!Discussion: The "Tragedy" of Velma and Shaggy

[weber_dubois22]

You know, I've been wondering about the Shaggy/Velma relationship in Mystery Incorporated ever since they announced the new episode a couple days ago. What was the point of putting them together if their ultimate objective was simply to break them apart? Its one thing to create drama and tension for a romantic relationship on TV to "break up the monotony" of a steady relationship, but it another to "demonize" the female character (Velma) by turning her into a control freak who doesn't seem appreciate the person she's with for who he is (thanks to some bad advice from Daphene for the most part) and appears to despise the close knit relationship between a man his dog (Shaggy and Scooby).

And the worst thing of it, Shaggy is such a push over about everything until she throws down the ultimatum of "The Dog or Me". I never got why they used the Shaggy/Scooby friendship for the basis of some weird ass love-triangle between the three, let alone why they'd make Scooby against the idea of Shaggy and Velma dating (or maybe I'm looking at that particular angle from the real world perspective, as I'm sure your pet really doesn't give a damn about who you date, so long as you continue to love and care for it. Maybe that's the angle they were aiming for, but it didn't come off that way for me), it gave me pause on more than one occasion.

Comments

[dj-rocca.livejournal.com]

From interviews it seems that IS the angle they aimed for. Using Scooby as a tool to "prove" how Velma and Shaggy could never be.

I will try to hold my tongue and watch my foul language but it's utter bullshit. People need to wake up and realize that people DO ship Velma and Shaggy and have since the classic series.

This universe, for its good, this is its glaring horrible unforgivable error. It is not fair that they pimp out Fred/Daphne as destined one true loves that should be together when Velma and Shaggy have more between them. Its clear even in the new movies Cartoon Network makes, "Curse of the Lake Monstwimpedmped out at the last minute but it proved why Shaggy and Velma should be a couple.

It makes me sick to think that these producers finddegradingrating storyline of the Scooby/Shaggy/Velma as a key focus. It's not fair and I wish to God that they one day see our words and our anger and apologize for fucks sake!

[alicornmoon.livejournal.com]

'Cause we 'homely/tomboyish/nerdy' girls don't deserve a guy and must have nothing going for us, clearly the cheerleader/high heel gogo boot wearing sort is the only one who should get a working relationship -.-

[brendala.livejournal.com]

What was the point of putting them together if their ultimate objective was simply to break them apart?

That's what's been pissing me off about this whole thing, too! As of episode 20, it doesn't look like they're getting back together. And even if they did, it wouldn't matter because their characterizations in this show are so unlikeable and incompatible that I can't bring myself to root for them (except to say, "they're both such loathsome idiots/assholes that they DESERVE to be stuck with each other").

It seems as if the messed up Velma/Shaggy/Scooby "love triange" (*GAG*) is intended to mirror something that Cassidy/Ricky/Peracles went through. That seems to be the "point" of all this nonsensical romantic "drama". And I wonder if Cassidy and Ricky's relationship will be just as stupid and badly written as Shaggy and Velma's. :P


Y'know what? If anything, this show's treatment of Shaggy and Velma only made me ship the TRADITIONAL versions of the characters more. The Shaggy and Velma (and Scooby) in Mystery Incorporated are barely recognizable as the characters we all grew up with. So if the Mystery Incorporated writers intended to use this show as "evidence" that the Shaggy/Velma ship could never sail, they failed. BIG TIME!

Rant ahoy...

[brendala.livejournal.com]

The fact that this show sunk the Shaggy/Velma ship isn't the thing that bothers me the most. What bothers me the most is the fact that Velma -who was always one of the most confident, intelligent, and inspirational characters in the franchise- has been reduced to nothing more than this show's emotional punching bag!

Think about it. Whenever the writers want to move the plot along, they make Velma behave like the bad guy and/or suffer somehow. When she and Shaggy were together, they made her act like a shrew and cling to him no matter how much he neglected her. Once they broke up, half the episodes showed her either moping over Shaggy, moping about her looks, getting kidnapped, getting the brush off from Fred & Daphne, getting used, getting betrayed, etc, etc. If this weren't a Scooby show, I would predict that she'd be raped and/or killed at some point (and I'd probably be right!).
MI-Velma is like a less pitiful version of Rose from the first Full Metal Alchemist anime!

Worst of all, a lot of episodes have made very mean-spirited jabs at Velma's looks. The two main examples are Fred telling her she has ugly skin and the recent revelation that MI-Velma wears the turtleneck to cover up her "neck waddle". This coupled with the extreme sexualization of Daphne (which I'll rant about another day) and the fact that Shaggy went gaga over a skinny Asian chick (with Scooby's blessing, no less!!!) gives off a very disturbing message:
Nerdy/homely girls are undesirable and should stay covered and alone. Only girls who are thin and traditionally beautiful have any hope of getting a boyfriend. And if you don't have a boyfriend by the time you're in high school, you're a TOTAL LOSER!!

I hate to play moral crusader with TV shows; but this is Scooby Doo. Little kids LOVE Scooby Doo (and his human friends) and kids are smart enough to pick up on stuff like that. I can't imagine how I would feel if I watched Mystery Incorporated as a child and saw Velma (a character I identify with) being torn apart the way she is in this show.

[lady-mouse04.livejournal.com]

All I can say of this matter is "Lord have mercy!"