"Dance Matron of Mayhem" struck me as a great episode, and one of the best of 'Scooby Doo and Guess Who's' first season. Which had some bumps but actually showed some good promise, thanks to a high number of very good and more episodes. What stood out about it on first watch was its atmosphere, the setting, the villain, the interaction between Shaggy, Scooby and Maddie Ziegler and the reveal. Very nice to have a Scooby Doo episode centered around dancing.
Quite a lot of 'Scooby Doo and Guess Who's' episodes were every bit as good on rewatch and in some cases even better. "Dance Matron of Mayhem" was every bit as great on recent rewatch as on first viewing and perhaps a little better. The main reasons as to why are exactly the same as first viewing, so what was mentioned above stood out again. As far as Season 1's episodes go, "Dance Matron of Mayhem" still is one of the best as well as one of the creepiest and most different.
Issues were very, very few. Kate Miccucci's voice work as Velma though is still too abrasive and how the truth is gotten to is on the slightly rushed side.
However, everything else is incredibly well done and even excellent. The animation has a lot of atmosphere, rich colour and even richer attention to detail. The music is dynamic and groovy, also loved the modern spin on the iconic classic theme tune for 'Scooby Doo Where are You', although it is too short. A vast majority of the voice acting is very good, with Matthew Lillard nailing it as Shaggy.
The writing is strong, with some genuinely funny and endearingly goofy yet smart humour and interesting deductions. The mystery goes at a lively pace and the truly creepy atmosphere elevates it to a better level. Loved the dance setting and it was nice to have a setting not seen a lot in the franchise. The villain is one of the most frightening ones on 'Scooby Doo and Guess Who', close to nightmare inducing.
Standing out in the mystery is the reveal, one of the most unexpected ones on not just this show but also of the Scooby Doo franchise. Also appreciated that it was different in a way not done before in the franchise (not since 'The New Scooby Doo Movies' "Sandy Duncan's Jekyll and Hyde" anyhow), in who it was and the motive. Ziegler is a charming and bubbly guest star with great interaction with the gang, she is not underused and neither does she dominate. Particularly shining with Shaggy and Scooby, seeing them dancing was so cute.
In summary, great. 9/10.
