Stargirl continues to play with our expectations of what the JSA was and is. Let’s get right to it.
1. TURN ON A LIGHT
I get that the theme of this season is darkness and shadow, quite literally, but I can’t deal with 40 minutes of poor lighting every week. In “Chapter Nine,” there were a few scenes that I had to rewind because I legitimately had no idea what the fuck was happening because they were happening in a scene lit by an Itty Bitt Book Light (joke copyright late 90s Mystery Science Theater 3000, used without permission). Also, the shadows/darkness will work better if it is in contrast to bright light elsewhere. If a shadow comes into a dark room, how could you tell?
2. The Eclipso origin tale that didn’t need to be the entire cold open
Nine episodes in, Geoff Johns and co. decided that they needed to give viewers an actual origin story for how Eclipso came to bother the JSA back in the day. While I guess that’s important, it could’ve been covered by one line of dialogue later in the episode. Instead, there’s a long-ish scene that has no real relevance to the episode. We saw Eclipso be freed from the diamond earlier this season when Cindy did it, so I guess this was just there to, I don’t know, reinforce that? For an episode that could’ve used some more time in key scenes, this felt like a waste of time.
3. Blast(s) from the past
A solid quarter or so of this episode was a flashback to the JSA of yore, and we got to see a new face for the show and the return of a few faces that we’ve seen a few times now. Ethan Embry makes his second appearance of Johnny Thunder, but is barely there at all, unlike the first Stargirl appearance of Jay Garrick, played by the always appreciated John Wesley Shipp. Shipp’s casting, first as Barry’s father on The Flash and then as Jay Garrick across a few shows, was a masterstroke, as he brings both grace and gravitas to the roles.
There’s a lot more to discuss with the JSA, but they both tie into other points, so let me close out this thought with a simple statement: the current JSA seems so, so much better than the original one.
4. Thank goodness Courtney’s fantasy isn’t reality
In season one, Courtney believed that her father was Starman. It became her entire identity, and when it turned out to be not true, she was devastated. However, with more evidence, her lowlife crook dad might actually be a better person than the actual Sylvester Pemberton. Now, granted, we’ve only seen him in small doses, but here’s what we know: he and most of his teammates were absolute pricks to Pat, he doesn’t hold too many beliefs that he adheres to, and he’s been presumed dead for years, presumably because he wants nothing to do with helping people anymore. While no one would call her actual dad a good person, at least he’s who he’s advertised as. Starman is advertised as a hero, but is a tool. With the news that Joel McHale will be a recurring cast member next season, it seems like the Courtney/Sylvester relationship will finally happen. I feel sorry for Pat.
5. Why is everyone so mad?
After declaring ‘no more secrets,’ the family has been full of secrets, but Courtney seems furious at Pat for not telling her that the original JSA had to kill the host to stop Eclipso. While I understand that, technically, that’s a secret, it also isn’t something that Pat has to be ashamed of. He voted against killing Bruce Gordon, and was outvoted by the ‘real’ JSAers. Pat simply didn’t tell Courtney, in part, because he still believes there may be a better way to do this.
But beyond that, this JSA has already made that decision. Yolanda straight up killed Brainwave and Mike, accidentally, killed Icicle. Even if Yolanda’s original story stuck, which was that Brainwave died when the building collapsed on him, is that really all that different? The JSA would still be responsible for his death, even if they didn’t actively slash his throat.
Continued belowMy point is this: there’s almost nothing here that requires Court to get so mad at Pat. Sure, she wants some transparency, but has she ever actually asked him, “How did the JSA stop Eclipso in the past?” Maybe she did, but I don’t recall it.
Here’s the other thing: we know that the Shade is around, as he helps Barbara break Eclipso’s spell. The Shade is a morally ambiguous character, and it seems clear that he is going to be the one to kill Eclipso, saving the team the responsibility. While the team doesn’t realize we’re on a superhero show, the viewers do, and so this issue seems especially silly.
One more Eclipso note: Stargirl is doing an excellent job showing just how effective Eclipso’s powers are. The hallucinations have been handled very well, and have allowed the characters some real emotional moments along the way.
