Alright, let's try this again. We are going to do last week's ghost town poll again with a clearer prompt, since "ghost town" was admittedly rather vague. This time, we're changing the prompt to "favorite Old West episode." This means all of the Yabba-Doo episodes qualify, except for "Go East, Young Pardner" as that episode took place in New York. I was generous with what I included here and tried to pick any episode that people could consider as qualifying for this prompt, even if it could be a bit of a stretch (i.e. "Night on Haunted Mountain"). If I've missed anything, feel free to leave a comment and let me know!
Thanks to Shadowscooby and Mr. Neither for suggesting this week's poll idea! Here are the results for last week's poll: What is your favorite dinosaur episode? Hang in There, Scooby-Doo! - 21 Legend of the Phantosaur - 17 Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed - 6 3-D Struction - 5 Attack of the Weird Al-osaurus! - 4 Scary Christmas - 3 The Dinosaur Deception - 2 Sweet Dreams Scooby - 1 Scooby-Doo and the Sky Town Cool School! - 1
76 Comments
3/2/2024 10:55:22 pm
I rewatched the Yabba-Doo episodes over the course of this week. Although they're all ranked as the bottom 12, some were better than others, but there were a couple REALLY low points here lol.
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3/2/2024 11:04:12 pm
Wasn't sure where to place "Scooby Ghosts West" at first and I see I ended up forgetting to rank it entirely. I'd put it between "Up a Crazy River" and "Alien Schmalien." I would say it was one of the better Scrappy shorts. Even though the ghosts were kinda silly with stealing people's blankets and stuff, I thought it was one of the better Scrappy shorts in the sense that it had a cohesive plot and didn't necessarily feel as much like mess-around antics as some of the others. The idea of the invisible ghosts was also cool even if it could have been a little better executed.
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3/3/2024 11:50:47 am
I'd rank "The Spooky Fog" in between "Night on Haunted Mountain" and Shaggy's Showdown.
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Matt
3/3/2024 06:38:28 pm
17. The postman thing was actually Mine Your Own Business I believe
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3/3/2024 06:47:14 pm
17. Yeah, I think you're right. I watched these all in one sitting yesterday, so they started to bleed together for me from how montonous the plots were.
Carson Maitland - Smith
3/2/2024 11:34:52 pm
The Movieland Monsters
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Becker
3/3/2024 02:06:02 am
I'm gonna go with Go West Young Scoob on this one. I've seen people say it's a lower rank WNSD episode, but I really dig what it's doing a lot. Since I was a kid this has been one of my favorite WNSD eps, which isn't easy. A Bum Steer for Scooby and Mine Your Own Business are amazing too, an easy top 3 for this poll. Ghastly Ghost Town doesn't match them, it's one of the lesser NSDMo eps. Shaggy's Showdown is a highlight of the more modern films. We don't talk about the Yabba Doo segments. And everything else is meh.
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Mr Neither
3/3/2024 09:41:12 am
Wow, we really have differing views on Go West Young Scoob.
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Becker
3/4/2024 02:15:06 pm
I don't know how I forgot Night on Haunted Mountain was on here. Great SDMI episode, with one of the most bone-chilling scenes in the entire franchise, the ending still gives me goosebumps every time I see it.
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3/4/2024 03:35:41 pm
I was surprised that you were implying "Night on Haunted Mountain" was meh when I first read your comment yesterday, but I was like "well, guess he must not like that one" lol.
Becker
3/4/2024 05:05:32 pm
Lol I definitely would never want to suggest Guess Who and the Scrappy shorts could remotely be in the same ball park as SDMI. Night on Haunted Mountain is actually in the top half of season 2 for me. Big L for omitting it on my part.
Matt
3/4/2024 07:06:50 pm
Well, I would put a handful of Scrappy shorts over Stand and Deliver specifically (only that certain episode) but certainly not Night on Haunted Mountain, which is absolutely a standout episode for me. And I agree with you about that ending, just one of the best scenes of the series
Becker
3/5/2024 04:10:51 am
Stand and Deliver is a weak spot, but it's not even my least favorite of the series. There are a number of ironically iconic Scrappy shorts that I would happily watch for the sheer batshit entertainment value over a majority of the episodes in the Scooby-Doo franchise honestly, but I would not rank them higher than most of those purely as just episodes.
