When the entire town of Crystal Cove is taken over by Aphrodite's love spell, only Scooby-Doo and the recently escaped Professor Pericles can save the gang from the spell and solve the mystery. Pericles says he can make an antidote. But does he have ulterior motives?
The episode has examples of:
- Ambiguously Gay: Mayor Jones and Sheriff Stone are dancing together in the streets and holding each other affectionately while everyone else is with their current love interest.
- Ambiguous Situation: Angel knows of Pericles, and he asks if they've met before. Angel knowing who Pericles is could be justified to his reputation preceding him, but Pericles implies by asking that Angel is hiding a Dark Secret.
- Big Damn Heroes: Angel drives in with the Mystery Machine to get the kids out of town when they break free of the spell.
- Early-Bird Cameo: Hot Dog Water briefly appears in a classroom affected by Aphrodite.
- Enemy Mine: Scooby, the kids, and Angel agree to work with Pericles.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Pericles claims that despite being diabolical and an escaped convict, he still cares about Crystal Cove and would hate to see it get destroyed. Later subverted when Ed Machine reveals that his plans to discover the treasure beneath the town would mean "the end of Crystal Cove", and he knows it.
- Fetch Quest: Dramatically subverted. Sure Scooby does get the stuff he needs to save the gang, but Pericles also gets what he wants and played Scooby like a piano.
- Foreshadowing:
- The old Spanish church that Scooby and Professor Pericles go to. This is the entrance to the haunted treasure.
- Angel and Pericles appear to know each other. Because they're both members of the original Mystery Inc.
- Have We Met?: Angel and Pericles seem to recognize each other, prompting the latter to ask this.
- Hope Spot: At the end of the episode, the kids hope that their team-up with Pericles means that he could be good again one day, but Ed Machine reveals that he started the episode's mystery as a ploy to distract them and use them to advance his own goals this whole time.
- In the End, You Are on Your Own: Initially, it seems that Scooby and Pericles have to solve the mystery on their own, but...
- Manipulative Bastard: Professor Pericles managed to trick Scooby to lead him to an important treasure map.
- Monster of the Week: Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love. Hideous and zombie-like, she casts her spell of love to enthrall all of Crystal Cove.
- Non-Human Sidekick: Amanda Smythe calls Scooby and Pericles "sidekicks". Pericles declares that they are not sidekicks, something he and Scooby agree on for once.
- No-Sell: Scooby is immune to Aphrodite's love spell, much to her surprise. Later it turns out Pericles is also safe from it, as well as Angel due to her lack of a sense of smell.
- Shout-Out: The Mayor's "unearthly yowl" is lifted right from Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
- The prank pulled upon Aphrodite at her prom is similar to what happens in Carrie.
- Unwitting Pawn: Scooby, the gang, and the Monster of the Week were being manipulated by Pericles this whole time.
- The Virus: Aphrodite's love spell.
- Shaggy: Okay, can I get a teeny, little time-out here? What does any of that stuff have to do with anything?
Ed: The curse of the haunted treasure, an ancient fortune left behind by the conquistadors that first settled this area. Legend has it that it is buried somewhere deep beneath us, and it now appears that Pericles is on the verge of discovering it, and if he does, it could well mean the end of Crystal Cove.
