As Stargirl‘s second season rolls on, we get our second straight episode teasing a new member of the JSA, only to punt the character down the road some bit. But this episode provided some really important information for a few characters, and helped push the plot forward, even if the JSA’s membership still seems stilted.
1. Hot pockets!
One of the JSAers hinted at last season was Johnny Thunder and his Thunderbolt. We saw that Courtney was in possession of the pen that houses the Thunderbolt, so it was only a matter of time before we the character showed up. Mike uses the pen, sticks it in his pocket, and then Thunderbolt essentially tricks him, through manipulating things like street signs and newspaper headlines, to say the magic phrase, “So Cool.”
Thunderbolt is voiced by Jim Gaffigan, which seems like a get above the usual CW show. It also probably means that his appearances will be limited, because of the budget it may take to get Gaffigan per episode. This episode sees Mike attempt to find a connection with the Thunderbolt, both through using very specific language for his commands, and through having a personal connection, the way that Johnny Thunder did.
While the CGI for the Thunderbolt looks CW-good, the use of the character was actually really fun. The ‘Amelia Bedelia’-esque literalism of the Thunderbolt makes the seemingly overpowered character a liability to use, and therefore not the deus ex machina it may initially appear to be. This is a well done episode for how it lays out both the immense power and the huge risk of the Thunderbolt.
2. The tragedy of Mike
For a show with only 16 episodes under its belt, it’s sort of incredible how much growth they’ve put Mike through. From obnoxious step brother to jealous bystander to lonely outcast, it seems absolutely reasonable for Mike to join the ISA, as Shiv wants. If you had told me after the pilot that Mike would not only be a sympathetic character but also a potential lynchpin villain, I’d never have believed you.
Thunderbolt tells Pat that he was drawn to Mike because, like him, he feels totally and absolutely alone. This breaks Pat’s heart, obviously, but is a really smart way to play up Mike’s misery without making him just a pill to be around. Props to Trae Romano for his portrayal of Mike, which has a twinge of sadness to everything he does, but is also full of Pat-esque cheesy smiles and the insistence that he’s ok, really.
3. The Shade is (well) Drawn)
I was a little skeptical of the portrayal of the Shade last week, because the character in modern times is so nuanced and interesting, and the initial meeting seemed, well, less than that. This week absolutely changed my tone. We see a character who is not trying to be a villain, but who refuses to let folks know what he is up to, and so he appears villainous. It also seems likely that he didn’t kill the original Doctor Mid-Nite as everyone seems to believe.
This episode is a very dark one, visually, and director Lea Thompson (yes, that Lea Thompson) casts most of the episode in shadow, which may be annoying to watch at times, but is a nice cue to the Shade’s powers, and allows the show to remind us of his presence, even when he’s not on screen.
4. A lot of building
This whole season seems like a truncated version of what the network wanted to do but couldn’t, based on COVID-19 related reasons. And so, the season feels, in some ways, like a bridge to season 3, where the show can expand its scope. By limiting this season to summer school (at least for now), it keeps the characters in one central location and allows the cast to remain relatively limited, too. I’ve also noticed that, at least for the first four episodes, directors are doing two episodes in a row. This is likely due to keeping the sets relatively closed and small.
But this also allows the show to stack the deck for the future. We have seen Jakeem Thunder and Jade introduced already, and there have been hints at some other characters showing up sooner than later, and by doing this slow build, the show can save some money on special effects, and give each character, essentially, a full episode to introduce themselves to the viewers before being expected to do too much.
5. The black diamond
We’ve already known that Eclipso was going to be the centerpiece of the villainy of this season, but we are beginning to see just what sort of shape the season is taking. It looks like the series will continue to expand the JSA reserves one way or another, as Shiv uses the Black Diamond and draws Eclipso closer. It wouldn’t surprise me if we get a few Shiv-heavy episodes to see the new ISA begin to form, as well as a return to ‘Chuck’ in Beth’s goggles and, eventually, another Starman appearance.
