Chapter One: The Murder

## Episode Guide

**Chapter One: The Murder** also titled **Frenemies - Chapter One: The Murder**, is the first episode of the third season of *Stargirl*, and the twenty-seventh episode overall. The episode aired on August 31, 2022, on The CW.

## Synopsis

**STARMAN IS BACK —** With Starman back from the dead and her former super-villain enemies vowing to reform, Courtney is hopeful that there will finally be peace in Blue Valley. But when The Gambler arrives to town looking to make his own amends, the team find themselves at odds over whether he can be trusted.

## Plot

The town of Blue Valley is back to its cheerful, kind, and welcoming state, as citizens chat with one another. Jakeem Williams rides his bike past The Pit Stop on his paper route, throwing a newspaper to Zeek, who is getting out of his truck for work. He waves to the boy as he passes. Jakeem bikes ahead on his route, throwing a paper to Richard Swift, who picks it up off his lawn. He waves with a tight smile to Jakeem. Thunderbolt urges him to pump those feet, as they guy is spooksville and they should split.

At the Chapel's, Bridget and James wake up Beth with breakfast in bed. Bridget eagerly shows her color swatches for a new super suit. Beth forces a smile and looks down at her phone, seeing a selfie from Courtney telling her the family is leaving Yellowstone National Park.

In the woods, Rick finishes burying Grundy, then checks the timer for his hourglass. It only has 33 minutes remaining. Across town, Yolanda leaves church and happily says goodbye to the others. She returns a text from Courtney, sending a cat and heart emoji. Her happiness is short-lived when she sees Cindy Burman crossing the street. Cindy passes an elderly woman struggling to carry her groceries while walking. Cindy stops and rolls her eyes before plastering on a fake smile. She returns to the woman and offers to help her with that. The woman thanks her and loops her arm through Cindy's as they walk.

The Crock family, consisting of Larry, Paula, and Artemis, prepare for their morning jog, setting their watches to matching times. They pass the Whitmore-Dugan House, where Sylvester Pemberton is inside putting the final touches on all his projects. In the town square, Steve Sharpe picks up litter, throws it in the trash can, and peruses down the street with a "howdy" to the locals.

Sylvester finishes cleaning the kitchen when he hears the front door open. He rounds the corner to see the Whitmore-Dugan's arriving home. He greets them when they return as his, "Star family", earning love from Buddy. He asks how the trip was, getting three different answers. He comments on Pat's facial hair, joking that he left home a boy and came back a man. Mike isn't thrilled about it, earning a sideways look for Sylvester, as facial hair is a man's birthright. He'll understand when he starts shaving. Mike argues that shaves, but Sylvester doesn't believe him. Barbara goes into the kitchen and remarks on him fixing everything, including the new expensive marble countertop. He knows a house needs to earn his keep. Pat had that on his list, confusing Courtney and Mike who didn't know he had a list.

He and Courtney head downstairs, where she's amazed by the newly transformed basement. Courtney can't find Cosmo's crate, which he moved into the garage - because he made a new one. He gestures to an elaborate case next to his bed. The staff warbles and takes off into the case. Sylvester surmises that he likes it, but his happiness fades when he sees Courtney's forced expression. The case might be overkill, but he didn't know how else to thank a big, golden stick that's the reason he's not dead now. She's been wanting to ask but didn't want to be rude. He's still trying to figure that out, as he woke up in his own coffin, screaming. He dug himself out only to be completely fine. He doesn't understand it, but thinks when Courtney formed the bond with Cosmo, she woke up the bond he has with it too. She worries he's reconsidering letting her keep the staff. If he is, she wants him to tell her now she can figure things out. He assures her that he's done being Starman.

Pat finds Courtney standing alone on the porch and joins her, asking what's wrong. He thought she was happy that Sylvester is here, and she is, but he put a lot of hard work into building a display case for the staff right next to his bed. He was talking about the bond he has with staff, which makes her insecure. Pat thinks that's exactly why Sylvester can show her how to do things with it that he can't. There's a real opportunity for her to learn directly from him, as he really knows what he's doing. While he teaches her how to be a better Stargirl, Pat will help him navigate his life post-Starman. The sound of a lawn mower whirring off catches their attention. Paula and Larry wave vibrantly from their lawn, welcoming them home. Paula grins as she tells Pat to tell Barbara they have to go get coffee together. Pat promises he will as Barbara will be thrilled. He and Courtney quickly retreat into the house as he mutters that she won't be thrilled.

