Beware of spoilers for the episode in the article. Please do not continue reading if you haven’t watched the episode yet and you are not okay with being spoiled.
Introduction :
This week's episodes opening sequence with shots of the Crock's residence and signs of Paula and Crusher clearly having assimilated into the side of good hits different in retrospect considering that twisty ending.
Pat and Sylvester :
During the JSA meeting at the beginning of the episode, Sylvester was actually the level headed one in that meeting. He knew it looked way too convenient for the Mahkents to be responsible for Mike and Jakeem going missing when it was clear that the boys went on their mission before the Mahkent vs JSA showdown , and also for the Mahkents to be responsible for the surveillance cameras. Sylvester knew it was a distraction however he entertained Pat’s suggestion to go to the Mahkent’s house to see if Mike and Jakeem were being held captive.
Pat and Sylvester had a conversation with Ice Grandpa about Mike and Jakeem at the Mahkent residence. Ice Grandpa is my favorite Mahkent , he just wants peace. The JSA did kill their son, that's something thats very difficult to come back from , to be fair. It’s easy to see why they are angry. Jordan was a jerk who got himself killed because of his own actions but he was their son.
Paula and Barbara:
Elsewhere Ice Grandma, after discovering that Pat and Sylvester made a visit to the Mahkent residence, decided to go and kill Barbara. What she didn’t count on was Paula being there ready for her armed with a crossbow. Paula threatened Ice Grandma away and then proceeded to train Barbara again this time on how to use a crossbow. Tigress telling Barbara she didn't want to lose the only friend she's ever had besides her family was sweet. Paula and Barbara’s dynamic has changed a lot since season one.
Mike and Jakeem :
The All stars ended up lost in the woods whilst on the run from the Ultra-humanite. Jakeems wishes are very hard to navigate and would be very difficult to use offensively in a fight , the Thunderbolt couldn't even take them home when he wished for that. Mike and Jakeem finally found Cindy who has been MIA in the woods tracking the Ultra-humanite. Cindy chose to remain in the woods tracking the Ultra-humanite to clear her name whilst the All stars made it back home and told Pat and Sylvester they found a scary gorilla in the woods.
Back home Pat and Sylvester revealed that the Ultra-humanite was an old JSA enemy , a scientist who has gone by a lot of names. The villain escaped the JSA numerous times by putting his brain into different peoples bodies including an actress called Dolores Winters ( who won an Oscar after he took over her body ). The Dragon King helped the Ultra-humanite with his body snatching endeavors , so he is connected to Cindy’s father. The JSA concluded that the Ultra-humanite killed the Gambler and he is their big bad foe this season they will all have to unite against to defeat.
Rick:
Hourman looked rough this episode, Cameron really did a number on him. Rick clearly has addiction issues due to the hourglass. Beth and her parents tried to tell him he hasn't been acting like himself, but he can’t see it. Beth asked him to take off the hourglass for ten minutes and he couldn't do it. Until Rick hits rock bottom on his own he won't see the light. It’s unfortunate the show won’t be able to explore this storyline with Rick for many more seasons to come due to the shows cancellation.
The Lovebirds:
Courtney took the fall to protect Mike, that was sad for the lovebirds but Courtney loves her brother so she will do anything to protect him. Cameron doesn't understand how evil his father was. She knew Cameron wouldn't hurt her so she took the blame for Jordan’s death. Cameron was clearly going to go after whoever Courtney said killed Jordan. Cameron does love Courtney so he won't hurt her , the way he was protecting her during that fight with Rick last week. Cameron upset at Courtneys revelation broke up with her and told her that he never wanted to see her again.
