Stargirl - Shining Knight

I'm thinking of retitling all of Stargirl's episodes. I would call this one "Rude Awakening". The moment many of us have been waiting for has come. It has been painfully clear that whoever Courtney's dad was, it was not Starman, and the truth would be a lot less magical. Halfway through this season's run, I went on to read the original comic and found that this episode was a direct adaptation of the final story arc in the Stars and stripes comic, which shouldn't be a surprise as Geoff Johns wrote it.

I am going to begin talking about our titular character. The janitor, Justin seeks to find Pat who he remembers as Stripesy. Unfortunately, his memories are severely damaged. When he arrives at Pat's auto shop, he mistakes him as The Dragon King at first, who is responsible for his mental state. He was made a janitor to shame him. Pat realizes that the ISA is planning a brainwashing. Beth and Rick are present with him in the auto shop, a duo that hasn't been developed at all. Their dynamic is set up to be an important relationship, but it isn't fleshed out any more than it has been this entire season,

On the villain side, Brainwave wastes no time in revealing Stargirl and STRIPE's true identities to Jordan. Jordan is reluctant as he has feelings for Barbara for some reason. Honestly, the two of them hasn't spent a lot of time together this season, this plot point is worthless, especially as Jordan throws it away and orders Brainwave to kill the entire family, even poor in the dark Mike, just to make sure no legacies are running around.

Now, I focus on this episode's strength: the emotional component. After discussing Harry Osborn's... oh sorry, Henry's death with Pat and Barbara, who is now fully in the loop, Courtney has a visitor: her real dad, Sam. At first, she refuses to believe it, but reality is often disappointing. She is crushed as she feels she got Henry killed for a childish mistake. She and Sam spend the day together getting to know each other, and by the end, she realizes that Sam is a jerk. The only reason he came to see her isn't to get to know her, but to get her locket that she wears all the time so he can sell it as a set with his. As he quickly goes out the door, she and Pat embrace as she knows that Pat is more of a father that Sam is. Brec delivered in this episode. The audience is given a little bit of catharsis when Pat knocks Sam down to the ground.

The whole ordeal leads to a lesson in self strength and not letting your parents define you. Courtney's self-doubt leads to the cosmic staff not working for her. By the end, she learns to believe in herself again, and the staff lights up again brighter than ever.

Once again, the massive ensemble continues to be a weakness here. After last week's shocking ending, Yolanda's response was something I was looking forward to, but save for a brief appearance in the cafeteria and student hall meeting, she is largely absent. Brainwave has proven himself to be a ruthless enemy, yet he tips off Courtney that he remembers who she is and that he is coming for her. A villain tipping off the hero isn't very smart, though one could argue that ego got the better of him. Justin's story is certainly interesting, and I'd love to watch his character in a fight to see his style.

Slowing down to focus on its dramatic heft, this week' Stargirl allows the core cast to stretch their acting skills, but once again fails to use its massive ensemble.
8/10

Stargirl - Brainwave Jr

This episode wasn't the season finale. Sure, this is an obvious fact, but major things occurred in this one that you would usually see in a somber season finale. Massive developments and revelations, changes in character dynamics. huge sequences, and a shocking ending that I certainly didn't see coming. After last week's disappointment, this was a great return to form.

If you haven't seen the episode yet at your time of reading this, spoiler alert. Sure, in my Stargirl reviews, I do write a general recap, but honestly, events kind of roll by the book in terms of telling a superhero story. This was a rare episode that shocked me.

If you feature the song "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" in anything, I'd probably like it. This is the song that is playing when Pat and Barb meet in a Blue Valley cafe. After that meet-cute, we immediately cut back to where we left off last week, with Barb discovering Pat and Courtney's secret. This revelation shakes up the family dynamic. Of course, poor Mike is left out in the cold, the only member of the family besides the dog that it is not in on the secret. With Courtney so convinced that Starman was her dad, Barb makes a move I have been waiting for since episode 1. She sends the real father an email and tells him that they need to take about Courtney.

Beyond that, she makes the right choice in recording a conversation between Jordan's inlaws when they visit her and Pat in her office and discover that Jordan has a machine that once turned on, will change everything. This is the "b" story, and I was actively engaged with it. It gave Barbara more to do and gave us a look at her relationship with Pat. Better late than never I suppose. Actually, the entire ensemble is used effectively here for once.

Henry, after having killed his father's sleazy lawyer last week (Which is pretty much ignored), finds that his father's memories of the past ten years are gone, and it leads to a soft moment between the two of them. I couldn't imagine Brainwave hugging anyone, much less his son. Henry goes on the continue watching his father's tapes, which is in the thousands. I was a kid when VHS was still used, and I'm pretty sure I didn't have up to one hundred, much less thousands. After watching a tape with his father describing his wife's death, Henry concludes that Jordan killed his mother, who also happened to be Starman's sister. Henry reaches out to Courtney while the cosmic staff has gone missing. The staff is as impulsive as Courtney and gets trapped by Jordan at the hospital while he takes Brainwave away to get his memories back. Courtney informs the team about everything, who isn't impressed with Courtney letting Henry join the team. Yolanda especially. She agrees to help, but tells Courtney whatever friendship they had is over.

