Crybaby Clown returns, only he's kidnapped Fred's psychiatrist, the plastic surgeon of Shaggy's mother, Cassidy's hairdresser, a publicist, and Daphne.
This episode provides examples of:
- Actor Allusion: John Billingsley plays a doctor again (albeit of a different kind).
- Belly-Scraping Flight: Happens to the getaway plane twice during the climax, when Fred pulls it out of a power-dive, then steers it through some crazy maneuvers to toss the Clown around the interior. Luckily, this takes place over the Pacific and the fuselage's belly is only dipped, not ripped.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: It turns out that Baylor never really loved Daphne. He was using her as a means of getting an Oscar, by putting her (unwillingly) in his movie.
- Credits Gag: Daphne is in the episode as much as ever, but because she's quit, the opening credits replace her,
crush gag and all, with Hot Dog Water.- The original crush gag was Daphne cuddling a tablet with Fred's picture and returns to that in the fifth episode of this season, as the next episode still contains the Hot Dog Water version of the intro. Hot Dog Water cuddles a tablet with Velma's image.
- Curb Stomp Cushion: Even though they get tied up by the Crybaby Clown, Shaggy and Scooby manage to evade him for a while and even distract him.
- Dick Dastardly Stops to Cheat: A really egregious one with Baylor. He was already a fairly wealthy actor so he could have hired his crew after studying the monsters of Crystal Cove. Daphne would have been flattered if he had simply asked her to star in his movie. It would have also been a boost for everyone's business.
- Enforced Method Acting: In-universe, Baylor was kidnapping people for real so their reactions during filming would be genuine.
- Failed a Spot Check: Kippel fails to hear the Clown sneaking up on him, even as the gang try pointing it out to him.
- Fanservice: Baylor and Fred both with their shirts off.
- Heroic BSoD: Fred gets another severe one when Daphne again refuses to come back to the gang, freezing up and falling over on the spot. The gang just put him on a cart, still frozen in the same pose, and wheel him about (and replace his torn shirt), until he finally reboots some time later.
- Implausible Deniability: Fred claims he's not seeing a shrink. He doesn't need one! Then Velma mentions said shrink has been kidnapped, and Fred glumly admits he knows.
- Important Haircut: Cassidy Williams gets her trademark Angel Dynamite afro cut as she begins to atone for deceiving the kids previously.
- Ink-Suit Actor:
- Dr. Henklefust bears a striking resemblance to John Billingsley.
- J.R. Kippel looks a lot like Jim Rash.
- Let's Get Dangerous!: Fred in the climax refuses to use a trap to save Daphne and the others. Instead, he climbs onto the plane and gets into the pilot's seat to turn it around. When the clown is distracted, he knocks him out with a punch.
- Monster Clown: Crybaby Clown.
- Monster of the Week: Crybaby Clown returns from two episodes prior.
- Red Herring: J.R. Kippel the obnoxious publicist, who the gang suspect is the Crybaby Clown. It's actually Baylor.
- Smoke Out: Crybaby Clown grabs Kippel, and throws down a bottle of smoke. After a second, it clears, and there's no sign of the Clown or Kippel.
- Status Quo Is God: Daphne's boyfriend turns out to be a bad guy and she's getting back with the gang.Fred: Um, you know, Daphne, you could come back to me... to the gang, I mean.
Daphne: Really? I'd like that, very much.
<Scooby hugs Daphne>
Scooby: Hooray! Daphne's back. Group hug.
<Fred, Velma and Shaggy hug Daphne>
Scooby: Scooby Dooby Doo! And Daphne, too. - Title Drop: "The Night the Clown Cried" is the name of Baylor's planned movie.
- Took a Level in Badass: Fred in the climactic scenes.
- [Verb] This!: "Small town this!" (slap)
- Wham Episode: After refusing to rejoin the gang since Fred called off the marriage proposal, Daphne officially rejoins Mystery Inc.
- Scooby: Hooray! Daphne's back. Group hug.
<Fred, Velma, and Shaggy hug Daphne>
Scooby: Scooby Dooby Doo! And Daphne, too.
