"Static Shock: The Complete Second Season" DVD Talkback (Spoilers)

[James Harvey]

The second season of Static Shock makes its home video debut courtesy of Warner Archive!

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Static Shock: The Complete Second Season
Studio: Warner Archive
Available to Order: May 23rd, 2017

Synopsis: Static Shock’s second season comes supercharged with new, dangerous metahuman menaces, an array of special guest stars, and more of its unique mix of high adventure and social drama. The stakes are higher as Static gets drafted into “The Big Leagues” when the dynamic duo – Batman and Robin – travel to Dakota in search of The Joker (Mark Hamill). “Uncle J” to the metahumans, The Joker is wreaking his own special brand of “hilarious” havoc on the citizens of Dakota, giving Static (Phil LaMarr) the opportunity of a lifetime – to team up with his favorite super hero! Other superstar surprises this season include Static stints from none other than hoop hall-of-famer Shaquille O’Neal (Steel, 1997) and the Backstreet Boys’ A.J. McLean, on hand to lend some music-career advice to Rubberband Man. Things get a little more serious in the special episode entitled “Jimmy,” which addresses the issue of gun violence in school.

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Related Discussion:
-Static Shock: The Complete First Season DVD Talkback (Spoilers)

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[iammattie]

I just looked and my order from Amazon for this is arriving tomorrow instead of today. (I was late on the preorder so it's understandable.) Anyone who's receiving theirs today, can I get a confirmation on whether they followed suit with the Static Season 1 set and put subtitles on these? Or is it looking like the Zeta Project season 2 set which doesn't include subs?

 

[Dallas Kinard]

I just looked and my order from Amazon for this is arriving tomorrow instead of today. (I was late on the preorder so it's understandable.) Anyone who's receiving theirs today, can I get a confirmation on whether they followed suit with the Static Season 1 set and put subtitles on these? Or is it looking like the Zeta Project season 2 set which doesn't include subs?

My season 1 set didn't come until Thursday, along with Zeta Project. I doubt mine is coming today...

 

[iammattie]

Update: subtitles do not exist on this release.

 

[Dallas Kinard]

So I gotta say watching "The Big Leagues" on the big screen in the best available quality is a real treat! I cannot wait to see season 3 and 4 get a release!

 

[Fone Bone]

Static Shock: The Complete Second Season

Milestone year for Static Shock. Batman (Kevin Conroy) and the Joker (Mark Hamill) guest starred, which was the producers' way to put Static Shock into the DC Animated Universe brand of shows. This always caused a bit of controversy with DCAU purists, as Static is clearly a show designed for younger viewers than the rest of the DCAU shows were, which is also why The Zeta Project rubbed a lot of people the wrong way too. But if we are being totally honest, even if the show is more clearly geared towards younger viewers, it's not actually worse written than the rest of the DCAU shows. Yeah, JLU (and arguably Superman: The Animated Series) had better dialogue, but those were the only DCAU shows that did. Even Batman: The Animated Series was no better or worse with the cheesy and cliched lines as Static Shock ultimately was. So I think it fits. Shaquille O'Neill and A.J. McLean also guest starred in a forgettable episode, and a lousy one respectively, and the series tackled school gun violence in the episode "Jimmy," which along with season 4's "Where The Rubber Meets The Road" remain the only two DCAU episodes with a PSA Epilogue, that breaks the reality of the show and the Universe. Some of "Jimmy" worked, some of it didn't. We'll get to that soon enough.

The best episodes of the year are the episode that surprisingly deals with Walking While Black (Pop's Girlfriend), the one where we find out Ebon's connection to Rubberband Man (Bad Stetch), and the only Edwin Alva episode on the set (Troubled Squared). The worst episodes are the Backstreet Boys one (Duped) and "Attack of the Living Brain Puppets." I suppose I should just shrug and chalk that last one up to the kiddie comedy episode of the year. Maybe. But I also don't have to pretend something that dumb is remotely acceptable just because kids like it. That ways lies Disney's Descendants fandom. Season overall: ****.

