks character.
    • Mayor Jones resembles a slightly younger version of Gary Cole except with black hair (and a skunk stripe). The first episode also features an incidental voiced by him that resembles him a lot more than Mayor Jones does.
  • In Medias Res: "Howl of the Fright Hound" begins at the climatic action.
  • Indy Escape: Episode 22. A rolling idol head nearly runs over a Damsel in Distress. Subverted because she set up the whole fake temple and knew what to expect, and her leg was not injured as she pretended.
  • Innocuously Important Episode: Episode 2 of Season 1, "The Creeping Creatures", was more or less a self-contained episode, not really related to the mystery of Crystal Cove. "Theater Of The Doomed", however, has the ghost of Friar Gabriello repeat the words of the Signs of Disrepair ("The Dog Dies") from that episode.
  • Insane Troll Logic: Episode 20. Ernesto believes that it's only logical to fund his grassroots activism via harmful oil drilling. In his defense, the Nibiru Entity warps the minds of just about everyone in the area. "We have to destroy the environment to save it!"
  • In Spite of a Nail: The altered timeline at the end of the series has a lot of examples. Notably, Fred still got the name "Fred" despite him presumably having been named after his fake father, who in this timeline never kidnapped him and raised him.
  • Introductory Opening Credits: The opening introduces the characters via color-coded splash screens with their names beside them.
  • Irony: Scooby and Shaggy, the scaredy cats of the team, love to watch horror movies.
    • And not just any horror movies; they're known to watch a marathon of Vincent Price's horror movies (More than 400 but less than 500 no less) whenever the one week marathon passes by.

    J 
  • Jaw Drop: Done in the series finale with Shaggy and Scooby once they see a commercial in the alternate timeline for Ricky Owens and Cassidy Williams company, with Professor Pericles as their non-evil sponsor.
  • Jetpack: Both of the Kung Fu wizards who turned Crystal Cove into a battle ground in episode 18 had jet-packs in their costumes enabling them to fly.
  • Jigsaw Puzzle Plot: It takes until the last few episodes to reveal all the pieces.

    K 
  • Karma Houdini: The Cicada Monster's main motivation was to get back at the company for putting LANDFILL WASTE in their snacks! And it seems like everyone is A-Ok with this!
    • Subverted. Several episodes later, it's revealed they often get sued for their products and most of Mystery Inc. consider them terrible.
    • Justified later when it is revealed they have Corporate Diplomacy (basically they are their own country) and therefore cannot be sued.
  • The Killer Was Left-Handed: In "Web of the Dreamweaver", Velma realises that the Dreamweaver holds his orb in his off-hand. In the original illustration, the Dreamweaver held the orb in his left hand. However, the Dreamweaver now attacking the town holds the orb in his right, meaning he is a leftie.
  • Knight of Cerebus: Mayor Jones, whose true nature being revealed makes the already dark first season a lot darker in hindsight. Professor Pericles also counts, as whenever he's involved in an episode, it's a much more serious story, particularly when he gets directly involved in the second season, having evolved to become the Big Bad.
    • Those two completely pale when things begin coming to light regarding the true Knight of Cerebus of the series: the Evil Entity, which has been manipulating people for centuries to ensure its' release so it can devour all of reality. Things get the darkest they've ever been for the franchise when the plot begins building towards his release, and when it does get free, all hell breaks loose.
  • The Krampus: Was the central figure in episode 39.

    L 
  • Lampshade Hanging: Doesn't quite beat A Pup Named Scooby-Doo yet, but it's certainly up there, which, coupled with its more-sharp-less-goofy humor, gives the show an interesting style.
  • Large Ham: The Phantom in episode 7. He booms in rhyming couplets and even threw in a "sayeth" for good measure.
    • Vincent Van Ghoul in episode 19.
  • Laser Hallway: Played straight in episode 21.
