Static Shock – 35troublesquared

Armed with new gadgets and powers, Static’s old enemies SPECS and
TRAPPER attempt to impress their boss, Alva, by capturing our hero.
But in the process, they destroy a machine meant to restore Alva’s stone son back to human form. When Alva fires them, they kidnap his son, forcing Static to join forces with Alva to get him back.

Note: Sometimes called "Trouble 2".
Note: Held over; didn’t air until the show’s third season.

Media by Bird Boy
Review by Matt Zimmer

Voices:
Phil LaMarr as Virgil Hawkins/Static
Jason Marsden as Richie Foley
Lil’ Romeo as Himself
Kevin Michael Richardson as Robert Hawkins
Michele Morgan as Sharon Hawkins
Crystal Scales as Daisy
Obba Babatunde as Scientist
Maria Canals as Shelley Sandoval
Marrigan Mahan as Edwin Alva
Patton Oswalt as Specs/Spectral
Michael Rosenbaum as Trapper/Speedtrap

Specs and Trapper kidnap Edwin Alva's son and it's up to a reluctant
Static to rescue him.

The episode opens with Robert's community center in financial trouble.
Later Virgil goes on a career day field trip to Alva industries where he meets Specs and Trapper who are both as smarmy as ever. Later, Static spies on Alva and learns that he is planning to reanimate his son who is still a statue. Later still Specs and Trapper confront Static in their new supervillain personas Spectral and Speedtrap and kidnaps him to take him back to Edwin Alva. Alva is upset by this turn of events and when
Static escapes Spectral and Speedtrap accidentally destroy the machine to reanimate Alva Jr. Alva is furious and fires them both.

In retaliation Specs and Trapper kidnap Junior and hold him for a ransom that is so high Alva cannot pay it. Alva pleads with Static to save his son and he agrees. He arrives just as Spectral and Speedtrap are setting off a bomb to destroy the statue of Junior and rescues him and captures
Specs and Trapper. In gratitude Alva donates $10 million to the community center.

With the third season of Static Shock so crossover-happy it was awfully disappointing that there wasn't an Edwin Alva episode as he remains
Static's greatest villain next to Ebon. This second season holdover did the trick quite nicely I think. While I wasn't too impressed with Specs and Trapper's new supervillain costumes I did find the progression of
Alva's character fascinating. Normally when someone close to a villain gets hurt the villain blames the hero. It was refreshing that that cliché wasn't used here and after "Junior" it was quite a shock to see
Alva begging for his kid's life.

The animation was nice here too, and rubbery, just the way I like it. I think this was a good episode and moved the Alva arc along quite well.

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