Scoobynatural: The Best Moments From the Supernatural/Scooby-Doo Crossover

WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for the Supernatural/Scooby-Doo crossover "Scoobynatural," which premiered Thursday on The CW.

"Scoobynatural" begins, as all good -- if somewhat-unlikely -- crossover episodes should, with a haunted television. What follows is gimmicky, of course, but it's also a warm-and-fuzzy reminder of why fans love both Supernatural and Scooby-Doo.

There's precedence, on both sides, for such a scenario, from the early-1970s New Scooby-Doo Movies to such Supernatural episodes as "Changing Channels," in which Sam and Dean Winchester are trapped in a succession of TV shows, and "The French Mistake," in which they're sent to an alternate universe where they're actors Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles on a series called Supernatural. But while "Scoobynatural" blazes new territory as the first animated episode of the long-running CW drama, its real accomplishment is blending two disparate properties with a surprising amount of heart, and respect.

It would've been easy for the Winchesters to arrive in a classic episode of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! (1970's "A Night of Fright Is No Delight," to be precise), and immediately wreak havoc. Instead, Dean reveals his childhood love for the characters -- well, except for Fred -- and in the process exposes another sad chapter in their upbringing. "Growing up on the road, no matter where Dad dragged us, no matter what we did, there was always a TV," he tells Sam. "And you know what was always on that TV? Scooby and the gang! These guys, they're our freaking role models, man. Except Fred; he's a wad."

That love leads Dean to be protective of the characters, and respectful of the laws of their cartoon world, to the point that he, Sam and Castiel are actually swept up in a classic Freleng Door Gag (aka Scooby-Doo Doors) and other animated tropes. But this being Supernatural, and not Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, the inescapable horribleness of the Winchesters' lives begins to intrude, resulting in some hilarious, disturbing and poignant moments. Here are the highlights.

Dean's Hatred For Fred

Admit it, deep down, we all hate Fred, although perhaps not as much as Dean Winchester does. Fred is a wad, after all. "He thinks he's so cool," Dean explains to his brother Sam. "His perfect hair, his can-do attitude, his stupid ascot."

It's certainly a compelling argument, but by the end of "Scoobynatural" Dean has gained a begrudging respect for Fred, who's maybe "not so bad." Heck, he even adopts Fred's signature fashion accessory when he returns to the live-action world of Supernatural: a stupid ascot. It's downright fetching.

Unrequited Love (or Maybe Lust)

Dean being Dean, he sets his sights on Daphne Blake from the moment he recognizes that he and Sam have been transported to the world of Scooby-Doo. While certainly in keeping with his character, his dogged pursuit is nevertheless creepy because he's aware that they're cartoons while Daphne most certainly is not. However, Dean's remarks about Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! being among the few constants in a tumultuous childhood places his interests in another, somewhat more wholesome context: It's likely Daphne was an early boyhood crush.

Unfortunately for Dean, Daphne is also consistent, remaining oblivious to his intentions -- and impervious to his "charms" -- while signaling her own interests in Fred. The same can't be said for Velma, who can't seem to stop making observations about the broad shoulders of that big lug Sam, even as she scoffs at his suggestion the supernatural is real. In the end, it's Velma who acts on her feelings, to Sam's discomfort and Dean's chagrin.

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The Impala Races The Mystery Machine

The 1967 Chevrolet Impala, which has played such a crucial role on Supernatural, also appears in the animated world of Scooby-Doo, which is explained away by the car keys in Dean's pocket when he and Sam were sucked into the haunted television set. That, coupled with Dean's dislike for Fred, sets up a race between two iconic vehicles: "Baby" and The Mystery Machine.

The results aren't even close, as the green-and-blue Microvan absolutely smokes the Impala on the way to the home of (ahem) Colonel Sanders, leading a flabbergasted Dean to blame first the traffic light, and then cheating on the part of Fred.

Dean Spoils the Plot

Dean recognizes the episode as "A Night of Fright Is No Delight" as soon as they arrive with the Mystery Inc. crew at the creepy mansion of the late Colonel Beauregard Sanders. The plot is -- or rather, should be -- pretty straightforward for an episode of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, with Scooby named among the potential heirs of the eccentric millionaire. However, the will stipulates that the fortune will only be distributed to those who spend the night in the Colonel's haunted mansion, which of course sets off a scheme to frighten away the heirs with a pair of green "phantoms."