The Big Leagues:

This was the first Static Shock episode I ever saw (or at least sat through all the way) so I have a soft spot for it. But to be honest, it doesn't really do much for me anymore. It was super cool to introduce Static into the DC Animated Universe via Batman, Robin, and Joker coming to Dakota, but as a crossover, it was kind of cliched and perfunctory. A good crossover will bring out the best of both shows. "Hard As Nails" did that. This did not. I would have loved more personal interactions with Batman and Static, which was the thing that made "Hard As Nails" so great. Batman is treated as such an untouchable icon here, that he's used sparingly. He's also quite ruder than the situation calls for. I mean, Batman ain't never been much for social graces, but the "What took you do long?" was kind of obnoxious, even for him. He was the one dumb enough to walk into that trap in the first place. He's all acting as if he's entitled to that rescue. And that's another thing that bothers me. It's the nature of the crossover, in that the guest hero has to get punked, and saved by the main hero, but "Hard As Nails" was so refreshing because that didn't happen. Plus, considering that Batman is the kind of guy who can take down the entire Injustice Gang by himself, I have a hard time believing he'd get captured by lightweights like the Metabreed, especially with Ebon absent. Ebon and Batman would be a match, but not the rest of those screwballs. They could almost excuse it by saying the Joker offered additional firepower to the Breed, but he just sort of sat back and did nothing of consequence in that fight. The episode also contains too many dumb jokes that I don't mind so much when it's just Static and Richie, but that kind of get annoying where the larger DC Universe is involved. Talon's bird puns with Robin were a groaner, as was Richie doing Shatner and laughing evilly over the Chinese food. On the plus side, I like that they used Joker's Return Of The Joker / Justice League design (along with the red lips) and Commissioner Gordon and Harvey Bullock's cameos at the end were neat (as was the signed photo of Harley Quinn). Danny Elfman's Batman Theme sounds completely wrong and underwhelming when played on a cheapo synthesizer. I think the most interesting thing to me about the episode it that it introduced two new Bang Babies (with little fanfare). Kangorr is kind of cool (along with his reggae theme) but Ferret is more of a nuisance than anything else. I think the funniest thing for me was Static getting into an argument about his curfew with his dad over the phone while he realizes Batman humiliatingly heard all of it. And since Batman is a total jerk this episode, he makes sure the kid feels bad about it. That's kind of Batman's relationship to Static. He eventually grows to like and trust the kid, but he realizes that Static has normal everyday responsibilities that a kid does, and that Robin and Batgirl do not. And it's kind of funny to me that Batman seems to be enjoying Static suffering on some level. The animation on Batman and Robin themselves wasn't very good, but Joker's actually was. Him getting electrocuted at the end by Static reversing the joy buzzer had great animation. I am grateful to have my first real introduction to Static Shock on DVD finally. But I think as far as crossovers go, it didn't do either show any favors. ***.

Power Play:

Truly Push is a lousy name for a superhero. Although if we're being honest, Gear ain't sexy either. I actually really like Ragtag and wish the show had used him again (outside of a cameo in "Attack Of The Living Brain Puppets"). That being said, the episode itself is below average. It seems to be a cross between an allegory for drug addiction and stranger danger. And I know this show is for kids, but Richie is far too old to be playing imaginary superhero dress-up as he does at the beginning. Richie's middle name is Osgood? Explains the chip on his shoulder. Weird that it's the same as Jimmy's last name from later in the season. Also goggles instead of glasses are the worst secret identity concealer ever. When the episode had him switch them when changing personas my reaction was like "You gotta be kidding me." I like that they used the first season theme song for one action sequence and the second season theme song for another. I never liked this episode very much. **.

Brother - Sister Act:

Sharon Hawkins makes everything better. Boom has literally the craziest superpower of any hero or villain in the DCAU. He actually has a speaker imbedded in his chest. I can't figure out how the Big Bang gave him that specific mutation. Did Static reveal his secret to Mirage when he had her cook up that fake Static at the end? I guess he wouldn't NEED to do it, but I question it simply because Sharon knowing would probably be less damaging than Mirage knowing. I love that Sharon's friends think she's a lousy cook too. The scene with Static and Mirage in the hospital room reminds me of Virgil's greatest asset: Talking down the Bang Babies and getting the ones who are simply misguided to repent. Batman and Superman try to do that with their rogues all the time, and with the exception of Clark and Bizarro, never get anywhere. I love that Virgil is a better hostage negotiator than either the Dark Knight or the Man of Steel. ****.

