Stargirl 1x1 : Pilot review

Be warned there will be *SPOILERS* involved in this review. With that being said let's get into it. 

Meet Courtney Whitmore a teenager whose entire life gets uprooted when she and her family move from California to Nebraska. What follows is a the birth of a new generation of hero. Our journey begins 10 years in the past however as we see a man driving at a frantic pace. This turns out to be Pat Dugan the sidekick to the superhero Starman. Starman is a part of the Justice Society Of America (JSA for short) a group of superhero's who fought together for many years to defend the planet. Pat Dugan soon arrives at the location where the JSA are doing battle with a number of villains. On the inside things don't look good for the hero's as they all disappear and get badly hurt one by one. Hero's like Captain Midnight, Hourman and more are all injured while Starman does his best to fight back against the villains who are Brainwave and Icicle with more helping. It looks like Starman is about to get the upper hand but as he turns around he gets impaled in the abdomen by a ice shard. It's Icicle's doing and Starman soon falls to the ground. Pat takes the shard out of his friend's abdomen and the two attempt to make their escape. They get into their car and drive off. Solomon Grundy of all people chases after them mere inches away from the car which ends up turning into a vehicle capable of flight. Grundy gets his fingers on the engine from behind though and soon after the car crashes with the death of Starman soon following. He asks Pat something before he dies and that is that when the time is right someone will get the Cosmic Staff (Starman's power weapon) it won't be Pat but it will be someone someday. Flash forward 10 years and Courtney's journey begins..

While the introduction of the JSA was a good set up it's from here where the episode truly begins with Courtney and her family (her mom played by Amy Smart while Luke Wilson plays Pat Dugan) all set off to Blue Valley in Nebraska. Courtney isn't the least bit pleased by this decision as she really never knew her own father. He practically abandoned her and her mom many years previous. Upon arrival in Blue Valley Pat attempts to connect further with Courtney but gets pushed away at almost all chances. He brings her to school on her first day where she learns that not only can she not take part in gymnastics which she was hoping but the harsh reality of high school life soon hits home as not only do people not really talk to her but she gets seated at the 'loser' table during lunchtime. This leads to a bully stand off that lands Courtney in detention. Back at home and feeling more isolate than ever before she barely touches her dinner and heads down into the basement. There she finds various files and folders on the JSA. One picture in particular shows all members of the group. In the picture you see hero's like Hawkman and Hawkwoman, The Sandman, Starman, Hourman even Jay Garrick the original Flash. What Courtney finds next however changes her life forever and that is the Cosmic Staff which Pat had been keeping inside a crate. When Courtney touches the staff it instantly begins to glow with a bright color and leads her on a merry journey across the town. She uses it as a way to do some gymnastics which was fun but also the staff has a mind of it's own and really steals the show on a lot of occasions. Courtney ends up going to the movie drive thru where she sees the bullies from school disrupting the entire movie being show. Aided by the staff she puts on a balaclava and punctures the wheels of bullies car. Pretty basic stuff but she soon gets spotted and thanks to the power of the staff she not only fights off the bullies but the staff shoots a giant blast of energy at the car blowing it up right before everyone's eyes. Courtney makes her escape as the bully mentions how his dad is going to kill him, that will lead to something but more a bit later.

The episode draws to a close as Courtney arrives back home with the staff. She is greeted by Pat who questions her intentions and what she is even doing with the staff. The staff is extremely powerful he says. He mentions that it belonged to Starman and that only someone very special may wield it. We also learn more of Pat's relationship with Starman. He was his sidekick sure but he was also his driver and mechanic. This lead to Starman making Pat a vital part of the JSA as they all worked together to stop the villains with bad intent. Courtney almost immediately cops onto something and that is the identity of her father. It's Starman..or is it? she asks her mom but she says that he abandoned them years ago and even though Courtney does her own research on him it turns up nothing. So just who is her dad?? Pat ends up putting the staff away again but as she is in bed sleeping Courtney is greeted by the staff once again who seems extremely giddy and wants to once more go outside. Remember the bully from earlier? well he returns home to his dad with the news of his car being destroyed. It's not the car he is interested in however it's what his son tells him what happened. Someone with a staff wielding a bright light and immense power destroyed the car. The vehicle becomes an afterthought as the man is way more focused on the person who had the staff. Of course this person turns out to be none other than the villain Brainwave and he is intent on finding the person responsible. He even rings up Icicle and mentions that the Cosmic Staff is back. Courtney on the other hand is having the night of her life as the staff flys her around the town. Her joy doesn't last long as she is stopped mid air by a force of energy as tires collide with her sending her crashing down to the ground. Coming to a stop outside of the Blue Valley tire shop she soon meets Brainwave himself in person who has the power to bend objects, read minds and use telepathy powers for his own evil doings. Brainwave mentions how Courtney's mind is full of doubt and on her father. Courtney who has never been in a situation like this asks the staff for help and it comes through. It hits Brianwave right in the face leaving Courtney to make her escape. She doesn't get far before she is greeted by a giant robot being piloted on the inside by Pat who tells her that she should've left the Cosmic Staff alone. And that's how the episode ends and my what an episode to begin with. This was a real delight and a ton of fun to watch. It was a bit corny at times with some scenes not being all that funny but for the most part this is an extremely promising start for this show. Brec Bassinger who plays Courtney Whitmore was really impressive in the role and I for one can't wait to see how this entire season plays out. The Justice Society Of America may be dead for the time being but Stargirl has been born.

★★★★