Stargirl: Wildcat
June 9, 2020 7:31 PM - Season 1, Episode 4 - Subscribe
After realizing that she needs the extra help, Courtney sets out to recruit new members to the Justice Society of America--starting with Yolanda. Elsewhere, Pat's suspicion is piqued after a bizarre conversation with one of the town's residents.
Den of Geek - Stargirl’s best episode to date relaunches the Justice Society of America and reminds us why it’s so important that DC TV started telling teen stories at last.
AV Club - Stargirl rushes to introduce its Wildcat
Comicbook.com - Yvette Monreal Breaks Down Her Role as Wildcat in DC's Stargirl
Den of Geek - Stargirl’s best episode to date relaunches the Justice Society of America and reminds us why it’s so important that DC TV started telling teen stories at last.
AV Club - Stargirl rushes to introduce its Wildcat
Comicbook.com - Yvette Monreal Breaks Down Her Role as Wildcat in DC's Stargirl
Whereas I was closer to the AV Club review (haven't read the DoG one). This is all too much too fast. I was past the point of eye rolling at the number of impulsive, ill-thought things Courtney did this episode. I can see the attraction of putting the team together and getting to the main plot as quickly as possible, but this just seems like such a reckless way to go about it.
The baddie in green was Dragon King, but I'm far from an expert on JSA history. It was one of those DC teams I didn't pay much attention to. I would have been more interested in its Infinity Inc. offshoot, but that was a hard book to buy if you didn't live near a comic shop.
I swear this show is determined to wreck at least one old car each episode, which pains me to some degree, although having a superhero walking around a junkyard scavenging parts gives me a bit of joy (for strictly personal reasons).
posted by sardonyx at 8:12 PM on June 9, 2020
The baddie in green was Dragon King, but I'm far from an expert on JSA history. It was one of those DC teams I didn't pay much attention to. I would have been more interested in its Infinity Inc. offshoot, but that was a hard book to buy if you didn't live near a comic shop.
I swear this show is determined to wreck at least one old car each episode, which pains me to some degree, although having a superhero walking around a junkyard scavenging parts gives me a bit of joy (for strictly personal reasons).
posted by sardonyx at 8:12 PM on June 9, 2020
I was going to add that in any other circumstance I'd be putting down major objections to making Wildcat a mystically powered (I presume it's not technology powering the suit) hero. Ted Grant, with his lack of super powers and his pugilistic skills, is a major cornerstone of the non-super DC universe. Historically, he is supposed to have been one of the mentors and teachers of Batman and Black Canary (among others).
In this universe, however, it doesn't make any sense to have a non-powered teenage girl going up again villains who killed a whole team of experienced heroes.
posted by sardonyx at 8:22 PM on June 9, 2020
In this universe, however, it doesn't make any sense to have a non-powered teenage girl going up again villains who killed a whole team of experienced heroes.
posted by sardonyx at 8:22 PM on June 9, 2020
Ancient Comics Lore: Y'know the trope of Nazi mad scientists dabbling in the occult and wonderweapons and human-animal hybrid soldiers and stuff?
Dragon King was the comicbook Axis Imperial Japan version of that.
Not much more to it, since that kind of 'yellow peril' character went out with putting Tojo's face on dartboards and doesn't get trotted out much. Modernized, I wouldn't be surprised if 'can I have his body?' was to take it home and make a Dr Moreau frankenmonster out of it, just for a lark.
That would be in character.
posted by bartleby at 12:39 AM on June 10, 2020
Dragon King was the comicbook Axis Imperial Japan version of that.
Not much more to it, since that kind of 'yellow peril' character went out with putting Tojo's face on dartboards and doesn't get trotted out much. Modernized, I wouldn't be surprised if 'can I have his body?' was to take it home and make a Dr Moreau frankenmonster out of it, just for a lark.
That would be in character.
posted by bartleby at 12:39 AM on June 10, 2020
I'm down with the teen heroes all getting (most of) their powers via artifacts. It's not like they can do a 'dedicated years to the study of X' thing.
Courtney did gymnastics, now she does it on a flying bar; Yolanda boxes, now she does it in a super cat suit.
[Even if it's a little hard on Wildcat v.1's reputation as a no-powers-no-gadgets fighter. There's a thing in Who's Who or Wikipedia or wherever you're looking up a character: if their bio says 'trained in unarmed combat by Ted Grant' (or Black Canary), just assume they can empty a biker bar solo on no notice.]
I'm also fine with, so far, Courtney's superhero Tragic Flaw being 'let's just go do all the things! right now!'. Again, kid heroes, she's not going to be an alcoholic womanizing narcissist.
Delayed Gratification is her kryptonite, works for me.
Have the baddie write the antidote formula on a marshmallow, leave it on a plate in front of her, then leave the room.
posted by bartleby at 1:47 AM on June 10, 2020 [8 favorites]
Courtney did gymnastics, now she does it on a flying bar; Yolanda boxes, now she does it in a super cat suit.
[Even if it's a little hard on Wildcat v.1's reputation as a no-powers-no-gadgets fighter. There's a thing in Who's Who or Wikipedia or wherever you're looking up a character: if their bio says 'trained in unarmed combat by Ted Grant' (or Black Canary), just assume they can empty a biker bar solo on no notice.]
