S.T.R.I.P.E. – Director: Greg Beeman/Writer: Geoff Johns
This one continues straight from last episode, with Courtney running into Pat after her fight with Brainwave, and getting quite a shock since Pat is inside a giant suit of armour. He convinces her they have to get the hell out of there and she agrees. We see Brainwave come out of the warehouse with Courtney’s student ID, although it’s partially burnt so he doesn’t know who she is … yet.
Pat takes Courtney back to his garage, where they discuss the fight and he tells her about Brainwave and the Injustice Society killing the JSA. Courtney still thinks Starman was her father and when she finds out he was killed by Icicle, she’s ready to go after Brainwave to learn Icicle’s whereabouts.
Pat warns her against confronting Brainwave again, but Courtney realizes it can’t be a coincidence that Brainwave is in Blue Valley and demands Pat tell her the truth. At the home of local councilman William Zarick (aka the Wizard), Brainwave drops by to warn his ex-teammate about Courtney. Wizard seems like he prefers the respectable life to villainy, but Brainwave reminds him that the Injustice Society came to Blue Valley for a reason: a grand plan called Project New America, which they still haven’t finished. Brainwave says he’ll find out who Courtney is, interrogate her, and kill her. At home, Pat tells Courtney 
that Hourman actually survived the massacre of the JSA and followed the Injustice Society’s trail across the country. He and his wife were killed in a car accident—or maybe an “accident”—so Pat took up where he left off, following the trail to Blue Valley where he met Barbara. He couldn’t find any trace of the Injustice Society, which is why he moved the family to Blue Valley, not knowing that any of his old foes were still around. Courtney is still ready to go after Brainwave, but Pat mentions how dangerous that is, especially since she’s not even wearing a costume.
The next day, Pat takes the armour out to a field to test it. Things … don’t go well. Barbara questions why both Pat and Courtney have bruises on their
faces and they both claim to have fallen down the basement stairs. At the King house, Brainwave interrogates his son about exactly how his car got blown up, getting him to admit that it might’ve been a girl who did it. He also tests Henry Jr. to see if he has mind-reading powers, but apparently he doesn’t. Courtney takes Starman’s old costume to school to sew up a new outfit for herself (ruining several sewing machines in the process because the fabric is so tough). At the American 
Dream, Steven Sharpe asks everyone for fundraising ideas, but shoots down Barbara’s suggestions, which doesn’t seem to surprise anyone else there. I guess Sharpe is one of those guys who acts like he’s open to new ideas but always does what he wants in the end. Pat drops by Crusher Crock’s gym and gets harangued into a workout (and diet plan) guaranteed to get him totally ripped.
At school, Courtney ends up at the loser table again with Beth Chapel and Yolanda Montez. Beth is on a video call with her parents, neither of whom seem too thrilled about it. Beth’s mom (Bridget) is a doctor who works with
Henry King, who just misses getting a look at Courtney. When Henry realizes there’s an open house at school that night, he decides to attend to look for Courtney. Pat, Barbara, and Courtney are at the open house too, and we get glimpses of several other key players (like Principal Bowin and William Zarick). Courtney is looking for Brainwave, unaware that he’s also searching for her. Pat runs into Denise Zarick, who seems a lot nicer than her husband. Courtney spots Brainwave but he sees her too and follows her out of the 
gym, confronting her in the hallway. He reads her mind, finding out (or so he thinks) that she’s Starman’s daughter and threatening to kill her mom if Courtney doesn’t bring him the Cosmic Staff at midnight. Courtney tells Pat and he fakes sick to get Barbara out of there. Later, Courtney is ready to go meet Brainwave but Pat forbids her, saying she has to protect Barbara and Mike if anything happens to him. He goes to the garage to get the armour and prepares to face Brainwave.
Outside the school, Brainwave is expecting Courtney so he’s surprised when a giant robot shows up. But he soon uses his telekinesis to knock Pat
around, trapping him between some vehicles. Luckily, Courtney disobeys him and shows up (in her new Stargirl costume) to save his ass. She fights well, but Brainwave’s telekinesis is too much for her and she ends up trapped. Before he can finish her, Pat blinds him with some lights and Courtney blasts him with the staff, knocking him out. He ends up at the hospital, where he’s diagnosed as comatose. Courtney questions how the Staff works, but Pat has no clue. She 
points out what a good team they make and christens him STRIPE, but has to give him a pep talk when he has a crisis of confidence. We see Icicle arriving in Blue Valley, entering the Injustice Society’s secret headquarters under the American Dream building where he meets Steven Sharpe. Sharpe is worried about whoever took out Brainwave, but Icicle figures he can kill this Starman just as easily as he did the original one.
This is a great episode that lets Courtney grow into her role as a superhero and have her first win against a villain. I like how Pat is more freaked out than she is after the fight and she has to reassure him that he’ll be a good
sidekick. We get fleeting looks at other important characters too: Beth Chapel, the still-unnamed (and still surly) Yolanda Montez, Crusher Crock, Araya and Isaac Bowin, and Cindy Burman (who continues her Regina George impression by treating her mother like shit). We also get to see the Stargirl costume for the first time and it looks just like in the comics. I like how they’re rolling things out at a deliberate pace; newcomers will pick stuff up as it’s revealed, but comics fans (like me) can pat ourselves on the back every time we recognize a character.
Noticeable Things:
- Pat tells Courtney that the Cosmic Staff was built by Ted Knight (another inside reference!), but doesn’t go into detail.
- Icicle passes someone is a cell under the American Dream building and from the growls of rage I’m assuming it’s Solomon Grundy.
Favourite Quotes:
- “None of you were good with names, huh Stripesy?” Courtney passing judgment on the Injustice Society’s moniker.