Courtney and Cindy’s friendship is one of the best-underrated gems of DC’s Stargirl. They balance each other quite nicely between Courtney’s optimistic approach and Cindy’s direct outlook. “Frenemies – Chapter Five: The Thief” brought them together to showcase how powerful they can be as friends. Each offers what the other is lacking, and when either needs some serious bit of advice, they know what to say to one another. Let’s hope nothing tears them apart; I’m loving the dynamic that’s been formed after two seasons of being frenemies.
Cindy should come clean to Courtney about her struggles with the laptop. Her father, The Dragon King, did something to her during the experiments, and she must have had a good enough reason for her to have kept the laptop a secret. It could be a health concern or something that will affect her life; either way, it’s an issue that was out of her hands. Courtney would understand the pressure Cindy has been placed under. She needs to tell the truth ASAP before Yolanda reveals that she found the laptop at Cindy’s house. Yolanda, Rick, and Sylvester have been itching to kick Cindy out of the Justice Society of America–this will only give them ammunition to make their case.
In Courtney’s case, I loved the friendly banter that she had with Cindy when they chatted about Cameron. Cindy keeps it direct and real about her thoughts; she won’t sugar-coat anything when she feels something isn’t upfront. And Courtney was right about her judgment: Cindy wouldn’t hold it against her just because Cameron was Icicle’s son. The best advice can be given by the people who aren’t the most personally involved. We need more moments of the JSA being pragmatic and subjective; sometimes the members get too personal and use their own opinions against decisions. (*Cough* Yolanda, Rick, and Sylvester *Cough*)
And Cindy confronting Cameron about his past was genuinely surprising. Only Cindy would be that brave and no-nonsense to address the issue head-on for her friend. She knew exactly how to push Cameron’s buttons and get the answers she wanted, while still being a good friend to Courtney. If Cameron was that on edge against Cindy, that might be a red flag for how dangerous he could become after he finds out the truth.
Let’s hope that Cameron doesn’t let Courtney (and now Cindy) down. His grandparents are manipulating him like a puppet, so they could easily trigger a snowy disaster whenever they want. And Cindy was right, Cameron was not in a place to hear the truth about his supervillain father. He might never be in a good place, especially since it’s been an entire season and he’s still heated about his father’s death. Cameron and Courtney have great chemistry and they should be together, but we need to put what’s best for Courtney first before any crush.
From the rest of the JSA members, Beth setting boundaries with her parents was a beautiful moment to happen. She needed to do it because their obsession and helicopter parenting was suffocating her; they needed to back off before they got in the way. Granted, Beth’s superhero ability is all about technology, hacking, and intelligence, but she still goes out on missions. It was only a matter of time before her parents got in the way and got hurt in the process. It’s a huge difference from when Crusher and Paula decided to help Pat and Barbara with The Gambler investigation; Sportsmaster and Tigress could handle themselves if a fight happened. Beth showed a lot of character growth by standing up for herself and setting the boundaries she needed in her life.
Sylvester, on the other hand, needs to take a step back. His anger has gotten too out of control; anything could set him off if left unchecked. We’ve discussed in the past how Sylvester needs to work through his baggage, like with his part-time role as Starman and his anger toward the former Injustice Society of America members. His destroying the painting in the tunnels was yet another sign that he’s still got a lot to work through. Blue Valley might not be a good place for him–he’s not ready to accept that the ISA members have turned over a new leaf. For the success of the JSA, he needs time away.
And between Rick fixing the hourglass and Mike/Jakeem trying to start their own group, there are enough superheroes in town who can fight. Hopefully, Rick doesn’t let the power get to his head. There’s a reason his dad set the hourglass to an hour; having that much power could make him feel invincible. Mike and Jakeem should push again to join the JSA. They have no resources, no fighting abilities, no skills, and no suits. Pushing their way into the JSA would at least get them on the right path if they want to be superheroes.
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“Frenemies – Chapter Five: The Thief” was a game of trust and tribulations. We saw the JSA members put a lot of trust in themselves while also setting trust and boundaries with their family members. Most of the focus was on exposition, which helped to explore the layers of these characters and their relationships. Though, it wasn’t the most exciting chapter; much of this felt like filler and just like one of Courtney’s distractions.
DC’s Stargirl airs new episodes Wednesdays at 8 p.m. EST on The CW and streams Thursdays on cwtv.com.
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