Static Shaq:

This episode is so corny. But take note: "corny" in not a synonym for "bad" in my book, and never has been. For the most part, the animation was good. The characters were all expressive, and the one badly animated scene was the chase with the police truck (although not many actions cartoons back then COULD do a decent car chase). This episode sucks up to Shaq big time by saying he's a lovable guy who loves playing videogames with teenagers, were it not for his high maintenance manager. That's dumb and corny. Worst line is Virgil's "Can Mariah sing?" Seriously unfunny there, Virgil. Him calling Sharon "She who dribbles without a ball" is a good insult though, and I'll admit that I thought Shaq saying he always wanted to say "How's the weather up there?" was cute. "One word: Mouthwash," was funny too. Static Shock is the only series in the DCAU that has guest star turns by actual real-life celebrities (not counting Al Roker's appearance in the first Supergirl episode on Superman: The Animated Series, as he wasn't named in the episode itself). These constant guest stars from NBA players and musicians always strikes me as kind of desperate, but if we're being honest, I'm betting there are some Shaq or Lil' Romeo fans who think the same thing about the Batman crossovers. I probably only think this is corny because I'm not a Shaq fan. I'm sure somebody who is would like this. And I already sort of do too. Fun Fact: Hyde is voiced by Tone Loc, which just goes to show once again that Andrea Romano is a national treasure. Shaq who? ***1/2.

Frozen Out:

This was a great, if not perfect episode. I think the problem of homelessness and mental illness is a great thing for a kids show to tackle, even if Virgil seems a little more insensitive than normal. That being said, Virgil being insensitive is kind of the point. He doesn't see the actual crisis in front of him until it is too late. Until he understands what's going on, Permafrost is in his way, and he has more important things to deal with. The animation was very fluid. I think Richie is the worst friend ever for volunteering Static for that tree lighting ceremony on Christmas Eve without asking, and then leaving him holding the bag when setting up things for the homeless shelter. Hynden Walch was a great choice to play Permafrost, because her voice sounds both young and innocent. I'm a little surprised Static took the photo from the ice room. That seemed to me to be a rookie mistake. I love that Richie's racist father attends the interfaith Church celebration. He's trying at least. I like Static calling Daisy "Lois" when he saves her. Because that is their exact dynamic. I think the weak link of the episode is something the series has always struggled with: the dialogue. Virgil calling the homeless situation "hardcore" seems wholly inadequate to me, and Michael Dorn's reverend saying "Yes, it is," made me cringe too. It is sort of interesting to me that Static Shock has the problems with dialogue it does, since Dwayne McDuffie was the showrunner, and he was famous for his great dialogue on Justice League Unlimited and elsewhere. I think it was sort of a learning curve, and this show sort of shows that it was a process. Still a great episode though. ****1/2.

Sunspots:

Why didn't they just hire Ben Stein for the boring teacher at the beginning? That's who they were referencing and he's not a hard get. A rare Andrea Romano misfire. Richie telling Virgil that him making him hang back and take notes was discrimination was the most racially insensitive thing he's done so far. Which is saying something. In real-life, Hotstreak would not be allowed back in school even if he WAS paroled. He's an attempted murderer and an arsonist. Those types of kids are expelled immediately with no chance of reinstatement. I like that the episode ended with a quiet moment of Daisy taking off angry and Virgil feeling like he let her down. This was not a huge episode so this episode ending the way it did felt right to me. The rubbery animation was unusually expressive. I love Kevin Michael Richardson's line reading on "That's cute," upon Sharon telling Robert he's always been old. I've always like this episode. ****.

Pop's Girlfriend:

