Is it actually possible?

Will Courtney finally start listening to Pat?

That seems to be the takeaway following Stargirl Season 1 Episode 6, as it appears Courtney finally got it through her head that her stepdad actually might know what he's talking about.

Of course, this should be taken with a grain of salt, as Courtney's acceptance could be conditional given that Pat finally agreed that forming a new Justice Society of America won't be the worst thing in the world.

He didn't bless her methods exactly -- stealing from the JSA headquarters, distributing the items without his approval, going on an unsanctioned mission without backup -- but he does appear to be hopping aboard the Courtney Express, right as its toward the Injustice Society of America.

Pat: Listen, I wanted to…
Courtney: I know, I know. Just thank god you showed up.
Pat: Really?
Courtney: Oh, you would never believe them Pat. I had a plan: We would stick together and nab the Gambler and interrogate him, but they didn’t do any of it. They didn’t listen to a single word I said.
Pat: Seriously?
Courtney: Serious.
Pat: Like it went in one ear and out the other.
Courtney: Right out the other.
Pat: And it seems to me, based on what you’re telling me, that you’re trying to help them.
Courtney: I’m just trying to help them.
Pat: I mean, that’s got to be kind of frustrating.
Courtney: So frustrating.
Pat: And even maybe a little annoying.
Courtney: A lot annoying.
Pat: Yeah.
Courtney: They’re going to get themselves killed.
Pat: Yeah, I mean that’s my sentiment exactly.
Courtney: I see what you did there.

• Permalink: I see what you did there.

It's somewhat of a toss-up of whether Pat's change of heart is due to his acceptance that he can't change Courtney's mind, so he might as join her, so she doesn't end up getting herself killed or the realization that he and Courtney do need help in fighting the ISA.

It seems both are true, as it's clearer than ever that the ISA is for some inexplicable reason playing house in Blue Valley.

Given that almost all of its members occupy positions of power, taking them down will require some help.

However, maybe Pat should remember that recruiting teenagers to fight supervillains isn't the best strategy.

The old JSA couldn't have been the only superheroes in this entire world.

Maybe Pat should consider reaching out to others before agreeing to train inexperienced teenagers, even if at least one of them is a legacy superhero.

Yet with no incognito way -- that viewers know of -- to send out a Bat Signal, it seems Blue Valley is the in the not very capable hands of four teenagers and a former superhero sidekick.

That should be a big confidence boost for the residents, though if they had any clue what was going on, they'd most likely head for the hills.

Diatribe aside, Courtney thankfully learned this episode that being a superhero isn't everything she imagined.

They are genuine stakes, something that didn't seem to cross her mind until she put her friends in danger.

Pat: OK, this is serious. You put these kids in real danger. You need to get everything you took back.
Courtney: I can’t just take the hourglass from Rick. It belonged to his dad.
Pat: I’ll talk to Rick. You get Dr. Mid-Nite’s goggles and Wildcat’s costume and you bring them back here. Do you understand that?
Courtney: Pat, I can’t just take…
Pat: Or do you want your new friends to wind up like Joey Zarick. Do you? I know you don’t respect me much Courtney, but I thought it was more than this.

• Permalink: I know you don’t respect me much Courtney, but I thought it was more than this.

She had no problem getting herself and Pat into sticky situations, but it seemed to hit home when Pat reminded her that her new friends could very well wind up like Joey Zarick if she weren't careful.

They almost did had Pat, had his giant robot not showed up at the last minute.

Given that Sportsmaster and Tigress had no qualms killing the last three football coaches, taking out a bunch of teenagers doesn't seem far from their wheelhouse.

Courtney also learned that being a leader is harder than she thought.

Since Stargirl Season 1 Episode 1, Courtney has had very little resistance when it comes to leading the charge.

Sure, Pat hardly ever agrees with her, but she rarely ever receives pushback from her stepdad.

Even when she recruited the others, they were so in awe of everything that they let Courtney take charge while they got their feet wet.

Now, though, that Yolanda, Beth, and Rick are up to speed, they're not as willing to blindly follow Courtney and were more than ready to jump first and ask questions later.

You know something is especially crazy when Courtney is the voice of reason.

Courtney: Are you sure the Gambler’s in here?
Rick: Who comes up with these names?
Beth: I like them.

• Permalink: Who comes up with these names?

Let's hope she takes these lessons in stride and remembers to proceed with caution moving forward.

That may be unlikely given what viewers know about this impetuous 15-year-old, but we can always hope.

Like Courtney, the other members of the new JSA seem to have learned lessons about caution and not underestimating Pat.

He may not have flashy superpowers, but he built a robot worthy of NASA and has a breadth of knowledge about the ISA.

However, unlike our protagonist, these teenagers may remember those lessons, as, at the very least, Yolanda and Beth seem to have a good head on their shoulders.

Rick is a bit more of a wildcard, but he does seem open to listening to Starman's former sidekick.

And it looks like the new JSA got their act together just in time, as the entire ISA has now been briefed of their new "threat."

In the real world, the ISA would crush the new JSA in a matter of minutes.

However, since this is a TV show, the audience knows the good guys will eventually succeed.

