"What a Night for a Knight" is ground-breaking for being the first episode of the first incarnation of Scooby Doo 'Scooby Doo Where are You'. This said, it deserves more than that distinction, as to start out on one of the show's classics is very impressive indeed.
There's so much that is great in "What a Night for a Knight", everything that makes me a fan of Scooby Doo is present here and it's the first episode.
A standout feature in "What a Night for a Knight" is the atmosphere, a real darkness and creepiness, some moments among the darkest and creepiest of the entire show. It's not all dark and creepy though, even so early on in the show there is an ideal balance of mystery and comedy, and while the comedy is sort of goofy and silly it's in an endearing sort of way and never annoying or juvenile. There is some hilarious writing here, including one of the funniest final trap scenes of the show.
The mystery in "What a Night for a Knight" acquits itself just fine, with some nice clues and a case that's easy to follow and comprehend. It's formulaic, but not in a way that's overly predictable, which is true of Scooby Doo at its best or when it's still solid. Again the dark and creepy atmosphere helps enormously, as well as the humour, how well established the lead characters are, Shaggy and Scooby's charming and amusing friendship and an unforgettable and initially genuinely frightening foe in The Black Knight.
Black Knight's true personality may not be much of a surprise for anybody adding up the clues along with the gang (though it is nowhere near as obvious as in "Never Ape an Ape Man" and "Mine Your Own Business", examples of it only could have been one person), but my younger self did find myself surprised, due to that the criminal himself was much smaller than in the Black Knight guise that towered over the rest of the character.
Here, the animation is lively, atmospheric and nicely drawn. Maybe not as accomplished in finesse as animation now, but for back then it's quite impressive and compares favourably against a lot of mid-late Hanna-Barbera shows. The music adds to the impact the atmosphere creates, and it is very difficult to resist the classic theme song that is one of the most iconic in animation. The voice acting is very good, especially from Don Messick and Casey Kasem (amazing that Frank Welker is still voicing Fred nearly 50 years on and so consistently, what an amazingly talented guy he is).
Overall, a great start to what still holds up as the first and best incarnation of Scooby Doo. 10/10 Bethany Cox
There's so much that is great in "What a Night for a Knight", everything that makes me a fan of Scooby Doo is present here and it's the first episode.
A standout feature in "What a Night for a Knight" is the atmosphere, a real darkness and creepiness, some moments among the darkest and creepiest of the entire show. It's not all dark and creepy though, even so early on in the show there is an ideal balance of mystery and comedy, and while the comedy is sort of goofy and silly it's in an endearing sort of way and never annoying or juvenile. There is some hilarious writing here, including one of the funniest final trap scenes of the show.
The mystery in "What a Night for a Knight" acquits itself just fine, with some nice clues and a case that's easy to follow and comprehend. It's formulaic, but not in a way that's overly predictable, which is true of Scooby Doo at its best or when it's still solid. Again the dark and creepy atmosphere helps enormously, as well as the humour, how well established the lead characters are, Shaggy and Scooby's charming and amusing friendship and an unforgettable and initially genuinely frightening foe in The Black Knight.
Black Knight's true personality may not be much of a surprise for anybody adding up the clues along with the gang (though it is nowhere near as obvious as in "Never Ape an Ape Man" and "Mine Your Own Business", examples of it only could have been one person), but my younger self did find myself surprised, due to that the criminal himself was much smaller than in the Black Knight guise that towered over the rest of the character.
Here, the animation is lively, atmospheric and nicely drawn. Maybe not as accomplished in finesse as animation now, but for back then it's quite impressive and compares favourably against a lot of mid-late Hanna-Barbera shows. The music adds to the impact the atmosphere creates, and it is very difficult to resist the classic theme song that is one of the most iconic in animation. The voice acting is very good, especially from Don Messick and Casey Kasem (amazing that Frank Welker is still voicing Fred nearly 50 years on and so consistently, what an amazingly talented guy he is).
Overall, a great start to what still holds up as the first and best incarnation of Scooby Doo. 10/10 Bethany Cox