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In Fear of the Phantom is the seventh episode of the first season of Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated.
Premise[]
The Hex Girls' concert may be canceled after they are threatened by a phantom. Meanwhile, Scooby replaces Shaggy with Harry the puppet as his best friend, after he ditched him during the prom.
Synopsis[]
The Hex Girls - Thorn, Dusk and Luna - perform to a huge crowd at Crystal Cove's Terrorpheum theater. Daphne wonders how they were able to get front row seats to see such a popular band and Fred points out that Velma, a Hex Girls super fan, was able to get them. Shaggy tries to film the concert but Scooby-Doo, angry at Shaggy for skipping the Vincent Van Ghoul marathon for Velma, intentionally gets in his way. A futuristic Phantom appears on stage out of a bolt of lightning, demanding that the Hex Girls quit. Thorn ignores him and thrills the crowd by continuing to play, but the Phantom damages a large amplifier with a ball of lightning. The amplifier falls on Thorn and knocks her unconscious while a terrified audience scatters.
Backstage, Thorn sits with an ice pack on her head. Hex Girls crew member Daniel Prezette suggests cancelling the tour, because it isn't safe. Thorn immediately dismisses the idea as does the band's quirky manager, Gus Boggs. Fred agrees that the show must go on, and points out that Thorn seems to be the Phantom's target. When he suggests having a double stand in for Thorn, Velma hysterically implores Fred to pick her. Fred turns to Daphne and she sings for the group, garnering their approval. Though initially thrilled, she sours when she realizes that she'll be bait for a trap, while Velma sulks over not getting to stand in for Thorn.
Shaggy, Scooby, and Fred build a trap on the theater's catwalk, but Scooby refuses to help Shaggy when he accidentally ties his hand to the railing. That night at the concert, Daphne is nervous about going on stage and is encouraged by Thorn and Fred. The concert begins and Daphne's impersonation of Thorn works perfectly: just a few minutes in, the Phantom appears. Fred and the gang spring the trap but are horrified when cages fall onto Dusk and Luna. The Phantom covers Daphne with his cape and they both disappear, prompting Fred to immediately melt down, like the previous time that Daphne was captured.
The gang and the Hex Girls meet with Sheriff Stone about the attack, but he is more interested in Hex Girls tour merchandise, prompting Velma to implore him to focus. Stone asks why Fred is acting strangely, and Fred becomes emotional while talking about Daphne. Clueless as to what to do, the sheriff merely buys a couple of Hex Girls t-shirts and calls Mayor Jones; Velma concludes that solving the mystery is up to them. Scooby searches the theater for leftover food. After he and Shaggy both chance across the same piece of popcorn, Shaggy offers it to him but Scooby refuses the gesture. Pleading with Scooby, Shaggy says that they could end up needing new best friends, but Scooby likes the idea and walks away. Fred examines the catwalks and finds that his trap was sabotaged with lotion on the hinges. Talking out loud to himself, he tries to work out his feelings for Daphne. Unbeknownst to Fred, she is tied to the catwalks and can hear him, but the rope breaks and she falls off before he concludes that he cares about her.
Back on the ground, Fred finds that has dad is capitalizing on the Phantom by moving the next Hex Girls show to Terror Dome Stadium and issuing a mayoral declaration of “Phantom Day.” Everyone is excited to see Daphne, who was found by Prezette and a janitor, however she is furious at Fred because the last thing she heard him say on the catwalk was, “I wish I didn’t care about her.” Fred tries to explain that she didn't hear everything but she refuses to listen. Prezette again argues that the danger warrants cancelling the tour. Daphne balks at the idea and throws a blanket onto Fred, leaving with the Hex Girls. Just as Velma wonders whether the situation can get weirder, Scooby arrives with Shaggy's ventriloquist dummy and introduces it as Harry, his new best friend. Harry, voiced by Scooby, says that he loves food and wouldn't pick a girl over a Van Ghoul movie. Shaggy looks to Fred and Velma for help, but they decline.
At Velma's house, Daphne tells the Hex Girls to make her into a rock star; left standing off to the side, Velma is ignored by the band and Daphne. Fred goes for a walk and resolves to sort out his relationship with Daphne. He goes to Velma's house and tries to tell her that he cares about her and she shouldn't put herself in danger. Daphne, made over as a new fourth member of the Hex Girls, tells Fred she's now called Crush and has the band kick him out. Velma is amazed at her stand, but Daphne quickly admits that she doesn't feel okay.