Sportsmaster: Oh, I’m going to feel that in the morning.
Tigress: Maybe next time you’ll remember to lift with your legs.
Sportsmaster: Maybe next time they can hire a skinnier coach.
Icicle: Or maybe you should stop killing them. What is this? Like the third coach in two seasons.
Sportsmaster: Hey, the jerk had it coming. Besides, the way I hear it, the last coach, he left town and the one before that…
Tigress: Accident with a riding mower. It was tragic.

• Permalink: Or maybe you should stop killing them.

It may not happen right away, but they will be victorious at some point.

And while this is inevitable, let's hope the bad guys put up a good fight, both because it would be too unrealistic for four teenagers and a former superhero sidekick to win immediately and also because there needs to be something dramatic for viewers to keep tuning in.

The season seems to be building to some sort of showdown between the superheroes and supervillains, culminating in the ISA's launch of Project New America.

As viewers learned this episode, Project New America somehow connects to the stolen broadcast equipment and security codes. 

It also involves Brainwave, which is problematic as he is currently in a coma.

Whatever that entails can't be good, and broadcasting something on a large scale, and mind control just screams "slave army."

What that army will do or accept remains to be seen.

Elsewhere, the episode also featured a subplot revolving around Mike's science fair, which was the weakest part of an otherwise good installment.

While it was sweet that Barbara showed up for Mike and that the science fair brought them closer together, the amount of screentime devoted to those scenes could have been better allocated.

Pat: You need to leave it with me. The hourglass too.
Rick: Why?
Pat: Because I don’t think you’re ready for it, Rick.
Rick: You don’t know me any better than you knew my dad.
Pat: I know he invented the hourglass, the power inside it. I also know how much he respected that power. He knew how addictive that power could be and how tempting it was to use it in all the wrong ways. Limiting the powers was his idea. One hour a day, and I never saw him abuse it, not like you have.
Rick: You look at me like everyone else around here does: like I’m trash, like I’m not worth a damn.
Pat: No, Rick, you’re wrong. That’s not at all how I look at you.
Rick: Courtney said you were her dad’s sidekick, but you’ve had this journal for how long, and you didn’t figure it out. You didn’t know my parents were murdered. You didn’t know about me. I got to ask you, ‘What the hell did Starman use you for?’ ‘Cause as far as I can tell, you don’t do anything.

• Permalink: You look at me like everyone else around here does: like I’m trash, like I’m not worth a damn.

No one is watching this series to see Mike make a candy volcano.

He's simply a character whose sole purpose should be to make the occasional funny quip and round out the blended family.

Barbara's character works better because she works at Project New America, putting her in the middle of whatever conspiracy is coming.

However, pairing her with Mike isn't the best move.

It'd be more interesting to see her interactions with Icicle or get a little more insight on Project New America via her job.

With so many more interesting characters, this time could have been better used.

Another scene between Icicle and Cameron would have been nice, especially as the father and son celebrated Christine's birthday this episode.

Those two scenes were so rich with subtext, and it would have been great to explore that further.

Coach: Hey, I want to see Artemis on that field just as much as you do, but this was practice, and she hit one of her own teammates. The kid’s got to learn to control her temper.
Sportsmaster: Yeah, she gets it from her mother. She’s a real firecracker.
Tigress: True. I do have my moments, hon.
Coach: I know I may be new here, but I’ve seen parents like you my whole career, so don’t think you can intimidate me. Whether Artemis plays or sits is my call. Hell, I’ll bench her for the whole damn season if I need to.
Tigress: Homecoming’s around the corner. Our daughter’s your best player. You’re not going to do anything to her.
Sportsmaster: Yeah, coach. Let’s see how you like being taken out of the game.

• Permalink: Let’s see how you like being taken out of the game.

With her death being the driving force for Icicle, it would have been great to see how her death affected Cameron.

I'd even settle for some father-son bonding, to flesh out Icicle's character and show he does have some humanity in him, even if it's buried deep down.

Also, this could have been a great opportunity for viewers to get to know Cindy a little better, as her role in the series must go beyond resident HBIC.

If not, then why bother making Meg DeLacey a series regular?

She's bound to have an interesting backstory if only the series would let the audience in on it.

The season's already almost halfway down, and the audience still knows almost nothing about her.

Hopefully, that will change.

Some stray thoughts:

• Sportsmaster and Tigress are the ultimate helicopter parents. I'm not sure if it was intentional, but I found them to be highly entertaining. I think it's because of how they always seem to work in exercise into the conversation, whether it be when they're burying a dead body or pretending to have a date night. 

• The teenagers should remember that just because a supervillain doesn't have any physical abilities, it doesn't mean he or she isn't dangerous. The Gambler, for instance, always has a gun on him -- not that they'd know that -- and while speed and strength are great, bullets can still pierce your skin.

• Did anyone else feel so bad for Beth when she mentioned that nobody noticed her to begin with? I just wanted to give her a big hug. She's quickly becoming a favorite, partly because her reaction in dangerous situations is very true to how most of us would react in danger.

• Is anyone else curious why the ISA hasn't just asked their teenagers who the new JSA members could be? While the teenagers may not know their parents' true identities, how hard is it to ask their kids if anything suspicious has happened as of late. 

So what did you think Stargirl Fanatics?

Will Courtney start listening to Pat for a change?

What is the purpose of Project New America?

What are your thoughts on the Barbara-Mike subplot?

Don't forget to hit the comments below to let me know your thoughts. If you happened to miss the latest episode, remember you can watch Stargirl online at TV Fanatic.

Jessica Lerner was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in October 2021.