WiC Watches: Stargirl

Pictured (L-R): Cameron Gellman as Hourman, Anjelika Washington as Dr. Mid-Nite, Yvette Monreal as Wildcat and Brec Bassinger as Stargirl — Photo: Mark Hill/The CW

Episode 10: “Brainwave Jr.”

Does anyone else feel like this should have been the Stargirl season 1 finale? Everything about it felt like the end for this batch of episodes, and while I loved it, I worry that not ending it at this point may hurt the stellar season we’ve been having.

Everything and anything comes to a head in “Brainwave Jr.,” and as chaotic as it was, I was very  impressed with the execution!

Last week’s episode left us on a cliffhanger as Barbara saw Courtney and Pat with the Cosmic Staff. She was confused about what the heck was going on in her own basement, and angry that Pat chose to keep it all from her.

I kind of feel like Barbara overreacted a bit but it’s not really the point of the episode. The series just hadn’t spent enough time developing our connection with her for me to really care much.

But I will say that the tenacity and fierceness we see within Courtney most certainly comes from her mother. And I’m happy that the series did finally give Barb some sort of moment. Side note: The flashback to her and Pat’s first meeting was adorable!

The family drama within the household leads to Pat leaving the house per Barb’s request after she hears all about the JSA/ISA/Jordan Mahkent-is-Icicle secrets. But nothing made her angrier then when she realized Courtney wholeheartedly believes Starman was her father. Barb reveals she’s been in contact with Courtney’s father all this time via email.

But is the guy she’s talking to someone else entirely? Or did Starman manage to survive and Barb just didn’t know he was a superhero? The verdict is still out on that one, but I would love it if Joel McHale returned as Starman and really did turn out to be Barb’s baby daddy.

There was a lot happening on the Brainwave front this week, and I was here for it. After being in a coma, Brainwave wakes up to find that he’s lost 10 years of his life. He basically has no recollection of anything since losing his wife.

What I love about this arc is the dynamic between Henry and his father. Stargirl has been tiptoeing around Henry’s storyline and chose to keep him at arm’s length from us. We know that he did Yolanda wrong, but not much more. This episode changed my feelings about him. He’s really conflicted, and he did just learn that he has telepathic powers, after all. I’m glad the writers gave him more substance than what we might have expected.

From the start, Courtney was the only one supportive of his inclusion in the JSA, because she knows they need him to defeat Icicle. It cost her the the friendship she formed with Yolanda, but that’s a price she’s willing to pay to keep everyone safe.

Barb starts the episode livid with Pat and Courtney about all the lies, and then becomes more suspicious of Jordan over the course of the episode. The guy is shady and it was about time Barbara started paying attention to that. She was slightly creeped out by his parents, right? And the way they all interact with one another. Come on, Barb!

My favorite part of the episode, and quite possibly of the show so far, comes at the end when the JSA comes face-to-face with Icicle and company. It’s such a fun, teenage-angsty fight, but it ends on a cliffhanger I’m not sure how I feel about. I don’t even know that I want to put it here for spoiler’s sake, but it definitely could have long-lasting repercussions for the group.

The series did an incredible job giving us the fight we’ve been waiting for, and it was everything I know I wanted from it. Every character got their moment to shine, which is why it should have been a season finale, or at the very least the penultimate episode of the season.

But since it’s not, I must admit my excitement for what’s left has gone up ten-fold. See you all next week!

Grade: A-

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