Stargirl Season 3 Episode 13 Review: Frenemies – Chapter Thirteen: The Reckoning
Saying goodbye is hard, but a great series finale can ease the pain. Stargirl Season 3 Episode 13, “Frenemies – Chapter Thirteen: The Reckoning,” cements the show’s place among the all-time great superhero series.
Stargirl wastes no time getting to the final confrontation with Jordan and fake Sylvester/ Ultra-Humanite. After a brief flashback showing what happened to the original Sylvester, the opposing sides meet at the junkyard for what turns into one of the best superhero fight sequences to grace TV.
From the moment Pat shows up in STRIPE back from the “dead,” all hell breaks loose. There are too many great moments from the battle to even name them all, but Barbara showing up with a crossbow, Dragon King getting turned into a stuffed animal by Thunderbolt, and Courtney and Cameron teaming up to take down Jordan are just a very few.
The choreography of the battle and accompanying camerawork is impressive with so many different players on the field to track. The use of Courtney’s gymnastics skills are turned up to 100 during the battle and it’s so much fun to watch her flip around.
The real showdown of the battle is against Ultra-Humanite, whose betrayal of the JSA this season set everything in motion. When Courtney stands against him and proclaims that he’s not worthy of the staff (dramatic pause) but she is, you’ll get chills.
After a season full of questioning, there is no longer any doubt. Courtney IS the rightful owner of the cosmic staff and she is the only Stargirl.
Watching Pat beat up the now staff-less Ultra-Humanite is also a nice way to close things out because let’s face it he deserves to get in the final blows. Not everyone is a winner, like poor Cameron who dramatically declares his intention to leave Blue Valley behind after betraying both Courtney and his own family, but this final JSA victory after a season full of disarray is exactly what the show needs.
The battle may initially seem like it wrapped up quickly, but it makes sense when you see the lengths the show goes to in the final half to provide closure for fans. Everyone loves a good fight sequence, but the episode has the burden of wrapping up a lot of loose ends.
The finale feels maximalist in its attempt to wrap up almost everything, but you can’t complain because it takes such care to make sure there’s an emotional payoff to each storyline.
The theme of family weighs heavily on this final episode, from Mike getting to reconnect with his mom to Yolanda and Beth fixing things with their parents. We even get a surprise resurrection of Grundy that doesn’t make a lot of sense but we see a happy Rick for once so who cares.
Even Artemis gets her revenge in a flash-forward where she brutally murders Icicle. It’s a little tonally inconsistent with the rest of the heartwarming moments, but good for her I guess.
These moments are all so emotionally rewarding that there is no sense of them being “rushed.” I dare you to make it through the whole episode without crying at least once.
Then, there’s Courtney. Her emotional scene with Pat when he admits he heard what she said about him being her hero and her father is everything you want in the finale. Their bond was always the heart of the show and the hug they share would be enough to end on.
The fact she goes on to meet with the Gambler’s daughter as she promised, something fans might have forgotten about, shows she really is worthy of the cosmic staff and every bit the hero. So it’s crushing to later see her stand outside the Mahkent house looking forlorn.
When the snow starts falling around her and Cameron reappears asking if she can actually help him, it’s her turn for a happy ending. Again, their embrace could be the note Stargirl ends on but it keeps giving.
Flash-forwards in series finales don’t always work and sometimes end up feeling like a cheap way to wrap things up. Stargirl avoids this trap by using its final scene’s 10-year flash-forward for more than just an info dump on what happens next.
The Shade’s monologue to the tour group visiting the future JSA museum is a heartfelt reminder that the characters we love live on even when their time on screen ends. The show’s cancellation may hurt but Stargirl attempts to give viewers a sense of peace with its final scene.
When you’re done freaking out over all the many cool reveals (like learning Sand and Damage join the JSA, hearing Beth and Rick are getting married, and seeing John Wesley Shipp’s Jay Garrick show up for the team’s help), you’re left with something more.
As the title card says, it’s “Never the End.” So goodbye for now to Stargirl and the JSA, may your adventures live on in our hearts.
What did you think of this episode of Stargirl? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Stargirl airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on The CW.
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Breeze Riley
Breeze Riley is a pop culture enthusiast who decided to turn her love of watching too much TV into a hobby writing about it. Although she's a convention-going sci-fi and fantasy nerd, she's just as likely to be watching an off-beat comedy or period drama. She is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic.
One thought on “Stargirl Season 3 Episode 13 Review: Frenemies – Chapter Thirteen: The Reckoning”
I liked: All things Stripesy; Becky getting The Gambler’s letter; Barbara shooting Icicle; Jakeem *finally* having a moment; and Yolanda set up to reconcile with her parents. It was also nice to see Mike getting to see his birth mom again. Him calling Barbara “mom” after that meeting was finished was a really cool wrap-up.
I didn’t like: Courtney never seeming as powerful as Ultra-Humanite when he had the staff; a too-talky fight scene; not enough Beth, Rick and Yolanda; too much future JSA; bringing back Solomon Grundy and the original Starman via disembodied brain. Also, Artemis turning killer left me really unhappy.
RIP Mr. Deisinger, I guess Grandma Sofus’ “hand of fate” style death was justice for you.
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