Through the Curtain

Through the Curtain
Details
Air date	April 5, 2013
Written by	Michael F. Ryan
Directed by	Michael Goguen
Chronology
Previous episode	Gates of Gloom
Next episode	Come Undone

Through the Curtain is the twenty-fifth episode of the second season of Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, and the fifty-first episode overall in the series.

Premise

Mystery Inc. face the very elements themselves to destroy the Evil Entity.

Synopsis

The gang follows the original Mystery, Inc. through the caverns, trying to think of a plan to get ahead of them before they can free the Evil Entity. While the gang ponders, they see their predecessors reach the first gate. Noting the alchemical symbols around the edges of the gate, Velma deduces that the gates are symbols of the four elements: air, earth, water, and fire. Each gate can be opened using the key which corresponds to the element of the gate in question.

The gang also realizes that the keys' scenarios seen in the dream world is how they all apply to the gates and the gates being opened. The gate they're facing is the air gate, so they deduced that the sailcloth belonging to the Benevolent Lodge of Mystery should be able to open it. Shaggy wonders why the item marked "Fourth Key" is the first to be used, but Daphne reminds him that the gates were built in reverse order - the air gate was the last to be built, and so uses the fourth key.

Meanwhile, Professor Pericles calls out to the gang, asking them to open the gates for him. He explains to his colleagues that he knew their successors would follow them in hopes of stopping his plan, thereby bringing the keys to him. Although the gang hesitates, knowing that they are playing into Pericles' hands, the parrot reveals that he has Marcie as a hostage. Unable to abandon their friend, the gang finally complies; Fred volunteers to go down alone, but Daphne tells him that they are going to stick together until the end.

Before opening the air gate, Fred tells his friends to grab on to something, aware that the gate has a trap. He then activates the gate, causing it to begin sucking in air with tremendous force. As everyone struggles against the vortex, some of the Kriegstaffebots are destroyed by being sucked into the hole. One of the surviving robots grabs Daphne and throws her towards the gate, forcing Fred to disarm the trap by plugging the hole with the sailcloth. This also serves to open the gate itself, revealing a strange dimension of floating islands and long wooden bridges.

While Pericles is distracted by the events before them, Marcie takes him as a hostage, giving the gang a head start. Velma is reluctant to leave her friend, but Marcie insists that they forget about her, reminding them that the Evil Entity must be destroyed. As the gang rushes through the gate, Marcie holds the villains at bay by threatening to kill Pericles. However, Judy Reeves uses her husband's belt as a whip to trip her up, freeing Pericles and leaving Marcie at the mercy of the Kriegstaffebots. Within the air dimension, Scooby hears the distant sound of the robots' gatling guns, but Velma sadly tells him to keep moving.

The gang arrives at the second gate, and opens it using the mortar bowl. They then enter what appears to be a mysterious cavern, where they are chased by a fierce rock monster. Fred tricks the beast into running into a granite wall, destroying it and revealing the third gate amid a wall of water. After using the conquistador's helmet to take water from the wall, the gate turns into a boat that sends the gang flying off a waterfall and into the open ocean. The gang is bewildered by the sudden change, but Velma explains that they must be passing through alternate dimensions with the power of the Planispheric Disk.

As Pericles' group passes through the earth dimension, the gang realizes that the next gate is below the water. Diving overboard and swimming to a glowing tunnel, they emerge from a pool next to the final gate. Shaggy offers to do the honors of opening the gate with the flintlock, but his attempt only sends a bullet ricocheting around the room. Daphne realizes that the true key is the flint itself, and opens the gate by slotting it into an opening on the lock.

Bracing themselves, the gang enters a lava-filled cavern, where they finally discover the cursed treasure. Realizing that they are beneath Crystal Cove, they come upon the Evil Entity's crystal prison. The entity tries to convince the gang to release it, but Velma asserts that they are here to destroy it. In response, the Evil Entity declares that they are destined to set it free, revealing that the gang are merely the latest in a long line of mystery-solving groups that it has manipulated into coming together, all for the purpose of releasing it from the sarcophagus.

