STARGIRL,SEASON TWO (2021)

 

PHENOMENALITY: *marvelous*
MYTHICITY: *fair*
FRYEAN MYTHOS: *adventure*
CAMPBELLIAN FUNCTION: *metaphysical, psychological*

Late in Season Two, Shiv/Cindy (Meg DeLacy) asserts, "You have to do bad to fight evil." Given that's she's meant to stand as a dark reflection of linchpin hero Stargirl (Brec Bassinger), it's a given that Shiv will be proven wrong.

As it happens, one of the reasons for the downfall of the original Justice Society was because they bought into the logic of "the end justifies the means." Before the ISA-battle that took most of the heroes' lives, they encountered the menace of Eclipso, an incarnation of pure evil only able to operate on Earth through a human pawn. (The original comics-conception for Eclipso was sort of "what if Doctor Jekyll transformed into an insidious master villain every night?") The majority of the superheroes are faced with a relentless monster willing to kill all of the heroes' loved ones for spite, and become convinced that the only way to end the menace is to kill the monster's host. A minority of the heroes oppose the slaying of an innocent, including both Stargirl's stepfather Stripesy (Luke Wilson) and Doctor Mid-Nite, the crusader whom Beth Chapel (Anjelika Washington) takes as her model. 

As it happens, Season One concludes the battle of the New JSA with their ISA foes by causing two of the young heroes to confront their own "hearts of darkness." Hourman/Rick (Cameron Gellman) spends most of Season One obsessing about getting the chance to execute the killer of his parents, Solomon Grundy, only to find, given the chance to do so, that he can't murder a creature barely more than a trained animal. In contrast, Wildcat/Yolanda (Yvette Monreal) is faced the specter of her dead boyfriend, but, sensing that it's a trick, she claws open the throat of the illusion-maker, Brain Wave. Despite being fully justified by the exigencies of self-defense, Yolanda's guilt causes her to abandon her superheroic persona. Further, even members not confronted with the possibility of taking life, like Courtney and Beth, soon find their weaknesses exploited by Eclipso, whose power is unleashed by old foe Cindy Burman-- though Cindy too ends up getting betrayed by the evil being, and later becomes an ally to the Young JSA.

Though Stargirl, being the moral center of the team, does not give in to the logic of committing evil to stop evil, she does find herself using darkness against darkness. The Shade (Jonathan Cake)-- a former member of the ISA, though not one guilty of murdering the older heroes-- returns to Blue Valley. Though his power like Eclipso's makes copious use of darkness, he returns with the purpose of neutralizing an evil far greater than anything of which he's capable. And just as Stargirl must accept a villain's aid to destroy a greater villain-- well, the aid of two villains, counting Shiv-- Rick reaps an indirect reward for having spared Solomon Grundy.

Two other heroes return from the past. One is the original Starman, whose presence raises Courtney's concerns that he may reclaim the cosmic staff with which she bonded. Another is the aforementioned Doctor Mid-Nite, who was not slain in the JSA's last battle but was preserved in a nightmare-filled limbo-land-- and to a lesser extent, Beth worries about the hero's possible desire to reclaim his mantle. And another teen hero makes the scene: the daughter of the original Green Lantern-- though she's somewhat shoehorned into this narrative to make way for her greater role in Season Three. 

Though all of the soap opera elements are well done, Season Two's best aspect is its ability to concoct terrifying scenarios to torment almost all of the main characters-- even Pat, whose protectiveness toward his children is rooted in his maltreatment by his own father. Happily, there is some humor to leaven the mix. Season One's subplot about Mike Dugan wanting to be a member of the Young JSA-- easily that season's lamest element-- is redeemed when Mike and his friend Jakeem gain joint control of an unpredictable genie, The Thunderbolt. (There's also a killer joke involving Beth and her parents in the last episode.) There's also a short-lived "Young ISA" subplot, in which Shiv recruits Artemis and the son of The Fiddler for revenge on the clean teens. 

Of the performers this time, Jonathan Cake, shall we say, takes the cake, while Bassinger, Monreal, Wilson and Gellman contribute equally strong performances. Prior to any Season Three re-watch, I tend to think Season Two will prove the cream of this short-lived crop.