DC’s Stargirl – Brainwave Jr.

By starrymag | July 28, 2020

By: Atiya Irvin-Mitchell

 

The episode starts with a flashback of two years ago when Pat (Luke Wilson) met Barbara (Amy Smart). They’re at a diner and order a banana split at the same time during closing. Barbara’s going through the paperwork to sell her mother’s house. Pat says he’s there are on a hunt for old cars. When the waitress comes back she tells them there’s only one banana left. Pat tries to get Barbara to take it, but she instead suggests that they share. The rest is history.

 

Present time. Courtney (Brec Bassinger), Barbara, and Pat are in the basement where she’s just caught them red handed with the staff. Courtney tries to explain it away, but Pat thinks it’s time for the truth. Their truths don’t exactly line up though. Courtney tells her mother that the staff was her father’s. Also, Jordan (Neil Jackson), her boss, killed Starman. Barbara gets upset that Pat “convinced” Courtney that her father was a superhero and there’s a supervillain gang in Blue Valley. Courtney tries to defend Pat and explains that the staff chose her and being Stargirl is her birthright. Barbara isn’t a believer about Jordan or the destiny angle. She tells Courtney that Starman wasn’t her father and orders her to go upstairs.

 

When Courtney is gone the tension doesn’t recede. Barbara says if the story about him being a sidekick is true then their marriage is a lie. Pat tries to tell her that’s not true, but Barbara is angry that Pat “dragged” Courtney into this and told her Starman was her father. In his defense he did try to tell her Starman wasn’t her father. Then, she starts connecting the dots and realizes it wasn’t a car accident that got Courtney hurt. She asks Pat to leave.

 

Elsewhere, at the hospital Henry Jr. (Jake Austin Walker) and Henry Sr. (Christopher James Baker) are talking. Henry Sr. has just woken up from his coma and is remarkably cuddlier than he was before his coma. There is a reason for that: he doesn’t remember the past ten years. He doesn’t remember his wife’s death or the move to Nebraska. Henry explains that she drowned. Henry says that his father told him that he found her in the pool and she was ice cold. Sounds Icicle related. The Henrys do some communicating telepathically. Henry Sr. promises his son he’ll help him master his abilities.

 

In her room Courtney looks at the picture of her father in the locket and then overhears Pat making plans to spend the night at the garage. Mike (Trae Romano) worries that he and Barbara are splitting up, but ultimately decides to go with his father.

 

Henry hears some jumbled thoughts about his wife Mary, Starman,and Jordan. Henry rushes off seeking answers and Jordan comes in after he’s gone.

 

Back at the King residence Henry goes through his father’s video diaries. Henry watches an entry from the time when his mom died. Mary and Henry Sr met when he was robbing a bank. Mary was a superhero and Henry Sr was being called the Terrible Telepath. Not exactly a typical meet cute. Mary’s thoughts gave him pause because of how kind and pure they were. She caught him and they fell in love, but there was a hiccup. Being with Mary made him question Jordan’s vision. Jordan didn’t like that as he led the Justice Society of America to the JSA and they killed them. Plot twist, the casualties included Mary’s brother: Starman. Talk about irreconcilable differences. Brainwave says he hoped that Mary would go into hiding, but she didn’t. He curses Jordan. Henry draws the conclusion that Jordan is his mother’s killer.

 

At the Whitmore-Dugan residence the staff wakes Courtney up. It wants to go out, but Courtney tells it they can’t because her mother’s too upset. The staff doesn’t follow Courtney’s order and zeroes in on a picture of Icicle.

 

Speaking of him, he’s telling Brainwave that Project New America is finished. All they need is Henry. He gives a spiel about how they’re going to root out evil thoughts and shape minds, but Brainwave has some questions about Stargirl. They get interrupted by the staff trying to skewer Jordan. Jordan stops in by freezing it. He comments that the staff isn’t much without its master. Henry Jr. walks in and sees Jordan with the staff and sees his father agree to go with him.

 

The next day things don’t get better. Courtney and Barbara talk. Well, they try to and end up going around in circles. Courtney is upset because the staff is gone, whereas Barbara hopes that Pat took it with him. She doesn’t want Courtney anywhere near Pat or the staff. But Courtney insists that Pat was just trying to help her get justice for Dad. Barbara tells Courtney that Starman wasn’t her father. Also, they’re leaving Blue Valley. She goes off to work ignoring Courtney’s protests and says she’ll be back in an hour.

 

Courtney goes to Pat’s garage searching for her staff. Pat says he doesn’t have it. Courtney says they’ve gotta find it and then take the fight to Jordan. And she tells him that her mother wants to leave Blue Valley today. Courtney hopes that if they take down the Injustice Society all the danger Barbara’s worried about won’t be an issue anymore. Pat heads to Barbara’s office because of the Jordan of it all and tells Courtney to listen to her mother and pack. Courtney tries to argue, but Pat just says it’s over.

 

Mike asks Courtney what’s happening with their parents, but Courtney says she can’t explain. This upsets Mike who accuses Courtney of never having wanted him and Pat around. He adds that siblings are supposed to share secrets and trust each other and storms off.