Best episode of the year. Static Shock is an interesting superhero show, because the urban social commentary is usually far more interesting than the superheroics. And that is this episode. Completely. I'm frankly a little shocked that it was okayed for Saturday morning television. I guess maybe ten or fifteen years ago this would have been acceptable, but they probably couldn't air it today due to potential controversy. And there IS controversy built into the premise. Virgil did nothing wrong in my book. He was stopped for Walking While Black. The only "profile" he "fit" with Royce besides the age is the skin color. He and Royce look and dress nothing alike otherwise. And if we arrested all kids with backpacks now, it's gonna be a short school year. But this show is SO smart, that they had Trina be a person of color too. Because even black cops are often guilty of racial profiling, and not only does it set up a conflict with Robert going in, but it also tells the viewer that even if Trina is perhaps racially profiling Virgil, it's because she's a cop, not because she's a racist. Because she's black too. And suddenly it is not a black and white issue. And that's the kind of smart thing this show does. It takes a racial issue, and makes it less about race than it is in reality, so it can get away with talking about it. And this is an important thing to talk about. I understand why Robert is mad Virgil ran away from the police, but I kind of think he's being far too harsh. He is right that it is dangerous to do that, but to submit to a racial profile carries its own risks too, in Virgil's case, being outed for Static. If Virgil were a little more world-weary, he would have simply refused to hand over the backpack without a search warrant, but I think Virgil understands that there is every possibility the cops would take the bag anyways, whether he demanded his rights or not. His calculation that it might have been safer for the secret to simply flee is, I think, the correct decision in that particular situation. And I'd like to think that if Robert found out the whole truth about this story later on (he learns the secret in Season 4), he'd get that too. But I would also think that if this show were made today, Robert's conversations about the police would be very different than they were 15 years ago. I get that every black kid has to be given The Talk about cops when they grow up, but because of the things that have been in the news, I imagine The Talk is probably much different than it was 15 years ago. It was always this dangerous out there, but now we have cameras to prove it, so I imagine parents are (rightly) more freaked out than ever. Do you know what my absolute favorite thing is in the episode, and why Virgil is one of my favorite heroes, and why I think this show is ultimately fabulous? When Virgil locates the gas, he has the presence of mind to pull the fire alarm to evacuate the building. You ever see Clark Kent pull that move on Smallville? And yet it's the right one, it keeps people safe, and it is outright common sense. I think Virgil's troubles with Trina are ironic, because unlike Sharon (who is being a bit a brat) Virgil actually wants his dad to get out there, and isn't just saying that to make him feel better the way Sharon must have been. Virgil's perspective is that things are better when Robert is happy. And it's ironic that the specific problem happened between those two people, because if it hadn't, they probably would have gotten along fine from the start otherwise. This was a fantastic episode on every level. *****.

Bad Stretch:

Rubberband Man is an interesting character to me. Villains become heroes all the time in the comics, but as far as the DC Animated Universe and other kiddie superhero cartoons, whenever they do that on TV, they are either pretending to go straight to hide their crimes, or circumstances turn them back to the life of crime at the end anyways. And Rubberband Man was the first kiddie superhero on TV who I saw subvert that trope. I totally forgot he and Ebon were brothers. And it's just perfect. Aside from the purple costume, they both have the braids, even if Ivan's are on his head, and Adam's are on his costume. It's a flawless twist. Although I personally do not share Adam's opinion that Ivan can change. You have to want to change in order to do it. Adam was always a good person. Ivan? Not so much. I love that Rubberband Man and Static automatically get into a petty one-upsmanship contest over who is the better hero. It's a bit ridiculous to me that Adam actually thinks that at this stage of the game he's better than Static at this. But what is hilarious to me is that Virgil thinks it's worth arguing about. He is too petty to reject the argument for being ludicrous outright, and instead gets into contests with him, as if he actually has something to prove. I love that Static is often a dim-witted kid, who is far less self-possessed and sure of himself than he should be. But at least he's self-aware enough to acknowledge to Richie that maybe the reason he believed Adam had turned was partly jealousy. Kadeem Hardison's line reading on "Yeah, it is," upon Static telling him his mock high five wasn't funny, was probably the funniest line reading of anyone during the season. Which is ironic, because that was ALSO true of "Don't sit on me again," last year. I don't think Hardison gets enough credit for how funny he is, especially on this show. This was the first appearance for Aquamaria, where she has a MUCH blander design than she wound up having in later seasons, and a MUCH less interesting backstory. It's eventually revealed that she's one of those "Regretful Bang Babies" like Talon, who wish they were never mutated, because they look like freaks now. They also gave her a sort of romance with Hotstreak later on, which made that character slightly more interesting, and slightly less loathsome. I think the thing I like best about Static this episode is the way he wins the final battle. He decides instantly that it would be in his immediate best interest to exonerate Rubberband Man on the spot, and get him on his good side. And it was the right thing to do, as Rubberband Man saved his life. And it is again another cool thing about Virgil, and how he deals with his enemies. Often he chooses to believe they'll do the right thing, and gives them that chance. And since they almost always take him up on it, he's right to do that. He is easily the most empathetic hero in the DCAU (with the possible exception of Zeta, and that's debatable). I love that he has such a positive view of humanity, and that the producers always say he is right for feeling that way. Adam saying he could always beat Ivan is interesting, because that tells me Static should have enlisted his help in this matter far more often than he did. Ebon is his toughest villain, and Adam DID dispatch him pretty easily at the end here. Static name-drops Batman at one point, reminding us what continuity this show was folded into this year, and proving once and for all that Static bashers who think the series doesn't fit comfortably into DCAU canon, obviously have never seen any episodes of the show besides the crossovers. And finally, I love that Adam enters the room at the end with flowers to talk to Sharon (who is steamed). I love that they don't give them the reconciliation precisely then. Because as Adam says, the best things are worth working towards. That not only goes for superhero redemption, but relationships with a worthwhile person too. It means more to me that Adam thinks Sharon is worth fighting for, rather than her instantly dropping the subject. The latter would have been out of character, and the former simply makes me think a heck of a lot of Adam. I love this episode, and Rubberband Man. *****.

