The Supernatural crossover episode “Scoobynatural” begins with a bright light that sucks Dean (Jensen Ackles) and Sam (Jared Padalecki) into the television during the Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! episode “A Night of Fright Is No Delight.” It features an all too familiar horror movie trope. They must spend the night in a haunted house as a condition set forth in will of the late Colonel Sanders (Fred Tatasciore). Based on his portrait he appears to have been a Confederate soldier although it’s never explicitly stated. His supposed fortune turns out to be ‘worthless’ Confederate dollars from the Civil War. In fact, these bills can be worth more than face value to collectors; however that may not have been true at the time of its original airing.
The Winchesters team up with Scooby Doo gang: Daphne (Grey Griffin), Velma (Kate Micucci), Shaggy (Matthew Lillard) Fred (Frank Welker) and of course Scooby (Welker), who is named in the will. Sam is perplexed by his brother’s obsession with the cartoon. Dean explains that the show was one constant for him growing on the road hunting demons. The characters were his role models because of their similar occupation. He’s determined to protect their innocence . . . except maybe for Daphne.
Cartoon physics
“Scoobynatural” isn’t you typical Scooby-Doo cartoon. The ghost is real and so are the deaths. It knocks Shaggy out the window and leaves him with a broken arm despite walking away unscathed in the original cartoon.
“I have jumped out of a biplane in a museum and was fine. How did this happen?” Shaggy says in reference to the episode “What a Night for a Knight.”
Castiel (Misha Collins) heals Shaggy’s arm despite being otherwise sans angelic superpowers the rest of the episode when they were desperately needed.
The gang becomes disillusioned when they learn they’re dealing with a real ghost but Dean gives them a pep talk. He recounts all real monsters they beaten with a clever trap. They set up a Rube Goldberg machine to trap the ghost in a washing machine secured with iron chains.
The convoluted plan hinges on coconuts, which they inexplicably have on hand. Sam asks about where they got the coconuts but not how they will trip an intangible ghost hovering in the air.
The plan inevitably fails. Fortunately, the gang has a backup plan. Dean locates secret passage triggered by a conspicuous book on a bookcase though the cartoon characters are oblivious to the Conspicuously Light Patch trope. Modern examples of this are usually intentional but originally the color discrepancy was the unintended byproduct of cel animation. The item being interacted with was drawn on a different cel layer by a different artist.
Scooby hands a pile of books to the ghost, who has inexplicably become tangible. He then triggers a trapdoor causing the ghost to inexplicably fall into a salt circle trap.
Mystery solved
The spooky phantasm is inevitably revealed to be a disguise . . . sort of. He’s actually an innocent ghost boy being forced to haunt businesses so that a shady real estate developer can get the owners to sell. In order to help the gang deal with their subsequent PTSD, the Winchesters insists that they were wrong and there really is no such thing as the supernatural. They convince the boy to take the form of the Colonel’s attorney Cosgood Creeps (Stephen Stanton), the original man in a mask villain of the cartoon.
The episode hits just about every note. The one glaring exception is the complete lack of Scooby Snacks, which Dean should have been drooling over given his fanboy status.
Supernatural ship wrecked
Dean immediately calls “dibs” on Daphne but she clueless to his sexual advances. She quickly rejects his suggestion that they bunk together in drafty house.
“Oh, Dean. Boys and girls don’t sleep in the same room silly,” she corrects him.
Dean resorts to the direct approach and asks Daphne what she looks for in a man. “Strong, sincere and an ascot wouldn’t hurt,” she says clearly referencing Fred. Daphne doesn’t appear to be completely innocent. She worries about going to Hell when realizes the supernatural is real. And while she may not pick up on Dean’s feelings, she has no trouble recognizing Velma’s crush on Sam despite her denials.
Velma obsesses over Sam’s broad shoulders and delights in treating him like a hayseed for believing in ghosts. She blushes when Daphne points out that “big lugs” are her thing. Unfortunately, Sam is also dense when it comes to love. Leaving it to Velma to make the first move. She dips him and steals a kiss before they depart.
“Shoulda have known Velma was good to go,” Deans remarks. “It’s always the quite ones.”
Case Closed?
The case has a lasting impact on Dean, who starts donning an ascot after escaping to real world. He’s ecstatic when the man who was controlling the ghost grumbles, “I would’ve gotten away with it if it wasn’t for those meddling kids.” Dean breaks the fourth wall during an iris out. He looks into the camera and howls “Scooby Dooby Doo!”
There’s even a callback in the following episode “The Thing.” Dean says “jinkies” when they find a clue. Sam asks him if he’s ever going to stop say that and Dean replies “probably not.”
Watch Supernatural “Scoobynatural” online.
Surprisingly, this isn’t the first time the Winchesters have been sucked into a television show. The archangel Gabriel AKA the Trickster cast them in various roles in “Changing Channels” which featured a new opening theme parodying cheesy sitcoms like Full House.
