Stargirl Season 2 - Discussion ( Spoiler Warning)

I thought this was by far the best episode of the series. Really creepy moments. Great way of bringing the team to its lowest point (even though we know TBolt and Jade will be there to help at the end of the season. And Beth's first real shining moment of the series--I love making her the strongest of the group and learning Eclipso's weakness. I know this is Courtney's show, but it would be wonderful to see Beth gain the confidence to be the leader of the team.

 

What I'm hoping is that the arc with the team members breaking up and turning in or destroying their legacy JSA gear is setting up a resolution where they get new costumes closer to their comics counterparts in Infinity, Inc. Wildcat's costume is okay, but those Golden Age Dr. Mid-Nite and Hourman costumes are ridiculous.

But so far we've had Yolanda turn in her intact costume and Rick destroy his hourglass, while Beth is more attached to her goggles than ever. So that doesn't seem to be pointing in the direction I'm hoping for.

 

Eh, Rick's Hourman costume from II would be a step down.

I've always like Dr. Midight's II costume though. The shoulders and arms are mis-colored in this pic though.

 

They don't need to replicate the costumes exactly, just come up with something modern that evokes their colors or broad-strokes design elements, like the MCU and the Arrowverse generally do.

Then again, most of this show's costume designs have been very comics-accurate so far, which is really the problem with Beth's and Rick's outfits.

 

Looks like old-school Cyclops from the X-Men.

 

I can see how the colors and certain elements can give that impression.

 

I've always really liked the GA Hourman costume...

 

Like the boots? Except these are turned up to 11. I've never seen such boots.

 

In the comics, maybe, but this show's interpretations of Hourman and Dr. Mid-Nite look like bad Halloween costumes. Maybe if the capes were a bit smaller and made of different material, they wouldn't be so bad.

 

On the one hand I admire the decision to say, "Screw it we're doing comics accurate costumes." On the other hand it does kind of demonstrate (with some exceptions) why most shows/movies don't do it.

 

Gotta disagree here. I love the vintage-looking JSA costumes just because they're so comic-book-looking. And, yes, because of the nostalgia factor.

 

Given how much effort Johns put into bringing back the Golden Age looks during his JSA work, I highly doubt they're going to go away from the basic style we've seen. Besides, those images of Hourman II and Midnite II look awful compared to the Golden Age look.

Mid-Nite's in particular I think is a particularly great costume, and while I like it back than the original Hourman look, the Infinity Inc Hourman look is even worse than the Midnite look.


That said, while this season has been really good in general... I have to admit I wasn't as engaged this week. Partly it's because I think Beth is the weakest link of the show in acting, writing, and character. With Rick to a lesser extent. Last week's focus on Yolanda was much better in my opinion, she's such a standout.

It's funny, the whole thing about Beth being the non-action girl would be one thing if she was acting in a mission control type role or she was shown to have a big interest in medicine like her mom. Even Pieter Anton Cross ("my" Mid-Nite) was a lot more notable for his medical role than his fighting, although the blackout bombs would help (I forgot, have we seen blackout bombs in this show?), and of course McNider was.

That said, I'm loving Eclipso as the villain - the horror vibe has totally been fitting, and I'm loving that they actually committed, a la the Eclipso arc in the old JSA comics. I wonder if we'll see reference to Eclipso as the "former wrath of God"... I know it's very unlikely but it would be pretty amazing if they brought back Stephen Amell as the Spectre at least for a cameo or extended cameo.

Hoping we see Jade come back soon, and definitely want to really see Jakeem. Wouldn't mind seeing more of Cameon Makhent too, that's for sure.

 

Again, they don't have to duplicate the exact designs -- I just think that Rick and Beth are supposed to be the next generation of heroes, they deserve their own modern costumes, rather than just hand-me-downs from the previous generation. I mean, Stargirl isn't wearing Starman's costume, but an updated one of her own. It seems appropriate for the others to have the same.

And as I mentioned, my story sense as a writer is telling me that plot beats like Yolanda returning the Wildcat costume and Rick destroying the hourglass might conceivably be setup for them getting new costumes later on. Though it's not clearly pointing that way, so I wouldn't bet on it; it's just a possibility that occurred to me.

 

Seems to me it would be in character for Rick to want to adopt the look of his father. Looking how Beth dresses most of the time she seems like someone who would be much more comfortable in an old-fashioned adventurer's getup than some tight-fitting spandex.

Though I would love to see Rick and especially Beth in those costumes above.
(yes yes I know they wouldn't be exact duplicates...)

 

Courtney adopted the look of Starman when she thought he was her father, but she updated it. She didn't just wear a used costume, she remade it to fit her own identity and style (and, of course, to fit her physically) while still paying tribute to its origin. So it's not a binary choice. You can adopt a predecessor's look and make it your own at the same time. Indeed, surely that's a better tribute than just copying it exactly.

Who wears spandex anymore? Modern-day TV and movie superhero costumes tend to be elaborate body armor and textured fabric. Even Stargirl's form-fitting costume is made from "five different custom fabrics," according to the show's costume designer.

 

Why? I'm not knocking someone who did it but why would that be a better tribute?

Sorry let me rephrase,
Looking how Beth dresses most of the time she seems like someone who would be much more comfortable in an old-fashioned adventurer's getup than some tight-fitting outfit made from five different custom fabrics.
Think we're missing the forest for the trees there.

 

I'm surprised you have to ask. Mere imitation is superficial. If you've truly learned from a mentor's lessons and internalized them, you don't simply copy them, you make them your own, and you take them even further. Surely you've heard the saying that teachers want to be surpassed by their students.

I see no trees, only a straw man. I never said anything about a tight-fitting costume for Beth, so please don't pretend that's the only possible option. And I already rejected the pat assumption that it's a binary choice.

 

I guess I felt you were correcting my description of the fabric more than the style of costume.

 

Nah: Hourman's stylin'.

 

I've never been a fan of the loose hood/mask look for a costume. The Spectre might be the only one it works for. Oh, and Destiny of the Endless.
Rick started sporting an updated version of Rex's costume when he joined the JSA in the comics. His TV look owes a lot to that costume.