Photograph by Courtesy of HBO Max
In January 2023, HBO Max released their new Tv series, “Velma”. The show is essentially the little sister to the Scooby-Doo franchise and all of its shows and movies. The show revolves around the main character, Velma Dinkley, and the other members of the original Scooby-Doo gang. Oddly enough, this does not include Scooby-Doo himself. The series serves the purpose of being Velma’s origin story. The mysterious and criminal aesthetic of the show is quite similar to that of the Scooby-Doo shows. However, it differs because of its heavy ties to modern pop culture topics, such as race, the LGBTQ+ community, drug use, and intimate relations.
Since the release of the show, it has received harsh pushback and criticism from its consumers. One problem that many have with the show is that almost every main character has had their race and/or sexuality changed from what it originally was. Others think that it is just far too sexualized and loses sight of what the show should truly be about.
Personally, I think that the show is absolutely hilarious and that its pop culture references really make it all the more funny. However, I do partially agree with the idea that it is rather weird that all of the characters are now a different race. Now let’s not get confused, I love the idea of inclusion and proper representation, but this just feels over the top.
Throughout the show, race is constantly talked about and just seems unnecessary in most scenarios. While most of the jokes are funny, it is a bit too much. It almost seems like the show is a form of a corporate statement rather than something that is supposed to be beneficial and help represent society as a whole. This might be contributing to its 1.4/10 rating on IMDb… Yikes!
The show also talks about the LGBTQ+ community quite a lot. The main character, Velma Dinkley, and side character, Daphne Blake (who is also from the original Scooby-Doo series) both come to discover that they both are not only attracted to women, but to each other. I feel like the show touches on this subject in a better light than it does with others. With the inclusion of Velma and Daphne’s sexuality, it allows for the two of them to share many sentimental moments that are not only humorous and thrilling, but heartwarming as well.
Besides the show’s controversial take on modern political issues, the story’s plot is actually good. Throughout the 10 episode season, Velma’s main mission is to solve the mystery of her mother’s disappearance. While Velma is busy solving the mystery of her mother, many other mysteries and problems pop up along the way and make the show very interesting and enjoyable. These side stories are what make the show so intriguing yet tolerable for consumer consumption. I say this because if it was a full season of just Velma herself, I would probably have quit watching.
The absolute best part of this show simply has to be Velma’s interactions and encounters with other people. Although she is a social dumpster fire, when she talks to someone or does something a whole lot of cringe and embarrassment comes out of her mouth, which not only makes me laugh but in a way makes me feel better about myself. So essentially, watching this show was my attempt at a therapy session.
Overall, I think this show got a bad reputation and was casted in a bad light. While at times it might be overly cringe and excessively “woke”, for a majority of the time it is an intriguing mystery series that incorporates chunks of pop culture into its composition. Although this show is far from perfect, it definitely has more good qualities than bad and has made me laugh numerous times.