Matt
3/5/2024 09:26:56 am
I agree in a way, but probably not to the extent that you discount those shorts. For example, I really enjoyed Up a Crazy River and Slippery Dan the Escape Man in my ranking below, but I couldn’t rank it above even two of the weaker New Scooby Doo Movies episodes, and that decision wasn’t even close
Becker
3/5/2024 10:20:57 am
Wild Brood and Siren's Song. Both of them are really damn boring and tedious. And on top of that Wild Brood has a bizarre plot and premise in an off-putting way rather than an intriguing one, while Siren's Song focuses almost completely on Velma when she was at her absolute lowest point in the show, it's quite difficult to follow her character willingly here.
Matt
3/5/2024 11:31:44 am
Those aren’t bad choices for worst SDMI episode either, especially Wild Brood. It isn’t one I return to much, but I’d be more willing to defend Siren’s Song than Wild Brood, because I truly think that is a key moment for Velma in this series. She isn’t my favorite character that series, especially at that moment, but it feels like you get more insight to her as a character during that time, maybe even making her more sympathetic. But I kinda agree with you that it is one of the last episodes I really come back to of the series even then 3/5/2024 02:05:36 pm
"Stand and Deliver" is my least favorite, and I'd say "The Wild Brood" is my second least favorite. "The Siren's Song" is one of my least favorites, although hot take, I might put "Howl of the Fright Hound" before it. I really liked the villain here but I felt the whole episode got overshadowed by the mess that was the Shaggy/Velma/Scooby drama, which brings it down a lot for me.
Becker
3/5/2024 05:23:28 pm
@Matt, tbf, Siren's Song kinda marks the end of the shitty Velma we had had for most of the series at that point, so I get what you mean by the importance of this ep humanizing her as a character and setting her on a path for betterment and personal growth (even though she's still not very likable at this point in the show and she really starts to improve from the end of Siren's Song). For that reason I would say Wild Brood is the worst one, since that one really has no relevance nor entertainment value to bring to the table for me (even Stand and Deliver has a quite a good amount of entertainment value despite the sus subtext interwoven throughout).
Matt
3/6/2024 09:25:35 am
The Wild Brood is probably somewhere in my bottom 5, I’m not really sure how that worst ranking goes besides Stand and Deliver in last. The Devouring is probably somewhere down there as well and probably The Secret Serum. I think The Siren’s Song probably would not be in that bottom 5. 3/6/2024 01:21:20 pm
"Aliens Among Us" is another one I consider weaker; I love the villains here, but the mystery felt a bit rushed to me compared to other episodes. I do really like the villain choice and the scene where they meet Pericles in "Howl of the Fright Hound," but the drama overshadows it for me. It's definitely not a bad episode though, just on the lower end of my series rankings in an overall great series.
Matt
3/6/2024 03:58:02 pm
I completely forgot about Aliens Among Us LMAO. Yeah, that is probably bottom 5 due to being incredibly forgettable
Becker
3/6/2024 10:12:36 pm
Aliens Among Us has the weakest mystery of all SDMI imo, it's reminiscent of the SDWAY eps where there are literally no suspects. Here the only suspects we have we are only aware of through the gang's investigation, we never meet them until they're unmasked. Well, one of them didn't even need to be unmasked cuz it was in plain sight who she was despite her costume. Like they didn't even try lol. The episode had a lot of potential, starting off as a Signs-esque plot, but then it slowly descended into a heist chase plot. Disappointing, but not a bad episode. It's saved by Bronson and the ending post-unmasking. 3/6/2024 10:17:42 pm
@Matt Yeah, same for me. I liked the introduction of Pericles quite a bit, and the monster was cool, but neither of those really made the episode stand out for me I guess.
Matt
3/7/2024 09:39:03 am
I get what you mean about the dip in the second half of the episode, but at the same time, anything from season 2 of The Scooby Doo Show is miles better than Aliens Among Us lmao
Becker
3/7/2024 12:22:09 pm
Yeah, I'd much rather rewatch Creepy Heap from the Deep than Aliens Among Us lol. A more fitting analogy would be Warlock of Wimbledon (even then it's more entertaining for the batshitness). 3/7/2024 01:43:03 pm
Yeah, all I meant is just that they were similar in the sense of the first part of the episode being strong, and the second half not being as good in comparison. They're definitely not comparable quality-wise lol.