Once inside, he locks the front door which confounds her. He's locking the door but she laments that they have to learn to trust them, unlocking it. He's incredulous and thinks she's kidding at first, relocking the door. They're not their enemies anymore. He knows she's very trusting which is a great quality, but when it co comes to people like that, she has to be very careful. She thinks they can make a difference in the world by helping the bad guys break good. If they can learn to trust each, not only would they be better people for it, but no matter what evil comes their way next, they'll be on the same side like they were against Eclipso, making them unstoppable. The doorbell rings and Pat goes to open the door. Courtney reminds him it's locked. When he opens the door they see Steve Sharpe standing on their porch, greeting them cheerfully. He's come to make amends and even brought their mail.

The trio sits in the living room as they discuss why Steve is back. He assures them he isn't here for trouble. He wants to follow the example that others in his ilk have set forth. Pat calmly breaks the news that Steve isn't given the chances that others are, as he didn't help them defeat Eclipso. Instead, he ran from everyone and went into hiding. Steve heard about that, but has a change of heart now. He found a birth certificate for a daughter he never knew he had, as her mother put her up for adoption. He wants to be better for Becky. He has no delusions of being a role model like Pat, but he can apologize to those he's wronged and become a productive member of the community. If his daughter ever wants a relationship with him, he'll be worthy. This matters to him because his father abandoned him, and he doesn't want his daughter to go through life thinking he abandoned her. He wants her to know he loves her. This sentiment hits home for Courtney. Unbeknownst to anyone, the conversation is recorded by a hidden camera.

Pat wakes up the next morning to the sound of a disturbance in his kitchen. He walks down to find Crusher making juices with a new juicer. He questions what Larry is doing there, and the man cheerfully says he's making breakfast. What he's actually doing is trespassing, a remark Crusher ignores. He gives Pat the juice he made to help boost his testosterone. Pat's testosterone is fine and he's good without the juice. Crusher gets straight the point - what the putz was doing here yesterday. He wonders why Pat and the kid didn't lock Gambler up, to which Pat explains they're dealing with it. Crusher pushes that the Kentucky-fried felon is not to be trusted. No matter what he says, he's only ever been in this life for the money. That's all he cares about. Courtney comes downstairs, confused. Pat tells Courtney that Crusher broke in, but the man dismisses the claim as the door was unlocked. He's trying to get her old man back into the program. He cuts off Pat to say the juicer is on them, so is the first protein powder, and hopes to see him at Ripped City which is having a grand reopening. He playfully fights with Pat, laughing at Pat's claim that he almost killed Crusher the last time they fought. When Crusher leaves, Pat looks to Court; they have to start locking the doors.

At Richie Rock's Diner, Richard continues his summer pursuit for the perfect cup of tea. Maria anxiously waits as he tries her new brew. He barely contains his disdain, politely thanking her for the attempt, but suggesting that she's burnt it a bit. As she walks off, he tries to cleanse his palate. His attitude shifts when he senses Steven Sharpe, The Gambler's arrival. Steve wants to have a parlay of sorts, starting off by complimenting Richard's sense of style. Richard is unamused and pointedly ask what he wants. Steve wants to change for the daughter he's just learned he has. Richard believes he has no daughter, just as he has no scruples. He's not fooling anyone and should leave Blue Valley before Courtney Whitmore and the others find out whatever it is he's really up to. Steve assures him that his daughter is very real, and he's simply come to extend an apology for their past disagreements. When Richard left the ISA, Steve drained all his bank accounts which was displeasing. Richard lowers his face and when he looks back, his eyes are pure black. He warns him to go. Steve quickly agrees to leave, hopes he finds a good cup of tea, and exits the diner. Richard rubs his eye in discomfort. When he removes his finger from the corner of his eye, the black smoke sparks with green energy.

