TV Review: Stargirl Season 1 Episode 3

Stargirl Season 1 Episode 3 “Icicle”

Director: Michael Nankin

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

Rating: TV-PG

Runtime: 45 minutes

Stargirl has set itself an interesting tonal challenge.  For the most part, it’s a bright, light-hearted series, that emphasizes the fun and comedy of its teenage superhero story.  But it also wants its villains to seem extremely dangerous and has included rather dark elements, such as using the deaths of several superheroes as its opening sequence and having the Cosmic Staff lobotomize Brainwave.  So far the show has done an impressive job of managing its shifts in tone gracefully and the third episode does too for the most part.  But there are signs that the balancing is becoming more difficult and it’s easy to see tonal issues becoming a big source of problems for the show going forward.  This is an episode that features the death of a child but also ends with Courtney rebelliously setting out to start a new, teen-filled JSA, against Pat’s express wishes.  The episode itself is, for the most part, quite good, certainly, the most emotionally charged so far.  But it also raises some potentially damning questions about the ethics of the season’s new JSA storyline and Courtney’s responsibility (or lack thereof).

As the title implies “Icicle” brings the ISA’s cryo-powered head into the spotlight as the show simultaneously fleshes out Jordan Mahkent’s character and underlines his ruthlessness and the extreme threat he poses.  We start off with a flashback to the death of Jordan’s wife, Christine (Amanda Lavassani).  The viewer assumes this backstory is going to be used to make Jordan a sympathetic, even tragic character but the episode throws a curveball by highlighting Christine’s own ruthless nature.  It had already been shown that Jordan at least had his powers at this point but it’s also made clear he’s also already in the midst of his supervillain activities, which Christine encourages him to continue because she believes it will make the world a better place for their son, Cameron, before also encouraging him to eliminate the people who caused her illness.  In the present we see Jordan working to carry out this mission, by means of Project New America, which leads him to make a speech at Barbara’s office (which he’s apparently the overall boss of).  The show stops short of having the character say he wants to make America great again but it’s clear he subscribes to a similar ideology, with his early talk with William Zarick in which it is revealed the ISA supposedly believes it is eliminating injustice hinting at an extreme law and order, or totalitarian stance.  However, the subtext of his motives is complicated by his immigrant background and a specific grudge against certain capitalist institutions, such as industrial factories.  Neil Jackson is given a significant amount of screen time to flesh out his performance and he does an excellent job of making Jordan charismatic while also keeping the cold fury that drives him.

The main thing on Jordan’s mind is eliminating the new bearer of the Cosmic Staff but when it becomes clear the Stars and Stripe team is at least formidable enough to survive their first battle he takes an opportunity to deal with an internal manner.  Jordan had picked up on Zarick’s wavering loyalty to the ISA and when he sees a school bus with Zarick’s son Joey (Wil Deusner) inside approaching on the bridge where Stripe had thrown him he freezes the road, causing it to crash.  Everyone inside is initially OK but when a dazed Joey wanders out of the wreck Icicle also directs an oncoming car right into the boy.  The viewer immediately assumes this was done as part of either a manipulation or intimidation tactic to get William back in line but Jordan subverts our expectations again when, after the Wizard charges into his house for revenge, he simply freezes him to death.  It’s an exceptionally cruel gambit that underlines that despite his delusions of nobility Icicle really is just a monster and a terrifying one at that.

Joey’s death also has a significant impact on Courtney, but there are some flaws with how it’s depicted.  The day before the fight Courtney met Joey at school, where he showed off his magic skills that he was going to use in the upcoming talent show by having her participate in a card trick.  This scene works wonders for increasing the viewer’s affection for both characters, which of course only makes the later tragedy hurt that much more. Between his brief introductory scene in “S.T.R.I.P.E.” and his role here, Wil Deusner doesn’t wind up with that much screen time but he absolutely makes the most of all he gets, making Joey charming and lovable.  It also helps that he’s the first kid to go out of his way to be nice to Courtney.  The exchange also highlights Courtney’s fundamentally good nature thanks to her kind choice to lie and tell Joey that he correctly chose her card, which is good since the rest of the episode would go on to highlight her flaws, both intentionally and unintentionally.  The high school scenes, in general, are stronger this episode, although Courtney’s explanation to Cindy of why slut-shaming Yolanda is wrong is clunkily worded.  An adolescent Cameron Mahkent, played by Hunter Sansone, is introduced and is immediately rendered intriguing given the way his kind, soft-spoken personality (he anonymously paints flowers over the bullying graffiti on Yolanda’s locker) contrasts with his father’s villainy.  The hints at a possible friendship between him and Courtney promise some interesting drama.

