Stargirl Review: Icicle (Season 1 Episode 3)

Stargirl Season 1 Episode 3, “Icicle,” keeps a majority of the action for the latter half of the episode while focusing on some much-needed character development instead. When a sudden tragedy unfolds, the episode reveals the many ways people cope with the loss of life.

As the episode begins, we get a little background story on a new character named Jordan, aka Icicle. His tragic origin revolving around the death of his wife is fairly effective, establishing a small amount of empathy for his family. 

The scene gives some heartfelt emotion even though we aren’t familiar with the characters involved. They lay it on thick with a crying child and a grief-stricken husband thirsty for revenge — striking at our basic human emotions hoping we see ourselves in the situation. 

It works for the most part until the dying woman gives a line of dialogue that throws the sentiment awry. 

Her dying speech is the typical swansong of a pure and innocent woman advising her family of her last will. Heck, it makes me want to get up and fight for this woman! But when her last piece of advice ends with the words “destroy them,” the whole thing sours.

I’m thinking they should have left this tiny bit of information for later in the episode. I understand that this sentiment is to set a sinister tone to an emotional scene, but I feel it takes away from the overall impact. This makes the family seem evil, or at least misguided from the get-go.

If you want me to feel sorry for a villain, you are going to have to do more than one ten minute scene in his history. We need to see happy moments leading up to the sinister turn — establishing that this man was good until tragedy struck. With the reveal of what makes this villain tick being tainted almost immediately, I have a difficult time relating.

Hopefully, we will get more scenes building up the backstory of Icicle giving us a reason to root for the bad guy. What they were going for failed to come to fruition.

Moving on from Icicle, the episode jumps over to the current day with Courtney and Pat. Sure, Barbara and Mike are there too, but they seem like such cardboard cutouts that they aren’t worth mentioning.

Courtney and Pat discuss their interaction with Brainwave and what it all means. Pat is still reluctant to let Courtney be a hero even if he is by her side with S.T.R.I.P.E. 

Of course, Courtney has all the answers to the hypothetical questions Pat throws out at her, but what surprises me is that they aren’t smart-aleck remarks.  

Overgeneralizing, teenagers often have a bad attitude. Understandably, they are tired of being told what to do all their lives, so they resort to sarcasm and a rebellious mentality. 

While Courtney refuses to give up the superhero gig, she never once relies on snippy one-liners or eye-rolls to get her point across. Instead, she gives solid reasoning behind her feelings with well-thought-out answers. Although this isn’t highly believable at times, it makes the character more likable. 

She further proves herself as a good person when she offers a helping hand at school. 

When one of Courtney’s classmates is slut-shamed by another student, she doesn’t take the situation lying down. She uses her smarts to approach the offending student with a stern attitude and thought-provoking words. 

Her point comes across clearly, yet the scene comes off awkwardly. It seems less than organic and taped on. I feel for a moment that Courtney may break the fourth wall and launch into a PSA, quoting famous women who have done their fair share in the feminist movement. 

To clarify, I am in no way damning the acts of feminism or what it means, only pointing out the strange way the topic is addressed. Though the scene means well, it plays out clunky.

Jordan: I’m back in charge now, and I’ll take care of this Stargirl.

Both of these segments I mentioned go a long way in developing Courtney’s character. With the two earlier episodes, it was hard to get a feeling of who Courtney is and what exactly she stands for.

Before, much of the story seemed to revolve around the fish-out-of-water element. That in and of itself is fine, but only for a short amount of time. 

With this episode, I begin to understand who Courtney is at her core. I get the feeling that before she ever donned the Stargirl costume, she was a hero in her own right. Her concern for social justice shines through.

As Courtney continues to relate to her classmates, she comes into contact with Joey. Joey is a ghost of a character. Aside from having an obsession with card tricks, not much is established about him. 

The lovable dork thing is implied, but never really spelled out. It is later explained his classmates had an affection for him. That is seemingly odd, as high schoolers typically have little patience for the awkward. 

When the character meets an early demise, I’m not quite surprised. My only regret is that I wasn’t able to learn more about the character before his death.

This character should have been introduced earlier. 

If they want me to be overwhelmed with grief and compassion for the family, they are going to have to do better than this. The death of any child is a horrific tragedy, but when it is someone you are connected to, it can be life-altering. 

The way this was established, I can imagine that there won’t be a large effect on the school in general. It reminds me of last week’s scene with Courtney prepping her costume — great in the moment but lacking in the overall impact.

Aside from coming up a couple of times in conversation, I don’t think Joey’s death will have a long-lasting influence. It is used as a convenience to form a rift in the growing relationship between Courtney and Pat, but I fear that’s about it.

Further episodes may prove me wrong — which I hope is the case. But the subsequent death of his father moments later implies that I’m not.

With the past death of Icicle’s wife and the current demise of Joey and his father,  the episode is sandwiched with tragedy. Adding in the still lingering death of Starman and the JSA, the clear theme here is dealing with the loss of life and how we cope with it. 

Everyone has lost someone in their life. Grandparents, Aunts, and even siblings go before their time, and we are left with a hole where they once were. The question is how we choose to fill that hole.

Icicle chooses to fill his hole with negative acts of vengeance on the people he feels wronged him and his wife. From the look of it, this has done nothing to quench his thirst so he must continue with vile acts to fulfill his vision.

Joey’s father seeks out a similar path and pays the price immediately for his actions. His lashing out keeps him off guard, leaving his wife not only childless but a widow as well.

Pat, who watched the JSA die one by one, fills his hole with fear. He has been fairly inactive over the years refusing to rebuild the JSA. The headquarters stands stagnant along with him. 

And finally, Courtney fills her hole with thoughts of hope and action. She doesn’t want to stand still and revel in the gloom of life. She wants to give meaning and purpose to the lives these people lead — showing them the honor and respect they deserve.

The truth is we have all these options and more presented to us when tragedy befalls us. These moments build character and show our true mettle. They can be defining moments in our lives if we let them. 

How do you want to be defined?

What did you think of this episode of Stargirl? Do you feel Icicle is shaping up to be a formidable foe? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Stargirl airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on The CW.

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