  • Lava Is Boiling Kool-Aid: Dead Justice's backstory has him chasing his nemesis into a volcano, then sticking his arm out from underneath just to handcuff him.
  • Laugh Track: Used only once, after the final line of the series.
  • Lawyer-Friendly Cameo: In the episode 'In Fear of the Phantom', the establishing shot of the concert hall the Hex Girls are playing at in the opening scene is a near identical copy to the exterior of the former Goth and Club Kid venue called Limelight NYC.
  • Leaving You to Find Myself: Fred's reaction to his adoptive father's revolting backstory was to break things off with Daphne so he could search for his birth parents.
    • It's made even worse when he states that Mystery Inc. is dead; basically he's giving up everything he had right then to find his past. Can't really blame him since the past 17 years of his life have been a lie.
    • Also, part of why the Gang are so eager to head to Miskatonic University.
  • Legacy of the Chosen: This version of Mystery Inc. is just the latest in a long, long line of crime-solving friends and a Talking Animal companion; others have included Mayan hunters, a cowgirl gang, and an elite British society. Furthermore, the makeup of the gang is predetermined: for example, there will always be a bookish nerd as the "Velma." It turns out the one doing the choosing is the Evil Entity, who twists reality to get the people it needs to break it free from its prison.
  • Let's Just Be Friends: Episode 22 has Velma give Shaggy the 'I don't feel the same way about you I used to' speech at the end of the episode; it's an ache that even pizza can't cure. But then Shaggy says 'Well, let's see if it can!' and goes back to his chipper self.
    • And once Velma spilled the beans about Angel in episode 25, and Shaggy being sent to military school, who knows if they ARE going to still be friends?
    • In episode 48, Shaggy questions whether or not the gang are supposed to be friends after the revelations from the Sitting Room realm.
    • Episode 52 has the evil Annunaki telling the gang that he was responsible for forging their friendship. They tell him he's lying, and this is cemented when the Nibiru Entity that consumed Professor Pericles feels pain when it tries to attack Scooby and the gang.
  • Let's Split Up, Gang!: Perhaps taken literally on episode 11. At the start, Daphne and Velma split up from the boys and Scooby. Their rejoining to the rest of the mystery is edgy at best. The end has them all going separate ways being watched by Mister E's assistant from episode 6.
  • Let Us Never Speak of This Again: Fred to Daphne about Scrappy-Doo.
  • Love at First Sight: The Orc asks this to Velma after she fixes one of their motorcycles. Velma, being the Deadpan Snarker that she is, blatantly tells him that she does not find him attractive.
  • Lovecraft Lite: The whole story arc, but special mention goes to the the evil entity. It's a Parrothulhu, as it looks like a cross between Professor Pericles, parrot and evilest character around, and a floating squid.

    M 
  • The Magazine Rule: Fred's favorite magazine is "Traps Illustrated", but he only reads it for the articles. (Sounds niche on both sides of the Double Entendre.)
  • Magic Plastic Surgery: In "The Man in the Mirror", Brad and Judy have plastic surgery to turn themselves into doubles of Fred and an older version of Daphne.
  • Magic Skirt: In episode 18. The White Wizard carries Mai Le off by her feet, rendering her upside down, but her skirt doesn't fall over. And again later after Mai Le gets hung upside down in the snare set on the Blake yacht (which was disguised as Mai Le's escape vessel).
    • Averted in the Man-Crab episode when Velma visibly tries to keep her skirt down after being flung into the air by the Crab.
  • Makeover Montage: Daphne undergoes one in "In Fear of the Phantom" when she instructs the Hex Girls to "turn her into a rock star."
  • May Contain Evil: In "When the Cicada Calls", Destructdo is making snack foods that contain toxic waste landfill.
  • Meaningful Name: Possibly Professor Pericles. The Greek general/politician he's named after was supposed to have a slightly deformed head. Professor Pericles has a greatly inflated head, and an evil scar.
