After Daphne buys a strange mask at a shop in Chinatown, a spooky pair of figures begins stalking the gang.
This episode includes examples of the following tropes:
- Affectionate Parody: Of classic Fu Manchu and Charlie Chan serials - with all the
disgraceful aging that that implies. - Asian Speekee Engrish: Downplayed for most of the episode, until Shaggy and Scooby pretend to be Chinese waiters to fool Zen Tuo's henchmen, even having Shaggy make an Asian Buck Teeth face at one point.
- Banana Peel: The Mystery Machine hits one of these at the end of "I Can Make You Happy", sending it spinning out of control into a pile of fish.
- Black Belt in Origami: Shaggy tries to bluff the ghost: "Go on, I dare you to cross the line, but I warn you, I know judo, chop suey, and Chinese checkers!" The ghost (being Chinese) was not intimidated.
- Damsel in Distress: Daphne's purchase of the mask is what compels the villains to try to capture her and the mask. The rest of the episode features the gang trying to escape from the villains, only for them to trip up during a chase and finding out that the villains have kidnapped Daphne!
- Drives Like Crazy: Fred crashes through walls and off a roof trying to get away from the ghouls of the week.
- The Faceless: Before obtaining the mask, Zen Tuo's face is hidden in a dark hood except for his eyes.
- "I Can't Look!" Gesture: Fred drives the Mystery Machine off a high-rise during a chase scene with the ghouls of the week. The camera pans across the van to show everyone covering their eyes, including Fred.
- Our Zombies Are Different: The zombies in the episode vaguely resemble jiangshi, but otherwise don't exhibit any of the patterns commonly associated with them.
- Paper-Thin Disguise: Scooby and Shaggy are pursued by two ghostly figures, and run into a small room. About two seconds later, the figures open the door...and discover Shaggy and Scooby dressed as Chinese restaurant waiters. They quickly seat the ghosts at a table and proceed to serve them "chocolate chop suey with spare ribs a la mode." The amazing thing is that this disguise works, despite the fact that the ghosts saw Scooby and Shaggy enter the room.
- Revealing Cover-Up: Had the criminals simply let Daphne keep the mask, they could have continued their smuggling plot indefinitely (especially because Daphne had no idea about the secret compartment in the mask, and was only alerted to it because the zombies were so eager to steal it back). Granted, they'd have missed one of their shipments, but taking a single loss is better than sinking an entire operation.
- Rule of Funny: The Mystery Machine spinning out of control after hitting a Banana Peel and crashing into a pile of fish.
- Spanner in the Works: The jewel smuggling scheme the villains are running depends on sending secret messages in decorative Chinese masks that are shipped to their hideout. However, one of the masks is mistakenly sent to a curio shop instead, where Daphne purchases it. This gets the Scooby Gang involved and exposes the whole plan.
- Talking Is a Free Action: It's taken to a ridiculous extreme — and this time, there's no excusing it, as the villains are specifically trying to kidnap Daphne. When the jiangshi pursuing the gang first show up, Velma tells Scooby to "make like a watchdog." What follows is a two-minute sequence in which Scooby pretends to be a boxer, runs into a Chinese laundromat, talks with the owner, borrows a shirt press, and creates a smokescreen to provide an escape...all while the jiangshi in question stand absolutely still. It's later averted by the monsters themselves, who use the gang's chatting after crashing the Mystery Machine to kidnap Daphne...and then played straight by the Ghost of Zhen Tuo simply watching Shaggy brush off his face with the robe he's wearing.