Matt
3/7/2024 03:29:00 pm
Yeah, Warlock of Wimbledon is definitely a much closer comparison in terms of quality lol. Though even then, I'd also probably take Warlock of Wimbledon over Aliens Among Us lol 3/7/2024 08:07:25 pm
Same, the plot going completely off the rails in "The Warlock of Wimbledon" is much more entertaining lol.
Mr Neither
3/3/2024 09:45:55 am
A Bum Steer for Scooby although Shaggy's showdown was a close second. Also a shoutout to Go West Young Scoob for almost certainly being in the bottom 5% of all Scooby episodes. There is literally nothing going for it. I don't even know how they managed to make that episode last 20 minutes and it is just not a proper Scooby episode for me as there is no real culprit and nothing to try and figure out. Truly up there as one of the worst Scooby episodes ever.
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Becker
3/3/2024 12:14:40 pm
Never expected such vitriol towards Go West Young Scoob lol. We truly have complete opposite views on it indeed. It's awesome to me.
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Mr Neither
3/3/2024 02:03:32 pm
It just bores me to death, sorry! 3/3/2024 04:08:19 pm
I'm in the middle between you both, although more leaning towards Becker. I used to dislike the episode when I was younger because I found it to be pretty boring, but I've grown to appreciate it a bit more over time for how different it is. I totally understand why someone wouldn't like it though, and I'd still rank it towards the bottom of WNSD even if I do enjoy it.
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Matt
3/3/2024 06:40:16 pm
I also fall more in the middle. I'd probably have it near the 30 spot for me, but I definitely enjoy it so I lean towards Becker's view as well
Becker
3/3/2024 06:52:52 pm
I definitely think Go West Young Scoob has a lot of cool, unique, intriguing stuff going for it; these types of novel episodes do tend to grab me, but I can understand why they wouldn't be other people's cup of tea.
Shadowscooby
3/3/2024 10:21:55 am
What about Spooky Fog and Weird Winds.
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3/3/2024 11:50:11 am
I added "The Spooky Fog," although I don't think "Weird Winds of Winona" is a western town. It's a real life town in Minnesota, which isn't in the west.
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Shadowscooby
3/3/2024 10:25:18 am
Shaggy’s Showdown
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Jacob Staggs
3/3/2024 11:00:14 am
5) Arizona and Holland
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3/3/2024 04:06:53 pm
Agreed "Scooby Ghosts West" has really nice backgrounds. What's your favorite New Scooby-Doo Movies episode, out of curiosity?
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Jacob Staggs
3/3/2024 07:03:34 pm
My favorite New Scooby Doo Movies episode is Caped Crusader Caper. Sassy Fred. The return of bat cookies. Professor Flakey. Need I say more? 3/3/2024 10:03:00 pm
You need not say more, that is an excellent choice of favorite NSDM episode haha. (Plus we also get No-Pants Batman!)
Scoobylover
3/3/2024 01:21:25 pm
Matthew Lillard has been interviewed and mentioned a kids-oriented Scooby project is in the works
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3/3/2024 04:06:26 pm
Thanks for sharing this! I'll be interested to see what the project is, although I'm wondering if he's referring to a new video game with the way he worded his comment.
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Matt
3/3/2024 03:07:15 pm
I rewatched the Yabba shorts for this because I figured they were short anyway, the results were... certainly something. I did not have the time to watch Scooby Dudes or Shaggy's Showdown though, maybe my time would've been spent better there. In fact, that is probably a near certainty, but anyway
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3/3/2024 04:53:34 pm
Shaggy's Showdown is miles better than any of the Yabba shorts; "Scooby Dudes" is kinda fun for what it is, but I can see how it wouldn't be for everybody.
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Matt
3/3/2024 07:07:59 pm
20. I don't know if I would go as far as to have it as one of my very worst episodes (definitely not as bad A Mystery Solving Gang Divided, Scooby of the Jungle, Scooby Dooby Guru, or Ransom of Scooby Chief to list a few that stand out there) and obviously I prefer it over two other Yabba episodes lol. But its writing quality was shocking in a very bad way 3/3/2024 09:51:05 pm
20. I'd honestly rank "Bride and Groom" as the second-worst episode of the franchise, it was that miserable of a rewatch for me. "Law and Disorder" wouldn't be as low as the other episodes you listed there, but it's pretty low for me. There's another Yabba-Doo episode I would put close "Scooby of the Jungle," which thankfully was the one Yabba episode that wasn't in today's poll ("Go East Young Pardner") due to it taking place in New York. It was another one where they clearly put zero thought into having the writing make any kind of sense, and the weird angry stereotypes about New Yorkers just made it unpleasant to watch.