    • Porto, the donkey as well. "Porto" in Spanish means "to carry", and that's what a donkey does, being a beast of burden and all.
  • Mecha-Mooks: The German robots in "The Midnight Zone."
  • MegaCorp: Destroido, the company run by Mr. E, which seems to exist solely to ruin the environment and create dangerous products. Also, according to Sheriff Stone, it is its own sovereign country, thus preventing him from arresting anyone involved in it.
  • Merchandising the Monster: Features the gang unmasking the Monster of the Week as usual. However, unlike other series, this gains them ire from the local government and merchandising that wants Crystal Cove to be known as the scariest town ever and want to make use of the sudden monsters.
  • Meta Origin: In "Heart of Evil", we learn that Blue Falcon and Dynomutt were originally a security guard and a guard dog (respectively) at the facilities of Quest Labs, and that Dynomutt got his robotic enhancements as a life-saving measure from Dr. Benton Quest after he nearly died defending the lab from Dr. Napoleon Zin. Though never outright stated, it's also heavily implied that Blue Falcon's gadgets were originally Quest Labs hardware.
  • Metronomic Man Mashing: In Episode 14, Captain Caveman snaps Jabberjaw out of a panic attack by picking him up by the tail and smashing him back and forth between two banks of lockers.
  • Mind Screw: The episode "Night Terrors."
  • Missing Mom: In Episode 23, Scooby accidentally knocks a photo off Fred's mantel; his admiring the pretty woman in photo was cut short when Shaggy told him that that's Fred's mom who left town when Fred was very young; Scooby apologizes for being out of line and Freddy waves it off with a sad smile and talking about how he one day hopes to tell her in person that she is pretty.
    • So pretty that she came out of a magazine! Fred's parents are Brad and Judy from the original Mystery Inc; the Mayor took their son away and 'promised' the parents he'd protect him!
  • "Miss X" Pun: There's a character who goes by the alias Mister E ("mystery").
  • The Mole: Hot Dog Water/Marcie in season 2.
  • Mood Lighting: Extensively. Most obvious example is the chase scene in "Creeping Creatures."
  • Morality Kitchen Sink: The delineation between good guys and bad guys isn't nearly as clear-cut this time around; the problem is that the Gang can't quite see that just yet.
  • Mix-and-Match Critters: The Horrible Herd (part-cow, part-bee, part-piranha). Plus many more among the mutated abominations in Destroido's lab; such as a cat with human hands and some weird parrot/cat-looking creatures. The Piranha-Goat also, although as Disc-One Final Boss of "Dead Justice", that particular suspect gets no unmasking scene, so it's never explicitly proven it's only a costume.
  • My Friends... and Zoidberg: Daphne's father delivers one when he is hosting a dinner for a visiting Chinese delegate in "The Dragon's Secret":
    "Mr. Wang, friends... Fred."
  • My Horse Is a Motorbike: The Dandy Highwayman's mount in "Stand and Deliver."

    N 
  • Necktie Leash: Janet Nettles does this to Sheriff Stone
  • Never Say "Die": Averted. They don't say it often, but they are able to say it, usually for the sake of a gag.
    • And in episode 19 "Time for you to die!" is part of the monster's catchphrase!
    • "Next time I see you, I shoot to kill!"
    • Fred: "Mystery Inc. is dead!"
    • Professor Pericles from episode 33: "Cassidy must be silenced...forever."
      • She was.
      • In so many words, Professor Pericles threatens to do the same with Ricky in episode 43.
  • Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: In "Scarebear", the Monster of the Week is trying to expose Destroido as the corrupt company it is, only for the gang's usual exploits to stop him.
    • In "The Horrible Herd", luring the Queen Monster of the Week and its drones into the ocean in hopes of drowning them?? NOPE! You've all just unleashed unstoppable super-predators into the ocean!
  • No Celebrities Were Harmed: Episode 25 features Regina Wentworth, young author of the popular Dusk series of vampire romance novels.
