Stargirl (episode)

## Episode Guide

"**Stargirl**", also known as "**Pilot**", is the first episode of the first season of *Stargirl*, and the first episode overall. This episode aired on May 18, 2020, on DC Universe, and May 19, 2020, on The CW.

## Synopsis

*"The new DC UNIVERSE drama series, STARGIRL follows high school sophomore Courtney Whitmore as she inspires an unlikely group of young heroes to take up the legacy of a long-lost superhero team – Justice Society of America – and stop the villains of the past.*

*In the series premiere episode, Courtney's seemingly perfect life in Los Angeles gets upended with a move to Blue Valley, Nebraska with her mother Barbara, stepfather Pat Dugan and stepbrother Mike, and she finds herself struggling to adapt to her new town and high school. But when Courtney discovers that Pat is harboring a major secret about his past, she ultimately becomes the unlikely inspiration for a new generation of Super-Heroes."*

## Summary

In a flashback set ten years before during the holiday season, Pat Dugan rushes through empty streets as he tries to get a hold of Starman, who replies to follow his orders to stay away. Their conversation stops short as he screams, just as Pat breaks through the front door of a cliff-side mansion, set ablaze with green lights as a battle for the ages rages inside. Before he can descend up the stairs, Wildcat is pushed through a wall, landing near Pat. He rushes to the fallen hero's side, as he coughs weakly. Pat forced to leave him as he enters the mansion, where he begins to dodge electric shock bolts as The Wizard ends a fight between Tigress and Hourman by levitating the latter. Dr. Mid-Nite is pushed onto the scene, yelling at Pat to leave before a large hand of black moving matter grabs and drags him away. Hourman is dropped onto the floor and is gravely injured, before The Wizard turns his sight on Pat. Welcoming him to the show, the Wizard is incapacitated by Starman and his Cosmic Staff. Tigress and Sportsmaster engage him in combat until they are beaten with his staff.

 Starman yells at Pat for not waiting in the car, and doesn't notice Brainwave until he is airborne is a vortex of debris. He aims his staff at the villain, but his attack blocked by a mental shield. A war between mind and will proceeds until which Brainwave breaks and is hit with a beam of light. Starman turns but is stabbed with a dagger of ice in the chest, and falls to the floor. He feebly whispers that the Justice Society of America is gone to Pat as his sidekick carries him to the car to escape. However, Solomon Grundy gives chase, and as he nears Pat presses a button that allows the car to convert into a jet-setting mode and flies off as Solomon hits the back of the vehicle. Damage as done, as an engine dies mid-air and the car crashes into the woods. The two men escape before it explodes, and Pat sets Starman on the floor. He explains that he needs to go to a hospital, but Starman is resolute that it's the end for him. He tells Pat the JSA must live on, its legacy must survive. Someone with grace, honor, and courage must carry it - but not Pat. In his dying words he states Pat was a good friend.

Across Los Angeles, a young Courtney Whitmore, gift in hand, stares at a window as Barbara converses with her friend Miss Kramer and daughter Mary, before telling her own daughter they will watch her while she heads for work. Courtney cries to her mom that she wants to see her daddy. Barbara tells her she understands, before heading out. Courtney watches her mother leaving outside.

In the present day, a now teenaged Courtney is packing up her bedroom for the big move, reminiscing about before spotting that same gift for her father on a shelf. She puts it in a box as Mary approaches, telling her she'll miss her. The two girls embrace sadly, until their attention is turned to Pat arriving outside. Mary notes her new dad, but Courtney coldly states he is not her father and is the reason to moving to Nebraska. With Pat is his own son Mike, himself upset at moving to a rural location. Pat begs his son to stay positive, only to get a snarky reply that it'll blow positive ass. Mike tells his father he thought they'd stop moving around when he hooked up with Barbara, a term Pat rejects. He tries to help Courtney with a box only to be ignored by her. Barbara notes her anger, telling her Blue Valley is where she grew up and they made the choice to move together.

The blended family and their movers arrive to their new house, with Mike being awestruck by the size of his new home. Pat's attention is distracted as the movers begin to handle a mysteriously long trunk, exclaiming its delicate. He tells them he'll handle, and asks his family if they want to get a bite to eat as Courtney notices a box labelled auto parts.

The four walk into the heart of the town, greeted by their residents as they stumble upon Richie's, the diner where Pat and Barbara met two years ago. Courtney asks why he was in Nebraska, where Pat ominously replies he was looking for something.

