The Phantom, the Talking Dog, and the Hot Hot Hot Sauce! is the first episode of season 2 of Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?, and is the twenty-seventh overall.
Premise[]
Daphne takes Mystery Inc. to see her celebrity bestie Kacey Musgraves in Nashville where she is performing. However, a phantom is on the loose, attacking artists it doesn't like! Can Kacey manage to tell her story of the "Hot, Hot, Hot Sauce" before the Phantom closes her show?
Synopsis[]
At the Tallis Taggert Auditorium in Nashville, country singer Kacey Musgraves directs a play with three actors. However, during the rehearsal, they are attacked by a ghost. Later, Mystery Inc. visits the theatre, they discover that Daphne is a friend of Kacey and Kacey explains the legend the play is based on.
The legend states that two horses discovered hot sauce coming from underground, and a mesquite tree led them to barbecue ribs to eat with the sauce, giving birth to Texan barbecue. Kacey also identifies the ghost as that of Tallis Taggert, a steamboat captain who built the auditorium but was known for attacking artists it did not approve of. Fred notes a plaster residue left behind on the statue. However, after organ music plays, the ghost appears and chases them around the auditorium; after escaping the ghost, Velma notes a muddy footprint the ghost left behind.
Further investigating the theatre, Mystery Inc. finds Kacey's producer, John Lupointe, hiding from the ghost in a cabinet. They also meet the caterer, Laredo, who is protecting her secret barbeque recipe during the show. Laredo condemns the event for its lack of security. They finally meet Sir Daniel Crofford, the actor playing the mesquite tree, who quits his role because of the ghost but struggles to get out of the costume. While Shaggy and Scooby are eating in the banquet, they accidentally spill the hot sauce on the ground, burning through the floor and several floors underneath it, revealing a hidden cave.
Mystery Inc. explores the hidden cave and finds one of Captain Taggert's steamboats. Finding the same muddy footprint as before, Mystery Inc. follows the ghost's traces inside, where they find a remote-controlled organ which explains the music heard shortly before each attack. Though the ghost appears and chases Mystery Inc. Velma and Daphne trip him with a sofa, and an insurance card falls out of the ghost's pocket. After escaping the ghost by blocking his exit with Laredo's barbecue, Velma declares she has enough evidence to incriminate the perpetrator.
Kacey begins the show with a completely full house. Though Fred (playing the mesquite tree in Daniel's place) forgets his line, a ghost appears, causing a spotlight to fall onto the stage. The ghost chases Shaggy, Scooby, and Kacey before tackling Fred to the ground. However, the ghost falls into a trap, and a bottle of hot sauce is poured into its mouth. Incapacitated by the sauce's spiciness, Daphne and Velma capture the ghost with the show's banner, and the crowd cheers.
Afterward, the ghost turns out to be John, a Hollywood producer who fell into financial trouble after being kicked out of several major studios. He participated in an insurance fraud scheme by sabotaging Kacey's show to collect the funding as her producer. He created the costume by making plaster casts of Captain Taggert's statue, which explains the residue later found by Mystery Inc. After John is handed over to the authorities, Kacey thanks Mystery Inc. for saving the show's opening night and setting it up for years of success. Meanwhile, Shaggy and Scooby ride away on Captain Taggert's steamboat.
Characters[]
Main characters:
Supporting characters:
- Kacey Musgraves (only appearance)
- Laredo (only appearance)
Villains:
- Ghost of Tallis Taggert (only appearance)(John Lupointe's disguise)
- John Lupointe (only appearance)
Other characters:
- Actor (only appearance)
- Actress (only appearance)
- Sir Daniel Crofford (only appearance)
- Tallis Taggert (only appearance)(statue)(deceased)
Locations[]
Objects[]
- Hot sauce
- Statue of Talis Taggert
- Laredo's barbecue
- Organ
Vehicles[]
- Mystery Machine
- Riverboat
Suspects[]
| Suspect | Motive/reason |
|---|---|
| Laredo | She didn't want people to steal her secret ingredients. |
| Sir Daniel Crofford | He's mean. |
Culprits[]
| Culprit | Motive/reason |
|---|---|
| John Lupointe as the Ghost of Tallis Taggert | To cash in on the insurance policy. |
Cast[]
Notes/trivia[]
- Daphne announces the celebrity guest.
- The door gag is done with only four doors, but on two levels of the riverboat.
- A sneak peek of this episode was released by CBR, the day before it premiered.
- This episode doesn’t air as a Season 2 premiere. Instead, it airs as the second episode of Season 2 in several different countries on Boomerang.
- Although this episode premiered on Boomerang on October 1, 2020, the copyright notice reading 2019 Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. can be seen, meaning that this episode was produced in 2019.
Miscellaneous[]
- Disguises:
- Shaggy and Scooby-Doo as theater ushers.
- Shaggy as a card dealer and Scooby as a woman.
- Mystery Inc. and Kasey Musgraves in period costume.
- Fred as a mesquite tree.
- Shaggy and Scooby as horses.
- Traps: A complex trap triggered by Fred's phone and ending with the ghost's capture in a banner.
- Clues: Plaster residue on a statue, two muddy footprints (one at the primary crime scene, one by the riverboat), a remote-controlled organ and an insurance card.
Cultural references[]
- When distracting the Phantom by playing cards, Kacey Musgraves says, "52 Pickup?" while flicking the deck of cards in its face. 52 Pickup is a prank originating in the mid-20th century where someone eager to play is invited to play the game. The cards are then scattered on the floor and the victim has to pick up all 52 cards.
Animation mistakes and/or technical glitches[]
- During his first appearance, the ghost of Tallis Taggert's right wrist clips through his jacket's sleeve.
Inconsistencies/continuity errors and/or goofs/oddities[]
- Early on, Kacey Musgraves addresses Sir Daniel Crofford as "Sir Crofford." Assuming that he is meant to be a British national who owns a title of knighthood, then he should properly be addressed as "Sir Daniel" since knighthoods are attached to the given name.
- Daniel plays a mesquite tree. However, his costume has simple, singular leaves, while mesquite trees have compound leaves made of several smaller leaflets.
- Tallis Taggert is referred to as a captain. However, his uniform's sleeve contains three stripes, indicating that his rank is actually commander, not captain (four stripes).
- When Mystery Inc. descends into the cave, five ropes are used. However when standing at the bottom only four can be seen.
- Tallis Taggert's steamboat is illuminated with lamps, even though the boat has supposedly been abandoned for over a century.
Home media[]
Scooby-Doo! and Guess Who?: The Complete Second Season DVD set released by Warner Home Video on June 28, 2022.
In other languages[]
| Language | Title | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Turkish | Hayalet, Konuşan Köpek ve Acı Acı Acı Sos! | Ghost, Talking Dog, and Bitter Bitter Hot Sauce! |
Quotes[]
Daphne opens a steel cabinet and a man falls out. |
Fred: Uh... |
External links[]
- TBA
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| Space Station Scooby | Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? (Season 2) |
The Last Inmate! |