I'm also fine with, so far, Courtney's superhero Tragic Flaw being 'let's just go do all the things! right now!'. Again, kid heroes, she's not going to be an alcoholic womanizing narcissist.
Delayed Gratification is her kryptonite, works for me.
Have the baddie write the antidote formula on a marshmallow, leave it on a plate in front of her, then leave the room.
posted by bartleby at 1:47 AM on June 10, 2020 [8 favorites]
I mentioned how some of the images used in this to portray the JSA were very reminiscent of Alex Ross' work. It seems the artist thinks so as well.
posted by sardonyx at 10:39 AM on June 10, 2020
posted by sardonyx at 10:39 AM on June 10, 2020
I like this show. It's fun.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 1:40 AM on June 11, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 1:40 AM on June 11, 2020 [2 favorites]
Um.
Am I the only one who caught that the picture of her father that Courtney carries in the locket around her neck (back in episode 1) is REALLY OBVIOUSLY JOEL MCHALE A.K.A. STARMAN? Like they held the locket next to the JSA picture for like 10 seconds so it was unmissable? (clip here)
I really only ask this because the AV Club reviewer seems to have missed this entirely and keeps speculating on which middle-aged dude character is really Courtney's father, and I'm like, "Wha? No, the show really couldn't have made it more plain that Stargirl's father was Starman, and it's totally a CW move that the characters don't know this simply to set up maximum Teen Angst Drama later in the season." (OK, it's entirely possible that this is a big fakeout, but the reviewer seems to think it's a genuine mystery.)
posted by soundguy99 at 7:32 PM on June 11, 2020 [2 favorites]
Am I the only one who caught that the picture of her father that Courtney carries in the locket around her neck (back in episode 1) is REALLY OBVIOUSLY JOEL MCHALE A.K.A. STARMAN? Like they held the locket next to the JSA picture for like 10 seconds so it was unmissable? (clip here)
I really only ask this because the AV Club reviewer seems to have missed this entirely and keeps speculating on which middle-aged dude character is really Courtney's father, and I'm like, "Wha? No, the show really couldn't have made it more plain that Stargirl's father was Starman, and it's totally a CW move that the characters don't know this simply to set up maximum Teen Angst Drama later in the season." (OK, it's entirely possible that this is a big fakeout, but the reviewer seems to think it's a genuine mystery.)
posted by soundguy99 at 7:32 PM on June 11, 2020 [2 favorites]
It seemed obvious to me that the photo in the locket was of Starman and it was odd that the AV Club reviewer didn't notice.
It's also a hallmark of Berlanti-produced shows that characters don't do the extremely obvious thing, like showing Pat the locket in that scene and saying "Pat, look, these photos are of the same person," just so they can prolong the drama.
posted by plastic_animals at 7:53 AM on June 12, 2020 [3 favorites]
It's also a hallmark of Berlanti-produced shows that characters don't do the extremely obvious thing, like showing Pat the locket in that scene and saying "Pat, look, these photos are of the same person," just so they can prolong the drama.
posted by plastic_animals at 7:53 AM on June 12, 2020 [3 favorites]
I thought they did show Pat the locket back in episode one or two, and Pat was like, "eh, it could be anybody, it's hard to tell" (even though it certainly looked like Starman).
posted by sardonyx at 12:59 PM on June 12, 2020
posted by sardonyx at 12:59 PM on June 12, 2020
That was what the scene looked like to me, too. Another instance of Berlanti-heroes failing to communicate.
posted by polytope subirb enby-of-piano-dice at 10:35 AM on June 13, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by polytope subirb enby-of-piano-dice at 10:35 AM on June 13, 2020 [1 favorite]
Without going back to look at the actual video, I think the locket photo is damaged/faded/foxed somehow which is leading to the confusion of what her father actually looks like.
posted by sardonyx at 11:32 AM on June 13, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by sardonyx at 11:32 AM on June 13, 2020 [2 favorites]
Am I the only one super bothered by the unnecessary damage to the hospital walls? You have a flying stick! Get up there your own damn self.
posted by ODiV at 8:56 PM on June 24, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by ODiV at 8:56 PM on June 24, 2020 [1 favorite]
Also, was wondering why the hell they kept using real names while in costume. Pat yelling out "Court" constantly was really odd. Nice to see that pay off a bit here.
posted by ODiV at 8:57 PM on June 24, 2020
posted by ODiV at 8:57 PM on June 24, 2020
Wow, Yolanda's parents are so awful. I'm about expecting them to say "We're throwing you out on your 18th birthday so you can be the whore that you are" with that treatment. JEEBUS CHRIST. By all means, girl, go out and superhero after that treatment.
Beth and her "my best friends are my parents!" schtick is just disturbing. I'm all for a nerd, but the amount of codependency she's got going seems like something where someone would be all "Your child needs social development."
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:46 PM on November 3, 2020
Beth and her "my best friends are my parents!" schtick is just disturbing. I'm all for a nerd, but the amount of codependency she's got going seems like something where someone would be all "Your child needs social development."
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:46 PM on November 3, 2020
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(Who was the villain that Icicle went to visit? If his name was mentioned I missed it, and I don't know much about the JLA or Injustice League beyond what's been done on Legends.)
posted by oh yeah! at 7:35 PM on June 9, 2020 [1 favorite]