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White House Weirdness
Season 2, Episode 6a
Episode6title
Mission TZ988
Historical Figure/Event William Howard Taft
Time 1911
Place Washington D.C.
Aired November 8, 2002
Storyboards by Mary Hanley and Kevin Kaliher
Episode guide
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Ladies And Gentlemen... Monty Zuma!
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Nobel Peace Surprise

To see the episode's transcript, click here.

Synopsis[]

In a parody of the original Scooby-Doo cartoon series, the Time Squad go back to the days of President William Howard Taft, who claims that the White House (which has been reduced to a decrepit state) is haunted by the ghosts of former commanders in chief. The rumors are keeping Woodrow Wilson from running for President, so Otto, Larry, and Tuddrussel investigate.

Plot[]

One night, Tuddrussel and Otto are telling stories around a campfire. Otto's latest ghost story scares Tuddrussel out of his wits; much to Otto's amusement but Tuddrussel denies being scared. Then, they hear a rustling in the woods and notice a figure with angry blue eyes; much to their horror. In the end, it turns out be Larry, angry with them burning the forest since the plant life in the domisphere provides the only oxygen for the satellite. Then, the History Instability Alarm goes off right after. The team sees that the mission is William Howard Taft and heads off.

In Washington, Otto is admiring the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. Tuddrussel notices the White House in a scary, haunted-like condition; referring it to the "Haunted Mansion." The team decide to investigate despite Tuddrussel's reluctance. Everything seems quiet until someone mysteriously pats Tuddrussel's shoulder; much to the team's shock, only to find President William Howard Taft himself along with Vice President James Sherman and Secretary of State Philander Knox. When Taft asks what the team is doing here and Tuddrussel states that they're Time Squad, Taft concludes that they don't get too many visitors in the White House these days due to everyone having been scared off since people think the White House is haunted by the ghost of Presidents past. Even Philander Knox informs them that a ghoulish Martin Van Buren chased the British Ambassador out of here in the morning and that he had claws like a werewolf. Bizarre as it is, it's a problem for Taft for tomorrow starts an election and not a single candidate will run against him; not even Woodrow Wilson, saying that he's scared of living in a "White House of Madness." Nevertheless, Otto insists on convincing Wilson to run and Taft wishes the team luck and says that he would like to win this race fair and square.

Later, after having had a talk with Wilson, Wilson simply says he just decided not to run for the presidency, denies he's scared, and states that he has chosen other ways to serve the American people by making a fool of himself while playing music badly in front of an audience.

Back at the White House, Time Squad try to investigate and understand what's going on around here only to find a bearded zombie in their way. Otto recognizes him as Zachary Taylor; America's 12th president. Then, the team decide to make a run for their lives when Taylor tells them to leave. In another room, they come across a vampire, whom Otto recognizes as Benjamin Harrison; America's 23rd president. When trying to hide in another room, they find a giant Frankenstein-esque figure who claims to be James Buchanan; America's 15th president.

Then, a chase through doors begins until Otto decides they should take the stairs instead but the stairs later turn into a ramp which causes the team to slide down and land into a secret underground cave. Then, the monsters appear before their eyes and they get so scared that they continue running until they come across a table with objects in bowls for them to touch: eyeballs, brains, and guts. Even more scared, Time Squad run until they are cornered to a wall but then, the wall turns and takes them into another room where they feel safe until the monsters appear again out of nowhere. Time Squad runs away scared until Otto has had enough and tells Tuddrussel and Larry to stop. Otto has a plan and decides to discuss it with his friends in the next room. Later, the monsters enter the room Time Squad went in only to find three ghost spooking them. The little ghost manages to trap the monsters in a chandelier. As it turns out, it was Time Squad in ghost disguises. Then, a police officer comes in and congratulates the team on their victory. They remove the masks of the monsters only for the impostors to be identified as Taft, Sherman, and Knox themselves; much to everyone's shock. When Tuddrussel naively asks how they pulled it off, Taft explains with rubber masks and when the officer asks about the eyeballs and brains, Taft explains they're just boiled eggs and dog food, which Tuddrussel deeply enjoys eating afterwards.

The next day, Woodrow Wilson is elected the 28th president of the United States and the White House is ghost-free. But then, Time Squad hears a ghostly moan/wail. Thinking it's Taft up to his old tricks again, Otto tells him to stop but he assures them that it wasn't him at all and the voice continues; spooking Time Squad and making them want to return home as soon as possible.

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

  • The Presidents that appear as monsters in this episode, Zachary Taylor, James Buchanan and Benjamin Harrison, are considered by historians to be three of the worst Presidents in American history.
  • William Howard Taft was the only man to serve as both Chief Executive and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. And the only president considered obese too.
  • When Tuddrussel refers to the White House as the "Haunted Mansion"; it's a possible reference to Disney's 2003 movie starring Eddie Murphy and Disneyland's park attraction.
  • James Sherman is the only one out of Taft's men who hardly speaks a word but he can be heard muttering and mumbling with the group after being unmasked by Time Squad at the end.
  • Philander Knox says only one line in the episode and can be heard muttering and mumbling with the group after being unmasked by Time Squad at the end.
  • Knox's costume is based on Bram Stocker's character, Count Dracula from one of his famous novels.
  • It is unknown how the Benjamin Harrison vampire was able to hang upside-down from a ceiling.
  • Unlike the eyeballs and brains, it is unknown as to what the guts really were in the end.
  • At the end, Taft's men are hardly shown being arrested by the Police during Wilson's election.
  • It is unknown as to whether the White House was haunted in the end or not and what was making the ghost noises too.
  • Taft's costume is based on Mary Shelley's character, Frankenstein from one of her famous novels.
  • When Time Squad first meet the James Buchanan monster, he appears taller than Tuddrussel but throughout the rest of the episode, he seems smaller.
  • The Zachary Taylor monster can be seen switching legs to make it look lame.
  • When the Benjamin Harrison monster opens the door that will lead them to their defeats, he can be seen with hands performing in wrong directions.
  • In this episode, Tuddrussel is scared of just about anything that looks scary; even the Buchanan monster mask.
  • It is unknown as to how the three crooks were able to make themselves thin enough in their monster disguises since they all appeared a bit obese.
  • This is the only episode to includes monsters and mysteries and to spoof Scooby-Doo in it.
  • The entire episode is a parody of Hanna Barbara's Scooby-Doo cartoons.
    • The musical score from the original Scooby-Doo: Where Are You? show can be heard playing from the scene where Tuddrussel notices the haunted White House till the end of the episode.
    • Taft and his men never explained why they did it but it's possible to conclude that it was just a ruse to allow Taft to run for president again for life without anyone to be elected in his place. Same for Sherman and Knox's positions as well.
    • After Taft and his men are unmasked, he says: "Yes! And we would've gotten away with it too if it wasn't for you meddling time squadders."
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