At night, Pat discreetly goes into the basement to unlock a trunk filled with secret and classified JSA files on the members of the Injustice Society of America, and unravels a heavily highlighted map with Blue Valley circled around it. Upstairs, Courtney is still unboxing, stopping and looking around the many more still to go. She stops, pained by all the sudden changes in her life but takes comfort in looking up at the starry night sky.

The next morning, Pat drives Courtney to her first day of school at Blue Valley High School, whose texting with Mary. He breaks the ice by telling a story on how he moved around a lot when he was young, essentially finding his father to be his best friend. Pat says he made some friends later in life and knows how hard it is to lose someone, but Courtney is unmoved. They arrive, at Pat bids his stepdaughter a great day to her annoyance. She cautiously walks down the crowded school hallway to the school's office. She's angered that the school gymnastics team has been recalled due to budget cuts, but the school official with her tells her cheer leading is an option.

Pat later stops by his new auto works business, where he meets Larry Crock, otherwise known by "Crusher" and the owner of the self-named gymnasium down the street. He says his gym offers boot camp classes to get in-shape, continuing to promote his business as Pat nervously states he needs to set up the garage first. He bids Larry goodbye, but Larry insists on the nickname "Crusher".

An excited Barbara arrives for her first day at "The American Dream", where her escort describes the company's promise to invest back in Blue Valley, and points at two of the executives, one of them being William Zarick. She tells Barbara her office is next, much to her surprise.

Back in school, Courtney disgustingly looks at her new school ID before meeting Cindy Burman and her friend Jenny. Quick to get to know the new girl, Cindy announces they should all hang out. Courtney becomes enlightened, and begins to tell her phone number but Cindy says she already has it. She says she should try out for cheer leading, but Courtney rejects her offer. Cindy quickly and asks if she didn't want to meet up. Courtney clarifies it wasn't what she meant, and Cindy replies that she'll text her or not.

In the crowded cafeteria, Courtney looks around for a seat when Paula Brooks confronts her. She asks if she needs a seat, and directs her to a mostly empty table. Courtney thanks her and introduces herself to the three, with a girl named Beth being the only one to warmly respond back. Trying to break the awkward silence, she asks what they do for fun. Beth, realizing Courtney's assumption that they're all friends, clarifies that they're not, and she's basically at the loser table. The boy tells her to speak for herself, getting up and swiping a box of food before leaving. Two jocks come on either side of the remaining girl, with the redhead taunting her if she has any new pictures of herself. Courtney tells him to leave her alone. The redhead jock takes her phone, asking if she has any. Courtney pushes him on reflex, causing him to knock into a cafeteria lady and spilling much food on the floor. The principal tells Courtney to come with her, as Cindy slyly says that was her boyfriend.

Courtney lands in detention with the boy from the table, which causes her to miss her bus after school ends. She is forced to walk home, but the sight of a father and his young daughter distracts her along the way.

At dinner, Mike enthusiastically talks about his first day and how he quickly met some computer design friends, asking if he could go over to one's house already. Barbara asks Courtney how her day went. Pat chimes in, causing Courtney to snap that he isn't her father. Annoyed at her stepbrother microwaving marshmallows, she rushed in the basement to cool off, angrily kicking over a box with Pat's name on it. Noticing a picture of him fishing, she remarks his lameness, but feels something wrong with the frame. Underneath Pat's photo is an old photograph showing the former Justice Society of America. Mystified, she looks through the framed pictures and finds a newspaper article, discovering her stepfather's identity as a sidekick. Seeing the old box, she finds the classified JSA files, as well as a signed photo from Starman and his old uniform. Hearing a noise behind her, she sees light glowing from the edges of an old trunk, manifesting in a ell that burns out the light bulb next to her. Cautiously walking towards it, she opens the lid and discovers the Cosmic Staff. It glows as she picks it, but she drops it as gets startled. Checking if her hands are okay, she picks it up more firmly again, noticing a ball of light moving side to side as she balances the staff. Letting go of it, the staff remains in the air, much to her disbelief. She dismisses her imagination as the staff doesn't move. Hovering her hand over it, the ball of light moves with her, but she struggles to move the staff from its position for a second. Once unstuck, the staff warbles and moves of its own accord, dragging Courtney from the basement to outside the house, and eventually in front of The American Dream building. Getting control of it, she tosses it in the air and it stops in a horizontal position. She performs a gymnastic routine, causing the staff to act like a bar. She switches to a vertical position, amazed by its intelligence. She asks if its alive, to which the staff jets itself and its holder to the sky.

Back home, Pat returns the now damaged microwave to the basement, and notes the Cosmic Staff is missing.

