Synopsis
Part 1: With the ISA on their trail, Courtney, Pat and the team regroup to figure out their next steps. Meanwhile, Rick makes a breakthrough, and the team prepares for a showdown with the ISA.
Part 2: As the Injustice Society of America come one step closer to accomplishing their mission, Courtney and the JSA face off against Icicle and the villains of the ISA in the season one finale.
Review
It’s season finale time on DC’s Stargirl and the join DC Universe and The CW venture isn’t holding back when it comes to throwing everything at the screen in order to up the ante.
Over the course of season one DC’s Stargirl has consistently brought a high level of action to our screen but been able to balance it with a richly written teen drama.
It certainly has more in common with a series like Smallville than it does with any other DC Universe of CW Arrowverse series. So going in to the two-part finale I was questioning how much the show would look to that angsty out-of-costume drama for inspiration.
Surprisingly DC’s Stargirl spends much of the two episodes leaning in to the heroics and away from the drama. There are small moments between Pat (Luke Wilson) and Barbara (Amy Smart) as they try to mend their relationship. There’s also another touching scene between Courtney (Brec Bassinger) and Mike (Trae Romano). But on the whole “Stars & S.T.R.I.P.E.” is very much a large action set-piece.
Under the watchful eye of Geoff Johns, Stargirl has been able to carve a unique niche for itself in the modern DC pantheon of shows and this finale, more so than other episodes, certainly tries to drive that point home.
From early in the season I felt we were building towards Courtney and her young JSA recruits taking on the young family members of the ISA. We’d been introduced to Henry son of Brainwave, Icicles son and Artemis, the daughter of Sportsmaster and Tigress. But other than a guest spot by the long dead Henry (Jake Austin Walker) the other teens are nowhere to be seen.
Instead DC’s Stargirl really does pit the young heroes against their older counterparts.
The first hour of the finale take serious steps to wipe the grownups off the board, forcing the teens to step up and become heroes. It’s a little cliché but honestly, it works within the tone of the series.
That first hour, written by Melissa Carter and directed by Toa Fraser, shifts all the pieces in to place exactly how a penultimate episode should. Hardening back to series like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Smallville it acts like a trailer to the finale, setting up the huge confrontation to come.
The finale itself is written by Johns and directed by Greg Beeman. They take the baton and run at full pelt to bring the season to a fairly epic conclusion. In terms of scale the “Part Two” hour far surpasses even the opening episode with it’s huge JSA opening battle.
The race to the finish line becomes a sprint as Courtney and the team are forced to take on the ISA in their underground lair. But Johns never fails to forget the story behind the characters with the finale also dedicated to the memory of his sister.
In the style of all those classic teen dramas, Johns injects some real emotional stakes to the proceedings as Courtney steps up to become the leader. Scenes between Courtney and Pat are a real emotional highlight amongst the action but so too are those between the CGI Solomon Grundy and Cameron Gellman’s Rick Tyler/Hourman.
But it’s not all perfect. “Stars & S.T.R.I.P.E” part two spends a little too much time working on laying the groundwork for season 2. After a suitable dramatic conclusion to the present day events we catch up with not one, not two but THREE characters who will play an important part in season 2.
There are teases for two villains as well as the arrival of a hero and whilst all of the teases will certainly be great for hardcore comics fans, it just feels a little too much in the moment. But one could argue that Smallville dedicated similar amounts of time to teasing its future.
As the dust settles on season 1 it’s safe to say that DC’s Stargirl has proven to be one of the highest quality series in the modern DC era.
Verdict
“Stars & S.T.R.I.P.E.” is an exciting and satisfying finale to one of DC’s most exciting series to date.
9/10
The show stars Brec Bassinger in the title role. Luke Wilson is playing S.T.R.I.P.E., alongside Joel McHale (Starman), Lou Ferrigno Jr. (Hourman), Henry Thomas (Dr. Mid-Nite), and Brian Stapf (Wildcat). Neil Hopkins (Sportsmaster), Joy Osmanski (Tigress), and Nelson Lee (Dragon King) will portray members of the Injustice Society.
Stargirl debuts new, unedited episode on DC Universe on Monday’s. The series then airs episodes on The CW on Tuesday’s.
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