Generation Justice: Stargirl Episode 106, "The Justice Society"

The team comes together in the latest episode of STARGIRL, aptly titled "The Justice Society." After having successfully recruited Yolanda (Yvette Monreal), Beth (Anjelika Washington), and Rick (Cameron Gellman) as the new Wildcat, Doctor Mid-Nite, and Hourman, Courtney (Brec Bassinger) is busted by her stepdad, Pat Dugan (Luke Wilson), for having absconded with all the JSA paraphernalia. The weaponry is simply too dangerous, and he charges Courtney to go get everything back from her friends.

Her friends, unsurprisingly, disagree. Yolanda finds hope for renewal in the saga of the first Wildcat, Ted Grant. Rick has a connection to his father and a way to hunt down his killer. And Beth has a rather cringey and uncomfortable connection to the A.I. that runs through her powered goggles.

It's those goggles that set our merry adventurers on their first case, when they detect a hacking signature nearby used by the original Doctor Mid-Nite's nemesis, The Gambler -- aka Steven Sharpe (Eric Goins). With everyone on the team seeing their first shot at taking on one of the Injustice Society members -- and arguably the weakest of that team -- Courtney has no choice but to make sure her friends are protected, beginning with their identities. However, the trail doesn't lead them to The Gambler, but to two of the more physically dangerous members of the ISA: Sportsmaster (Neil Hopkins) and Tigress (Hina X. Khan). Weve already seen how ruthless this pair can be in their civilian identities of Lawrence Crock and Paula Brooks when they confronted the high school football coach for benching their daughter, Artemis (Stella Smith).

The fight scene here is wonderfully choreographed, and the abilities of the heroes and villains are both highlighted, with the experience of the bad guys giving them an edge over the rookies. Fortunately, the kids get bailed out by the arrival of S.T.R.I.P.E. -- who ultimately agrees the team should be trained.

It's a safe bet the Injustice Society is being set up for a legacy version of its own. We've already seen Branwave's son experience the onset of telepathy. In this episode, Jordan Mahkent (Neil Jackson) aka Icicle has a dinner with his son Cameron (Hunter Sansone), wherein Cameron blows out a candle with a hint of cold steam on his breath. Artemis's physical training is also played up, so she will be stepping in as either the new Sportsmaster or Tigress at some point, possibly as a big first-season ending cliffhanger.

If you haven't been tuning in to STARGIRL yet, you're missing out on one of the best supehero shows to come to television in the past ten years, outpacing every Arrowverse series as well as Agents of SHIELD and Titans.