When the Colonel's attorney, the delightfully named Cosgood Creeps, bids everyone farewell with an alarming cackle, Dean confides to Sam, "Turns out, he's the bad guy." Later a nightshirt-clad Dean tips off his brother that they're about to learn that Cousin Simple is missing, and the Scooby Gang will believe it's because of a ghost, when really it's Cosgood Creeps in disguise. However, this being Supernatural, the plot doesn't quite play out that way.

Dean Is Protective of the Scooby Gang

Although Dean's first instinct may be to put the moves on Daphne, his second is to shield the members of Mystery Inc. from the outside world. That means chastising Sam when he points out the newspaper doesn't actually have any words in it, pretending bookshelves aren't merely a painted backdrop, a refusing to utter the word "cartoon."

"They don't know that they're in a ... C-word, and we're not gonna tell them, about anything -- not where we're from, not about monsters, nothing. Capiche?" he tells his brother. "They are pure, innocent and good. We're gonna keep it that way." Dean is willing to go to virtually any lengths to keep the Mystery Inc. gang just as they are, pledging that he'd take a bullet for Scooby-Doo.

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Cartoon Rules Apply, At Least Until They Don't

The first crack in the cartoon world begins to show early in "Scoobynatural," when Fred divulges to Sam that Col. Sanders died of cancer, a word that's likely never been uttered in the five-decade history of the Scooby-Doo franchise. However, everything reverts to "normal," with Scooby, Shaggy and Dean even unhinging their jaws to eat enormous sandwiches, until we reach the point in "A Night of Fright Is No Delight" where Cousin Simple should have disappeared. Instead his bloody body is found in his bed.

Although the Scooby Gang begins a search for clues, as if this were any other mystery, they're quickly confronted by an actual phantom, and a grisly murder scene ... both of which leave them completely unfazed. "So," a bewildered Sam asks, "do they always just walk away from dead bodies, or ...?" The answer is yes, until they don't.

The Scooby Gang Has An Existential Crisis

While they frequently forget from episode to episode, the Scooby Gang lives by one simple truth: Monsters are nothing more than crooks in masks, usually unscrupulous real estate developers. That played out throughout the original run of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, with Mystery Inc. unmasking the Miner Forty-Niner, the Ghost Clown, the Mummy of Anka, the Caveman and so on in short order. So, what happens when they learn that monsters are real? Well, it isn't pretty.

When Shaggy's arm is broken following an attack by a green phantom -- "I have jumped out of a biplane in a museum and I was fine! How did this happen?" -- Sam and Dean are forced to reveal the inconvenient truth. Velma curses her own blindness and stupidity, Fred laments they've wasted so much time foiling real estate developers, and Daphne tries to come to terms with the existence of an afterlife. "Am I going to Hell?" she frets. Shaggy and Scooby, meanwhile, are only a little angry; after all, they've told the others, in every episode, that the monsters are real.

The Culprit Is ... Heartbreaking

If we've learned anything in 13 seasons of Supernatural, it's that most angels are dicks. But also, that childhood is seldom happy, whether it's that of the Winchesters or the people they encounter. The "creepy ghost kid" who's behind the murderous green phantom is only the latest example. In this instance, however, he's the pawn of, yes, an unscrupulous real estate developer encountered by Sam and Dean before they were zapped into the haunted television.

"When I died, my soul was tied to a pocketknife," the boy reveals in a heartbreaking confession. "My dad gave it to me, and everything. When Jay found me, he used me to ... Sometimes I get so angry, I break things, hurt people. But I don't want to. I just want to see my dad again."

The Status Quo Is Preserved

After turning the world of the Scooby Gang upside down with the truth about the supernatural, and enlisting them in capturing the vengeful spirit, Sam, Dean and Castiel must somehow right the ship. Like most classic comedies, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! was devoted to preserving the status quo, and returning all of the characters to where they were 22 minutes earlier. But in "Scoobynatural," Shaggy's arm isn't the only thing that's broken, leaving the Winchesters and Castiel to pick up the pieces, with some lies and a little help from the ghost kid.

The boys swear the green phantom wasn't a real ghost, as they thought, and that Velma was right all along. That sets up the unmasking of Cosgood Creeps, as in "A Night of Fright Is No Delight." Everything else is explained away by wires, projectors and dummies filled with corn syrup to a group of characters desperate to believe anything that will return their animated world to its natural order. And Shaggy's arm is healed by the surreptitious touch of Castiel, so not even that has changed.

Airing Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW, Supernatural stars Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles and Misha Collins. Now in its 13th season, with little signs of stopping, the fantasy horror drama is the network's longest-running current series.