Stargirl Review: Wildcat (Season 1 Episode 4)

Stargirl debuts its first fully enjoyable episode while introducing an important new member to the growing JSA’s roster. Themes about peer pressure and overcoming your past mistakes highlight the story in a heartfelt manner.

Yolanda Montez has been a barely rememberable character over the last episode or two — only being shown to culminate the goodness in Courtney. This changes on Stargirl Season 1 Episode 4, “Wildcat,” bringing Yolanda in as the central focus of the episode.

It is implied that Yolanda Montez is a semipopular intelligent girl with a bright future ahead of her. That is until she makes one fatal mistake of trusting the wrong person with questionable photos of herself. 

Poor young and impressionable Yolanda gives into peer pressure to show her body provocatively. I can imagine this is a common temptation in highschool at the given time. The need to be accepted and feel sexy is at an all-time high due to social media and lingering amounts of FOMO. 

Peer Pressure has always been and always will be a thing we all succumb to. Anything from taking drugs to insulting the new kid falls into the realm of trying to fit in. We don’t want to be the only outcast at the lunch table, so we join in against our better judgment. 

After all, it is better to go against your morals than to be the next target. Right?

Yolanda learns the hard way — the answer is no. 

Even when we do whatever we can to fit in, there will always be someone there to undermine our quest for popularity. For Yolanda, it is a combination of her boyfriend and Cindy. 

Their unsavory acts against Yolanda are downright despicable, exposing Yolanda’s picture for the entire class to see. One can’t help but feel her shame along with her. The true look of embarrassment on her face as she leaves the assembly is gut-wrenching. It brings me back to my years in high school where I was often the black sheep. 

I feel so much empathy for this young girl who is publicly ostracized by her school and her family as well. As teenagers tend to do, Yolanda didn’t fully think this through, and now she has to live with the consequences. 

Truth be told, every decision we make has a consequence of its own. Some are often minor, but Yolanda’s are quite heavy. 

She quickly loses friends and family to the scandal, forcing her to become a shell of who she once was — truly heartbreaking.

Furthermore, Yolanda punishes herself for her decision, shutting out everyone within arm’s length. The few people that could have made an impact in her life at this crucial time are cast aside behind the barrier she builds around herself.

Less than half an hour into this episode I already feel more for Yolanda than I have for Courtney in three full episodes. Her tragic backstory has you rooting for her from the get-go — giving us a true underdog story to see ourselves connected to.

It isn’t until three months after the fact that Courtney comes into the picture and attempts to befriend her. 

This is the first sign of a new life for Yolanda. Courtney doesn’t know much of the facts surrounding the story, nor does she care to be entangled with the gory details. All she wants to do is lift up the young girl who is hurting. 

We all deserve a friend like this. A person who doesn’t care about the mistakes of our past. A friend who won’t give up on us even after we have given up on ourselves. 

This is everything that Courtney has to offer, yet still, Yolanda is skittish to trust anyone. I can’t say that I blame her.

Yolanda: I don’t want to hate anybody, but I do. I hate Henry King.

With Courtney’s persistence, she slowly makes cracks in the wall that were built by misdeed and treachery. 

Although Yolanda was never looking to be saved, Courtney’s intervention is the catalyst to healing. This brings us to the second major theme of the episode — overcoming past mistakes. 

Taking on the alter ego of Wildcat is something Yolanda never dreamed of. It is a role she never saw herself in and is reluctant to even give it a try. 

She nearly shuts down the whole thing before it begins, leery of the cheesy looking costume and total lack of superpowers. Understandable, it is easy to ignore our potential when others fail to see beyond our exterior. We begin to believe their doubts and allow them to identify us.

Courtney insists she sees past her shortcomings, telling Yolanda to become something bigger than the box that the other students have built for her. Reluctantly, Yolanda relents when the costume morphs itself into something more form-fitting and fashionable. 

Behind the costume, Yolanda feels free. Her ability to be entirely herself — without any preconceived notions from other people — awakens her from the slumber she allowed to overcome her. She is finally awake and alive. 

At this point, the episode takes a slightly goofy turn for a few minutes, as the two girls hit up Wikipedia for information on what powers the original Wildcat had. As they read each one aloud, Yolanda reenacts it skillfully. With each move, her confidence grows remarkably. 

Within what equals a ten-minute segment, Yolanda is roaring and ready to go into her first mission. While it doesn’t go off flawlessly, it is successful enough to continue this new team-up for the near future. 

Surprisingly, Yolanda sees things a bit differently. 

With her new lease on life, Yolanda doesn’t want to be bogged down with a new identity but would prefer to breathe life into her old one. This seems slightly profound for the typical fare of the show, giving a sense of maturity for the family-friendly environment.

Yolanda bursts through the front door of her home and announces to her family that she is ready for change and only needs their support. I expect this to turn into a “CW moment,” where the family unites in a group hug filled with tears and revelations.

Unfortunately, her family is unsupportive of her, casting her back down to the ground from which she came. 

The truth is this will always happen in life. There will be a naysayer, rejecting your hope for change and your need to overcome. It is a sad reality that we will have to put up with.

Hopefully, you will have someone like Courtney in your life who will push you towards glory. Someone who will dust you off and put you back on the right track — even when you want to run and hide. 

These are the people you need. Not the Negative Nancys or the Debby Downers or even fair-weather friends, but the everyday hero who is willing to pull out the knife someone else stabbed in your back. The friend who is willing to bandage your wounds and set you on the road to healing. 

Never be afraid to have that friend or be that friend because, to be honest, the world needs more people like this. 

What did you think of this episode of Stargirl? Will Yolanda’s family ever find it in their hearts to forgive her? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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

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