"Fear of the Fire Beast" struck me as a very good episode on first watch, especially for the guest star, the villain and the very interesting denouement. Italy is an absolutely beautiful place and it is always a pleasure seeing it on Scooby Doo ('The Scooby Doo Show's' "A Menace in Venice" is a very memorable episode set in Italy) and animation overall. Steve Buscemi, who has a very distinctive voice, energy and appearance. 'Scooby Doo and Guess Who' is inconsistent as a show, but this viewer on the whole found it very enjoyable.
Although some episodes of 'Scooby Doo and Guess Who' didn't quite work, others worked really well indeed and there were some very memorable guest stars in both seasons. "Fear of the Fire Beast" still is to me a very good episode, was even better on rewatch, and was very nearly great, it would have been that if all of the humour had worked. It is among the better faring episodes of the second half of Season 1, is quite a unique episode with many interest points and Buscemi is one of the best guest stars of the season.
By all means it isn't a perfect episode. To me, a couple of the jokes were on the repetitive side. Some fans have said the door gag has gotten old (agree with this and it was before the show was dreamt up), but the joke that for me wore thin even more was the one with the gang constantly saying Buscemi's name wrong. Two or three times would have been fine, constantly throughout the episode felt really repetitive and annoying, very reminiscent of everything with George Takei's voice in "Hollywood Knights".
Those that are not too fond of stereotypes should beware somewhat, there is quite a lot of stereotyping and some of it is inaccurate (like the implication that spaghetti and meatballs as a dish originated in Italy, it didn't) and some of the accents may make one cringe. Having said all of that, the Scooby Doo franchise has had stereotypes and bad accents in all their incarnations pretty much and there have been far worse instances.
So many good things here in "Fear of the Fire Beast" though. The animation is colourful and atmospheric and absolutely loved the vibrant setting and how it celebrated the Italian culture. The music has spookiness and groove and do like the take on the theme tune despite its briefness. The voice acting for the leads is very good, apart from some abrasiveness from Kate Micucci, with Matthew Lillard continuing to be a major hit as Shaggy. Buscemi is a joy of a guest star, one of my favourites. The episode does such a good job with playing to his strengths and showcasing what makes him such a good actor, the writers clearly loved writing for him. Loved his interaction with the gang, despite the aforementioned running gag, which was very well balanced. With him not dominating too much or being underused.
While not all the humour lands, "Fear of the Fire Beast" is hardly short changed in this aspect. Buscemi being mistaken for an evil criminal and a squirrel was an absolute riot and would be right at home in old Scooby Doo. There is a good deal of spookiness, with a very creepy sequence in a mannequin factory. The mystery is full of energy and atmosphere, a lot goes on without being chaotic and there are surprises along the way. The writing is fun, smart with the right amount of goofiness. The villain is very creatively designed and is very different for the franchise. The denouement is one of the most shocking of the show, one of the few to be so, not just the culprit (didn't even suspect them) but even more so the motive, which was very different to the usual ones seen constantly.
In conclusion, very well done with so many interest points and good things. 8/10.