    • The first three episodes of season 2 feature Daphne dating Baylor Hotner.
  • No Communities Were Harmed: The town of Crystal Cove is a near copy of Salem, Massachusetts.
  • Nominated as a Prank: The motive of the antagonist of "Where Walks Aphrodite", Amanda Smythe, was getting revenge on the citizens of Crystal Cove for electing her as prom queen in high school as a joke and then humiliating her by pulling a monster mask over her head when she was not as attractive as she is today. While Velma points out that Amanda is now considered beautiful, she responds by saying despite that fact being true, the scars from that incident ran deep.
  • Nonuniform Uniform: In episode 9 Fred gets the gang team uniforms that make them look like a 70s Japanese supergroup. They're all similar white jumpsuits except that the color of the trim, piping, and ascot of each corresponds to a color of their previous outfits. It only lasts the one episode.
  • Noodle Incident:
    • Daphne recalls how her dad was once found naked gnawing on a soup can when her mom was out of town.
    • In another episode Daphne talks about how every time her mother would sleep in their backyard treehouse, her family brings in a doctor or someone with authority to "work things out." Then they lock her away for a few months. In another, they have it to where Daphne mentions they used to have a lot of Faberge eggs, but she kept trying to boil them.
    • In episode 25, she mentions how one of her older sisters trained chickens to spell out her name as part of being engaged.
  • No OSHA Compliance: The abandoned steel mill in episode 10. Lampshaded by Fred.
  • No Place for Me There: In the new reality created by defeating the Entity, Crystal Cove is built on beaches and sunshine, where people have a happy ending and all lost to the entity live again. However, such a place is without mysteries, and thus to satisfy their eternal craze for Mysteries, the gang leaves town for Myscatonic University and a whole host of mysteries that would follow along the way. Crystal Cove is a town they don't belong in anymore.
  • No-Sell: In the episode "Dance of the Undead", both Shaggy and Scooby prove completely immune to Rude Boy and the Ska-Tastics' hypnotic music, Scooby because music is "just noise" to dogs, and Shaggy because he's tone deaf.
  • Not a Date: In episode 35 Sheriff Stone and Mayor Nettles insist that their obvious dates are stakeouts.
  • Nothing Is the Same Anymore: The gang's reaction to the alternate timeline where mysteries in Crystal Cove no longer happen.
  • Not Wearing Tights: The villain in episode 17 has no secret identity. He doesn't reveal himself because he mistakes them for the first Mystery Inc, who already know him.

    O 
  • Obviously Evil: Count Evallo Von Meanskrieg. Everyone but Velma thinks he's too obviously evil to actually be the villain.
  • Official Couple: Velma and Shaggy are dating, but Shaggy does not want to be public about it. As of episode 10 the relationship seems to have been scuttled. Fred and Daphne date and as the show progresses they get engaged and, at the end of the first season, they split up as Fred goes to find his real parents.
    • As of the season 2 premiere, Fred and Daphne has sunk. Daphne has moved on in her life away from Fred and mysteries, and Fred just needs a big hug right now.
      • Perhaps not. Since then, Daphne has rejoined the gang after they rescued her from the Crybaby Clown, who turned out to be her new boyfriend, though she hasn't yet decided whether to take Fred back or not...
      • ...until some words from Cassidy Williams, former Mystery Incorporated member, have kinda convinced her to do so. By the time of "The Man in the Mirror" and "Gates of Gloom", Fred and Daphne are quite the loving yet mostly non verbal couple again.
    • It looks as if Mayor Nettles and Sheriff Stone are becoming an item now. This exchange after they wrap up what caused the destruction of Cassidy's radio station:
      Mayor Nettles: Van Ghoul, here we come!
      Sheriff Stone: (casually) I'll get my smoker.