Courtney and Yolanda get their lunch their first day back at Blue Valley High School. They discuss the villains in the town who are getting second chances. Courtney doesn't think The Gambler is up to something bad, with Yolanda pressing that he wouldn't tell them if he was. None of them are good, especially Cindy. She stabbed Yolanda in the back and will do it to Courtney the first chance she gets. She has enough problems with her parents, who will ship her off to boarding school of they catch her sneaking out on more time. They sit at the table as Beth talks with her parents using the goggles. They continue to show her samples and a digital design for a new suit. Bridget suggests lemon yellow as a new color scheme, but Beth reminds them that yellow and black are Rick's colors. She likes her cape, too. She ends their call and sighs that she shouldn't have given them this number. Courtney eagerly asks what she's eating, with Beth telling her the rundown which sounds less appealing to Courtney. Beth admits her parents made it; breakfast too. Rick joins them looking tired. He's had no luck with Grundy yet. He's buried him everywhere The Shade's told him to. In a clear field under a full moon, between two oak trees, but nothing ever happens. Yolanda instantly thinks The Shade is lying, that Grundy is never coming back. She shoots Courtney a pointed look, earning an exasperated one in return.

Cindy interrupts the meeting as she pulls a chair up, welcoming them back to school. She quips that they can't call it the "losers table" anymore if she's there, with Rick retorting that it never was the losers table. Courtney tries to start their meeting by discussing teamwork, wanting to wipe the slate clean. If she can look beyond her past with Cindy, the rest of the JSA can, too. Yolanda isn't so eager to forgive and forget, with Cindy snapping that she should get over her trauma already. Yolanda makes it clear they don't want her here. Courtney argues that they agreed on this, but Rick corrects since she and Beth agreed, while he and Yolanda didn't. They skip ahead to Starman being back, with the JSA anxiously wondering what's happening to the staff. Sylvester plans to teach Courtney how to use it since it has a few more tricks up its proverbial sleeve. An eager Artemis slams her fists on the table as she proclaims a "go, team!" on her way past them. This action confuses the JSA. Yolanda snaps at Courtney that it seems anyone can join the JSA now, storming off as Cindy promises to see her later, calling her a teammate.

Pat shows Sylvester The Pit Stop, S.T.R.I.P.E., and the updated Rocket Racker. Sylvester remarks that what he did with the Rocket Racer was unbelievable, but the robot is spectacular. If the rest of the JSA were alive to see this, they'd be begging him to sit at the table. Pat admits he put a lot of work into it. Sylvester thinks he deserves more recognition, wanting to see what it can do. He wants to see it fly for told times' sake. Pat agrees so Sylvester plans to grab the staff, which takes Pat by surprise, though Sylvester reasons that it's the only way he'll keep up with the robot. He then cuts off Pat by thanking him for giving him a place to stay and make him feel welcome. To see him with his family, succeeding and happy, makes Sylvester happy too. Warmed by the sentiment, Pat thanks his friend.

Paula visits Barbara at The American Dream to talk with her. She realizes Artemis has a history with Courtney and her friends, like Paula with Barbara, but Artemis desperately wants to join the Justice Society of America. If she wants that for herself, so does Paula. She just hopes Courtney doesn't hold grudges or punish her for the past actions of herself and her husband, because that would be a real shame. Potentially, with real consequences. Paula's intimidating behavior and demeanor instantly scares Barbara, who insists that who's in the JSA isn't up to her; it's up to them. She adds that Artemis is such a great kid. Paula nods briskly and stiffens her posture. Artemis will proves herself if she has to, telling Barbara to just watch.

Steve settles in at Cornhusker Estate Trailer Park. He gazes at a photograph of a baby girl, his long-lost daughter Becky. He begins a nationwide search for her on his laptop. As the search renders, he opens his suitcase, moves his clothing aside to reveal his pistol underneath them. He hears commotion outside, likes tires squealing away. He goes outside to see the intruder. Nothing is out of order, so he goes back inside his trailer. He pauses before dropping the pistol in the trash can.

Sylvester and S.T.R.I.P.E. take to the skies for a new adventure. They stumble into the Whitmore-Dugan house late at night, gushing over their adventures of saving a crashing plane. Courtney realizes Sylvester took the staff, as Barbara critiques Pat for being out way past dinner. Sylvester just wanted to see Stripesy's tech in action, recapping the big plane that S.T.R.I.P.E. caught. Barbara presses that he told Courtney he wouldn't be Starman anymore. Cosmo warbles sadly, with Sylvester lowering his head. He apologizes to Court, who tells her what he did saving a place is amazing, really. He gives her the staff and apologizes for causing trouble. He goes back to the basement as Pat prepares for dinner.

