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Len Uhley Talks Static Shock, "Frozen Out" by Jim Harvey Toon Zone was able to catch up with Len Uhley to discuss the upcoming, and much anticipated episode of Static Shock, entitled "Frozen Out". Len Uhley is the writer for this episode, as well as upcoming episodes of Static Shock, the animated series based on the DC Comics/Milestone character. Can you provide a synopsis for FROZEN OUT? It is Christmas time, but our overworked hero Static is having a hard time getting into the spirit of things. All he wants to do is finish his shopping and enjoy a few parties. Only, after Frieda's Hanukkah bash is hit by a blackout, Static discovers that a new Metahuman, Permafrost, is on the prowl. Static soon realizes that this is no typical Bang Baby crook, but a troubled homeless teen with a history of mental illness. Armed with information and guidance from the Minister at the Hawkins family's church, Static ends up using compassion, not force, to put a gentle halt to Permafrost's erratic behavior and get her the help she needs. FROZEN OUT deals with the weighty issue of Faith. How did this story come about? It was a combination of things. First off, the Supervising Producer of the series, Alan Burnett, heard from the execs at Kids'WB! that they wanted a holiday-theme episode. Now, I'd had good luck a few years ago with an X-Men episode (the Fox/Saban version) called "Nightcrawler," which featured some pretty heavy discussions between Nightcrawler and Wolverine about having faith in God. So, when this new opportunity arose, I begged and groveled until Alan let me give it a whack. He wisely rejected my more outlandish notions and we eventually agreed that "Frozen Out" was the one to develop. The wonderful thing that happened after I turned in the script was that everyone on the crew got very excited about working on this show. Dave Chlystek (who also directed "The Big Leagues") and his team really outdid themselves. Same goes for Alan and his fellow Producer, Scott Jeralds. They all treated this as something special, which was very gratifying. Was it hard to get this episode past the Kids'WB! Broadcasting Standards & Practices? No. The main plot deals with the homeless crisis in this country, as personified by Permafrost. The other aspect of the episode grows out of the holiday season, and the fact that caring for the poor is a basic tenet of every major religion. As long as we backed up our statistics about the homeless, and didn't overtly promote one faith over another, the network's creative execs and Standards & Practices were all on board. Of course, there were discussions about emphasis, word choice and the like, but that's par for the course with any script. Static Shock has dealt with some big issues in the past, such as racism and the death of Virgil's Mother. Are these stories done to have viewers relate to Static and the supporting cast? The most effective stories always speak to the human experience. It doesn't matter if you're writing a half-hour TV cartoon or a major motion picture (of course, the latter pays much better, but I digress). Now, you don't have to do 'A Very Special Episode' every time out -- that would get old pretty fast. Still, occasionally, it is nice to do a show that is about something besides finding the treasure or blowing up the alien space wedgy. You also have to consider the sort of program you're doing. If you're writing for Fluffy the Funny Furball, you're not going to shoehorn in a two-parter about Third World debt reduction. Fortunately, Static Shock is the kind of series that naturally lends itself to exploring contemporary issues -- as long as we continue to entertain. After all, our hero, Virgil Hawkins, is a fifteen-year-old African American male. Now, right off the bat, that's groundbreaking stuff for Saturday Morning TV. However, if we want the audience to identify with him, Virgil must inhabit a world that at least partially reflects reality -- even its unpleasant aspects, and even if it is 'only' a cartoon. For example, you mentioned the episode about racism. It was "Sons of the Father," written by Christopher Simmons. This was the best show of the first season, period. It should have won armloads of awards. Anyway, my point is, this is the very type of story that Static Shock (or any show like it) should do. If we avoid issues like the loss of a loved one, or bigotry, or school violence, or drugs, or you-name-it, then we abandon the rich story possibilities that are at the heart of the series. We ignore the unfortunate facts of life for a lot of kids in this country. And we insult the intelligence of our viewers. None of which we want to do. Phew! Sorry. I'll get off my soapbox now. In future episodes, will Static Shock continue to deal with issues, similar to racism and faith? I think you'll find that the entire second season has a lot to offer. You have already seen "Power Play," written by Dwayne McDuffie and directed by Joe Sichta, which used an exciting adventure and a strong emotional base to deliver a subtle anti-drug message. And there's a very powerful show coming that Alan Burnett supervised, entitled "Jimmy," again written by Dwayne. I won't spoil any surprises, but it is quite dramatic. At the same time, we did several episodes that are just good fun. I wrote one called "Attack of the Living Brain Puppets," which, as you can tell by the title, will not win the Pulitzer Prize. But, it has some laughs. Chris Simmons did a great job on "Static Shaq," and he and I co-wrote "Duped." Denys Cowan directed that one, and it features the return of our villain-turned-hero, Rubberband Man. I hope everyone will check 'em out. Originally posted on TZN on 02-19-2002. |