Even when first getting into 'The 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo' one Scooby Summer on Boomerang pre-teenagehood, "Reflections in a Ghoulish Eye" did little for me. In fact, when younger it very nearly made me stop watching after liking the other four episodes seen before it (first saw the show out of order just to say). The previous four being "That's Monstertainment", "Scoobra Kadoobra", "Scooby in Kwackyland" and "Ship of Ghouls", all four still being better than this one.
Have re-watched "Reflections in a Ghoulish Eye" several more times since that time, due to seeing whether it gets better with each viewing (have done this with all the episodes, even the weakest ones) and when re-watching the whole of 'The 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo'. It is a better episode now, with the Reflector Specter, a few amusing moments and the climax elevating it, but it is still one of my least favourite episodes of 'The 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo' and a case of a great concept with very uneven execution.
"Reflections in a Ghoulish Eye" does have good things. A vast majority of the music is great, at its best in the truly atmospheric and eerie scoring for the mirror world scene (the highlight scene of the episode). The theme tune has an epic horror vibe and the opening credits sequence is one of the franchise's best. There is strong voice acting from all the regulars, Vincent Price was always a plus on the show and Casey Kasem and Don Messick were unrivalled as Shaggy and Scooby's voice actors in the franchise. The Reflector Specter's voice acting is suitably sinister, the laugh is pretty hair-raising.
The Reflector Specter is a triumph actually as a character and the only supporting character that makes a positive impression. The design is very creepy and there is no goofiness with him in sight. The very visually imaginative and mysterious mirror world is the animation standout easily, with the Reflector Spectre's character design close behind. There are funny moments, especially Flim Flam and Scrappy as detectives and the "Auld Lang Syne" scene.
Most of the supporting characters here however are annoying stereotypes, Sandy and Selma really get on the nerves. Didn't find the supporting characters on the whole well voiced, the exception being for the Reflector Specter. Selma sounds like she was suffering from a head cold and the concierge is voiced with one of the most overdone and stereotypical French accents in cartoondom. Bogol and Weerd have always been take or leave for me and the show always missed the opportunity to make them more cunning than the bumbling comic relief henchman act.
Always have felt too that the animation is very uneven. The look of the Reflector Specter and the mirror world are great, as well as some nice colours, less great are too many moments of sparse backgrounds and scrappy drawing. There are funny moments, but some of the humour fails, Scrappy irritates in his first scene and sees a return to the annoying character he was when he was first introduced in 'Scooby Doo and Scrappy Doo', the camel adds nothing and Flim Flam's repetitive conning always makes him look overboard arrogant and over-zealous. The story has its moments, like the climax, but feels too thin and the middle act drags. The nadir of "Reflections in a Ghoulish Eye" is the "Give Em the Old Flim Flam" musical number, which felt like padding and sums up pretty much everything that is wrong with him as a character.
In conclusion, not a fan of this episode sad to say though it does have its fair share of strengths. 5/10.
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