Season 3 was a bit of a mixed bag for me. The animation is more polished, the music has more variety and it was great to have more exotic locations. There are also some memorable villains, Old Iron Face being a prime example, and one episode contains a contender for the most shocking reveal of the show. Did feel though that a few episodes had some sloppy writing, some of the stories were quite a bit less compelling and some of the villains (Diabolical Disc Demon, Warlock of Wimbledon) do not work at all. A few awful accents too.
"Watch Out! The Willawaw!" is a very promising start to the season and sees a promising new direction. It is not one of the best overall episodes of 'The Scooby Doo Show'. But is it one of the better episodes of Season 3? Yes it is. "Watch Out! The Willawaw!" also struck me as a much better episode from a young adult perspective. Sort of liked it as a child, though only remembered it for the willawaw. Like it very much though now and it has more to it now than just the villain.
It is not a perfect episode, though actually there is not very much wrong here. Certainly when compared than a lot of Season 3 episodes, where some are very problematic. Didn't really care for the Owl Men. They are very under-utilised and actually struck me as pretty pointless, also didn't think they were that scary and like "The Curse of Viking Lake" for instance the episode would have been better with just one villain.
The story is a bit thin at times, the cabin scene for my tastes goes on for too long for instance.
Most of it is compelling though, has a great creepy atmosphere from the get go and very little of it is obvious too early. Some very nice clues and a suitably creepy location. The nicely done reveal is slightly derivative of that of "The Curse of Viking Lake", except it is done better here, as the suspect count is a little higher here at first but only becomes more obvious towards the end when you start narrowing down. Whereas in that episode it could only have been one person from the get go. The motive is also more plausible and doesn't require suspension of disbelief, plus it doesn't become a series of chases in the final quarter.
As a child, the most memorable thing about "Watch Out! The Willawaw!" was the willawaw itself. Back then it was truly terrifying (that shriek is the stuff of nightmares!). On my young adult re-watches, being on a few Scooby Doo binges recently to get through the bad times, the willawaw is still frightening and really does stand out among the other 'The Scooby Doo Show' for the eerie design and shrieks have seldom set my teeth on edge in terror. Am not kidding here just to say. It is not just non stop creepiness. There are funny moments too, especially Shaggy and Scooby in the treasure room.
Furthermore, the animation has come on quite a bit. It seems more vibrant in colour than the colours in the previous two seasons and the drawing is more refined, which is what was meant when saying that this aspect seemed more polished in Season 3. The music is nostalgic but has more of its own style and identity. The theme song is still timeless and a close second best behind the iconic original theme song. The writing is humorous yet also intriguing. Love the gang and did like that Fred, Velma and Daphne had more expanded involvement. Shaggy and Scooby are delightful and their interaction adds so much. The voice acting is solid.
Concluding, very promising start. 8/10.
"Watch Out! The Willawaw!" is a very promising start to the season and sees a promising new direction. It is not one of the best overall episodes of 'The Scooby Doo Show'. But is it one of the better episodes of Season 3? Yes it is. "Watch Out! The Willawaw!" also struck me as a much better episode from a young adult perspective. Sort of liked it as a child, though only remembered it for the willawaw. Like it very much though now and it has more to it now than just the villain.
It is not a perfect episode, though actually there is not very much wrong here. Certainly when compared than a lot of Season 3 episodes, where some are very problematic. Didn't really care for the Owl Men. They are very under-utilised and actually struck me as pretty pointless, also didn't think they were that scary and like "The Curse of Viking Lake" for instance the episode would have been better with just one villain.
The story is a bit thin at times, the cabin scene for my tastes goes on for too long for instance.
Most of it is compelling though, has a great creepy atmosphere from the get go and very little of it is obvious too early. Some very nice clues and a suitably creepy location. The nicely done reveal is slightly derivative of that of "The Curse of Viking Lake", except it is done better here, as the suspect count is a little higher here at first but only becomes more obvious towards the end when you start narrowing down. Whereas in that episode it could only have been one person from the get go. The motive is also more plausible and doesn't require suspension of disbelief, plus it doesn't become a series of chases in the final quarter.
As a child, the most memorable thing about "Watch Out! The Willawaw!" was the willawaw itself. Back then it was truly terrifying (that shriek is the stuff of nightmares!). On my young adult re-watches, being on a few Scooby Doo binges recently to get through the bad times, the willawaw is still frightening and really does stand out among the other 'The Scooby Doo Show' for the eerie design and shrieks have seldom set my teeth on edge in terror. Am not kidding here just to say. It is not just non stop creepiness. There are funny moments too, especially Shaggy and Scooby in the treasure room.
Furthermore, the animation has come on quite a bit. It seems more vibrant in colour than the colours in the previous two seasons and the drawing is more refined, which is what was meant when saying that this aspect seemed more polished in Season 3. The music is nostalgic but has more of its own style and identity. The theme song is still timeless and a close second best behind the iconic original theme song. The writing is humorous yet also intriguing. Love the gang and did like that Fred, Velma and Daphne had more expanded involvement. Shaggy and Scooby are delightful and their interaction adds so much. The voice acting is solid.
Concluding, very promising start. 8/10.
