TV Review: Stargirl Season 1 Episode 2

Stargirl Season 1 Episode 2 “S.T.R.I.P.E.”

Director: Greg Beeman

Starring: Brec Bassinger, Yvette Monreal, Anjelika Washington, Cameron Gellman, Trae Romano, Jake Austin Walker, Christopher James Baker, Amy Smart, Luke Wilson

Rating: TV-PG

Runtime: 51 minutes

The heavy serialization used by a lot of streaming series often results in their episodes feeling less like independent entities and more like chapters in singular stories.  This is often especially true in particularly dramatic points of the season, such as the beginning or end, and episodes linked by cliffhangers.  Stargirl’s first two episodes serve as an example of this trend.  The premiere was satisfying enough on its own but this episode is definitely less a self-contained tale and more so a continuation of the story threads introduced there.  Essentially, the pilot and “S.T.R.I.P.E.” serve as a two-part origin story both for Courtney, who by the end of the latter has officially suited up and taken the name Stargirl, and her partnership with Pat, who is back to being a superhero sidekick, but this time one with a cool robot mech suit.

Picking up exactly where the pilot left off “S.T.R.I.P.E.” begins with Pat picking up Courtney from her encounter with Brainwave in the titular robotic armor and flying her to safety.  After arriving at Pat’s mechanic shop where he keeps the armor, Courtney demands answers.  Pat deduces that she was up against Brainwave and explains more of the JSA and ISA’s shared history.  It turns out Hourman had survived the JSA/ISA battle and spent years hunting the villains, eventually tracking them to the town.  Pat was building the Stripe armor to help Hourman take them down but the latter and his wife were killed in a car crash, leaving only Pat to avenge the JSA.  Pat hadn’t seen any sign that the ISA was really in Blue Valley the first time he was there, when he met Barbara, or he would never have moved the family back there.

Still convinced that Starman was her father, Courtney is determined to get justice for him and the rest of the JSA, and begins creating a superhero identity for herself and scanning the town for Brainwave, despite Pat’s attempts to forbid her from ever using the staff again.  Meanwhile, Brainwave himself is doing much the same thing.  After a chat/interrogation of his son, during which he also seems to be testing Henry Jr. to see if he inherited his father’s telekinetic abilities, he discovers that it was a young girl, not a man that has the staff and he sets out to find her.  The concurrent investigations culminate in a wonderfully tense sequence at the high school’s open house, during which Courtney and Brainwave search the crowd for one another before finally coming face to face in a hallway.

The main theme of the episode is the importance of secret identities in the superhero business and the danger that can arrive when they’re not maintained.  As Pat tells Courtney “Protect the family,” is “Superhero rule number one,” and the best way to do that is to wear a mask (the episode doesn’t want you to remember the fact that, based on what we’ve seen so far, neither Pat nor Sylvester wore masks in the old days).  Despite taking the time to make the Starman suit her own, Courtney was conducting hero business in her civilian guise and this results in Brainwave reading her mind, discovering exactly who she is.  He threatens to kill her mother unless she brings him the staff and it’s only after this that Courtney recognizes the serious stakes of the world she’s entered.  Brec Bassinger really sells the frantic concern and fear Courtney feels for her mom.  Courtney’s definitely been more than a little reckless up until this point but her performance and the writing manage to make this feel like a natural mistake for a fledgling hero and keep the character likable in spite of it.

Rather than allow Courtney to put herself in danger again (or give Brainwave the staff) Pat heads out to confront the villain himself, despite the armor still having more than a few kinks to work out.  Luke Wilson is excellent in the scene in which Pat tells Courtney to take Barbara and Mike far away from Blue Valley and tell them he loves them should he not return by morning.  After her own veiled but heartfelt talk with Barbara, Courtney heads out to back him up, arriving just in time to rescue Pat in her comic-accurate costume and announcing that she’s Stargirl and he’s her sidekick.  The action this episode isn’t as elaborate as the last one’s but this is still an exciting sequence that quickly becomes quite tense.  Courtney acquits herself well in her first official battle but Brainwave still proves to be too much.  Fortunately, just before he can hit her with a mental attack the staff acts on its own, striking him in the head with an energy burst, leaving him catatonic.  This was a fine way to wrap up the first major threat while also making it clear that Courtney (and Pat) still have a ways to go before being polished superheroes but in the future, the staff shouldn’t be used as a deus ex machina too often and villains should be dispatched in less brutal ways.