Attack Of The Living Brain Puppets:

Ugh. That was dumb. Okay, I know this is a teenage superhero show, and one of the conceits of doing the teenage superhero show, is that you'll do the dumb kiddie comedy episodes. It is built into the premise. But I don't have to like it, or pretend it is remotely acceptable. How is it Richie got a big laugh for "My fellow Americans"? If a kid I knew back in the day made that exact joke at that age, in the exact tone of voice, he'd be roundly mocked. Also, "Hamburger!" is only a funny line if it's said by Neil DeGrasse Tyson in the Spaceship of the Imagination while wearing a cowboy hat. Here it is outright painful. I cringed so much from that, my jaw is actually sore. I suppose now is when I delve into the episode. It is interesting that Madelyn was mutated in the same vicinity as Ragtag, which might also hint why her superpower changed entirely in her next appearance. Also, when Virgil is skeptical to Richie over the fact that Madelyn is trying to take over the school with mind control, he is right to have doubts. Lemme tell you Madelyn's problem. She's the Magician from the Pixar short Presto. He has a magic hat that is a genuine magical portal that can give him anything he wants, and instead uses it to perform a stupid magic show for a bunch of hicks. He lacks imagination. Madelyn could be a genuine threat if she actually realized what her powers truly meant. When her eyes light up that she can (gasp!) actually be the President of the entire... SCHOOL, you can tell this is a chick who thinks way too small. Frieda is totally Winnie Cooper in this episode. There was a scene at the beginning I liked. First off, dress codes ARE a controversial subject. While I appreciate the idea that girls shouldn't have to be ogled at in school for the way they dress (as Madelyn says, it sets up certain expectations) I also don't think that's the girl's fault, and something that should solved by a dress code. In reality, the better solution is ingraining into boys at a very young age, that it's uncool for them to be pervs around girls they like. Parents do that, and everyone is better off. But I'm annoyed that she's listing the pros of a dress code to Virgil after he instantly signed the petition and is trying to leave. Who is she trying to convince now? He already signed! Moving freaking on! I hate people like that, so I'll give the episode credit for giving an actual tangible reason to think Madelyn is annoying in the first place, besides the fact that she's the zombie queen. Because even if she weren't, she'd still suck just for that. *.

Duped:

Worst Rubberband Man episode ever. It is SO much worse than I remembered it, simply because my sensibilities in the past 15 years have changed so much, that there is now much less I am willing to tolerate. I resent the episode turning Daisy into a squealing Backstreet Boys fan. Because before this episode, she was NOT that typical teenage girl cliche. This show basically would NOT allow itself to keep one fully empowered female character who doesn't need to be defined by a man. It HAD to go for the cliche, which is why we are not allowed nice things in superhero cartoons. Did I also mention Replicon sucks as a villain? He was never used again, I'm assuming because he was so boring, and like another sucky villain, Replay, his design totally sucks, because it isn't toyetic at all. Well, one thing about him was toyetic: When he morphed into the purple Werewolf Metahuman from last season. But that was just this show being too cheap and lazy to come up with an original design. It's not an Easter Egg. It's a reused puppet from Dinosaurs. Just the fact that Richie so easily spilled the A.J. secret tells me Virgil probably shouldn't have trusted him with the Static secret either. I also groaned at A.J. McLean saving the day. I was okay with Shaq doing it, because he's a huge guy and an athlete. He was big enough to actually be a legit threat to a Bang Baby. Having A.J. save Static with feedback reverb is all kinds of awkward. Do you know who starts a rap "My name is "Blank" and I'm here to say"? A white Hollywood writer. Seriously lame there. Also this show seems to care more about the office politics of record labels than I do, and probably the kids in the audience too. This is this show's version of Star Wars Galactic Senate hearings. And while we are on the subject of guest voices, Coolio as Replicon is a FAR bigger voice-over get than A.J. McLean. Nobody even knows who McLean is anymore, but Coolio's freaking Kwanzabot! If anything, McLean should have played the loser while Coolio the guest singer. Anything I liked? Three things: I love it whenever Adam as Adam legitimately gets angry at Virgil as Virgil. And I don't think it happened often enough. Virgil's a punk. I also like that the show is self-aware enough to realize that a black male teenager Virgil's age would not listen to the Backstreet Boys, and that McLean had enough of a lack of vanity to appear in an episode that said that. I wish the show had been as self-aware when it came to the likelihood of someone as old as Virgil actually owning a Lil' Romeo album in season three. I especially like that Virgil still asks for the autograph at the end. Because that's a normal reaction. I hate the Backstreet Boys, but if I could get an autograph in person with no hassle, I would. Meeting celebrities is an exciting experience for peons, even if they aren't fans of the celebrity themselves. The third thing I like is that I like that Virgil has grown enough as a person to be offended on Adam's behalf when it appears A.J. screwed him over. Even Richie is making excuses for him, but Virgil thinks it is 100% wrong the entire time. Which says something good about Virgil. Wish there were more good things to say about the episode itself. It sucked. *.

Jimmy:

A "Very special episode of Static Shock" not to be confused with the "Very special episode of Quantum Leap" by the same name. Early TV effort in dealing with guns in school, and I liked half of the message, and disliked the other half. I love that kids today are a generation that stands up to bullying. But the reason kids today do that is because bullying sucks in its own right. What this episode, and other very similar Very Special Episodes of similar teen shows during this era are doing, is asking us to sympathize with Jimmy being bullied, and realize that this entire mess could have been avoided if people were nice to him. That's b.s.. Jimmy lost the high ground the minute he brought the gun to school, and he doesn't get to claim he's a victim when he's planning to kill somebody. People are responsible for their own actions, and Jimmy didn't bring the gun to school because he felt helpless. He brought it to school because he's a [jerk] wannabe murderer. After what Virgil told him about his mom, and he's still playing around with it? I don't exactly blame Virgil for not telling an adult that Jimmy had access to a gun. That was Virgil believing nobody could ever be that big of a monster after hearing how his mom got shot. Can I just say how much I love that Virgil hates guns as much as Batman does, and for the same reasons? I think kids need to stop bullying because it is a horrible and dehumanizing thing to do in its own right. But saying school shootings will go down by doing so, is letting mass murderers and death obsessed sociopaths off the hook. That's what I disliked about the episode's message. What did I like? The surprising argument for gun control, which I don't think the series could get away with today. I like that when Richie is shot he shrieks in a very realistic, "non-masculine" manner, and says it hurts, and it's not like on TV. This is literally the first TV or movie project I've seen before or since that actually demonstrates that the bullet is truly painful. And it amazes me that that is still true. There is something VERY wrong with Hollywood. As much as I feel towards Jimmy, is how much I hate Nick too. Not for what he did to Jimmy, but for how he treated Frieda. He's leering over her the entire episode, and practically tricks her into saying she isn't into Jimmy, just because he's being SUCH a creep, Frieda doesn't want to dignify any of his gross statements with the slightest bit of validity, so she says something cruel off-handedly she might not even mean. And because he forced her to say it, and Jimmy heard it, she feels like the jerk of the year to him, and he's somebody she actually likes. Nick tricked her into hurting a friend, which is far worse than anything he did to Jimmy himself in the episode. I don't feel bad for Jimmy this episode. I feel bad for Frieda. Very much so. The Carmen Dillo opening is sort of besides the point, as this is not a Static adventure at all, but I suppose the kids in the audience would have been bored without it. Besides Carmen exists solely to get his butt kicked from Static at the beginning of any given episode, so at least the Universe was using him as originally intended. This episode doesn't hold up as well as I was hoping it would. ***.