 

Henry runs into Courtney and wants to talk. He telepathically projects memories of his past few encounters with his father. Courtney gets the gist that Mary and Starman were brother and sister and Brainwave is awake. Courtney says that makes them cousins and hugs him. Henry says that Jordan has the staff and his father. Courtney is worried because his dad knows who she is (but honestly who doesn’t at this point) and threatened her mother. Henry reassures her by explaining his father’s amnesia.

 

Henry tells Courntey that Jordan killed his mother. Just like he killed her father, Courtney reasons. She says they’ll need help and takes Henry to see the JSA.

 

At work Barbara’s looking conflicted. She looks over some family photos and sends an email with the subject “Your Daughter, Courtney.” Within the email she says that they’re back in Blue Valley and asks Sam to contact her.

 

At school Courtney takes Henry to Rick (Cameron Gellman), Beth (Anjelika Washington) and Yolanda (Yvette Monreal). It’s not an easy sell. Rick is angry that Courtney gave up their identities to Henry. Yolanda is still angry about Henry sharing naked pictures of her. Beth is open to hearing him out. Courtney explains that her mother wants her to leave town forever, but maybe shutting down the ISA will fix things. Rick doesn’t like the idea that it’ll save Brainwave too who, he firmly reminds Courtney, will likely try to kill her when his memories return. Henry and Rick get in a fight, which results in Henry telekinetically throwing Rick. Yolanda and Rick refuse to work with Henry. Beth asks everyone to come together for Courtney. Yolanda agrees to do it because she needs someone to watch her back, but because she sided with Henry their friendship is over.

 

Pat finds Barbara and tells her the company is the most dangerous place in town. He encourages her not to dig too deep. Barbara says she was confused. The conversation is interrupted by Jordan’s parents Sofus (Jim France) and Lily (Kay Galvin). Pat misses a phone call from Courtney. Jordan’s parents give Barbara a gift to thank her for dinner and then say some stuff in Norwegian. Then, they make a quick exit to deal with family matters. Once they’re gone Barbara reveals she recorded them because she wants to know what they said.

 

Beth, Courtney, Yolanda, Rick and Henry are in the tunnels under Cindy’s  (Meg DeLacy) house. The group splits up. Yolanda, Rick and Courtney go off together. Beth and Rick pair off, too.

 

In the tunnels Henry tells Yolanda he wishes she could read his mind. Yolanda angrily asks why she’d want to do that. He says he knows how much he hurt her and he’d do anything to take it back. Yolanda doesn’t respond.

 

Beth and Rick discover Brainwave in a cage of sorts. Rick is enraged to find his parents’ killer and wants to attack. Henry senses his father, but the trio find Cindy before they find Brainwave. Cindy pleads with her father to let her out so she can kill them. Dr. Ito (Nelson Lee) doesn’t release Cindy. However, he does send a bunch of hooded figures after the trio.They fight them using their respective abilities.

 

Rick wants to rip the door off of the prison holding Brainwave and kill him. Beth tries to remind him that’s not why they’re there. Rick says change of plans.

 

When the hooded army fails, Dr. Ito decides to take on Courtney, Yolanda and Henry by himself. Courtney and Dr. Ito fight until Dr. Ito gets the better of Courtney and Yolanda bails her out. Dr. Ito removes his hood and reveals to the girls that he’s more lizard than man. Courtney blasts him and renders him unconscious.

 

Henry finds his father and is devastated to find that he has regained his memories. Brainwave says this is who he is, who he’s always been, who Henry will be too and then throws him. Henry tells Courtney and Yolanda they have to go.

 

Beth is trying and failing to reason with Rick by reminding him their friends are counting on them. But the only thing that gets his attention is the hooded figures coming after them. He agrees to follow, but not before telling Jordan that he’ll be back.

 

The two groups meet up and make a run for it.

 

Using a translator Pat and Barbara listen to the recording of Jordan’s parents at the dinner. They were discussing the machine. Barbara wants to know what they’re planning, but Pat says he doesn’t know. Jordan goes back to Barbara’s office and finds her missing. As he leaves, her computer dings. She got a reply to her email.

 

The group is trying to escape when they get a telepathic message from Brainwave saying that they can’t hide from him. Henry and Rick work together to bend the bars to escape while Courtney distracts the ISA with a beam of light. But then they come up against more bars. Brainwave focuses in on his son. In a telepath off Henry tries to reason with his father. He says he knows what the powers did to him, how they warped what he believed in, but all people aren’t monsters. Brainwaves implores Henry to let him train him. Henry brings up his mother and how he believed in Henry Sr. and that Jordan killed his mother. But (plot twist) Brainwave reveals that Jordan didn’t kill Mary. He did. He says he had to make a choice and not to make him choose again. Stand by his side or not at all, he tells Henry. Henry’s answer is no and then he turns all of his power on his father. Brainwave redirects it and says goodbye to his son. Sadly, the JSA is unable to get to Henry through the bars.

 

Henry apologizes to Yolanda again and thanks Courtney. He says that people are good and encourages Courtney not to let this change her mind. Then, Brainwave caves the ceiling in on him, crushing Henry.