Shaggy and Scooby argue while trying to watch a Vincent Van Ghoul movie on the Hex Girls' tour bus, with Scooby speaking through Harry the puppet. Shaggy tries to physically fight Harry before remembering that it is just a dummy, throwing it to the ground. Harry's head pops off and bounces to the feet of the Phantom, who chases Shaggy and Scooby. After they hide, the Phantom sets the bus on fire. Shaggy breaks a window by throwing Harry's body through it and they escape just before the bus explodes. Scooby refuses to thank Shaggy, instead crediting Harry for saving them. Harry's detached head makes it out of the explosion with a piece of the Phantom's holographic cape in his mouth. Recognizing the fabric, Shaggy shows Scooby a video of a pop singer called Fantzee Pantz whose elaborate costume used identical fabric. The video's credits reveal that Pantz was also managed by Boggs and they begin to suspect him.
Fred, Shaggy, and Scooby confront Boggs with the fabric and video. He explains that Fantzee Pantz couldn't sustain his success and was cut in favor of the Hex Girls, finding it laughable that they think he could be the Phantom. When Scooby suggests that Harry will save the day, Fred gets inspiration from the puppet on how to trap the Phantom. Daphne tries to rehearse with the band but has difficulty focusing. Thorn tells her she understands, recalling her own “Fred:” a carnival worker named Knuckles Wazinski who loved carnival rides more than her. She says that she got over him by writing a song about him and offers to help Daphne write one of her own.
At the stadium concert, Daphne - dressed as Crush - is lowered onto the stage in a heart shaped chair. Removing a hooded cloak, Crush and the band premiere a song about Fred, which helps him understand what Daphne has been going through. Daphne returns to the chair and puts on the cloak as the stage curtain lowers. In the rafters, the Phantom condemns the band for defying him and swings across the stage. The Phantom grabs at the cloak in an attempt to kidnap Daphne, but is stunned when it only contains Harry the puppet, who is tethered to the stage. The tether stops the Phantom from swinging further and he falls to the stage, immediately trapped by a large net. Mayor Jones is disappointed the Phantom was trapped so soon, but accepts Fred's assessment that they couldn't wait longer with Daphne in danger. The Phantom is revealed to be Daniel Prezette, formerly known as Fantzee Pantz. The gang explain that the Phantom had to have a grudge against the band and access to their stage, equipment, and bus. Prezette admits that he tried to get revenge on the Hex Girls by writing bad songs for them. When they still managed to turn them into hits, he became the Phantom. Sheriff Stone arrests Prezette, who takes Harry with him.
After the concert, Fred compliments Daphne on her song and admits that he has feelings for her. She happily receives his apology and they reconcile. Shaggy offers a condolence to Scooby for Prezette taking Harry, but Scooby eagerly reconciles with Shaggy and they hug as best friends again. Velma, largely ignored throughout the mystery, leans against the Mystery Machine and looks at Shaggy and Scooby with a mixture of loneliness, jealousy, and uncertainty.
Characters[]
Main characters:
Supporting characters:
- Hex Girls (first appearance)
- Gus Boggs (only appearance)
- Sheriff Bronson Stone
- Fred Jones, Sr.
Villains:
- Phantom (only appearance)(Daniel Prezette's disguise)
- Daniel Prezette (only appearance)(main story and flashback)
Other characters:
- Gary (no lines)
- Ethan (no lines)
- Brenda (no lines)
- Miss Vampire Waitress (no lines)
- Terrorpheum audience member (Don Knotts lookalike) (no lines)
- Janitor (no lines)
- Vincent Van Ghoul (TV or computer screen)(cameo)
- Fantzee Pantz (only appearance)(TV or computer screen)(flashback only)
- Knuckles Wazinski (only time mentioned)
Locations[]
Objects[]
- Harry the puppet
Vehicles[]
Suspects[]
| Suspect | Motive/reason |
|---|---|
| Gus Boggs | He was the manager of Fantzee Pantz whose career was ruined by the Hex Girls. |
Culprits[]
| Culprit | Motive/reason |
|---|---|
| Daniel Prezette aka Fantzee Pantz as the Phantom | For revenge against the Hex Girls for ruining his music career. |
Cast[]
Songs[]
| Song | Credits | Performed by | Character performance by |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Hex Girls" | Written by Bodie Chandler and Glenn Leopold | Andy Sturmer, Jennifer Hale, Jane Wiedlin, and Kimberly Brooks | Hex Girls |
| "Earth, Wind, Fire, and Air" | Written by Bodie Chandler and Glenn Leopold | Andy Sturmer, Grey DeLisle, Jane Wiedlin and Kimberly Brooks | Crush (Daphne), Luna, and Dusk |
| "Fantzee Pantz" | Written by Andy Sturmer, Mark Banker and Mitch Watson | Andy Sturmer | Fantzee Pantz |
| "Trap of Love" | Written by Andy Sturmer, Mark Banker, Tony Cervone and Mitch Watson | Andy Sturmer, Grey DeLisle, Jane Wiedlin and Kimberly Brooks | Crush (Daphne) and Hex Girls |
Continuity[]
- Scooby is angry at Shaggy for ditching him during a Vincent Van Ghoul marathon to go to the prom with Velma which happened in the previous episode.