The team is back in costume and back in the sewer system. Rick and Beth are paired together again. I hope their relationship is developed more if the writers continually want them paired together. Rick comes face to face with Grundy and attempts to break through the door that is holding him. Thankfully, he is unsuccessful, even with his super strength. The show recognizes that if Grundy himself is still behind those doors, this boy can't just punch his way in. Besides, we still haven't completely seen Grundy, so all the CGI money necessary to make him, they are probably saving for the finale.

Courtney, Yolanda, and Henry go in a separate direction. Henry attempts to make amends with her, buy Yolanda isn't having it. They make it the Dragon King's main lair, where a device is doing work on Brainwave to give him his memories back. Cindy, who is still locked up gives up the heroes right away, while desperately begging her father to let her out so she can "kill that bitch". I don't know why I found that funny, but I did. The battle scene here impressed as the others have. The scope here is great, especially in the wide shots. Henry using his powers in combat was fun to watch, as well as Courtney and Yolanda teaming up as they are the best fighters. A little dark to see some things, but luckily, the Cosmic Staff eventually joins the party.

A great comedic moment occurs when we finally see Dragon King's face under the mask. He looks like a low rent lizard. Both Courtney and Yolanda scream and immediately, the staff blasts him away. While winning the fight, it was mostly in vain because Brainwave regains his memory, and he is just as nasty as you remember him.

With Brainwave's memories back, he quickly establishes why he the shows best villain. As the young heroes attempt to escape, Henry tries to convince his father that people can still be good. But Brainwave is unmoved and reveals that he killed his wife himself, not Jordan. Henry attempts to fight him off, but his efforts are wasted against his most experienced father. Brainwave causes the roof to collapse. Moments left, he apologizes to Yolanda one more time and tells Courtney to still have faith in people. Then the roof collapses on top of him. End of episode.

Jake Austin Walker is clearly the episode's MVP. The past two episodes have given him the most the work with and stretch his acting muscles, and he leaves a mark as one of the show's most important memorable characters. Henry's journey was been a redemptive one, and it one where we have been wondering if he would follow in his father's footsteps and become a next-generation ISA member, seeing as he was introduced as a school bully. But no. He dies a hero. Of course, comic book shows have a tendency to bring people back and seeing as we didn't see a body, there could be a possible return, but for now, I believe he is dead.

The JSA seeing someone die like that in front of them, especially someone that they knew certainly helps raise the stakes, and gives them a clue what they are dealing with. How Henry's death will affect Yolanda next week is exciting drama I want to see. Frankly, I am tempted to skip out on my weekly reviews, and just wait for the final three episodes to be released, and I'll just binge them as a film, but probably not. I don't have the patience to wait like that.

Brainwave Jr is an explosive episode that is easily one of series best by effectively using its strengths, and sets up an exciting final act for the next three episodes.
9.5/10

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

The Old Guard (2020)

Netflix for the win. This film is one of the only blockbusters we are getting this summer, and while the powers arent too flashy, this also counts as a superhero film. Based on the comic of the same name that I haven't read. 

Immortality is a curse more than it is a gift. Perhaps no one knows this more than Andy, leader of a group of immortal mercenaries who have unknowingly shaped the course of human history. From their perspectives, Andy is tired feeling that the impact has been too tiny to have been worth it. She reluctantly accepts a new job for her team, composed of Nicky, Booker, and Joe after being recruited by Copley, a former CIA agent to rescue kidnapped schoolgirls in the Sudan. Then, all of them get a flash of a new immortal: Nile, a soldier who is killed in battle and it suddenly brought back to life. They make a note to find her after the job.

However, it is a setup. Copley, who has been aware of who the team really is is working with Merrick, CEO of a pharmaceutical company. He wants to use the team as his test subjects to find a cure for cognitive decline. Obviously, it is not for altruistic reasons. They survive the attempt and set out to stop Merrick and recruit Nile.

From there, the film plays like a typical superhero movie. No big twists, but that's fine. The film knows what it is, though the villain felt lackluster. If Harry Melling had reprised his role as Dudley Dursley it would probably be a bit more engaging. His character was as generic as a Phase 1 marvel villain. The henchmen even more so. He was over the top and had no menacing screen presence so the threat didn't feel particularly high, given the amount of screentime devoted to showing that the team is well skilled in killing people. It helped a bit that the team could feel the pain of being shot and stabbed.

