A watcher not a follower.

eric staufer’s friendship with the gang is left pretty vague within the film, so let’s say that he is fred’s friend specifically. eric is his old friend, one he’s known since middle school. he’s also his only true friend at that (besides the gang, of course). both were social outcasts and had niche passions that they absolutely devoted themselves to (coding/video games and traps/mystery solving respectively). eric was quiet and reclusive while fred was much more cheerful and outgoing, but didn’t fully realise that he didn’t fit in with others. and even if he did, it wouldn’t dampen his spirit.

i’d like to think that eric was very much drawn to that about fred, and probably also had a crush on him for a while (that he doesn’t really have as much anymore, but the embarrassing memories are still very much There. maybe he can have an OH NO HE’S HOT moment when he sees him again for the first time in ages. as a treat.). but the point is that they’re besties now and you can’t take this away from me. look at them.

the pacing of the film is one of its biggest strengths, but i think i would give the gang just a little more time at the university before they’re transported into eric’s game. this would allow the boys to catch up, their friendship can be established (with some flashbacks maybe?), and we can have fred properly introduce eric to the gang.

now here’s the thing — fred’s development. for daphne, velma and shaggy, their stories within the other three films have of course been focused on them as individuals, the things they’re passionate about and the people that change them.

for fred, i would love an arc about his role as the leader of the gang. he received this position not just because he’s logical and decisive, but because he knows how to divide up bigger tasks according to the skillsets of his friends, and is of course the most enthusiastic about, well, everything! but this role naturally brings with it a lot of pressure, mostly self-imposed. fred cares for his friends so deeply, and would do anything to keep them out of harm’s way. he is constantly throwing himself straight into danger for their sake, because… ♪ he’s pretty sure he’s worthless if he can’t be of service ♪. (i used a scene from the cyber chase in my surface pressure post for a reason!)

what’s new, scooby-doo? came out a year after the cyber chase, and good lord is fred ever this series’ punching bag (physically, that is. he gets to be the emotional punching bag in mystery incorporated!). he gets thrown, breaks bones, is knocked out and kidnapped… you name it. and it’s all pretty inconsequential as the show has a more light-hearted tone. but i still think about it a lot.

because a few of these instances are just him being impulsive and trying to take on monsters that he can’t realistically fight alone. but a lot of them are also fuelled by his wanting to protect his friends, such as when he jump-tackles the zombie gladiator because it was about to hurt “[his] pal” (shaggy). he frequently bites off so much more than he can chew in this regard, to the point where others have to reel him in… like scooby.

have i mentioned that scooby saves fred’s life twice in this series? because it never fails to make me cry. i think that fred would feel so, so guilty at the fact that scooby would risk his life just to save him. so there’s a super fun internal struggle for him to have. because of course his friends are aware of the crazy things he does. of course they’re frustrated with and worried for him. of course they want to stop him. but of course that will lead to them getting into even more danger, and it’ll be fred’s fault — much, much more so. the cycle continues…

going back to the cyber chase, the game eric creates is, of course, based on the adventures of mystery incorporated. the next time somebody asks who the biggest scooby-doo fan is, i’m going to say eric staufer. anyway, as i’m developing eric as more of a timid character, i’d like to think that the gang are a big inspiration to him, and were the ones who made him want to use his talent at coding in order to bring joy to others’ lives just like they do, but in his own small way.

i think that fred should be going through a period of doubt and insecurity when this film begins. maybe a member of the gang got hurt in their previous mystery, and he thinks it’s his fault, that his leadership was flawed and he was so focused on his plan that he failed to think about his friends (spoiler alert: he is always thinking about his friends!! he is just way too hard on himself!!).

but being transported into the game, although perilous, affirms his role as leader. the gang and eric help him to realise that none of these adventures would be possible without him — he was the one to bring the gang together, he was the one who always came up with the plan and ensured a successful case, and he was the one who just genuinely wanted to help the victims of each villain’s plan. he isn’t perfect, and he can’t always think about everything. sometimes his friends will get hurt, but that’s not his fault. they have minds of their own, and will sometimes act foolishly or have a spell of bad luck. it’s all part of the job. and it’s a job that they all love, due in no small part to fred’s infectious enthusiasm constantly rubbing off on them.

i’d also really love to see a heart-to-heart between fred and cyber fred. this would be a way of showing how his character has grown and changed over time, much like daphne and cyber daphne’s scene (one of my favourites ever!). maybe cyber fred looks cheerful and collected, but is noticeably highly-strung, and much more serious. this is the final stage of fred’s development here, as he expresses everything he’s realised over the course of the film and reassures his cyber counterpart that yes, sometimes his plans will fail, sometimes his friends will be in danger, and things will never be perfect. but fred knows that all cyber fred can do is his best, and that’s enough. he doesn’t have to shoulder every responsibility alone, and he can afford to relax and simply enjoy the thrill of a mystery. he deserves it.

i think that the only other thing i would add/change that is isn’t directly related to fred is bill’s character and motivation for creating the phantom virus. maybe he’s actually an expert hacker disguising his underhanded work beneath the façade of a brilliant student. maybe he sees eric’s talent and is trying to subtly manipulate him into following the same path behind professor kaufman’s back.

but maybe he’s also just… lonely. overlooked. he was never deemed good enough, so he took to hacking and eventually creating the phantom virus as this big catastrophic thing by which he could finally gain some recognition, positive or otherwise. he’s so proud of the phantom virus because it’s finally something he can control. worst of all, he’s so wrapped up in this terrible pursuit and so conditioned to others dismissing him that he doesn’t realise that professor kaufman and eric do respect and believe in him.

i absolutely love how the other three films in this series have a running theme of “classic guy in a mask plot but then then they realise that there is also an actual supernatural entity”, so it’s a shame that the cyber chase didn’t do this too. to capture that theme, i think i would have bill accidentally reveal himself as the culprit while the gang are still in the game. the professor and eric get him to reveal his motivation, allowing them to give him the reassurance he always needed. he is genuinely repentant for what he’s done… but it’s too late. at this point, the phantom virus has gone completely rogue and turned against even its own creator. this would raise the stakes of the finale even more, while still keeping the themes of the joy of technology versus the danger of technology balanced.

it would also still give the gang a chance to have that big epic final battle where they’re all connected, ready to face the threat, trusting one another fully and following fred’s lead of renewed confidence. because if there’s one thing a fred-centric film should do, it’s emphasise the bond between the gang as a whole as well as just exploring his own character and struggles. because at the end of the day the gang are a part of him, and the most important thing in his life.

(and yes, from here eric would become an honorary member helping them out from the sidelines much like marcie in mystery incorporated!)

if you’ve read this far, thank you so, so much!! it means the world that there are people who are interested in my ideas. as i said at the start, i truly believe in fred’s potential as a character, and that hope is always fuelling my ideas. this film is still one of my absolute favourites, but making it about my favourite character would have been a dream come true!

if you have any more ideas you’d like to add (about the cyber chase or anything else) please feel free to send them my way! i would love to hear what you think.