- You may also be looking for the villain Replay.
"Replay" is the 12th episode of Static Shock. It premiered on March 3, 2001.
Plot[]
At the Dakota Mall, a young man is watching the jewelry, when the clerk remarks that he looks familiar. The customer introduces himself as Johnny Morrow, formerly a star of his own TV show, Johnny on the Spot. He used to be a national idol, lending his looks to plenty of merchandise, but after his show was cancelled, he fell off the radar and, as a result, became bitter and jaded. When he finishes telling his story, he announces his intent on robbing the jewelry store, accompanied by two other people who look exactly like him.
While this is happening, Virgil, Richie and Daisy are having a snack, discussing on Kid's Circus, a park that used to be built where the mall is now. The mall's alarms ring, drawing their attention to several simultaneous heists pulled off by Johnny's lookalikes, and Virgil feigns sickness to sneak out and change into his Static outfit. When Static confronts him, Johnny notices how the crowd idolizes and cheers for the hero, and warns him that the crowd will eventually turn against him. He, plus five of his lookalikes, assault Static, but he manages to break from pursuit and follows them into the funhouse of the abandoned Kid's Circus. Witnessing Johnny causing one of his "twins" to disappear, Static is shocked, until Johnny informs him that they are merely energy copies. Static starts to recall Johnny, who now calls himself Replay, making fun of his has-been status. He manages to trick Replay by electrifying the floor, causing his copies to disappear, but when their powers clash, the funhouse is destroyed and Static notices a doppelganger of himself next to him, escaping before a beam from the funhouse falls on his head and he loses consciousness.
With Virgil taking so long, Daisy and Richie give up on looking for him, and leave to see "Static" blasting a series of ATM machines and stealing the money from them. When Richie asks him what is going on, "Static", without replying, uses his powers to pin Richie against a high billboard, next to a few police officers. Static later meets with Replay on a rooftop and hands him the loot.
When Virgil arrives home, Robert and Sharon tell him about the thefts "Static" has been committing all over the city. Robert is disillusioned, and Virgil, confused, heads to Richie's house. Richie is frightened enough not to let Virgil into his house, and Virgil realizes that the Static that he saw on TV earlier is a copy created from his fight with Replay. Richie, however, still won't listen.
The next day, Virgil sees on TV a collective interview where Chief Barnsdale states that the force is taking measures to stop Static, when the copy raids Weinstein's Jewelry Mart. As Static races to stop the crime, the crowd becomes hostile and runs away in panic, before the police corners him, going so far as to strike him with missiles and commandeer helicopters against him. Static escapes through the sewers.
Meanwhile, at Johnny's apartment, he gloats to the Static doppelganger on having ruined the original's life, when he finds a copy Shock Vox in the clone's coat. Static is outside Dakota, pondering what he can do now that he's being hunted, when he gets a call from Replay, who threatens him that his next action will be "personal". Realizing that his copy's Shock Box works just like his and Richie's real ones, he heads to Richie's house, asking him to change the Shock Box's frequency in order to tap into the copy's transmission. With it, he overhears Replay planning to "get revenge", so he searches the Internet about Johnny's old show and finds it was broadcasted by DKT, which had recently built a new studio downtown, which Replay intends to destroy like they destroyed his career, and frame Static for it.
Inside one of the studios, Replay and his copies are causing mayhem, and when Static arrives, the clone starts fighting him. Unbeknownst to them, Richie has followed, and realizes that Virgil was telling the truth. He then takes over the studio control room and turns on a camera at the scene of Static's fight, broadcasting Replay's intentions for everyone, including the police outside, to watch. Richie, from the control room, announces that Johnny's plan had just been shown on national television. Initially elated to be on TV again, Replay soon realizes he was tricked and, as he tries to escape, Static knocks his copy into him and electrocutes them both, knocking Replay out and neutralizing his copies.
Later, Virgil meets up with Richie, who reveals that, deep inside, he trusted his friend when he came to him asking for help. Virgil then treats Richie to cheesy puffs, causing him to start thinking that the one he's talking to may be the clone.
Background information[]
Home video releases[]
- Static Shock: The Complete First Season (DVD)
- Young Justice: Invasion – Game of Illusions: Season 2 Part 2
Production inconsistencies[]
- Shelly Sandoval's name is spelled "Shelley Sandoval" in the episode's credits.
- It is unexplained how exactly the entire population of Dakota falls for Replay's trick (with nobody wondering if there could be more than meets the eye behind the sudden and unprovoked one-eighty of Static).
- While Static talks to Richie about his duplicate, Richie's drink switches between a glass of water and a can of soda between shots.
Trivia[]
- The former child actor Johnny Morrow is played by Neil Patrick Harris, himself a former child actor. However, unlike Johnny, Neil grew up to be a successful actor, and his TV show was never cancelled.
- The Static doppelganger Replay created has a few noticeable changes from the original to tell which is which, its clothes were darker in color, the symbol on its chest was imperfect, it didn't speak at all and after its mask was removed, it was a white noise in the shape of the mask (thus making it so Virgil's identity was safe).
Cast[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Phil LaMarr | Static/Virgil Hawkins |
| Jason Marsden | Richie Foley |
| Neil Patrick Harris | Replay / Johnny Morrow |
| Kevin Michael Richardson | Robert Hawkins |
| Crystal Scales | Daisy Watkins |
| Michele Morgan | Sharon Hawkins |
| Dennis Haysbert | Chief Barnsdale |
| Maria Canals | Shelly Sandoval |
| Gregg Berger | Game Show Host |
| Joe Ho | Police Chief's Aid |
| Joe Lala | Security Guard |
| Obba Babatunde | Watch Store Salesman |
Quotes[]
Replay: It's their fault. They ruined my life.
|