The second episode of the first Scooby-Doo! show, already shows the franchise at its best.
When the gang goes for a trip to the beach, they come across a spooky sea diving ghost. They find out that this is supposedly the ghost of Captain Cutler, a sailor who got at sea and has come back to get revenge. Before you can say Jinkies the gang has another mystery on their hands.
This episode is a top-notch Scooby-Doo! mystery in every way. Due to great background art and expert lighting this a very atmospheric episode. The scene involving the lighthouse has a wonderfully creepy feel to it. I especially love the green look in much of this episode which makes the artwork here truly stand out among the many Scooby mysteries. It also perfectly fits the villain perfectly. The design of the ghost is simple but very effective and this villain leads to some delightfully creepy moments. The mystery element is also wonderful here. The twist of who the villain really is, is very clever and probably one of the cleverest reveals of the original series. I also really enjoyed seeing Shaggy be the one to figure out who the villain really was. It is nice to see Shaggy be this clever and I wish we could have seen him figure out more mysteries like this in the future. While this is not as funny as some of the later Scooby mysteries, there is some pretty good comedic moments in here. I especially liked Scooby's run in with the little mouse.
This still proves to be one of the most popular episodes of the original series. The very next year (1970) this episode would receive a comic book adaption in Gold Key Comic's Scooby Doo... Where Are You! #4. There is would be called The Ghostly Sea Diver. Much later in 2008 the episode would receive another comic book adaption in DC Comics' Scooby-Doo #135. The villain would be one of the ghosts, whose costume comes to life in the theatrical live-action movie, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004), which is just one of his many appearances in later Scooby-Doo media.
It is hard to believe that this is only the second Scooby mystery as it can hold its own with the best of them.
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