Review: Stargirl 1×06-“The Justice Society“
[Editor’s note: This review may contain spoilers]
Director: Chris Manley
Writer: Taylor Streitz
Starring: Brec Bassinger, Yvette Monreal, Anjelika Washington, Cameron Gellman, Trae Romano, Hunter Sansone, Meg DeLacy, Neil Jackson, Amy Smart & Luke Wilson
Reviewed by: Sean Blumenshine
Summary
Courtney makes a difficult decision after Pat confronts her about the potential consequences of recruiting new members to the JSA. Courtney, Yolanda, Beth and Rick prepare for their first major mission.
Positives
My favorite aspect of this show is how unique it is. There’s nothing else like in the superhero realm in terms of characters, story and action. This especially applies to Stargirl who has a very charismatic personality. And, thanks to her staff, the fight scenes are unlike anything else. It is so much fun to watch her take on bad guys and it doesn’t feel like a CGI slug fest that I’ve seen 100 times. The choreography is cool.
The wire-work in this is great. The show isn’t afraid to go over the top and they have a lot of fun sending actors and stunt workers flying across rooms. This is the most action-heavy episode so far and it’s some of the best from DC’s recent output.
The costumes in this show are fantastic. Everybody looks fantastic; there’s little to no ironic humor about any of the characters looking “dumb,” which I appreciate. The closest they get is Hourman referring to Sportsmaster as Jason Voorhees. Outside of making fun of the names, the show has been avoiding those easy jokes.
I love Sportsmaster and Tigress; they are so much fun. The two actors, Neil Hopkins and Joy Osmanski, nail the tone of the show. And putting them in the role of the over-eager parents of a sports prodigy is genius. I also enjoyed Stella Smith’s Artemis being portrayed as an over-zealous quarter back. I am curious where the show will take considering Artemis’ most popular appearance is when Young Justice combined her character with Mia Dearden.
Neil Jackson is fantastic. His backstory is compelling and, so far, I think Icicle is up there with some of DC’s best TV villains. He’s a great character.
I like that the show is slowly setting up a divide in the family. Courtney and Pat’s superhero activity is going to cause major tension with Mike and Barbara. I enjoy how small that’s starting but it will obviously build over the course of the show.
Negatives
The opening DC logo desperately needs its own theme music. Every episode prior to this one featured ambient noise which was awkward. This one has generic sports music that leads into the opening football scene. It’s a strange choice.
Speaking of music, I question the use of “Timber.” Usually when the show uses modern music, they use a cover that has been arranged in an older style of music. It helps set the cool tone of the show that mixes the old Golden Age inspiration with modern sensibilities. But, here, they just use the Pitbull/Kesha version of the song. And it’s weird and out of place. I get that it’s a joke but if that is the case, go all the way with it. Have Gambler rap along with Pitbull instead of just quietly humming the melody.
Verdict
This is a fantastic episode. It’s a stellar cast in a thoroughly enjoyable story. The action is incredible as well. I love the tone and style of the show. It is so much fun to watch.
