Post — Aaron Ngo

Major Spoilers are included in this episode review. Please read with caution.

On May 25, 2020, I watched the second episode of Stargirl with high expectations. After the credits rolled, I found myself excited about the show’s creative direction. Also, The CW and DC Universe should’ve released the first two episodes at once as a two-part “Pilot” episode. However, that may be a moot point considering how people—including myself—binge-watch television shows. This episode did succeed though in establishing what kind of show Stargirl will be moving forward.

There was subtle world-building on Blue Valley during this episode that made me realize no adults could be trusted on this show aside from Courtney’s parents obviously. The high school’s open house was the tensest scene in the whole episode, as Courtney and Brainwave played cat-and-mouse in their civilian identities. Pat had decent character development regarding his old-fashioned heroism, and he gave more exposition on the JSA’s fight against the Injustice Society.

We weren’t given much else about the Injustice Society’s activities after the epic Prologue scene or the reason they went into hiding too. I mean, they defeated the Justice Society of America. The cliffhanger—Icicle’s return to Blue Valley—also indicated that the Injustice Society of America have big plans in store for Blue Valley. Icicle is the leader of the supervillains. This went down in episode 2 out of a 13-episode season. Not bad.

In addition, with Brainwave (Christopher James Baker) taken out of the picture—put in a coma—by episode’s end was a clever decision since he knew Courtney was Stargirl. I found Brainwave an amusing character, so I hope that he doesn’t stay in the coma for too long. Although, I am curious to see what will happen to Henry Jr. now without his father around.

I also enjoyed Pat being a parental figure to Courtney in this episode. Pat seemed like the only parent who didn’t want their kid to follow in his footsteps. He was really trying to convince Courtney not to be a superhero for her own safety, which was a sharp contrast to Brainwave controlling and manipulating his teenage son, Henry Jr. In the end, Pat realized he couldn’t stop Courtney from becoming Stargirl and ended up becoming her reluctant sidekick.

The CGI effects for Pat’s robot were pretty awesome. I was having so much fun with Pat’s training scenes—with and without the robot—throughout this episode. The workout gym montage with Larry Crock “Crusher” (Neil Hopkins) had me thinking about going back to the gym once this quarantine was over with. I’m looking forward to how this show will handle Larry Crock and his daughter Artemis (Stella Smith) once the series gets rolling here.

Overall, Stargirl’s first two episodes functioned like an effective two-part entry into the series. Like, I think I would’ve had more fun with watching episodes one and two at once like a two-hour movie. But regardless, I would definitely recommend this television series if you’re into the superhero genre. I’ll be watching every Monday, so keeping looking out for those reviews. I appreciate your support, and I’ll see you later.

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