The build-up is accomplished quite well but the aftermath of Joey’s death is handled somewhat clumsily.  The show clearly intends for the disaster on the bridge to serve as a tragic follow-up to the episode’s underlining of Courtney’s recklessness but her reactions to it don’t really fit with this storytelling choice.  There’s a well-acted scene of grieving, in which Bassinger gets to show more emotional vulnerability than ever before but after that, the show launches into a new storyline that conflicts with the messages it’s trying to send with Joey’s death.

Pat takes Courtney to the old JSA headquarters.  In a sequence that’s sure to delight fans, the two walk through the building, admiring some very Alex Ross-esque posters of the old heroes and a lot of their powerful relics and weapons.  Pat tries to use the visit to impress upon Courtney the danger of what she wants to do, reminding her that all of the people memorialized there were friends of his who died in battle.  It’s Pat’s first real screw-up as a parent.  You can’t show a rebellious teenager a house full of superhero toys only to forbid them to use them and expect them to listen to you.  The episode’s final scene finds Courtney returning to the HQ and taking most of the powered items, including Wildcat, Dr. Mid-Nite, and Hourman’s suit, the pen containing the Thunderbolt, and Green Lantern’s lantern.  Again it’s a titillating scene for fans, particularly given that it hints at a new bearer for the Thunderbolt and a new Lantern as being members of Courtney’s future team in addition to the heavily promoted second-generation versions of Wildcat, Hourman, and Mid-Nite.  But it’s the wrong way to end an episode where a young man has been brutally murdered.  The most logical narrative progression from this point is for Joey’s death to serve as a wake-up call to Courtney, causing her to realize the risks she takes with not just her safety but that of others when she operates as Stargirl.  Instead, the episode teases her acting more recklessly than ever.  Courtney’s recklessness isn’t an inherently bad thing in terms of storytelling, as it’s part of what makes her a flawed, and therefore compelling character, and gives her room to grow.  But doubling down on it in the episode that sets up what will presumably be one of the main narrative thrusts of the season, recruiting a new JSA, is a big mistake that shines a spotlight on the questionable ethics of that mission.  Courtney is essentially choosing to put more kids into even more direct danger and if the show can’t figure out a way to recontextualize her activities it risks imploding under this questionable part of its premise.

Notes:

•  This is the first episode to highlight the interpersonal problems caused by superhero secret identities.  Barbara is disappointed to return home for family dinner to find Pat and Courtney absent when they were off fighting Brainwave and reacts by skipping the next dinner herself to attend a work function.
•  The only second-generation Thunderbolt user I’m aware of from the comics is Jakeem Williams/Thunder so it seems like he’s being set to make an appearance at some point, especially given that he’s close with Courtney in the comics.  The identity of the new Lantern is less certain.  Alan Scott’s daughter, Jade, seems like the most logical choice given her ties to the JSA and Infinity Inc. (a comic the show is also drawing considerable influence from) but I could also see the show making a more unexpected choice.  It’s also worth noting, however, that there doesn’t seem to be a ring to go along with the lantern so getting a new person to take up that mantle might take longer than others.
• Dr. Fate’s helmet is also visible at the JSA building which has caused more than a little fan objection to Pat dubbing the Thunderbolt pen the most dangerous thing there.
• Jordan’s elderly parents volunteering to dispose of Wizard’s body was effectively eerie and further complicated the show’s study of superhero and supervillain families.