Courtney follows him with Cosmo, asking if he's okay. He admits to lying to her, as he did come back for the the staff, which she thought so. She knew there had to be something. When he came back to life he realized he didn't have a life to come back to. His sister and parents died, he never married, or had any kids. All he had was Starman, so he doesn't know what he would do without it. She sadly asks if he wants the staff back, letting it float towards him. He doesn't, and the staff stops. He thought Pat was holding the staff but when he saw her with it, he knew it chose her. He would never ask for it back, because she's the future, not him. He can train her, though, and shows her some pretty great tricks. After that, he doesn't know what will happens. The staff drifts back to Courtney before stopping when she speaks. The staff still works for him and that has to mean something. She can't ignore that. She decides to make an arrangement, where he uses the staff while she's at school, and she'll take it back when she's out. He's reluctant but Courtney proclaims that settles it - Starman is back. The staff twirls in the air in joy, sending sparks. Sylvester holds it in his hand until Courtney gets a call from Beth that there's trouble.

The JSA suits up for the truck robbery outside a warehouse. It's their first mission since Shiv's membership. Shiv's presence annoys Wildcat and they begin to bicker. Stargirl cuts it off as they don't have time for squabble. She runs towards the gang until Artemis leaps over a wall, donning a super suit. She takes out the gang alone as Shiv smiles proudly from the sidelines. An astonished Stargirl looks at her team.

Steve takes a seat and begins to write a letter to Becky, apologizing for the years lost, not being there for her, and wishes he could offer an explanation for his past errant ways.

The JSA heads to The Pit Stop to debrief. Cindy is incredulous over them hanging out at a greasy garage, even if it's the only place big enough to keep S.T.R.I.P.E.. She remarks that it smells like a gas station bathroom. Rick asks if she's going to complain about everything. She offers her house as an alternate meeting place, as she has comfortable chairs and wine. Rick presses that they don't drink on the job, with Beth adding they aren't 21 and don't drink at all. Cindy calls the situation lame. Beth gets a hit on the gang, who are the No Limit Gang that used to work for The Gambler. Yolanda and Rick don't think that's a coincidence, as Gambler is back in town. Bad guys like him don't change. Cindy proclaims that it's boring and to call her when something exciting happens. Courtney's attempts to stop her are useless.

She turns back to her team. Yolanda makes her annoyance clear, as the JSA isn't gonna work if she lets people like Cindy Burman join the team. Rick says to screw Cindy Burman and go after The Gambler, as he's guilty and they all know it. He's sorry for Court, but her little experiment where they hang out with supervillains, is over.

Pat and Sylvester sit on the front steps to have a beer. He thinks it's amazing that Courtney got both of them back in the game. Pat thinks he has a second chance. Sylvester wonders if it's like the Crocks, The Shade, Dragon King's daughter, or The Gambler. Courtney thinks they should get a second chance and her heart hasn't steered them wrong yet. Sylvester isn't saying she's wrong, but those are predators they're dealing with, every one of them. Even so, they toast to second chances. Sylvester remarks that Pat is his sidekick again as they're back to being Starman nd Stripesy. Pat's just been going by S.T.R.I.P.E. lately, recapping the acronym, though Sylvester ignores him. He then remarks that the mustache is great, which makes Pat happy.

Steven finishes his letter to Becky. He gets an alert on his laptop from his search for Becky. He starts looking until an alert module appears for an unidentified feed discovered. He looks into out of confusion, finding nine camera feeds - the BVHS cafeteria, Chapel Residence, Whitmore-Dugan House, Barbara's office at The American Dream, the meeting room of The American Dream, Main Street, exterior of Richie Rock's Diner, exterior of The Pit Stop, and the Sharpe trailer. He shakily stands and retrieves his pistol from the trash. He goes outside to investigate, finding the camera in a tree. He tries to dislodge it when a loud sound breaks out. The security camera cuts out.

The JSA arrives at the trailer park. Dr. Mid-Nite continues to search for connections between The Gambler and his old gang, but hasn't found anything. She doubts they're working for him now. Hourman is ready to wreck him, but Courtney wants to give him a chance to explain, that's it. Wildcat asks why she's giving someone like The Gambler a chance. Stargirl takes a breath as she faces her team, admitting that he's trying to be better for his daughter. The Gambler, of all people, is a better dad than hers ever was. Wildcat and Hourman avert their eyes at the revelation. A gunshot startles the team. They race to the source - The Gambler's trailer. They find the trailer destroyed, Gambler on the ground dead, and Shiv crouching by his body. She stands, his pistol smoking in her hand. She looks to Stargirl, insisting she didn't do it.

