Static Shock – 23duped

Adam Evans (aka RUBBERBAND MAN) is on the verge of a big break when
A.J. MCLEAN of the BACKSTREET BOYS encourages a record company executive to sign Adam to a deal. But REPLIKON, a powerful shape-shifting metahuman (and Adam’s talentless rival), kidnaps A.J., assumes his identity and threatens to wreck the deal. It’s up to
Static to sniff out the faux A.J. and save Adam’s career.

Media by Bird Boy
Review by Matt Zimmer

Voices:
Phil LaMarr as Virgil Hawkins/Static
Jason Marsden as Richie Foley
Michele Morgan as Sharon Hawkins
Kenny Blank as Joe
Coolio as Replikon
Kadeem Hardison as Rubberband Man
Danica McKellar as Frieda
Crystal Scales as Daisy
Tia Texada as Rita Velasquez
Malcolm Jamal Warner as Lester Biggs
A.J. Mclean as Himself

Occasionally there are Static Shock episodes that make you embarrassed you watch the show. This is one of them.

The episode revolves around Adam Evans (Rubberband Man) scoring a record deal with the Backstreet Boys' A.J. McLean and how a villain named
Replicon with Shape-shifting powers replaces McLean to try to score the record deal himself. That is it. No further episode description is required to understand this episode.

This episode is bad. Really bad. I don't know what's worse: the fawning
Daisy and Freida do over McLean in a stereotypical girlie fashion or
Virgil and Richie's horrid rap at the end of the episode. The episode is filled with clichéd dialogue mostly perpetrated by McLean but also used unfortunately by Virgil and especially Richie. I know the dialogue on this show has never been great but it sinks to a new low here.

Replicon is a terrible villain. I think I liked him better when he was called Replay. The episode even has the gall to use the old Stan Lee standby of the faux A.J. having his tattoos on the wrong arms.
Everything about the episode was a tired cliché.

The only character who gets through the episode unscathed is Rubberband
Man and that is only because of the humanity Kadeem Hardison brings in voicing him. Every other character is so annoying that you can hardly believe this is the show that you usually watch.

I'm usually a defender of Static Shock relying on guest stars and DCAU crossovers in the second and third season. This episode really makes me question that stance.

Story: *
Animation: **1/2
Average: *1/2