Generation Justice: Stargirl Episode 105, "Hourman and Dr. Mid-Nite"

The new generation of the Justice Society of America expands this week as Courtney (Brec Bassinger) recruits one member while a second forces her way onto the team.

But before getting into the plot, I just want to say how incredibly well filmed this series is. The staging of things is done with such style that it draws you in and makes you part of the story; scenes like Courtney following Rick Tyler, or where the heroes are watching a holographic replay of the original Hourman's murder. The execution here isn't just flawless, it's unique in its cinematography, and really makes this series stand out from anything done prior in any Arrowverse series.

After having recruited Yolanda Montez (Yvette Monreal) to be the new Wildcat, Courtney bags up the rest of the JSA gadgetry and prepares to look for the next recruit -- leaving behind, accidentally, a rather important bit of equipment: a pair of special goggles. While being driven to school by her stepfather, Pat Dugan (Luke Wilson), car trouble strands them, creating the opportunity for them to meet bad boy and fellow student Rick Harris (Cameron Gellman). Rick's appearance causes the hourglass necklace in Courtney's gym back to react, and she sets out to pursue Rick as a candidate.

Backing up a bit: we learn when the episode opens that Rick is being raised by his uncle, Matt Harris (Adam Aalderks). He was foisted upon Matt by his father, Rex Tyler (Lou Ferrigno Jr.) and mother the night they went on the run from the Injustice Society. Matt is less than happy about the deal, and remains bitter and emotionally abusive toward Rick during the intervening years between then and now. However, they Tylers don't make good their escape; they're murdered, and their deaths are deemed an accident.

Rick's upbringing has made him the school's biggest delinquent (Yolanda's own words). He's angry all the time -- and he knows it, and he hates it, and he has no outlet for it.

While Courtney tries to bring Rick around to the side of the angels, Beth Chapel (Anjelika Washington) takes advantage of her knowledge of Courtney and Yolanda's secret, having seen them in the prior episode and overheard them using their real names. She goes to visit Courtney's home, to find it empty and -- being a television show instead of real life -- walks in anyway, calling out for Courtney and finding the dropped goggles. Putting them on, they become active, and we discover a wide range of abilities built into the goggles. They're pretty much Google-glass on steroids, with a built in artificial intelligence that speaks with the voice of the former Doctor Mid-Nite, Charles McNider (Henry Thomas).

There's a lot crammed into this episode, and it needs to be viewed to be appreciated, including revelations that come to Pat Dugan, the beginnings of a criminal plan by the ISA, and the first inklings that the powers of the ISA legacies are starting to come to their fore. STARGIRL is leaps and bounds ahead of anything that DC has brought to television to date, in terms of storytelling, scene staging, and overall faithfulness to the look and abilities of the characters. As such, STARGIRL gets our highest recommendation.