Sons of the Father
Episode #08 (385-558) - Sons of the Father
Original Airdate - December 9th, 2000
Virgil pressures a reluctant Richie to invite him to a sleepover,
only to learn that Richie's father is a stubborn bigot. An
embarrassed Richie runs away and is abducted by Static's arch-enemy
Ebon. Virgil's father Robert and Richie's dad must set aside their
differences and team up to find Richie before any harm befalls him.
Media by Bird Boy
Review by Matt Zimmer |
Credits:
Supervising Producer Alan Burnett
Producer Scott Jeralds
Associate Producer Shaun McLaughlin
Written by Christopher Simmons
Directed by Dan Riba
Music by Stanley Clarke
Animation by Koko Enterprise Co., LTD.
Voices:
Phil LaMarr as Virgil Hawkins/Static
Jason Marsden as Richie Foley
Kevin Michael Richardson as Robert Hawkins
Michele Morgan as Sharon Hawkins
Gary Sturgis as Ebon
Brian Tochi as Shiv
Tia Texada as Talon
Matt Ballard as Carmen Dillo
Dan Lauria as Mr. Foley
Jean Smart as Mrs. Foley
Rickey D'Shon Collins as Boy
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Review
Static comes up against racism in this commendable but preachy episode.
Virgil asks Richie how come they never hang out at his place. Richie is
reluctant but he eventually says they can do it later that week. When
Virgil visits he sees Richie has a nice house and his mom is cool but
when his father comes home he seems distinctly grumpy to see Virgil.
After a tense night Virgil hears Richie's dad complaining to his mom
that he doesn't want Richie to hang out with "those kind of people".
Hurt, Virgil leaves and Richie is furious at his dad and runs away.
Static tracks down Richie and says he is still his friend no matter
what. Ebon overhears this and realizes that Richie and Static are
friends so he kidnaps Richie. Seeing his son is still missing Mr. Foley
goes to Robert for help. Robert starts to open his eyes as to the
futility of bigotry as they search Dakota for Richie. Richie manages to
contact Static for help and just when Mr. Foley and Robert happen upon
the Meta-Breed's hideout Static arrives to save the day. In the end
Richie and his father make up and Mr. Foley makes an effort not to be
bigoted in the future.
I want to like this episode, I really do. The message is an important
one and I'm glad Static Shock tackled it. That said the manner in which
it is portrayed is pretty heavy-handed. Richie's outburst to his father
about "you and your stupid racism!" sounded like it belonged in an after
school special. Static Shock has shown that it is definitely capable of
creating strong "message" episodes (Jimmy, Frozen Out, Where the Rubber
Meets the Road) so that this one can't help but feel weak by comparison.
Then, again this IS the first season and it's obvious that the writers
here are still trying to find their voice so it's understandable.
The animation here wasn't that special. The only thing the animators
really had to animate just right were the Ebon effects and those were
passable, I guess. I suppose if the show hadn't lasted so long and
achieved such great highs I wouldn't be so down on this episode. As it
stands, Static Shock has done much better.
Story: ***
Animation: **1/2
Average: ***
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