Tonight, June 10th, Malaysians will be able to welcome Stargirl to the DC TV universe. Following from the successes of Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, (and to a lesser extent) Legends of Tomorrow, Black Lightning, and Batwoman, Stargirl comes from the mind of Geoff Johns, the current president and Chief Creative Officer of DC Entertainment. Johns has got an extensive career in comics, culminating (for me, personally) in the revitalising of the Green Lantern character in Johns’ “Green Lantern: Rebirth” and subsequent “Blackest Night” storylines.
But back to Stargirl. This series tells the story of Courtney Whitmore, played by Brec Bassinger, a high school student who moves from big town Los Angeles to small town Blue Valley, Nebraska, with her mother, step father, and step brother. While unpacking in their new family home, Courtney stumbles across Starman’s Cosmic Staff and is chosen to take up the mantle and continue the ongoing fight against evil.
The first thing you need to know is that this show moves. A lot happens in the first three episodes to set up Courtney, her step father Pat, played by Luke Wilson, the rest of the Justice League of America, and their arch nemesis, the Injustice Society of America (yes it’s funny name but as the show tells you very early on, it was a different time, a simpler time). In fact, the pilot episode opens with a big fight sequence that kicks it all off and does a great job to inform the audience of the kind of stakes that are at play here.
Stargirl does, however, feel like a show stuck between two well established tropes: the new girl in high school drama and the recently acquired super power action series. The first three episodes have leaned more on the latter than the former, but it will be interesting to see how the show balances out all the stories that come out of its setting. Episode three ends on an interesting note and I will be curious to see where they go.
The relationship between Stargirl and her sidekick, who happens to be Pat, her stepfather, does need a bit more work. The always-on-the-attack 15-year-old superhero against the “let’s be realistic” sidekick/stepfather dynamic is, for lack of a better word, just a little bit dull. Unlike the Harrison Wells/Barry Allen mentor/mentee relationship from Season 1 of The Flash, this rebellious step daughter/over protective step father storyline feels a little old hat. There is certainly a lot of story potential there, but right now, it just isn’t working.
Despite that shortcoming, I am curious to see where they take Stargirl. The small town setting, the young female protagonist, the older sidekick/stepfather dynamic, Stargirl is a series full of possibility. I’m excited. So bring on episode four.
Stargirl debuts with four back-to-back episodes exclusively on Warner TV (Astro Ch 712 HD / UnifiTV Ch 451) tonight, Wednesday, June 10, at 7PM. Subsequent new episodes premiere same day as the U.S., every Wednesday from June 17, at 9.50PM.
Last year, there was a superhero “crisis” on the CW and we wrote about it here.
Stargirl
WarnerTV, Season 1, 13 episodes
Producer: Geoff Johns
Cast: Brec Bassinger, Yvette Monreal, Anjelika Washington, Cameron Gellman, Trae Romano, Jake Austin Walker, Amy Smart, and Luke Wilson
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