Stargirl 1x13 “Stars & S.T.R.I.P.E. Part Two” Episode Review
Major Spoilers are included in this episode review. Please read with caution.
On August 10, 2020, Stargirl’s first season came to an end. While there were some bumps along the road during particular episodes, this superhero show still had one of the best debut seasons I have ever seen in a while. This is coming from someone who watches a lot of superhero shows like Arrow, The Flash, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, Batwoman, Black Lightning, Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, The Defenders, Doom Patrol, Titans, The Umbrella Academy, The Boys, My Hero Academia, etc.—and those are only the most recent ones from the past decade.
The Season 1 finale picked up where “Stars & S.T.R.I.P.E. Part One” left off, with the adults being mind-controlled and rewired to follow the New America way. The episode also opened with Courtney trying to break through Pat’s mind control, reminding him that she’s his daughter. The words came right out of her mouth, giving us a well-earned payoff on how far their father-daughter relationship developed over the course of this season.
Season 1 was truly Courtney Whitmore’s origin story, but it was Pat Dugan’s origin story too. Seeing them care about each other compared to how she barely acknowledged his existence in the “Pilot” was incredibly satisfying. This emotional moment reminded me why I continue dealing with the overdone superhero genre.
The fight scene between The Justice Society and The Injustice Society was also epic, with the villains making a cruel callback to how they killed the original members back in the “Pilot”. This finale was committed to making things come full-circle. The show wasn’t holding back, putting Icicle in the fight scene, letting Justin the Janitor sword fight with the Dragon King, and having Solomon Grundy enter the fray when it seemed like the heroes were winning. Cindy Burman even made her escape during all the chaos, trying to settle the score with arch-nemesis Courtney.
Yolanda and Rick also settled their character stories during the finale. While Yolanda was against Rick killing Solomon Grundy for revenge, she was the one who ended up getting blood on her hands when she slit Brainwave’s throat. While the justification was understandable given how monstrous Brainwave was and how he almost killed millions of people, this decision will definitely haunt her going into season 2. As far as we know, only Courtney knows what Yolanda did to Brainwave.
Rick, on the other hand, went the opposite direction—ironically taking Yolanda’s advice—and spared Solomon Grundy when he cowered like a child in pain. Rick had beaten Solomon Grundy down hard after a fierce encounter, but in the last second, he chose the high road. This was the first instance in the whole season when he became something more than an angry kid who brooded a lot. Now that he had made peace with the rage inside him, I do wonder what’s next for Rick Tyler in the next season.
Beth also suffered tragedy during the Season 1 finale. Icicle ended up “killing” Chuck and destroying her Dr. Mid-Nite goggles with no real hope of fixing him. Thinking about it, these kids didn’t go unscathed during their fight against the Injustice Society.
Overall, the ending to season 1 was amazing for the most part. While I’m excited for season 2, I’m also worried The CW might not have the budget to pull off all the amazing fight scenes and special effects the DC Universe App pulled off during this first season. As long as the good writing and emotional moments keep coming though, I think that’s all that matters. Thanks for reading my episode reviews over the past 13 weeks. It was a beautiful journey. I’ll see you all in 2021 when season 2 gets released.