Mallena’s Musings: Supernatural 13.16 “Scoobynatural”

I should probably begin by stating my apathy for Scooby-Doo. I’m a child of the sixties and seventies, so yes, I did watch the show. There wasn’t much else on, in those days. If you wanted to watch cartoons with your morning cereal, you watched what three or so channels offered. Even though Supernatural did a wonderful job with the episode, overall…”Scoobynatural” isn’t going on my rewatch list anytime soon.

The Road So Far

Mary, Jack, and assorted friends/enemies continue to languish in the devastated alternate reality. Anytime that storyline wants to take off and provide some drama is alright with me. In our reality, the gang’s hunting up some ways to rescue their compadres, whilst getting to interact with some of Dean’s favorite childhood pals. I’d rather get down to more serious business, but that’s just me.

Review

The format for this episode is very nice. I did love the live-action parts and the cold-opening featuring none other than our beloved brothers fighting a giant stuffed dino – that’s an amazing sequence. I’m glad the animation’s surrounded by a good story and there are laughs and oddities galore to enjoy. However, I’d enjoy this episode much more if it was Muppetnatural, or SchoolhouseRocknatural. Just imagine Sam’s delight with all of those fascinating facts! Dean might have been a little less enthused about it, but he might have enjoyed running around with the characters of “Interjections!” He could have taught those kids some interjections that they haven’t heard, yet.

Okay, I’m not a fan of slapstick. My idea of Hell would be to put me in a room for eternity with nothing but The Three Stooges playing on a big screen. Horrors. The characters of Scooby-Doo and Shaggy have always been like nails on a blackboard, for me. I can tolerate (kind of) Fred and Daphne, but the only character that I really like, at all, is Velma. I am a Velma, I suppose. Even if I didn’t approve of the choice of cartoon to hang out in, I’m not putting down the episode. It’s great fun, for Scooby lovers, and I do appreciate the way that the writing highlighted cartoon tropes in a way that I can enjoy. Surprisingly, I did get into the episode more when Castiel showed up. With all the Dean-gushing and flirting, Sam running in the background, and silly utterances of Scooby and Shaggy – Cas is a breath of fresh air and the one that I could relate to. He had some great lines and I’m glad that he’s included in this.  He seems more real, somehow, than the others. Now, can we please get back to the scary and/or dramatic? I love the comedy and meta episodes, but too much Scooby-ness makes this one not a favorite of mine.

Musings

Even as a little girl, I wasn’t a big fan of cartoons. I watched them because there was little else available. Nowadays, I only watch animation if there’s singing and dancing. Some modern cartoons do bring the magic and there’s something in the writing, characters, and scenery that makes me enjoy them.  Anyhow, here’s a list of the one’s I did like, from my childhood:

The Flintstones (1960–1965) – The kids were cute.

The Jetsons  (1962–1963) – The futuristic setting intrigued me.

Underdog (1964–1967) – I remember tolerating this one.

Schoolhouse Rock! (1973–1985) – Whenever there was a commercial break and this lively series of educational short films came on, I got so excited.

These are the live-action shows that I preferred to watch during the same period:

The Patty Duke Show (1963–1966) – I was always a big fan of Patty Duke. There was just something special about her. I think I’ve watched every television movie that’s she’s ever made. Her parents basically sold her to her managers at age eight; robbing her of her home, her real name, family, physical/sexual/mental safety, and most of her earnings. Why do talented ladies like Ms. Duke and Judy Garland have such awful parents?

Bewitched (1964-1972) – I loved all the wacky situations that Samantha would have to get herself out of.

Bonanza (1959-1973) – David Canary and Michael Landon added lovely eye-candy to the dramatic and funny plots.

Get Smart (1965-1970) – I was pretty much obsessed with this show. I used to dream myself into the series, often.

My Favorite Martian (1963-1966) – Ray Walston, ladies and gentlemen.

Star Trek (1966-1969) – Tribbles made me laugh.

The Twilight Zone (1959-1964) – I’m always ready for a good scare and bizarre situations. Many of Stephen King’s short stories remind me of this series.

The Partridge Family (1970-1974) – A rocking good time.

The Monkees (1966-1968) – Davy wasn’t my favorite, I liked the dry wit of the beanie-wearing Michael Nesmith. Micky Dolenz was pretty funny, too.

The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour (1971-1974) – Sonny was a laugh riot and Cher could sure swing that hair of hers.

M*A*S*H (1972-1983) – When not hysterically funny, it was sad and layered.

Land of the Lost (1974) – Another obsession; I was devastated when it was canceled.

Starsky & Hutch (1975-1979) Great cop show; funny and emotional.  I ? Hutch.

Battle of the Network Stars (1976-1988) – This couldn’t be replicated in the same way. Back then, whole casts of many shows competed and it was awesome.

The Bionic Woman (1976-1978) – I love you, Jamie Sommers.

Charlie’s Angels (1976-1981) – I watched every episode, all the way through to the end with Julie Rogers. Kris Munroe was my favorite angel.

The Muppet Show (1976-1981) – Go Kermit! I loved the silly songs, sketches, and the celebrity guests.

Soap (1977-1981) – Many great characters, but I loved Chuck and his puppet, most of all.  Bob would get Burt Campbell so wound up that Burt would completely forget that he was arguing with a puppet.

Battlestar Galactica (1978) Captain Apollo, his brief marriage, and his relationship with his stepson really got to me.  I could have done without the robot dog-thing.  Also, who names a kid Boxey?

WKRP in Cincinnati (1978-1982) – If only turkeys could fly.

A feature-length live-action film version of Scooby-Doo was released in 2002. It starred Freddie Prinze, Jr., as Fred, Sarah Michelle Gellar as Daphne, Matthew Lillard as Shaggy, and Linda Cardellini as Velma. I liked it, well enough. The cast was very good in their roles and watching Buffy as Daphne was amazing. I kept expecting her to stab a monster with a stake, though.

After an amazing beginning, I was bored by the cartoon portion. Some good times, in there, though. When a television show includes an animated sequence, I’m never really thrilled with it. I guess it’s just one meta jump too far. Anyone else alive before 1980? Classic TV’s still available for viewing, in some cases. It’s a good thing that I’m not writing about my favorite eighties shows. That would be a long, long, long list.

Thanks for reading!

—–Mallena