Into The Arrowverse: Stargirl keeps rising, Legends finishes strong

Photo: Jace Downs/The CW

Stargirl Episode 103: “Icicle”

When you have the chance to be a superhero, you’re hard-pressed to walk away and turn down the opportunity. In Courtney’s case, it’s not so much that she was looking to change the world, but when she got the change, she took it.

Stargirl has done something other shows often struggle to do: get to the point. We’re only three episodes in, and we’ve had more plot development than other shows have over 1-2 seasons. Sure, it’s moving fast, but we’re also getting to the meat of the action much quicker.

From the series premiere to this week’s episode, “Icicle,” we’ve seen Courtney embrace being Stargirl, and everything that comes with it. I think she may be in over her head, but kudos to her for giving it her all anyway.

Despite Pat’s attempts to keep Courtney away from this life, she won’t be deterred. She’s determined to take on the Injustice Society of America in the name of the man she wholeheartedly believes was her father: Starman.

But to understand the gnarly group of villains who make up the ISA, we need to go back to the beginning. Cue the flashback scene! Jordan Mahkent (the man we know as Icicle) is preparing to say goodbye to his dying wife, who makes him promise that he won’t give up the mission to “fix this country.” If there are any obstacles in the way, she wants him to obliterate them. As the Avengers would say, “whatever it takes.” Of course, they weren’t trying to rip the world apart like the ISA.

Courtney wants to find as many members of the ISA as she can. Pat isn’t eager to let her skip school for that, so he promises to look into it himself, which leads him to Dr. King, aka Brainwave, who is in the hospital after his encounter with Courtney and Pat. Someone brought Dr. King to the ER, making it clear that other ISA members are in Blue Valley.

At school, Courtney befriends William Zarick’s (The Wizard) son Joey. The two bond fairly quickly as he shows her magic tricks (even though he’s not very good at them). Unfortunately, what lies ahead is about to rattle this friendship to its core, and was completely unexpected.

Jordan is in his feelings about the emergence of Stargirl, and has put him back in touch with the hatred that never quite left after his wife’s death. He shows up at William’s home demanding an answer about why he wasn’t told what was going on in Blue Valley.

“Project: New America” is mentioned, which feels a bit too real given the times we’re living through right now. The project was designed to keep the world safe, or at least that’s how Jordan sees it. He especially wants to make a better world for his son. William, who has a son of his own, understands.

What I enjoy about Stargirl is that despite it being a superhero show in the Arrowverse, it’s still family-friendly. Yes, there are bad guys running around wreaking havoc, but there’s also an emphasis on family life. For example, Pat has to contend with Mike getting in trouble at school and then coming up with a punishment. (He has to get a paper route — they still have those?)

Then there’s Barbara, Courtney’s mom, an intelligent working woman who just so happens to be working for Jordan. She manages to impress him with her idea to revive the community theater, which gives her some cred at the office. He wants her to be a bigger part of the project, but she’d prefer to head home and have dinner with her family. Again, I’m really enjoying the show’s exploration of ordinary domestic life.

I’m also enjoying Courtney’s journey at school as she meets more and more people. She’s already befriended Joey, and in this week’s episode, she also meets Yolanda Montez and Cameron. I have a feeling they are about to play a bigger role in her life as Stargirl, but stay tuned for more on that.

Things take a chilly turn (I know, cheesy) when Courtney notices an ice-shaped star on her way home from school. It’s placed right in the middle of a field, but when she asks Pat to go check it out, it’s already melted. Clearly, it’s a sign from Icicle that he’s on to Stargirl.

Icicle shows up just as Pat (in his S.T.R.I.P.E. gear) is assessing the situation, and we get an epic showdown between Stargirl and Icicle. Things take a turn when freezes a bridge over which is school bus full of kids is passing, hoping it will crash.

Pat manages to save the bus, but neither he nor Stargirl are able to prevent what happens next. With the kids out of the bus, Icicle lures Joey out so that when the truck crossing the bridge passes by, Joey will walk right into its path. It’s a horrible, horrible moment, and a jarring indication of what Icicle is capable of. It’s not just his powers, but his ability to stoop so low that he would kill a friend’s son to prove a point.

William and his wife are heartbroken to learn of Joey’s death, but William knows what caused it, and he’s angry, very angry. He grabs his wand and heads straight to Icicle’s house where he demands an explanation. If we didn’t already know how horrible Icicle is, well, the fact that he freezes William to death should be a big clue.

Naturally, Courtney is determined to take Icicle down. I’m ready to see this fight; he’s in for a rude awakening.

This episode of Stargirl ends on an exciting note, because Courtney decides she is going to reassemble the Justice Society of America. Pat is against the idea, but it’s his fault for taking her to the headquarters and showing her things from the JSA’s past.

In the darkness of the night, Courtney sneaks out of the house and goes back to the headquarters. She’s ready to create her version of the JSA, and with all their old items in tow sets out to do some recruiting.

Any guesses as to who she will ask to join her efforts? Tune in next week!

Grade: B+