Never has the dichotomy between the DC movie universe and the Arrowverse been so clear to me as it was in this episode. Whereas the Justice League movie rushed throwing all the superheroes together (presumably to compete with The Avengers), Stargirl organically grows its team. The show is taking its time, introducing characters and then growing their role episodes later. We get an opportunity to become more invested in the characters this way, and the show is able to spotlight them as they are recruited.
Essentially, Courtney (Brec Bassinger) is recruiting teammates to fill the roles of the old JSA, with the help of her staff (which continues to have its own personality) and her bag of JSA artifacts. Remember in past reviews how I hoped the high school subplot would tie to the story? Stargirl delivered (which is why I’ll continue to humbly request that Amy Smart character be given more to do). Having all the characters be interconnected is a great way to keep us guessing about who is part of the evil plan and who may end up fitting somewhere on the team.
With Wildcat on Team Stargirl, this episode shifts to the new incarnation of Dr. Mid-Nite and Hourman. Hardcore DC fans will love the references to these characters, but knowledge of them is not necessary to enjoy the episode. Using the ‘next generation’ approach also allows Stargirl to employ fresh takes on these characters without being accused of diverging too much from the source comic books.
While the main thrust of the episode is the new members, Stargirl continues to show what the bad guys are up to. The show strikes an interesting balance between goofiness and menace. On the Arrowverse scale, it continues to be lighter in tone than Arrow, but has a little harder edge than Flash. I think more people have died in Stargirl so far than entire seasons of the Flash, but it remains a positive and optimistic show.
This episode deftly builds the team of good guys in a way that teases some future conflicts. While lacking a big fight scene, the episode features some more excellent for TV special effects. targirl continues to be one of my favorite new shows.
This episode will debut on Monday, June 15th
Check back next week for my thoughts on the 6th episode of the series.
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