Icicle
After several episodes of plot development, Stargirl slows down slightly for a much more character-driven piece of drama as various members of the Injustice Society are given crucial screen-time to flesh out their personas and motivations. It’s a really smart idea too, helping us understand their plight while the ever-present idea of Project America hangs over Blue Valley like a black cloud waiting to burst and rain hell-fire on the town. We begin episode 3 of Stargirl in Blue Valley 8 years ago. Jordan’s wife Kristie is on her death bed and makes him promise to put the country first. “If anyone tries to stop you, destroy them,” She whispers, before passing away before him. Back in the present, the victory over Brainwave sees Courtney riding a high and deciding to go after the ISA, one member at a time. Only, Pat convinces her not to for now given how dangerous this is and promises to help get to the bottom of this in private. At school though, things are more crazy than usual following the sign being blown to bits the previous night. In school, William’s son Joey arrives to do card tricks for Courtney but despite him choosing the wrong card, she plays along and lets him revel in the applause that follows. Jordan arrives at hospital and phones through to William, eventually meeting and discussing Brainwave’s plans and how he was never a team player. For now, Jordan decides to take up the mantle and deal with Stargirl himself, starting with arriving at the office where Barbara happens to be working and settling in to oversee the project. It’s here he learns that Courtney is Barbara’s daughter. Back in school, Courtney stands up for one of the girls being bullied and learns that Cameron was the one who removed graffiti from the girl’s locker. After school they go their separate ways but Jordan calls her out, leaving a message on the grass in the form of freezing a field in the shape of a star. Understanding what this means, Stargirl and ST.R.I.P.E. both work together to confront Icicle. Despite Pat knocking Jordan onto a bridge, he ends up frozen in the process. Thankfully, Pat manages to free himself and save a school bus from certain doom. Only, Joey fails to see a rushing car coming his way and ends up hit in the process which brings the fight to an abrupt close. In the wake of this turmoil, William is overcome by grief while Courtney and Pat talk together about the different heroes that are now gone, including Wildcat and Flash. Courtney decides to try and recruit new faces to fill the boots of what’s come before and sets to work doing just that. Raging, William confronts Jordan and holds a glowing wand up to him at his house. Only, Jordan freezes the man and kills both William and Joey leaving his wife to wallow in grief. Cameron returns home and it’s here we learn he’s actually Jordan’s son, making his friendship with Courtney even more interesting. Project: New America continues to make strides forward for Jordan too while Courtney heads into the Justice Society Headquarters and snatches up gear from the different heroes. “Let’s do some recruiting,” She says gleefully to her staff as the duo hurry away, which is where the episode ends. Seeing Jordan and William both fleshed out here and given the time to grow beyond stereotypical villain archetypes really helps give the show an extra layer of depth. The simple teen drama is still here of course, and tonally the series balances the darker elements well with a more lighthearted stroke for the target market this is clearly shooting for. The skirmish with Icicle toward the end is a nice inclusion too and it’s clear that this fight is far from over. So far so good though and there’s enough here to pique the interest and keep coming back to find out exactly what Project: New America really is. Chances are it’s probably going to be a cataclysmic world-ending event but for now we remain in the dark. Roll on next week! Published: 01 June 2020 at 12:17pm on TheReviewGeek.com
