Stargirl 1x11 “Shining Knight” Episode Review
Major Spoilers are included in this episode review. Please read with caution.
Stargirl finally addressed Justin the Janitor being the Shining Knight and the identity of Courtney’s father in one fell swoop in this episode. My theory about Justin the Janitor (Mark Ashworth) being Courtney’s father was officially debunked, but that guess was a long-shot anyway. Courtney’s strong belief that Starman was her father—the one thing driving her superhero career—was also debunked in this episode.
Courtney’s father is a man named Sam Kurtis (Geoff Stults), a classic deadbeat who only returned to Blue Valley because he wanted his daughter’s antique locket that was highly valuable. He basically only cared about her because she had something valuable that he could sell, having no real interest in seeing her again after he got what he wanted from her.
Learning this harsh truth devastated Courtney because if her dad was Starman, it would make sense why he was gone and why she was so dedicated to being Stargirl in order to honor his legacy. But learning her dad wasn’t around because he didn’t love her enough? What is she supposed to do with that?
Luckily for her, “[the deadbeat] may have been [her] father, [girl], but he wasn’t [her] daddy” (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2). Pat Dugan—her stepfather—was there for Courtney, offering himself as a punching bag for her only to receive a big old hug instead.
Pat Dugan also followed Sam Kurtis afterward and punched him in the face for hurting his daughter, warning him to never come back again. Sam Kurtis even confirmed he didn’t plan on coming back anyway. What an asshole. Pat Dugan would’ve hurt him more, but he was way too busy saving the world from the ISA and helping Courtney regain her confidence.
Courtney believed the Cosmic Staff stopped working for her because it found out she wasn’t Starman’s daughter. Brec Bassinger delivered a heartbreaking performance—filled with so many emotions—that went really well with Luke Wilson’s speech about her always being worthy of the Cosmic Staff.
The following scene when the Cosmic Staff glowed so bright for her to confirm her worthiness and a knight appearing—Justin the Janitor telling everyone, “the Queen has risen”—can only be pulled off in a superhero show. What a beautiful payoff to our investment in Courtney’s superhero journey. She was now ready for the two-part season finale coming our way in the coming weeks.
On the villains’ side of the episode, Brainwave and Icicle had tense scenes that really made Brainwave appear like the leader of the ISA and not Icicle. In my professional opinion, Brainwave is the more ruthless villain compared to Icicle, given how he heartlessly murdered his wife and son for ISA’s Project: New America. Having Brainwave back on Stargirl reminded me of how frightening he was in the beginning.
Overall, I loved this episode—cried a bit—for the character development and how everything was coming together in time for the season finale. Thanks for reading this review, everyone! I’ll see you all next week for part one!