Shiv Part One
Stargirl has been a series that’s done well so far to flesh out its world and deliver an enjoyable piece of superhero action. As we cross the halfway point of the series, Stargirl continues to build foundations for the final conflict to come, while ending things on an almighty cliffhanger at the end. Episode 7 of Stargirl begins with Courtney and Pat dancing around their superhero secrets with the family while Henry remains by his Father’s side, who’s still in a coma. At school, the four heroes go to their separate lessons while agreeing to meet up later that day for more “JSA stuff”. In chemistry class, Courtney is paired up with Cindy for their experiment while Henry begins exhibiting some of Brainwave’s abilities, hearing the thoughts of his fellow students to help him with the test questions. After school, training begins at Pat’s garage but Courtney’s impatience, desperate to prove herself and rally the troops behind her, causes frictions within the group. Training is cut short for now and the future of the JSA working together hangs in the balance. Back home, Cindy heads down to the basement where she listens to the Injustice Society discuss the new JSA members in town. She confronts her Father, Dragon King, after this and demands to be part of the Injustice Society but he refuses, telling her she’s not ready. That evening at school, various students and parents attend the big game. Given how much time she’s been spending with Pat recently, Courtney comes to blows with her brother. Not long after, Cameron asks her out to the dance but given she has plans with Cindy, she bails on him for now but promises to rearrange for another time. However, Courtney becomes distracted and heads off on a mission of her own, watching as a secret door is opened in the Principal’s office. Donning her suit and with the staff in hand, Courtney heads in but it triggers the alarms within Dragon King’s lair. With Cindy down in the basement when this happens, she realizes Stargirl is near and gets dressed up in an outfit of her own, determined to prove herself to her Father. Cindy blindsides Courtney and the two fight through the different hallways in school. After striking her in the face, Courtney watches in horror as Cindy seems to have the ability to regenerate. Pat senses Courtney may be in trouble after she fails to show up, prompting him to head off and find her. Just as things look bleak with Courtney, the janitor saves her from an unfortunate fate. From the shadows, he watches as Pat arrives in the room, shouting her name. Cindy meanwhile, sneaks off into the shadows but almost certainly will have heard Pat call out for Courtney. As the camera pans up, we’re left with big question marks over where this one may go next.
The Review Write-Up
With little in the way of development for the core group of the ISA, learning that Cindy is part of this and fully aware of who these villains are makes for a really interesting dynamic to bring into the second half of the series. It seems likely she will have heard Pat shout Courtney’s name too so this could prove to be pretty damning if Cindy feeds this back to the other villains. With little screen-time for Beth, Yolanda and Rick, a lot of the episode focuses on Cindy and Courtney’s bubbling character drama. Seeing Courtney’s strained relationship with her brother is a really nice touch too and it helps give the show a bit more depth and raises the stake for all involved. Given the cliffhanger ending, you’ll almost certainly jump into this one again next week to find out exactly what happens next. For now though, Stargirl bows out this week with another solid episode.
