Courtney gets a reality check from Pat as the new JSA assembles for a mission.
I want to talk a bit about something silly that I think fits very well in the realm of Stargirl. Something that we’ve seen repeated several times thus far. Something that the show does well in the sense that it’s got this “I think I can though I’m not sure if I can” approach to superheroism. A tactic that’s tried-and-true and about as relevant today as it was when we first learned about it years ago. I’d like to talk about…
The game of Takesies Backsies.
Basically, that as a kid, sometimes on the playground, you accidentally give away more than you’re supposed to and must ask for that very same thing that was given away, back. And. when confronted by a parent, like Courtney was with Pat, the parent requests that their child take back the things given and/or obtain. Only this case very much being Pat requesting for the JSA’s equipment back.
I say this because that’s the entire plot of this episode.
It’s a game of Takesies Backsies. I wish there was more, but that’s pretty much entirely it. While it’s fun, it’s also a little undeveloped, though we get some nice new characters and what’s easily the greatest fight sequence in the series thus far. But it all starts with a game of Takesies Backsies.
Takesies Backsies with The Justice Society
It’s pretty obvious in this one, that the team is going to assemble. But just like in the Avengers or Justice League movies, the story can’t make it that easy.
With Pat having been underutilized the past few episodes, we see him return front-and-center with Courtney, as the two work out their relationships as both Father/Daughter and Superhero/Sidekick. It’s fun, fatherly, and definitely the warm teenage drama we’d come to expect and see from the show.
And that’s not the only sentimental beat in this episode, as we see each new member of the new JSA really come to terms with accepting their heroic identities. Yolanda is becoming more of her old self and very much seemingly becoming a female Black Panther in that she’s extremely talented and more than capable of holding her own, Beth is becoming best friends with her AI and slowly embracing the responsibility that comes with it as the new Dr. Mid-Nite, and Hourman seeks to avenge his deceased family.
Which is why, when Pat calls for the return of the objects of the JSA, we get a silly yet poignant theme of Takesies Backsies: with each hero finding a reason to take up their calls and embrace whom they’re trying to be. All in order to find purpose and meaning. The children effectively finding different ways of saying: No, no Takesies Backsies.
Also, it’s sort of not fair because Courtney conveniently threw this destiny upon them randomly…
But I digress, being heroes, we know the majority of the JSA will say no when it comes to Pat’s request. We also know that they’ll likely suit up and do what they’ve been called to be in this series: Become the new JSA. We know this because… it’s in the episode title. And, while its all very predictable, it’s also sentimental and sweet. Stargirl is very much the case of a show with simple writing but a good heart, featuring some seriously badass female characters.
Without spoilers, you should watch to see how each person has changed for the better. You should also watch because DC’s fan-favorite, Artemis, is awesome in this one, as is her family, and their jock-like in-your-face approach. Sportsmaster and Tigress are easily the fiercest combative duo this show has seen to date.
The only thing that felt off was how Pat’s being portrayed as somewhat of a Beta male and is seen so by quite literally everyone in the JSA.
Oh, and stuff happens with Mike Dugan and Barbara Whitmore. I believe it’s a science fair and she goes to support him, and he makes a volcano, which in my honest opinion, is the dumbest and easiest project to make at a science fair. It’s incredibly pointless for Mike to do given his video game camp backstory. Seriously, if video games are the only thing he’s done in this series, why pivot away from it in this episode? Have Mike make a game! I really wish I could say more, but the show, much like myself, has made both of these characters a complete afterthought. So here I mention them as an afterthought, in what’s easily the most pointless B-story of the series.
The Take
I’m enjoying the series for its light entertainment. To me, Stargirl is like enjoying a Coke Zero or a cold can of White Claw. Still, if it weren’t for all the entertainment shutdowns due to Corona, I’m not sure Stargirl would make the cut for today’s modern entertainment. Though, for right now, it works, and what it chooses to do by this season’s end will definitely determine it’s future.
It’s also obvious that this show is trying to represent and be a young, predominately female version of the Justice League. It’s campy and corny but also… I think just the right degree of fun.
Make sure to catch Stargirl on the CW or DC Universe.