The gang is momentarily stunned by the Entity's words, with Shaggy wondering if they would have even known each other if the evil Annunaki had not manipulated their fates. However, Daphne quickly rejects the thought, declaring that her love for Fred and her bonds with the others are real - even if the Entity was responsible for bringing them together, the friendship between the members of the gang is entirely their own. Realizing that Daphne is right, the gang regains its resolve, and Scooby prepares to destroy the sarcophagus with the Heart of the Jaguar...

...only for the spear to be snatched out of his paws by Professor Pericles, whose group has finally caught up with the gang. With the remaining Kreigstaffebots holding his foes at bay, the evil parrot opens the sarcophagus, releasing the Evil Entity at last.

Cast and characters

Actor	Character
Frank Welker	Scooby-Doo Fred Jones, Jr.
Matthew Lillard	Shaggy Rogers
Grey DeLisle	Daphne Blake
Mindy Cohn	Velma Dinkley
Lewis Black	Mr. E
Clancy Brown	Evil Entity
Linda Cardellini	Hot Dog Water
Tia Carrere	Judy Reeves
Udo Kier	Professor Pericles
Tim Matheson	Brad Chiles
Non-speaking roles
Kriegstaffebots
Rock monster

Villains

• Professor Pericles
• Kriegstaffebots
• Evil Entity
• Mr. E
• Brad Chiles
• Judy Reeves
• Rock monster

Locations

• Crystal Cove
  • Underground caverns
• Air Dimension
• Earth Dimension
• Water Dimension
• Fire Dimension

Continuity

• This episode follows on from Gates of Gloom.
  • Brad and Judy continue to uncharacteristically bicker which is caused by being closer to the Evil Entity; Judy still calls Brad "Bradley".
  • Brad and Judy are stuck looking like Fred and an old Daphne, respectively, from being surgically altered to look like them in The Man in the Mirror because Professor Pericles won't allow time for the reversal procedure.
• Professor Pericles implanted cobra larvae in Mr. E's spinal column in The Devouring.
• The visions of the four gate keys associated with the four Greek elements, seen in Nightmare in Red, prove to be vital clues to getting through the barriers.

Notes/trivia

• This is both the penultimate episode of the second season and of Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated.
• This is concluded in Come Undone.
• Daphne announces the "previously on..." recap.
• This is the second episode of season two to be directed by Michael Goguen after Dark Night of the Hunters, instead of regulars Curt Geda and Victor Cook.
• Professor Pericles captured Hot Dog Water some time after Wrath of the Krampus.
• Hot Dog Water is implied to be killed when Mystery Inc. hear gunshot fire from the Kriegstaffebots when she held Pericles at ransom to allow time for them to go through the element of air door.

Inconsistences/continuity errors and/or goofs

• It is unclear how the original Mystery Incorporated caught up to their successors, as they had to swim through an interdimensional sea.
  • The most likely explanation is that they rode the Kriegstaffebots, who have been shown to be capable of aquatic travel, and came to the same conclusion as the gang as to the location of the final gate. While the gang was speaking to the Evil Entity, Pericles' group would have had time to dive down to the gate and reach the treasure room to take the gang prisoner.
• As mentioned above, Professor Pericles took Hot Dog Water prisoner following the events of Wrath of the Krampus. However, approximately a month has passed since then, yet Winslow Fleach has not appeared to have noticed or reported his daughter's disappearance to the Sheriff - which would then reach the gang, as they are close to the Sheriff.
  • However, there is no way to be sure how long she remained free (and in communication with her father). She might have been captured just before Pericles took over the town.
• In previous episodes showing the Crystal Sarcophagus, the chamber it was in was not filled with lava.

In other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Spanish (Latin America)	Atravez de la Cortina	Through the Curtain
Italian	Le Porte Dell'Abisso	Gates of the Abyss
Hungarian	Ajtók előtt	In Front of Doors
Polish	Po drugiej stronie	On the Other Side
Norwegian	Bakom teppet	Behind the carpet

Home media

• Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated: Season Two, Part 2 - Spooky Stampede DVD set released June 18, 2013.
• Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated: The Complete Season 2 DVD set released October 7, 2014.

Quotes

Previous episode:	Series:	Next episode:
Gates of Gloom	{{{series}}}	Come Undone