  • Oh, Crap!: In Episode 39, the old Mystery, Inc gets this when they finally get the disk pieces Freddy was hiding. The entire episode was a trap set by Freddy, whom they didn't think knew of their plans or was smart enough to trick them. He planted fake disks to be stolen while they stole Prof. Pericles' pieces, and they left a video disc in place of the pieces to explain everything.
    • In the Series Finale, the Nibiru Entity gets a satisfying one when he realizes the gang just launched an attack that's going to destroy the crystal sarcophagus, and him with it.
  • Ominous Latin Chanting: Follows the monster in episode 12.
  • One-Steve Limit:
    • Fred Jones, Sr. and Fred Jones, Jr. are referred to as Mayor Jones and Fred/Freddie respectively.
    • Scooby Doo and Scooby the Seal meet. They're even voiced by Frank Welker!
  • Otaku: Fred is a serious Trap Otaku
    • Shaggy could be seen as a Food Otaku.
  • Our Gnomes Are Weirder: The Scary Gnome in episode 8. It attacks Renaissance Fair-goers dressed as pirates.
  • Our Mermaids Are Different: Totally alien blue looking mermaid, but it turns out to be a woman in a costume.
  • Our Orcs Are Different: The "Wild Brood" 'Orcs' are leather-wearing bikers, led by a smooth-talking Thrall Expy.
  • Our Vampires Are Different: Episode 11's monster is searching for ingredients for an eternal-youth potion.
  • Out-Gambitted: The previous Mystery Inc. in 39 thought they'd gotten the Planispheric Disk pieces Mystery Inc. had, only to find out the pieces they'd stolen were fakes and Mystery Inc. was behind the Monster of the Week in their own successful plan to steal the pieces they had.
  • Out of the Inferno: The Frighthound. The fire burns away its Scooby Doo disguise.
  • Outlandish Device Setting: Played with. In one episode, Freddy, being Innocently Insensitive, tells Velma to "set your milky whiteness to stun."
  • Outrun the Fireball: An industrial-size propane tank explodes in a construction yard in episode 9, forcing this on the gang.

    P 
  • Paranoia Fuel: invoked "Beware those close to you...."
  • Parental Neglect:
    • The gang's parents seem to put their happiness before their kids. Velma's mom (as shown in a picture) cares a lot more about her horses than her own daughter, Shaggy's parents think of him as an embarrassment, Fred's dad was thrilled at the idea of his son dying at the hands of the cicada monster, and Daphne's mother told her right to her face that sometimes she wishes they had a boy instead.
    • ALL the parents of Crystal Cove fit in this trope. When their children are "spookified", they abandon them!
    • Mayor Jones just has to be the worst out of them. For starters, he's not Fred's real dad. Though Fred's real father and mother end up topping him once they show up and get corrupted by the curse too.
  • The Password Is Always "Swordfish": Velma hacks a computer using this.
    • The password on Fred's laptop: "Trappin' Guy."
  • The Picture Came with the Frame: It is revealed in Episode 26 that the picture of Fred's Missing Mom is a magazine photo. The Mayor isn't even his real father. His parents are Brad and Judy from the original Mystery Inc.
  • Police Are Useless: In Season 1, Sheriff Bronson Stone outright refuses to investigate any of the monsters claiming it is not his job. He only shows up to arrest the culprits while often complaining how the kids should not have gotten involved. He and the rest of the police force are a bit better in season 2 where they at least sometimes try to capture the monsters on their own though often failing.
  • The Power of Friendship: The true "Heart of the Jaguar" that destroys the Nibiru entity was this all along.
  • Prisons Are Gymnasiums: Grade-school-age Mary Anne Gleardan is incarcerated and learns to lift enormous barbells and and kill with her braids.
  • Prophecy Twist: "The Dog Dies" Easter Egg message on the neon sign wasn't referring to Scooby, but Hot DOG Water.