Despite significantly increasing the dramatic tension this episode also flexes the show’s comedic muscles a decent amount.  Pat’s clumsy training with the armor, Courtney destroying the sewing class equipment while modifying her suit, and similar scenes are all very amusing beats and the show is wise enough to poke fun at some of the more silly comic book elements (including the names Stripesy and Injustice Society).  Bassinger in particular gets to show off her humorous side and her work makes a lot of Courtney’s brash moments comical rather than annoying.  The character’s nonchalant reactions to all the superhero mythology she’s being introduced to bring a lighthearted charm to the series.  And Neil Hopkins is a manic delight as Lawrence “Crusher” Crock, an extremely enthusiastic and increasingly suspicious local gym owner.

Just because Brainwave has been dealt with for the time being doesn’t mean the Dugan/Whitmore family or the town of Blue Valley are out of danger.  Upon hearing of his colleague’s defeat Icicle comes to town, meeting at the American Dream non-profit where Barbara works with her boss, Steven Sharpe (Eric Goins), who is secretly another ISA member known as The Gambler.  The American Dream headquarters is home to the ISA’s secret hideout, where Icicle is also keeping Solomon Grundy, who will certainly be put to use now that the former is readying to kill the new bearer of Starman’s mantle just as he did Sylvester.  At the local hospital, Henry Jr. watches his father sleep and it seems unlikely that the path before him is anything but a dark one.  I’m really liking the show’s approach to its villains so far.  Brainwave, Icicle and the others are definitely larger than life and sufficiently ruthless threats but focusing on their secret identities and families also gives them more depth than simple mustache-twirling antagonists and the choice to give some of the characters children also sets up the next generation of villains to counter the young group of heroes Courtney will be inspiring.

Fortunately, Blue Valley’s new super-duo is up to the task.  After the battle with Brainwave, Pat admits that Courtney’s heroic potential is obvious and shouldn’t be denied, even conceding that it’s possible Sylvester really was her father.  He’s less convinced of his own abilities, however, noting how the last hero he worked with died but Courtney assures him that she believes in him.  She reminds him that “The staff chose me.  And I choose you.” and with that, the Stars and Stripe team is truly formed.  Again, even though things are just heating up this also feels like the conclusion of a two-part story and a very compelling one at that.  Stargirl‘s delivered one of the stronger live-action superhero origins in recent years and gives the encouraging sense that even stronger stories are yet to come.

Notes:

•  I watched the broadcast version this week but scrolled through the DC Universe episode in the hopes of catching the extra scenes.  The two I noticed were a meeting between Brainwave and ISA member William Zarick/The Wizard (Joe Knezvich), a local councilman, in which they discuss the mysterious “Project New America” and a tense encounter between Barbara and Sharpe at work.
•  Pat namedrops Johnny Thunder, Hawkman, and Hawkgirl as other JSA members who died.  Though that’s not a huge problem for the Hawks, of course.
•  Pat also notes that the staff was created by Ted Knight, not Sylvester.  It’s no surprise that with Geoff Johns at the helm the series tries to remain as close to the comics as it can despite the changes necessary for television streamlining.
•  After being arguably the most engaging of the other future JSA kids last week, Beth Chapel gets a weird scene here where she talks with her parents via videochat at lunch.  It’s meant to highlight her quirkiness and trouble fitting in but no matter how many social issues a high school kid has they would never do this.  I am getting concerned that the heightened atmosphere of the show will prevent the high school elements from being treated with nuance.