The following contains spoilers for Velma Season 1, Episode 5, "Marching Band Sleepover," and Episode 4, "The Sins of the Fathers and Some of the Mothers," now streaming on HBO Max.
In Season 1 of HBO Max's Velma, Mindy Kaling's titular detective is caught up in two worlds. She's trying to solve the case of her missing mother, Diya, adamant the lady didn't run away from home. However, Velma is distracted in a time when there's a Crystal Cove villain killing mean girls in town.
The events of Episodes 5 and 6 cause Velma to ask Shaggy to help her crack her case, sensing it ties to her family drama. However, Shaggy has skeletons in his closet, connecting him to Diya in a scary way. While it feels like one of Shaggy's key family members might be the clue to unlocking the truth, it could also be a distraction while the murderer(s) hide in plain sight.
Velma Fingers Shaggy's Grandmother as a Villain
Velma confirms Shaggy's grandmother, Edna, was a brain surgeon, who worked with the military in the 1970s to experiment on teens. The sadistic General Meeting wanted her to replace the brains of hippie teens protesting war to make them more compliant. However, as Edna ran projects in the cellar of her mansion, she eventually had a mental breakdown and got locked away.
Diya apparently found Edna's journals years later, and the sleuth in her took her to the cellar the night she went missing. This either sets up Diya as the possible serial killer carrying on Edna's work, or Edna probably had an associate who murdered Diya to cover up the lair. It's the reason Velma is upset with Shaggy, believing he saved his family's reputation at the expense of clues. Of course, Velma could be using the age-old Scooby-Doo trope of red herrings to paint Edna as the culprit responsible.
Velma's Enemy Could Be the Authorities
Velma has consistently addressed misogyny through Fred and Shaggy. Velma's father Aman has similarly explored the theme of misogynistic attitudes and toxic masculinity. This trend is also noticeable with Fred's scummy father, William, effectively establishing a pattern of front-facing male characters being devious. Consistent with that trend is tangible evidence pointing to Mayor Dave and Sheriff Cogburn as potential culprits, especially as two of the most toxic males in Velma.
One notable example is how Dave and Cogburn arranged for the cops to guard the "hot girls" in town, which resulted in some of them hitting on and weirding out a few police officers. Given how Dave and Cogburn have been ogling these same girls in creepy, predatory ways, this could have been their intent all along -- hoping the cops would capitalize on this newfound godhood, making the duo saviors. The victims all end in "a" -- such as Lana, Krista and Brenda -- hinting the killer has a type. From the way these men operate, the teenaged victims are their type, adding context to why they could be engineering something so disgusting.
Questionable officials manipulating the town's curfew and using law enforcement to get closer to the girls nod to power and control -- exactly what Meeting was about. This also nods to Scream having multiple slashers, with this duo murdering young ladies who rebuffed them. They also appear to be using the horror of brain removal as a fake trail for any detective to follow, especially if they know about Edna's history. Essentially, it's a built-in fall guy story, allowing Dave and Cogburn to run riot in the shadows, stunning fans who assume they're not smart. Ultimately, it would tie into the #MeToo climate, and reiterate there's no intricate plot at hand. Sometimes the nastiest monsters like corrupt politicians and crooked cops are always hiding in plain sight.
Velma debuts new episodes every Thursday on HBO Max.