Courtney crash lands into the woods, after which she gets up and discovers she's at the drive-in movie theater screening of *The Goonies*. She notices Henry King Jr. and his jock friends annoying moviegoers, much to her disgust. When they begin to harass another, she wraps a scarf over her face and ties her back, sneaking towards Henry's car and using the staff to puncture his tires. One of his friends notices her, and the staff intentionally hurls itself into his chest, knocking him down. Henry and his other friend rush to fight Courtney, before the staff positions itself horizontally and glows bright, blinding the two and causing them to run into it. Henry recovers, before charging again. The staff twirls her into the air, tripping Henry back. The other friend stands up, and the staff backs up to hit Henry in the face before charging up the strike the other boy up over the head. Aiming for the third boy, the staff blasts a beam of light that causes the car to explode, knocking everyone out. Courtney scolds the staff, and runs off as Henry exclaims that his dad will kill him.

Courtney sneaks back home, and rushes to return the staff but it caught by Pat. He asks her what she was doing, but she rebounds on Pat saying he can't ask the questions, if that's even his real name. He asks for the staff but Courtney backs away. He tells her it's incredibly dangerous and temperamental, to which his surprise he learns Courtney blew up a car. She clarifies and says the staff did it, not her. Courtney asks what the thing is, and he tells her its name as he gets a hold of the staff, which shuts off its glow. He says it's not supposed to work for anyone except Starman. Courtney inquires, learning that he and the JSA died ten years ago on Christmas Eve. Courtney echos that date, and asks if her mother knows of his past. She doesn't, as Pat tells her people have died after getting too close to the JSA. Courtney isn't listening, as she compares a picture of her father in her necklace and notes the resemblance with Starman in the picture. She questions how the staff worked for her if it only worked for Starman, and deduces that Starman could be her father. Pat is bewildered, noting it to be an extreme coincidence as Starman died the night her father disappeared. She rushes to states that it must be fate - that her stars must be aligned. "My father never showed up that night ... because he died saving the world," she concludes. Pat tells her to sit down, and asks her father's name. She says his name was Sam Kurtis, and Pat tells her Starman's real identity is Sylvester Pemberton. Courtney introduces the thought of an alias - she tried to research him online to no avail. Pat tries to reason that Starman isn't her father, and the staff works for her for a reason he doesn't know. Courtney refuses to give up hope, turning to ask her mother instead. Upstairs, Barbara is angry with Courtney's behavior towards Pat. She refuses to apologize as she tells her mom Pat isn't who she thinks he is. She bluntly asks if her father was a superhero. Barbara resentfully tells her that her father only came to see her once a year, and disappeared when she was five, effectively abandoning them. Pat's the only man whose been there for them. If her father was as great as she thinks he was, he'd be here now, but he's not. Calmed down, she asks her daughter what she was saying before, but a remorseful Courtney changes her mind and leaves. She bids her goodnight.

At the Kings' residence, Henry Sr. tells his son to repeat what happened. Henry Jr. begins his story but his father is more interested in the staff. Jr. tells him about a glowing thing that shot fires or lasers or something. He dismisses his son in a cold tone, telling him they'll discuss it more in the morning. He leaves, and Sr. locks the door behind him. Taking off his glasses, he mentally directs his attention to levitating a key from a drawer into one of two keyholes in the wall, which pushes a bookcase aside and reveals a hidden room with his Brainwave suit, numerous tapes and a photo of a woman.

Back at the Dugan-Whitmore house, Courtney goes to meet Pat on the porch, remarking on his old alias as Stripesy. Pat tells her that was when Sylvester went by the Star-Spangled Kid, and tells her the story of how he and Sylvester teamed up and his progression to becoming the hero he's known for. Courtney thinks Pat was more an assistant than sidekick, something Pat disagrees with. He felt he was honorably treated with the JSA. Courtney asks why he wasn't in the picture - to which Pat replies that he took it. She says she isn't happy Pat hid his past from Barbara, but he makes her the happiest Courtney's ever seen and she doesn't want to ruin it. She'll keep his secret, but only if he'll keep out of her away. Pat tries to change her mind, saying it can put everyone in danger. Courtney relents, and they seal their deal.

Henry King Sr. calls Jordan Mahkent in a London cemetery to tell him of his son's attack by someone with a glowing stick. Jordan's dubious, as he killed Starman. Henry doesn't disagree, adding that this means there is a new Starman who found them and came after his son. Jordan still doesn't believe, but tells him that they'll look into the matter, instructing Henry to do nothing until he returns. King Sr. ends the call, revealing himself dressed as Brainwave.

