Can I just begin by saying I really dig this version of Scooby-Doo? Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated has been a blast from the beginning. I always hear how people immediately dismiss the show just because it's Scooby-Doo. That's an unfortunate thing because while the show retains the classic elements of the Mystery Inc gang, the show has taken the franchise in another direction.
The twenty-six episode first season is over and this volume contains episodes 9-12 ("Battle of the Humungonauts," "Howl of the Fright Hound," "The Secret Serum" and "The Shrieking Madness"). Of course the biggest complaint is that this only has four episodes and the full season hasn't been released yet. I agree that is a major bummer but you can look at this release of 90 minutes of Scooby fun as a sort of move release. Will the complete season be released in one package someday? You would assume so but we still haven't seen complete seasons of Batman: The Brave and the Bold. If anything, these smaller packages make it easier for parents to pick up for their kids.
The entire show is centered around a giant mystery involving the original Mystery Incorporated team from long ago. All throughout the series, the gang has been getting clues and directions from someone calling themselves Mr. E. With some of the bombshells that were dropped in the twenty-sixth episode, it's really interesting going back and watching these episodes. Episode 10, "How of the Fright Hound" with the first appearance of Professor Pericles was pretty cool. Hints were dropped way back then.
== TEASER ==
One of the changes in the series was the budding romance between Velma and Shaggy. You could almost call it a love triangle with Scooby involved. These are the episodes that deal with the relationship when everyone involved has to confront the issue.
We also have Fred obsessed with building traps while Daphne is obsessed with Fred. Fred might seem...less intelligent than before but his lines had me cracking up when watching the episodes once again.
The addition of the gang's parents (who only make minimal appearances) and the combination of single adventures tied to the overall giant mystery makes this a great rendition of Scooby-Doo. More episodes released would be nice but for now it's a matter of taking what you can get.
Season 1 Volume 3 is in stores today. Check out these video clips if you still haven't checked out the show on Cartoon Network.