## Cast

### Starring

* Brec Bassinger as Courtney Whitmore/Stargirl
* Yvette Monreal as Yolanda Montez/Wildcat
* Anjelika Washington as Beth Chapel/Dr. Mid-Nite
* Cameron Gellman as Rick Tyler/Hourman
* Trae Romano as Mike Dugan
* Meg DeLacy as Cindy Burman/Shiv
* Alkoya Brunson as Jakeem Williams
* Neil Hopkins as Larry Crock
* Joy Osmanski as Paula Brooks
* Amy Smart as Barbara Whitmore
* Luke Wilson as Pat Dugan

### Special Guest Star

* Jonathan Cake as Richard Swift
* Seth Green as Thunderbolt

### Guest Starring

* Eric Goins as Steve Sharpe/The Gambler
* Stella Smith as Artemis Crock
* King Orba as Zeek

### Co-Starring

* Kron Moore as Dr. Bridget Chapel
* Gilbert Glenn Brown as James Chapel
* Craig Galloway as Officer Hardy
* Maria Singer as Maria Carmen Saravia
* Kristen Lee as Sonia Sato

## Notes and Trivia

* This episode has aired twice on television - once on its original airdate, and again, to fill the time slot left in the one-week hiatus between "*Chapter Four: The Evidence*" and "*Chapter Five: The Thief*".
* Steve Sharpe appears. He was last seen in the Season 1 episode, "Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. Part Two".
* This is the first episode to feature Seth Green as the voice of Thunderbolt. The character was previously voiced by Jim Gaffigan.
* In a sneak peek released on TVLine, Sylvester revealed to Courtney that he woke up in his coffin, dug his way out, and was still in perfect physical condition.
* Richard Swift is living in The Wizard's old house, which was last seen in Season 1.
* For a deep-dive podcast with lots of behind the scenes info and easter eggs that you won’t find anywhere else, click here.
* During a podcast hosted by former Stargirl graphic designer Shawn, who now works alongside the writers room, he revealed exclusive information and behind the scenes tidbits.
	+ He confirmed that the episode takes place in 2021. Season 1 took place in 2020 from August through December 25th. Season 2 skipped to the beginning of summer, 2021, and completed until the end of the summer. The Whitmore-Dugan's went on their family vacation between the end of Courtney's summer schooling and returned before the start of the new school year. Thus, setting the series in 2021.
	+ Courtney is starting her junior year of high school.
* Beth's parents, Bridget and James, want to make her a new suit using lemon yellow fabric. The digital render of the suit is identical to the one that Beth wears in the comic series.
* Several characters including Merry King, Eclipso, Charles McNider, and Sam Kurtis are mentioned.
* A newspaper seen at the beginning of the episode references the events of the Earth-Prime comic "Road Trip", which took place between "*Summer School: Chapter Thirteen*" and "*Chapter One: The Murder*".
* Cindy is officially a member of the Justice Society of America, despite Rick and Yolanda's objections.
* Steve Sharpe's daughter Rebecca "Becky" Sharpe is revealed to exist, with him having found out about her existence during his time on the run. In the comics, Becky Sharpe was a supervillain named Hazard and was the granddaughter of The Gambler.
* Mike refers to Pat as 'an evil Pat Dugan' a reference to the villain in the Earth-Prime comics run.
* Crusher reopens his gym Ripped City, which closed when he and Paula were sent to prison.
* Rick is making progress with restoring his hourglass, but can only get it to work for 33-minutes.
* Yolanda is still having issues with her family. If her parents catch her sneaking out of her room again, they could send her to boarding school. This might be a reference to Mike in the *Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E.* comic, where Mike is sent to military boarding school.

## Gallery

### Videos

DC's Stargirl - Season 3 Episode 1 - Team Meeting Scene - The CW
### Screenshots

All Screenshots are courtesy of Screencapped.net. For a complete image set, see their gallery.

## References

1. ↑ **KSiteTV:** DC’s Stargirl Season 3 Premiere Premiere Description: “The Murder”
2. ↑ **The CW:** 'Next On Stargirl' Season 3
3. ↑ **TVLine:** In DC's Stargirl Season 3 Sneak Peek, Starman Explains His Resurrection: 'I Woke Up in My Own Coffin...'