‘Stargirl 3×01: Frenemies Chapter 1 – The Murder’ Review
Stars: Brec Bassinger, Luke Wilson, Amy Smart, Yvette Monreal, Anjelika Washington, Trae Romano, Christopher Baker, Joel McHale | Created by Geoff Johns
What Happened This Week
Stargirl is finally back and based on the CW being sold to a new company, this might be the last season of this wonderful series. We have some changes this year as the always funny Joel McHale is now a regular cast member and mentor to Courtney and after last season’s joining of forces to stop Eclipso, a majority of Stargirl’s enemies have stuck around in Blue Valley in an attempt to reform for their past actions.
Welcome to the Neighborhood
Stargirl starts with a bang by using Neil Diamond’s Coming to America song to introduce the new status quo for the series, as Stargirl’s former enemies are now her new neighbors in Blue Valley. Cindy, when not helping the elderly carry their groceries, is now part of the JSA, much to the chagrin of most of the heroes, while Sylvester is living in the Whitmore-Dugan’s household as a houseguest/trainer for Courtney, and the Sportsmaster is now living across the street from Pat. Even Beth’s once-distant parents, since learning of their daughter’s superhero ways, are now doting on their daughter, so much that it is actually beginning to be obsessive and annoy Beth.
It’s not all smooth sailing for our heroes though. Poor Rick keeps burying and re-burying Solomon Grundy in an attempt to bring him back from the dead, as the old folklore states. After over 300 attempts, our favorite brute is still not back, which results in Rick having a more negative attitude than usual and questioning if the fable is real or not.
While Sylvester states he is not back for the Staff and to be Starman again, once he uses it to keep up with a rebuilt flying S.T.R.I.P.E., he realizes he misses the life of a superhero more than usual. Sylvester realizes the Staff belongs with Courtney as she is the future and his true role is her trainer, not a hero. Courtney understands Sylvester misses being the superhero life and makes a comprise: while she is at school, Sylvester can be Starman and when she is home, Courtney becomes Stargirl. I like this arrangement as we will see how the Staff interacts with two different types of heroes and it means that Sylvester isn’t a villain, something I thought for sure the writers were leaning into this season.
A Reformed Villain
While the villains are trying their best to incorporate themselves into society, the Gambler has a bigger reason to reform: his daughter. Yes, the Gambler has a daughter that he has never seen before but by using his hacking skills, he is able to track her down. Before he meets her though, the Gambler wants to make sure he is the best Gambler he can be, which requires visiting all his prior enemies and asking for forgiveness.
Some are more forgiving, like Pat, but others, like the Shade, have no interest in this latest version of the Gambler. In fact, the Shade even questions if the Gambler actually has a daughter, a question that takes the Gambler back for a second, but he continues to assert that he does have a child. After annoying the Shade with his “turning over a new leaf” story, the Shade becomes angry and warns him to leave or face severe repercussions, aka visiting the Shadowland. The Gambler gets the hint and leaves the Shade alone. While having the Shade back this season is a welcomed surprise, it is obvious that our favorite British hero is having issues controlling his powers.
There’s Been a Murder in Blue Valley!
Stargirl’s season premiere is light on action as the only fight scene we see is the JSA stopping a robbery by the Gambler’s old gang, the No-Limit Gang. Rick worries that the Gambler hasn’t changed his ways and his quest for forgiveness is just a ruse for our heroes to let their guards down. The JSA go to confront the Gambler only to find our reformed villain murdered in his front yard with Cindy standing over him. Upon seeing the JSA, Cindy proclaims “I didn’t do it!” We shall see Cindy. We shall see.
Quote of the Week :
- The Gambler’s voice-over to start the season: “Settle in as we’re about to begin a tale of trust, a tale of heartache, and a tale of murder.”
Grade: B- (Good)
Overall, Stargirl’s season premiere was a nice, easy-going, feel-good episode which sets the status quo for the new season. Yes, the Gambler was murdered but outside of the villain’s death, not much happened this week. The addition of the villains trying to reform and make their way back into society is a pleasant change of pace and allows for new stories to be told and a new dimension to the series.
Stargirl follows a formula each season with the first three episodes setting up each character’s motives for the season, while giving few clues about the season’s main villain. The twist this season is that we have a murder-mystery on our hands and Courtney and her friends must find out who is the murderer. I like the change from the standard “villain wants to take over Blue Valley” and while we still may get to that, I applaud the writers for switching it up and starting with a version of the board game Clue.
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