The Cosmic Staff makes its way up to Courtney's room, scaring the sleeping girl off her bed. She incredulously asks the staff what its doing, only to receive its warble response. A concerned Barbara yells if she's okay. Courtney wrestles the staff under her bed, ordering it to stay and she resumes her sleeping position as her mother comes in. She tells her mom she couldn't sleep, giving Barbara the impression its because of what she said earlier. She apologizes to her daughter, but Courtney says she's the one whose sorry as she hasn't given Pat a chance but she will now. Barbara is relived at Courtney's new mindset, and they bid each other goodnight again.

Her mother leaves, and subsequently Courtney checks under her bed, but the Cosmic Staff has gone and opened her windows, directing her outside. She complains that it's cold outside and grabs it, only to be pulled into flight again.

At the drive-in theater, Brainwave investigates the burnt ground where the car exploded, looking up at the starry night.

Courtney lands at the top of a building without gracefulness. She asks the staff why it brought her here. Through a series of warbles and gestures, she understand it wants to practice again. She tries to leap on it again, but misses and falls. Trying again, she tips the staff into a spin that lands in her hand. She gains to confidence to jump off the building and rides the staff through the empty street and into the sky. Her joyous session ends as airborne tires knock her off the staff, and she crash lands into a pile of tires. Looking around, she doesn't see the threat as she is suddenly pulled by a great force into the fence behind her, then is dragged forward. Reaching the staff, she doesn't see the source, and runs into Blue Valley Tires warehouse for help. Yelling if there's anyone there, she sees Brainwave as he mentally interrogates who she is and why she has the staff. She's forcibly dragged to him until the only thing standing between them is the staff. Brainwave tells her that he can sense her thoughts of isolation and being alone, and asks why she's thinking of her father. Courtney begs the staff to do something, to which the staff jerks and strikes him under the chin. However, Brainwave lands feet-first after the strike, and sends airborne tires after her. Courtney expertly dodges them, and the staff sends a beam of light to him which causes an explosive ball of fire.

Brainwave disappears, and a terrified Courtney runs out of the warehouse. She's then confronted a large robot, and nervously points the staff at it. Incredibly, Pat's voice rungs out, telling her he said not to touch the staff.

## Cast

### Starring

* Brec Bassinger as Courtney Whitmore
* Yvette Monreal as Yolanda Montez
* Anjelika Washington as Beth Chapel
* Cameron Gellman as Rick Tyler
* Trae Romano as Mike Dugan
* Jake Austin Walker as Henry King Jr.
* Meg DeLacy as Cindy Burman
* Neil Jackson as Jordan Mahkent
* Christopher James Baker as Dr. Henry King Sr.
* Amy Smart as Barbara Whitmore
* Luke Wilson as Pat Dugan

### Guest Starring

* Henry Thomas as Charles McNider
* Joel McHale as Sylvester Pemberton
* Eric Goins as Steve Sharpe
* Neil Hopkins as Lawrence Crock
* Joy Osmanski as Paula Brooks
* Hina Khan as Principal Anaya Bowin
* Joe Knezevich as Councilman William Zarick
* Mark Ashworth as Justin
* Lou Ferrigno Jr. as Rex Tyler
* Brian Stapf as Ted Grant

### Co-Starring

* Stella Smith as Artemis Crock
* Ashley Winfrey as Jenny Williams
* Wil Deusner as Joey Zarick
* Max Frantz as Isaac Bowin
* Annie Thurman as Mary Kramer
* Jasun Jabbar as Brian Tanner Balloid
* Sam Brooks as Travis Thomas
* Maizie Smith as 5-year-old Courtney Whitmore
* Olivia Baughn as 5-year-old Mary Kramer
* Ashani Roberts as Charlotte Balough
* Elizabeth Bond as Maggie Kramer
* Christian Adam as Josh Hamman
* Suehyla El-Attar as Mrs. Patterson
* Julia Armitage as Town Girl

