The gang arrive in San Francisco to watch a young skateboarding friend, Ryan Sheckler, compete in the Grind Games, only for the competition to be disrupted by a ghastly, hook-handed figure that a local guide identifies as the ghost of a notorious Alcatraz inmate, Clint Morris, aka the San Franpsycho.
This episode includes examples of the following tropes:
- Accidental Misnaming: Shaggy calls the spook of the week by similar names at least twice.
- The Bore: Julian, the local guide who helps the gang with research is prone to rattling off uncommonly known facts without regard for whether they're actually pertinent or interesting. Halfway through the episode, Velma snarks that there's a reason some facts are little known.
- Deliberately Monochrome: The flashback of Clint Morris' final moments is presented in black-and-white.
- Didn't Think This Through: During the flashback of Clint Morris before he supposedly became the San Franpsycho, he breaks out of prison and evades his captors by jumping into the sea, but didn't take the nearby Threatening Sharks into account. This proved to be a fatal mistake.
- Foreshadowing: Even though the San Franpsycho attacks the Grind Games multiple times, he never attacks while Ryan is performing. It turns out that the person wearing the mask is a fan of Ryan's.Rutie: I have to give you meddling kids perfect scores. I admit it, ok? I wanted to sabotage the games because they won't let me complete. But I would never scare Ryan; he's my idol.
- Gory Discretion Shot: The flashback of Clint Morris' last night shows a shark rising out of the water behind him, but it cuts away before the viewer can see him get Eaten Alive.
- High Hopes, Zero Talent: Judge Rutie Banez was behind the monster, wanting to wreck the competition because she couldn't join. She alleges that it's because the Grind Games don't allow girls, but Ryan immediately shoots that down, pointing out that there were multiple female competitors. When she asks Ryan the reason why they wouldn't let her in, he offers her his skateboard to demonstrate her skills. She can't even stand up on it. Even Shaggy and Daphne joke that she needs 10 to 20 years of practice as she is taken away.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Fred has Velma rig a magnet hat that will attract the villain's hook hand. Unfortunately, a huge metal van drives by, causing Fred to get magnetized to it and pulled away.
- Hold Up Your Score:
- During Ryan's first run in the Grind Games, he gets lowered scores from two judges thanks to a rough landing and a perfect 10 from Rutie Banez, with a heart standing in for the 0. Fred initially just thinks she missed the mistake, but it later turns out that Rutie is a fan of Ryan's.
- During the chase scene, the San Franpsycho falls off his skateboard and flies past the judges' stand. Velma, who's hiding there, pops up holding a "perfect 10" scorecard.
- Hook Hand: The San Franpsycho has a hook hand, which Fred tries to exploit with his trap.
- Tempting Fate: While the gang is trying to sail to shore, Velma says confidently that they're going to make it. Then one of the sharks chasing them bites off the motor and she comments wearily on the irony.
- Threatening Shark: The episode makes use of the legend that San Francisco Bay is infested with sharks. One supposedly ate Clint Morris when he tried to escape Alcatraz, and a number attack the gang's boat.
- True Art Is Incomprehensible: In-Universe. The suspect list includes a group of performing artists who claim the games are messing with their space. Their art involves painting themselves red and doing acrobatics for some reason.
- Unconventional Vehicle Chase: During the musical chase scene, Daphne hijacks a rickshaw.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: One skateboarder, Rich Gurman, is attacked by the monster in the opening while doing a jump. His skateboard falls back to Earth, but he never does, and it's never shown what happened to him.
- You Need a Breath Mint: Daphne, smacking one of the Threatening Sharks with a pole, tells it to use a breath mint. It responds by snapping the pole in half.