- When Fred remembers moments alone with Daphne, they include showing his traps scrapbook, and dancing with her at the prom in the previous episode.
Notes/trivia[]
- The Hex Girls in this episode are a teenage reimagining of the adult Hex Girls who appeared in the DTV movies, Scooby-Doo! and the Witch's Ghost, Scooby-Doo! and the Legend of the Vampire, and the What's New, Scooby-Doo? episode, The Vampire Strikes Back.
- Jennifer Hale, Jane Wiedlin, and Kimberly Brooks reprise their roles as The Hex Girls.
- The Terror Dome Stadium was later called "Crystal Cove Stadium" in Battle of the Humungonauts.
- This episode was aired one day before Grey DeLisle's 37th birthday.
- During its Canadian airing, Teletoon oddly listed this as "Fear of Phantom" and as the season finale when reran.
Cultural references[]
- The Phantom (trying to control a theater, causing accidents, and kidnapping a young female singer) acts in a similar way to the titular character of the 1910 novel The Phantom of the Opera.
- EarTube is a parody of YouTube.
- The corridor scene in the tour bus with Shaggy, Scooby and the Phantom is a famous funhouse-themed scene of a corridor where each door leads, each time someone passes through, to another random door.
- The way Sheriff Stone describes the phantom as an "unsanctioned class four, non-corporeal phantom" is similar to how paranormal entities are classified in the Ghostbusters franchise.
Animation mistakes and/or technical glitches[]
- In the opening scene, Thorn's microphone disappears and reappears in multiple shots.
- In one part of "Trap of Love", Dusk's red highlights are gone.
- Dusk's belly button disappears a couple of times only to reappear in the next shot.
Inconsistencies/continuity errors and/or goofs/oddities[]
- Fred Tatasciore is credited as the janitor yet doesn't talk. It's possible his scene was cut and the credits weren't changed to reflect that.
In other languages[]
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Spanish (Latin America) | El Fantasma Aterrorizante | The Terrifying Phantom |
| Spanish (Spain) | Panico Escenico | Stage Fright |
| Italy | Concerto Spettrale | Spectral Concert |
| French | Un fantôme Rock and Roll | A Ghost Rock and Roll |
| Portuguese | Com Medo do Fantasma | With Fear of the Phantom |
| Hungarian | A fantomtól rettegve | The Phantom's Revenge |
| Greek | Με το Φόβο του Φαντάσματος (Star TV Dub)
Με το Φόβο του Φαντομά (Boomerang TV Dub) |
In Fear of the Phantom |
| Polish | Lęk przed Fantomem | Fear of the Phantom |
Home media[]
Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated: Season One, Volume 2 DVD released by Warner Home Video on May 10, 2011.- Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated: The Complete Season 1 DVD set released by Warner Home Video on October 8, 2013.
- Scooby-Doo! Mystères associés: L'intégrale de la saison 1 (Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated: The entirety of season 1) DVD set released by Warner Home Video on October 3, 2012.
- Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated: Season One, Volume 2 DVD released by Warner Home Video on September 7, 2011.
Quotes[]
The Phantom: Listen Hex Girls, carefully. You are bound for misery! This will be your final show. Or you will suffer endless woe! So saith the Phantom. |
Thorn: I'm a good look for you, Daphne. |
Daphne: Make me a rock star! |
Daphne: (Singing, backed by the Hex Girls) |
All: (The Phantom is unmasked) Daniel Frisette! |
Daphne: Well, I guess my rock star days are over. |
External links[]
- TBA
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| The Legend of Alice May | Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated Season 1 |
The Grasp of the Gnome |