The action sequences were nice and clean. A few quick camera movements here and there, but you could generally see all that was happening. The actors performing their action scenes made it better. Still, by the end of it, none of the action sequences particularly stand out or are necessarily exciting, except for the final action scene involving one of the heroes going through a high story window with a bad guy and the camera follows them down to crash into a car. The music felt awkward to me. It didn't fit the tone the film was going for.

I will say that director Gina Prince-Bythewood isn't gratuitous, and each one of the action scenes is motivated by the narrative. Honestly, look at Gina's past filmography. With the exception of the Cloak and Dagger pilot, you wouldn't think she could do an action-heavy film, but it fits like a glove. There is a compelling story here, with the weight of immortality and loss, but it is hampered down due to its conventional nature.

I wanted to like this film more. Charlize Theron is one of those actors that can jump from genres seamlessly. At least the story has a beginning and an end. Sure, there is a sequel tease, but this is less concerned with setup than other big blockbusters would-be franchise starters. For the talent assembled behind and in front of the camera, I just expected more.

Storywise, It's a meh, and suffers from shockingly low energy and blandness despite all the action sequences, but The Old Guard benefits from slick directing and solid performances.

6/10

Stargirl - Shiv Part 2

As I write this, it was recently announced that Stargirl was renewed for a second season. As a fan, I'm excited to see more of these characters. As well, with most of these shows, the first seasons are known to end with cliffhangers. So on the off chance, this season ends on a cliffhanger, I am relieved that it will be resolved. At least when it is okay to film again.

Set immediately after last week's episode, Courtney is in the hospital. To provide her an alibi, Pat crashes his car into a light post. He sidelines Courtney to bedrest, and seeks to look into Cindy Burman, and find out who her parents are. He also plans to tell Barbara the truth, but Courtney begs him not to

Instead of relaxing and resting up, a cat and mouse game is played when Cindy shows up to the house the next day. The night before, Cindy proudly goes to her father and claims to have beaten Stargirl, but The Dragon King is not impressed. Cindy exposed herself, and since Stargirl isn't dead, she knows the location of the cave in the school and can come back with her allies. He now has to explain to the ISA her actions, and threatens to remove his hood if she doesn't behave. I am quite curious about his abilities. He is intelligent, as he is a bit of a mad scientist, having given Cindy her abilities when she was a child and plans to use The Wizard's body for whatever purpose, but I haven't seen his actual physical powers, nor the face behind the mask.

Courtney and Cindy each know who the other is, but neither knows how much the other knows. They keep up the charade under the pretense of hanging out, but they drop it at the end. The dynamic between the two actresses in this scene is great drama. I was getting Professor X and Magneto frienemies vibes. The script this week is certainly better than previous weeks and was a lot less cringy. Meanwhile, the rest of the JSA, mostly sidelined again go on a side mission to find out more about Cindy by sneaking into her house. Beth and Pat go inside under the guise of being father and daughter. While Pat talks to the stepmom, Beth sneaks around with her goggles. When she enters Cindy's room, she finds a photo of her dad and has Rick and Yolanda help her sneak out as Cindy returns home.

Henry is given a mostly silent storyline where he begins to discover who he and his family is. Beyond reading minds, he finds himself able to move things with his mind when looking for pain medicine. He finds his father's Brainwave costume, and finds a letter from The Dragon King, telling Brainwave that Cindy will monitor him.

A short rematch fight scene between Shiv and Stargirl occurs. It is not as technically impressive as last week, but it has its moments. When Stargirl crashes through the window while Cindy is looking at herself in the mirror, it was such a great shot. The fight makes its way onto the street when Henry arrives. He is overwhelmed with the two girls' thoughts, and mind pushes them. Cindy is then suddenly taken into the sewer by her father's minions as Henry flees, leaving Courtney in the street confused. A great tease for next week.

Jordan, the big bad went on a business trip with Barbara. The dinner goes fine enough, nothing too sinister. Nothing at all. They set this up last week, but Barbara hasn't been given a storyline. As a main cast member, this is disappointing. Supporting or guest cast, that would make sense. Later though, Jordan waits in the room of Mr. Riley, who was an executive at a chemical plant responsible for the death of Jordan's wife. With no effort, he kills him. This hints at what targets Jordan may hit with his plan.

The slow burn pacing has its good weeks and its bad weeks. Sometimes, the pacing can excite me for what's to come, but this week, it had me shaking my head. I know that this show airs on television, but I do wish that it took more advantage of it being on a streaming service during this season for episodes to be a bit longer like the pilot. While the JSA members each had an introduction episode, we still haven't spent much time with them. We are past the midway mark of the season, so this has the change fast.

Shiv, Part 2 continues to raise the stakes and begins to pay off storylines set off from the start. Still needs to work on being an ensemble and should speed some things up.
7.5/10