  • Pseudo-Crisis: In "The House of the Nightmare Witch", Shaggy is flung into a wall and knocked unconscious - a rare and dramatic event for Scooby Doo - and as the others gather around, with a frightened Scooby calling his name, we cut to the adverts... then return to have Shaggy instantly sit up, absolutely fine. This event is never mentioned again.
  • The Psycho Rangers: The original Mystery Incorporated are this in season two. The group falls apart quickly though, showing the consequences of distrust between friends, and teamwork being motivated by greed.
    • While Cassidy Williams is not Evil she does agree to work with the original Mystery Incorporated before betraying them, making her a token good teammate and counterpart to Velma. Velma struggles with feeling of love and betrayal for Shaggy, is distrusted by the current Mystery Incorporated for keeping secrets, and works for Mr. E behind her friends’ backs. Cassidy Williams struggles with feelings of love and betrayal for Ricky Owens, is distrusted by the original Mystery Incorporated for sharing secrets with the new Mystery Incorporated, and helps the current Mystery Incorporated survive the original Mystery Incorporated’s attacks.
  • Public Hater, Private Fan: In "The Grasp of the Gnome", a man who says he hates pirates is shown to be dressing and acting like one when nobody's around.
  • Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: Used several times throughout the course of the series. One of the most notable examples might be Scooby-Doo at the end of Episode 51.
    Scooby-Doo: Professor Pericles is going to regret the day he ever messed with Scooby. Dooby. Doo.
  • Punny Name:
    • Rung Ladderton, who sells ladders.
    • Skipper Shellton, who runs a clam restaurant.
    • Rusty Gnales (Nails), construction contractor.
    • Mr. E, whose identity is a mystery.
    • Ed Machine, who works for the aforementioned Mr. E but could himself go by the name Mr. E Machine.
  • Putting on the Reich: Frau Bluke's robots in "The Midnight Zone" have a strong resemblance to Nazi stormtroopers.

    R 
  • Race Lift: Luna of the Hex Girls. She's a couple shades darker than her appearance on What's New, Scooby-Doo?, but closer to her original appearance.
  • Real After All: In Season 2 it's revealed ghosts do exist.
    • In Night on Haunted Mountain, the ghost of Fernando El Aguirre, the captain of the conquistadors, appears in the wreckage of his ship, whispers "Nibiru..." and then turns to bone and fades away laughing evilly.
    • In The Midnight Zone, Abigail Gluck's desiccated corpse whispers "Nibiru..." after Mystery Inc. discovers it.
    • Episode 41, the friar's ghost really was trying to warn them. And from the looks of things, the overall mystery of the disk, might actually be supernatural too.
    • Velma has a Heroic BSoD in episode 48 in regards to this as she's normally skeptical about the supernatural, and her trust of logic and facts in helping to solving the gang's cases had failed her.
  • Reasonable Authority Figure: Mayor Nettles in season two who, unlike the previous mayor and most of the adults in general, is generally supportive of Mystery Inc.'s actions. In fact she actively worked to get the group back together in the season two premiere.
  • Redemption Equals Death: In Episode 17: Danny Darrow, the last survivor of the Darrow family, had booby-trapped his mansion in order to keep hold of a clue to the Haunted Treasure. Upon realizing that he'd wasted his life, he told the gang to take it and escape from the collapsing dwelling. His last words were "I hope it brings you more happiness than it ever did me."
    • Episode 37 starts with the gang still not trusting Angel/Cassidy. At the climax, after Professor Pericles sets off explosions destroying the underwater city, Cassidy stays behind to unhook the claw holding the Moby Dick submarine tail so the gang can escape. Everyone learns that Cassidy did not survive when Scooby (the seal) finds her diving helmet, shattered.
    • Episode 52 has Hot Dog Water holding Pericles in check so the gang can enter the gateway towards the cursed treasure, but she gets tripped up by Brad and Judy. Pericles' robots take aim at her, and moments later as the gang cross a bridge, the clatter of gunfire sounds in the distance. Scooby turns his head back and whimpers, and Velma sadly says, "Just keep going, Scooby."