## Notes and Trivia

* Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this episode moved up a week and aired on May 19, 2020 (on The CW) instead of May 12, 2020.
* The episode opened with a flashback to the Golden Age of Heroes and the Battle of Los Angeles.
* The series premiere opened with 1.21 million viewers and a 0.3 in adults ages 18-49 on *The CW*. This makes it the most-watched series debut on the network since *Batwoman* last fall, and the best summer series premiere since *Whose Line Is It Anyway?* back in 2013.
* On Courtney's bulletin board is a picture of her with a brunette. The brunette in the picture is Courtney Johns, the inspiration behind Stargirl. When talking about the photo, Brec said, "*seeing this photo on set every day was a constant reminder of the real reason we were there*."
* Because the episode had to be trimmed to fit a 40-minute time slot, certain scenes in *The CW* version of the episode were either absent or shortened.
	+ Pat and Sylvester's moment at the beginning of the episode was shortened, with a line of Sylvester's dialogue cut.
	+ When Courtney and Mary were saying goodbye they had more dialogue before discussing the move before their farewell hug. This dialogue was removed.
	+ One scene that was cut entirely from The CW edit of the Pilot focused on Pat Dugan as he began unpacking his belongings in the basement of his new home.
	+ Another scene removed entirely is Pat and Courtney's conversation on their way to Blue Valley High School. Instead of including the scene, it went from commercial break to Courtney being dropped off at BVHS.
	+ Another brief cut came shortly after Courtney arrived at Blue Valley High School. The DC Universe edit of the Stargirl pilot shows Courtney as she entered the school and observed some of her classmates, a Janitor, and teachers. This scene was removed.
	+ Minor cuts were made to the scene in which Pat starts moving his mechanic's gear into a garage he's renting to use as a business. The CW edit of this scene cut the opening music montage, in which Pat drives around Blue Valley in his classic convertible to the garage. It also cut the last few seconds of the scene. It cuts away just before Pat shook his head and shrugged at how weird Crusher was.
	+ Another scene that was cut entirely from The CW edit was Courtney's first encounter with Cindy Burman, and her hanger-on Jenny.
	+ The CW cut lacks a rather lengthy sequence detailing Courtney's afternoon after she was sent to the principal's office for fighting and was given detention after school. It also cuts out the part where Courtney walks home from school.
	+ Courtney never finds the newspaper featuring Stripesy and Starman after they defeated Dr. Weerd.
	+ Mike microwaving marshmallows and his conversation with Courtney is removed.
	+ Brainwave telekinetically moving a key across the room to open the secret passage is cut entirely.
	+ Henry King Sr's phone call with Jordan Mahkent is cut entirely.
	+ The ending scene where Courtney deflects tires that Brainwave throws at her is cut.
* For a deep-dive podcast with lots of behind the scenes info and easter eggs that you won’t find anywhere else, click here.
* On June 26, 2020 Neil Hopkins and Stella Smith did an AMA over on the Stargirl Reddit forum where they answered a couple of fan questions.
	+ Neil went onto say that when he first met the producers they gave them *“JSA: the Golden Age”* comic to read.
* The set department built an actual mansion-replicated set for the big JSA fight at the beginning of the episode.
* Hawkman was originally supposed to appear during the JSA and ISA fight in the opening sequence of the episode. The deleted scene featured Pat Dugan running into the building where the JSA and ISA were facing off, the camera panned up, and fans would have seen Hawkman overhead.
* A removals van seen when the family are leaving their old home says Action Movers on it. The word Action is written in the same style as the logo for *Action Comics*.

## Gallery

### Videos

DC's Stargirl Season 1 Episode 1 Family Arrives At New Home Scene The CWDC's Stargirl Season 1 Episode 1 Pilot Scene The CWDC's Stargirl 1x01 Scene "Stargirl vs. Brainwave" (HD) Brec Bassinger Superhero seriesDC's Stargirl Joel McHale And Geoff Johns Chat The CW
### Screenshots

Most screenshots are courtesy of Screencapped.net. For a complete image set, see their gallery.

### Behind the Scenes

Courtney JohnsBrec seeing the Staff for the first time

## References

1. ↑ https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/dcs-stargirl-season-one-ratings/
2. ↑ **DC Universe:** Stargirl Season 1
3. ↑ "DC's Stargirl Episode Synopses Hint JSA & Injustice Society Encounters - Screen Rant
4. ↑ **Deadline:** The CW Shifts ‘In the Dark’ & ‘Stargirl’ Premiere Dates, Summons ‘Whose Line’ In COVID 19-Related Scheduling Changes As ‘Supernatural’ & ‘Legacies’ Bow Out
5. ↑ **Hollywood Reporter:** TV Ratings for May 19, 2020
6. ↑ **Decider:** ‘DC’s Stargirl’ Boss Geoff Johns Explains What Changed From The Original “Pilot”
7. ↑ AMA with Stella Smith & Neil Hopkins
8. ↑ **Full Circle Cinema:** Hawkman Originally Appeared In The ‘Stargirl’ Pilot