Becker
3/4/2024 06:02:56 am
@Wildwind, great #1 pick. Scooby Dooby Guru is rough to say the least. "Nothing real could be this gruesome" still lives rent-free in my head lol. Maybe the most offensive line in the history of Scooby-Doo? And to multiple different groups of people too. What other ones would you put up there? Perhaps Fred's much needed insight into the similarities between deserts and women. 3/4/2024 10:57:44 am
I think "Nothing this gruesome could be real" is easily the most offensive line in the franchise. Other ones that come to mind for me would be Fred's weird desert line in "Ghastly Ghost Town" and Shaggy and Scooby's Chinese impression in "Mystery Mask Mix-Up."
Becker
3/4/2024 02:35:17 pm
Ah yeah, the Chinese impression was quite questionable, particularly the way their faces were animated during it. 3/4/2024 03:40:09 pm
Yeah, Shaggy definitely did some questionable things during that era lol. I momentarily forgot about "Double Trouble Date," but yeah, that was definitely messed up on Shaggy's part. If he really wanted to go out with them both, it's kinda ridiculous that he would come up with this extremely elaborate scheme rather than just changing the date or something lol.
Becker
3/4/2024 05:13:59 pm
Or he could've just taken out the girl he was more interested in and told the other one an issue had come up and the date needed to be called off (if he maybe didn't expect both of them to accept the date and he was just shooting his shots, if there's any benefit of the doubt I could give Shaggy here). But to instead make a dog in disguise go out with one of the girls is just inexcusable no matter what way you look at it lmao.
Matt
3/4/2024 06:32:15 pm
My loosely ordered bottom 10 at the moment would be: 3/4/2024 07:35:32 pm
@Becker Ah yes, Guess Who catfished us all with that awful theme song lol.
Matt
3/4/2024 08:04:12 pm
I guess how you feel about Double Trouble Date is me with Law and Disorder and Go East Young Pardner, those episodes are terrible but I don't have them as low as you do 3/4/2024 08:49:02 pm
I didn't remember much about "Double Trouble Date" other than the basic plot, so I just rewatched it. It's still not on my worst list, but it honestly feels like a bizarre piece of fanfiction that somebody would write. The plot also makes even less sense than I remembered, as the whole plot is based around the girl not knowing she's on a date with a dog due to having issues with her glasses...except it's a double date with Shaggy and the girl he's going out with, so how are both of the girls fooled? lol
Becker
3/5/2024 04:25:12 am
@Matt, my top 10 worst eps would comprise of all 10 Velma eps lol. But if we don't include that, then pick almost whichever 5 eps of Guess Who and the Scrappy shorts in whatever order, I can't even muster up to go through them individually to assess which ones are the worst. Dissecting and deep diving into these 2 shows is the last thing I intend on doing lmao.
Matt
3/5/2024 09:02:11 am
@Wildwind- Yeah it is just so strange and bizarre, and not
Becker
3/5/2024 10:36:59 am
Scooby Dooby Guru is usually the first episode my mind goes to when I think "worst Scooby episode" (besides all of Velma). It's the prime example of every aspect that makes those shorts suck. So if I had to choose one, it would probably be that. Shaggy's infamous line is what tips it over to #1 if anything lol, and I'm not even part of the groups of people it targets. Still can't believe how they managed to let that slide, the censors must have been sleeping.
Matt
3/5/2024 11:38:46 am
Yeah, it definitely deserves that worst spot, it is unfathomably offensive. I honestly wish I could give it my worst spot, but A Mystery Solving Gang Divided is just such a sour and absolutely miserable watch for me that it has to be my worst, with the note that I haven’t seen Velma and wouldn’t count it if I had. Honestly, Ransom of Scooby Chief used to be my very worst episode, but not only is that not the case anymore, but that episode is actually PLEASANT compared to A Mystery Solving Gang Divided for me now 3/5/2024 01:59:09 pm
@Becker Mine would too lol, that's why I excluded them here. Oh yeah, I remember that "The Scooby-Doo Project" comment (I just checked and it's from 2009, nearly 15 years ago). For whatever reason, I remember not liking it when I first watched it because I found it really weird, but my perspective on that episode has done a complete 180, and I'd honestly consider it the best special now.