The Crock's olive branch :
The Crocks paid a visit to the Mahkents so they could try to protect the Dugan-Whitmores who they now refer to as their people. Possibly my favorite scene of the episode ,the scene with the Crocks and Mahkents showed just how much character growth the Crocks have had on the show after three seasons. Paula was right, forgetting what has happened in the past is impossible but learning from it is what has to be done now to prevent more violence and bloodshed. Paula and Crusher have really grown , in season one Paula killed Blue Valley Highschool Principal Anaya Bowin the Fiddlers wife for insulting her parenting skills and didn't feel any remorse about it. Crusher almost killed Pat even though he admitted he actually liked Pat as a person. The Crocks in season one would have probably tried to make the Mahkents wage an all out war against the JSA. Paula and Crusher extending an olive branch to create peace with the Mahkents was a great moment ( a culmination of the Crocks character arcs).
Ice Grandma really is a hard nut to crack. She couldn't even appreciate Beth Chapel saving her husband. Ice Grandma's "never" about forgiving the JSA was scary ( Award for scariest Mahkent goes to Ice Grandma ). If the conflict continues between the Mahkents and the JSA the only people who will suffer are the children who they all want to protect. Ice Grandpa is truly the bigger person in that marriage , he can forgive the JSA for Cameron's sake even though he feels the loss of his son. He knows the pain his family has been through across the centuries and he wants something better for them now. Ice Grandma softened a bit towards the end even though she didn't give an express answer to the Crocks about letting the vengeance go.
Courtney:
Courtney's speech to the JSA about everyone uniting to take down the Ultra-humanite was great and it plays fully into this seasons frenemies theme. I really hope we get a big epic final battle to close out the show.
The twist:
The Crocks found out their daughter is going to be the first female quarterback in college football and she's going to Nebraska. Poor Artemis , she lost both of her parents in one night. The final reveal that Jordan is alive and he killed Paula and Crusher was probably one of the most shocking twists in the show so far. Jordan clearly baited the Crock's into the sewers so he could kill them, it wasn’t an accident. That was probably the saddest death scene of the entire series so far.
The fact Jordan returned and killed Paula and Crusher already makes me root for him to meet a horrible end again. He is a very horrible man , Jordan killed The Wizard's son and his entire family so killing the Crock's isn't all that surprising ( it's in character). I don't actually think Ice Grandpa would kill a child , his first instinct was to try and run away with his wife. Jordan takes after his mother all the way as a person ( she has no problem killing people and going about her day ).
Why did Jordan kill his friends ?
It's very likely Jordan is working with the Ultra-humanite and they are eliminating potential threats especially now that they know Mike and Jakeem probably told the JSA that the Ultra-humanite is back. I wonder if the Dragon King is back too due to his connection to the Dragon King. It seems from this season that Geoff Johns might have been setting up the return of the ISA for season 4 (or at least a version of it with a mostly different roster).
Additional Notes :
1. Crusher considered Jordan a good guy and Jordan killed him and his wife. I hope Cameron sees his father for who he truly is in the end. Cameron clearly doesn’t believe his father was evil because he never saw that side of him.
2. Now Icicle Senior is back , Cameron doesn't have to hate Courtney anymore. He told her he never wanted to see her again but that will change now that we know Icicle is still alive , so they don’t actually have to break up. I'm wondering if Cameron ends up being the one to kill his own father this time around.
3. After weeks of speculation I'm glad that the Gamblers killer has finally been revealed ( the Ultra-humanite ).
4. With the Crock's taken out of the equation , our heroes are even more vulnerable. The Crock's were probably the best hand to hand combat fighters currently in the show ( Starman won that fight against them in episode three because of the cosmic staff ).
5. The Crock's were the true heroes of this episode. I hope Artemis gets her revenge.
6. Is it me or we have barely seen Cosmo the cosmic staff for the last few episodes of the show. Are the producers and writers saving up the budget for the finale ?
Join me weekly for more reviews of Stargirl season 3 on the CW.
"What are your hopes for the rest of the season ?"
"What are your thoughts about the reveal that Jordan is alive ?"
"What did you think of the episode ?"
Let us know in the comments below.