    • Same episode: Mr. E/Ricky, who had already rebelled against Pericles, staves off one of the robots so the kids can destroy the entity but he is consumed by it seconds later.
      • Thankfully, thanks to the gang destroying Nibiru, the timeline was re-written and Cassidy, Ricky and Marcie are all now quite alive.
  • Red Eyes, Take Warning: The Fright Hound in episode 10.
  • Refuge in Audacity: In the first episode, Fred opts to steal one of the bodies after the Sheriff won't listen to him.
  • Relationship Reveal: The show decides to stop holding back, taking the long implied fanon tease between Fred and Daphne and less-teased-fanon thing between Shaggy and Velma and canonizing them in the show, in about as blatant a way as they could get away with.
  • Remember the New Guy?: A character that was not seen until an episode acts like they have been well known. Though expect this character being the bad guy.
  • Ret-Gone: After defeating the Nibiru entity, the timeline collapses to create one where he never existed, and any trace of his existence has vanished with him, such as his negative influence on the people of Crystal Cove's lives, creating a much Lighter and Softer world.
  • Retraux: In Mystery Solvers Club State Finals, Mystery Inc. is shown using their old designs (eg. Velma without hair bows) and a subdued palette to give it a retro feel reminiscent of the original 1960's cartoon.
  • Retro Universe: Inspired by Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? and the 1960s, with 21st century tech and snark. Which some have decided to dub "Cyber-Funk."
  • The Reveal: in episode 46, we learn from a possessed Nova that Scooby-Doo, Professor Pericles, and other intelligent/talking animals like them are descendants of the animal hosts of Anunnaki, beings from another dimension with no physical form in ours, who come to Earth when Nibiru, revealed to be the time when the worlds are closest, occurs. While some have helped humanity through the ages, the one sealed in the crystal coffin is pure evil, and must not be released.
    • The fact that not only was there a Mystery Inc before the gang, there have been mystery solving groups all throughout history. From the Fraternitas Mysterium, a brotherhood of detective friars and their pet donkey Porto, all the way back to mesoamerica with the Hunters of Secrets and their pet Jaguar Spot.
    • And speaking of the Fraternitas Mysterium, not only do we see that ghosts are real when the actual ghost of Frier Serra shows up, he tells Mystery Inc the truth of what happened. The Evil Entity always corrupted the animal of the group to do his bidding. Porto did not try to save Crystal Cove from being destroyed, he caused the destruction.
  • Rewatch Bonus:
    • "Scooby Doo Mystery Inc S 1 E 1 Beware The Beast From Below":
      • The episode title has a Double Meaning. It is revealed later in the show that the Big Bad behind the show's Myth Arc is also sealed away in Crystal Cove's caverns. Daphne finding Judy's locket sets off the show's chain of events.
      • Why was Mayor Jones shocked and angry to see the locket, but didn't say anything about it? The locket was the Iconic Item of the original Mystery Inc., whose disappearance he was responsible for.
      • Similarly, why did Sheriff Stone seem to have no idea what the locket was, either? It's a Red Herring. He doesn't know anything about it either, he was just being his usual awkward self.
      • How did the man at the end of the episode contact the kids at K-Ghoul? Angel contacted Mr. E. after she saw that the kids had one of their lockets from their Mystery Incorporated days, hence why she doesn't look surprised when they receive his call.
    • "Scooby Doo Mystery Inc S 1 E 13 When The Cicada Calls":
    • "Scooby Doo Mystery Inc S 1 E 14 Mystery Solvers Club State Finals":
      • The episode is All Just a Dream... but after certain revelations in Season 2, that raises the question of whether or not there actually was some truth in this dream. To put it briefly, dreams can be manifestations of space-time shenanigans (like the Entity's influence) interacting with your mind. Scooby is also the first to access the dream realm, so this episode was possibly Foreshadowing that dreams may be able to see through different points in space and time.