Matt
3/5/2024 04:39:39 pm
A 180 of opinion on The Scooby Doo Project doesn’t surprise me too much tbh. I always liked it, but it took a little bit of time for me to see it as a franchise masterpiece as I do now so I get how it needed to take time to really resonate
Becker
3/5/2024 06:02:24 pm
@Wildwind, genuinely atrocious ending from every standpoint. But especially Lucy saying "Well, nobody's perfect" and then knowingly and willingly kissing Scooby has so many bestiality alarms going off, it's genuinely disgusting. Like, what the fuck am I watching!?. Betty being completely aware yet perfectly fine with the whole situation from the start makes no sense whatsoever, as a rational human being you should leave Shaggy if he's doing this shit. Moose, the "villain", is actually the person most in the right and most justified in his actions lmao. Maybe it's just me, but seems 100% understandable to wanna beat up a guy for setting up your sister with a dog. The writers clearly don't agree. The only clever moment in the whole episode was Lucy asking Scooby what his accent is and him responding with "Danish", cuz of his dog breed. I liked those 3 seconds of the runtime. And Shaggy trying to gaslight Moose when they sit at the table made me smirk purely for the nonsense, Shaggy's unhinged there. Oh yeah, and Scrappy was in the episode, barely noticed him besides the rollercoaster confrontation.
Matt
3/6/2024 09:29:16 am
The entire episodes just crosses over into uncomfortably weird territory rather than interestingly weird. I truly can’t believe they made this episode. Part of me wants to leave it off my worst list at times because it’s kinda funny to just gawk at it, but then I rewatch it and realize what a trainwreck both in idea and execution it is. Moose is 100% the hero here lol 3/6/2024 01:17:52 pm
@Becker I hadn't remembered Betty being complicit in Shaggy's behavior before rewatching it, but I was shocked when the first line was Betty being like "I can't believe you're tricking this other girl, Shaggy" lol. I honestly would have dumped Shaggy if I were her. The "Danish" line was the one part that got a good laugh out of me too; that was a clever line haha.
Becker
3/3/2024 06:49:11 pm
"I rewatched the Yabba shorts", I feel so bad for you lol. You definitely should've spent that time watching Shaggy's Showdown, it's actually worth a damn. I would not choose to watch a Yabba short under any circumstances, it really ain't it.
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Matt
3/3/2024 07:19:32 pm
Well to be fair, re-watching Yabba shorts just to know isn't exactly the same amount of mental capacity that would've been used to watch a movie I've never seen. I would want to sit down and really pay attention to the movie, where with these, I didn't really have to pay THAT much attention lol 3/3/2024 09:37:31 pm
I would definitely rank "The Spooky Fog" as the better episode too, and as to who the better guest star is, you might say it's Knott even a competition lol.
JakeSDfan27
3/3/2024 05:20:51 pm
Mine Your Own Business (Where Are You) (Good)
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3/3/2024 06:36:53 pm
Great ratings, Jake! I'd definitely recommend Shaggy's Showdown. It's my favorite DTV that we've gotten in the past 10 years.
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Dzsasztin
3/4/2024 05:17:45 am
Vild Vest Vampire is a standout of Yabba shorts. I don't know what went sort of right in production, because Gary Greenfield wrote all the episodes, and with that one exception they are monstrously bad!
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3/4/2024 10:52:59 am
Totally agreed on "Vild Vest Vampire," and not just because there was a supernatural threat. I felt the atmosphere was significantly better and more interesting. I have no idea if they had separate writers for Yabba and Scooby, but if that was the case, maybe they got somebody who wrote for the Scooby shorts to make a supernatural episode.
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Shadowscooby
3/5/2024 08:59:52 am
Scooby Dudes:
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3/5/2024 01:42:26 pm
It's admittedly been a long time since I've seen this one, but I also enjoyed the episode. The super bulls were interesting villains. I also liked the George Bush scene haha.
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Jacob Staggs
3/5/2024 11:41:06 am
My top 10 worst episodes evolve over time within reason. Here they are in no particular order
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3/5/2024 01:41:39 pm
Oh wow, this is a super interesting list! Fun to see different opinions. I remembered you hated "What the Hex Going On?", although "Curse of the Viking Lake" being on here was a surprise. Interesting to see "Scooby of the Jungle" on every list that's been commented here.
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