'Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated' "Man in the Mirrror" (2013)
Opening thoughts: "Man in the Mirror" impressed me quite a lot on first watch. The plot was more complicated than usual for 'Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated' when first watching the show (maybe a bit too complicated on first watch), but the lore, the atmosphere, the ever growing mystery and the character development grabbed the attention all the way through. Loved Season 1 and found Season 2 equally as good when it completely settled, and on first this was one of the more interesting episodes.
Something that Season 2 has had in common is that a vast majority of the episodes that were already very good or more on first watch were even better on rewatch, due to finding more to appreciate and the already great things making a bigger impression. "Man in the Mirror" is another one of those episodes, not only is it creepier and more intriguing (and it was already both those things) and the character development stronger but the storytelling was easier to understand.
Bad things: To me, the only thing that was not so great was the explanation, which goes on for too long and perhaps a little more complicated than it needed to be.
Good things: However, the animation is as richly detailed and atmospheric as ever. The inside of the mirror is full of eye popping visuals and the dystopian landscapes have genuine creepiness. The music has the right amount of energy and eeriness, the theme tune still memorable. The voice acting is right on point, Frank Welker voices Fred with a lot of nuance and heart and is given a lot to work with (which he never shows signs of being taxed. Fred is given a lot of depth here and is giving some very illuminating development.
Furthermore, the writing is thought provoking and while it is serious in tone it is not soapy or too morose. Didn't find it too talky either. The story is always absorbing and has the surprise factor while still managing to be just about cohesive, even with more complexity than usual. Only the explanation doesn't quite work in this regard. The lore building continues to grow and intrigue and there is a lot of atmosphere, all the action in the inside of the mirror has tension and emotional power with lots of creepiness too. The rest of the gang interact beautifully and have strong personalities.
Closing thoughts: All in all, truly fantastic.
9/10.
Opening thoughts: "Man in the Mirror" impressed me quite a lot on first watch. The plot was more complicated than usual for 'Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated' when first watching the show (maybe a bit too complicated on first watch), but the lore, the atmosphere, the ever growing mystery and the character development grabbed the attention all the way through. Loved Season 1 and found Season 2 equally as good when it completely settled, and on first this was one of the more interesting episodes.
Something that Season 2 has had in common is that a vast majority of the episodes that were already very good or more on first watch were even better on rewatch, due to finding more to appreciate and the already great things making a bigger impression. "Man in the Mirror" is another one of those episodes, not only is it creepier and more intriguing (and it was already both those things) and the character development stronger but the storytelling was easier to understand.
Bad things: To me, the only thing that was not so great was the explanation, which goes on for too long and perhaps a little more complicated than it needed to be.
Good things: However, the animation is as richly detailed and atmospheric as ever. The inside of the mirror is full of eye popping visuals and the dystopian landscapes have genuine creepiness. The music has the right amount of energy and eeriness, the theme tune still memorable. The voice acting is right on point, Frank Welker voices Fred with a lot of nuance and heart and is given a lot to work with (which he never shows signs of being taxed. Fred is given a lot of depth here and is giving some very illuminating development.
Furthermore, the writing is thought provoking and while it is serious in tone it is not soapy or too morose. Didn't find it too talky either. The story is always absorbing and has the surprise factor while still managing to be just about cohesive, even with more complexity than usual. Only the explanation doesn't quite work in this regard. The lore building continues to grow and intrigue and there is a lot of atmosphere, all the action in the inside of the mirror has tension and emotional power with lots of creepiness too. The rest of the gang interact beautifully and have strong personalities.
Closing thoughts: All in all, truly fantastic.
9/10.