Scooby Dudes

We all have different ways with managing our own disappointment. Some people fall victim to their vices, while still others drastically change up the format of their podcast at the risk of alienating listeners. "Scooby-Doo! Mystery Inc.", our expectations were so high . . .

A gigantic haunted semi-trailer truck runs rampant through Crystal Cove, and if that wasn't enough the episode the Scooby Dudes are covering is also dripping with romantic conflict and cutthroat politics! But really that's just the events being talked up for this description. It's an okay episode, and the hosts do their very best to craft a superior recap (to varying levels of success).

Let's be honest, in most circles the descriptor "direct-to-video" is a pretty damning one. In the case of Scooby-Doo cartoons, however, it can actually be a pretty great sign. Higher budget, typical twenty-something-minute runtime, no downsides!

The Scooby Dudes join the gang in Florida, a state famous for the sun, surf, and sand. As is tradition a monster appears, comprised of one of those three components! If you think about it, it's actually pretty lucky for these teens that it wasn't a fiery solar ogre or a gritty silica-based behemoth.

Some might ask why the internet needs yet another Scooby-Doo podcast, or one that recaps or covers any TV show at all. Why not focus on a more high-brow art form, like literature? Well, the Scooby Dudes are the type of duo who believe you can have your cake and eat it too.

Not content to constantly reference Mark Z. Danielewski's acclaimed novel week after week, their first recap has them discuss not one, but two greats in the world of children's lit. All of that on top of a pretty drastic change of formatting their episodes, which resulted in a much shorter installment than usual. Honestly, is there anything they can't do?

How appropriate is it, in light of this new year, that this episode comes out to exactly twenty minutes and seven seconds? Humanity joins together to leave 2007 behind as it welcomes the promise of 2008. Hold on, it's not 2008? [insert Robin Williams "Jumanji" meme here].

Luke and Evan kick off yet another of the Earth's rotation around the sun with a look towards what they expect out of their podcast. Some might consider this installment to be an all-time low, re: juvenile humour, but they still can't believe they completely neglected to say "Happy New Year".

The last episode of Scooby Dudes for 2017 falls on Christmas Day, and what better gift could the hosts give their listeners than almost a full hour of what was originally meant to be not much longer than 20 to 30 minutes. But hey, 'tis the season!

Luke and Evan consider everything they've been through to get where they are today, chilling in their old college town, faced with the very real threat of being trapped there by seriously intense snowfall. They're having the very happiest of holidays, and they hope you do as well!

When did baggy jeans and gold chains become more fashionable than boater hats and canes? Upon further research, it would seem that baggy jeans and gold chains are actually no longer in style. No matter, the point is that what is currently popular will never hold a candle to whatever genre of music barbershop quartets sung!

I mean, can you even imagine a mellow acoustic cover of the titular song in this episode of "The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo" would sound like? Actually, probably not bad at all. Really, a mellow acoustic cover of practically anything is generally pretty timeless. Unrelated, but what do you think about this podcast's theme song?

For the most part, you can really only meet somebody once. With that in mind, Luke and Evan never really touch on the fact that this episode of "The Scooby-Doo Show" has the title character (and frightened hound in question) first meeting one of the demons ABOVE ground. Sure, he bumps into the monster again beneath the surface, but at that point he's no longer meeting him!

Aren't you glad they decided to skim past those semantics? Instead the Scooby Dudes go deep into what these denizens of hell symbolize, as they terrorize the newly founded city of Seattle. There's also just a pinch of one-upmanship, as the two seemingly vie to see who can make the worst/best pun in this episode.

This week Luke and Evan take a break from talking about their favourite meddling kids (and their dumb dog, too) on the ol' idiot box to discussing just two of the teens (no dog) making their way on to the silver screen! But which pair is it, and why isn't it Shaggy and Velma?

The "Scooby Dupe" doesn't come up this episode, so this is as good a place as any to remind you that it's a term the duo have coined for a scenario, typically enacted by Scooby and Shaggy, that holds such great social pressure that the monster chasing them is forced to comply. Never forget.

It's troubling to consider that many writers "write what they know", and thus the only knowledge the handful who came together to write this particular episode of "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!" had about clowns was that they hypnotized people and threw darts at them. Those weren't bright and sunny childhoods, that's for sure.

Writing this the idea arose to put listener's minds at ease by assuring them that ultimately the clown that appears in this episode is harmless, but that really couldn't be further from the truth. This one definitely not only tries to murder four teens, but their dog, too. But hey, at least he's not trying to eat them.

Much like the title of this episode, this week Luke and Evan perform the conversational equivalent of driving directly at one another and waiting until the last possible second to see who will swerve out of the way first. Writing this was a joke at first, but honestly that's not inaccurate with some bits.

After a ten episode break they've returned to "Be Cool, Scooby-Doo!", truly one of the high points of a beloved franchise. They have too many good things to say about the show, and a number of things to say about the creator that they hope are perceived as being good.