Stargirl - Brainwave

Note: This week's review of Stargirl will be shorter than the previous weeks. A lot of what I have to say about this episode has been reflected beforehand by me, and I feel that repeating myself is counterproductive.

Perhaps besides the final episode, which will likely have the JSA vs ISA showdown we are all waiting for, I have been looking forward to this episode the most. Henry's storyline is the main focus, after being given the tease of his abilities since the second episode. Henry finds his father's video diaries, captured and placed on VHS tapes, and watches as Brainwave Sr develops his powers. When it starts, it is pretty light and fun. The song "Insane in the membrane" plays as VHS tapes float around the room. Then, it gets heavy. Brainwave sr reveals that the thoughts of several people he has read are dark and twisted, and arrives at the conclusion that mankind is horrible.

Courtney meanwhile tries to convince the team that Henry would make a good addition to the team, but Yolanda and Rick are not into it. The ISA fast track their plans to a week away after realizing that Henry's powers have awoken. This episode for the most part is a battle for Henry's soul. Yolanda suits up and threatens Henry at the hospital, but it doesn't have the intended effect that she may have wanted as Henry hears that she loved him.

I can respect how the show wanted to make his character's journey complex, especially compared to other characters, but as engaging as it is, I would have liked a bit more to work with. The character needs more lines. Most of the season, he is silent and looks sad. While this is the focus, this is an ensemble show. The rest of the episode felt flat. No action this week, but that is just fine. The problem is that everything else was slow-moving and much too brief. Rick and Beth are given a mission to look into the caves at the school and Cindy's house, and discover, that the town has a whole underground system when it was founded. Honestly, we could have filled in the blanks there. Find out about Rick's dad's journal. That would have been more interesting.

Of course, the episode ends with a fun cliffhanger to pull you in for next week, but I giving no points for that. Henry accidentally killing his dad's lawyer and then his dad waking up will be intriguing, I hope. Barbara finding out the truth will hopefully give her more to do. Maybe Cindy will do more than just being trapped in a cell annoying her dad. Who knows?

While Henry's storyline is engaging, the rest of the episode drags.
6.5/10