Consequences:

This episode actually aired during season three, but it was created during the second season batch of episodes, and like Trouble Squared, held back a year. Warner Archive clearly put them both on this set, because it would probably be easier to justify buying 13 episodes per set, rather than 11 for this one and 15 for the next. They also used the second season theme song for these episodes, even though they used the Lil' Romeo Theme Song when they aired. What amazes me is the fact that I still think it is incredibly dumb a few episodes ago that Rubberband Man actually thought he was a better hero than Static. And here it is, only a few episode later, and he actually is! He keeps Static honest, which is a good place for the character to wind up. Also I did not miss that Pop's Girlfriend was also a presence in this episode. My favorite thing is Daisy reading Virgil the riot act as they wait in line for the movie tickets, for how he treated her on the phone. The show allows her to be insightful enough to actually ITEMIZE all of the sins we witnessed Virgil commit is a spectacular 30 second. I'm like "This girl gets EXACTLY how Virgil mistreated her, and is listing the ways in freaking alphabetical order." Which is fabulous. This is the Daisy I know and love. I've always liked this episode. ****.

Trouble Squared:

It amazes me that this is Edwin Alva's only appearance this year, and since it was held back until season three, I guess he didn't appear at all. I was always very interested that the series made Alva ultimately benign from this point forward. I think it is a really interesting story idea that he doesn't blame Static for what happened with Junior, and is just as upset to see that Specs and Trapper captured him as anyone. Probably because Alva knows Static was the only person trying to help his son that night. Specs and Trapper wonder why Alva is going so nuts to restore Junior. He didn't even LIKE him, and treated him like garbage! But see, that's why. He feels incredibly guilty for his appalling behavior towards his son, and wants to be able to fix that more than anything. I do not think Alva is the best villain on this show. But he is definitely the most interesting villain on the show. This episode asks a question: If you take two incredibly annoying, unpopular characters and give them new names and toyetic designs, do they suck less? Well, just going by this episode, no. No, they don't. Spectral and Speedtrap are exactly as annoying as before. I loved Alva begging Static for help. Honestly, I kind of feel Static should have consented to that a bit sooner than he did, but for all I know it was a negotiating tactic for the donation to the community center. Static squeezing $10 million out of him, is not really something I can argue against his behavior just then. It worked, didn't it? The "This looks like a job for" line being associated with Superman, says two things: DCAU Superman is both REALLY famous, and REALLY corny at the same time. Great episode. ****1/2.

 

[Dusty]

Sorry way late reply... I just managed to get both seasons.
It’s almost surreal to finally have this on DVD. And for a DVD it looks good.
I love having this show in my collection. I really just wish it was on Blu-Ray, but obviously beggars can’t be choosers, and this is better than nothing.
One slight QC issue is some slight interlacing when playing on 4K TV and Sony BD player. (But that might just be my player settings.)
I hope someday WB releases all their DC content in HD or BD. But until then, this is awesome. Bring on Seasons 3-4.


Kallum.

 

[Dallas Kinard]

Sorry way late reply... I just managed to get both seasons.
It’s almost surreal to finally have this on DVD. And for a DVD it looks good.
I love having this show in my collection. I really just wish it was on Blu-Ray, but obviously beggars can’t be choosers, and this is better than nothing.
One slight QC issue is some slight interlacing when playing on 4K TV and Sony BD player. (But that might just be my player settings.)
I hope someday WB releases all their DC content in HD or BD. But until then, this is awesome. Bring on Seasons 3-4.


Kallum.

I just started my re-watch and agree that HD would have been excellent. Still, my Sony player up-scales and makes DVD's look their best. This show is so good and each season gets progressively more entertaining. Season 3 is up for pre-order right now on Amazon with a release date of 01/30. and I'd imagine Season 4 isn't too far behind!