      • In addition, Jabberjaw is probably the most similar to Scooby in that they're both Talking Animals in a group consisting of them and four humans. Which would mean the Neptunes could've been a result of the Entity's influence. This is stopped since the Entity is destroyed before the Neptunes could possibly come to existence.
      • Though Mudsy isn't a Talking Animal, his betrayal as their team mascot might've been Foreshadowing that Pericles and his predecessors in previous mystery-solving groups are destined to Face–Heel Turn and turn against their team.
      • Angel. She lost her friends to a mysterious monster threatening to hurt them too, and of course, they were both betrayed by a team mascot. Her presence at the state finals, unknowingly or not to her, indirectly represented the original Mystery Incorporated.
    • "Scooby Doo Mystery Inc S 1 E 16 Where Walks Aphrodite":
      • Pericles asks Angel if they've met before. He's certainly aware that she's actually a former friend of his, Cassidy Williams.
      • Angel, unlike the gang, is not surprised to see Ed Machine. They're associates under Mr. E.
    • "Scooby Doo Mystery Inc S 1 E 26 All Fear The Freak":
      • In the ending of the previous episode, we see the Freak watching the Gang and Angel at the old Spanish church and speaking ominously about how he'll continue his plans. At the beginning of this episode, the first thing we see of Mayor Jones is him looking wistfully at the photo of Fred's "mother". We learn by the end that he wasn't sad about missing his ex and combined with the fact that this episode immediately follows "Pawn of Shadows", he was likely thinking about everything he's done in regards to his search for the Planispheric Disc now that he knows that Cassidy (and from what he knows, possibly the rest of the original Mystery Incorporated) are still after it and that the Gang wants to finish the job.
      • How does the Freak have superhuman strength and seeming Offscreen Teleportation/Super-Speed despite Mayor Jones being an ordinarily fit man and no indication that he has any equipment on his Freak costume? The Entity’s influence may have given him some Reality Warper powers, allowing monsters like the Freak to be superhuman when in costume.
      • There’s an emphasis on the full moon in the background as Fred and the Freak struggle on the cliff. Once you learn what it means, the significance of the shot is that it references the fact that Mayor Jones became evil because of a higher influence... rather than by his own choices.
      • Why didn’t the Freak save Fred when they were dangling off the cliff to begin with if he truly cared about him? ”Nightmare In Red” suggests that Mayor Jones’ good side only managed to rise up once he heard Fred cry out for help and lasted long enough to go back & save him, which is why he hesitates after saving Fred — he didn't know why he suddenly chose to go back and save him.
  • Rhymes on a Dime: The Phantom and the Freak of Crystal Cove. Dark Lilith, as well.
  • Riding into the Sunset: Sunrise rather than sunset, but this happens at the end of the series finale.
  • Rockers Smash Guitars: Scooby and Shaggy at the end of "Dance of the Undead."
  • Rube Goldberg Device: Freddy's traps have gotten a lot more elaborate. And even less successful.
  • Rule of Funny: Mystery Solvers Club State Finals is aired at a point in the series in which no confirmed supernatural phenomenon had been witnessed other than talking animals. Despite this, no one questions The Funky Phantom being a ghost, Speed Buggy being an animated vehicle, or Captain Caveman, and Jabber Jaw casually mentions that he's a time-traveler (likely also Captain Caveman's reason for being there, but never stated). Eventually turns out to be All Just a Dream.
  • Runaway Train: Played straight near the end of "The Wild Brood", complete with knocked-out engineer, the brakes failing, destroyed bridge and the locomotive completely demolished in an explosion.
  • Running Gag: Once an Episode, when the villain has been unmasked and does the classic You Meddling Kids, it will be played with in some way.
    • Velma is still upset Shaggy broke up with her.
    • Velma being assumed to be a boy, or considered homely. Finally subverted by her mother, who indirectly calls her a real looker.


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