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TV REVIEWS: FTN Reviews Stargirl Season 3 Episode 9: The Monsters

November 3rd, 2022 by Todd Black Comments

So, if you haven’t heard, Stargirl has officially been canceled on the CW. Obviously, it’ll finish this final season, but it’s the latest casualty of the Nexstar takeover. While I am sad that the show is being lost in the general sense, it’s not a surprise, given recent events. Plus, the team behind the series noted that they have a definitive “happy ending” for everything once the finale concludes. So unlike Legends of Tomorrow, we won’t be locked in turmoil about their “unknown fates.” The question is now…will it be a worthy end? After “The Monsters,”…it’s hard to say still.

I will give it credit, the episode was better than last week’s episode, and it did remind time that for all its flaws, there are some great characters here that I love to watch. I’ll miss Pat Dugan the most, which is not something I would’ve said going into the show. His opening up to Barbara about the Shadowlands visit and what he felt about Mike was great. For the record, I don’t buy for one second what Barbara said about Mike, but hey, parents are blind to their kids’ stupidity at times. Their connection is great, and I’m glad that, unlike other characters, Pat didn’t recede into a shell. That’s not his character, and it would’ve been wrong for that to happen.

The Crocs (who i kid you not I was wondering about in the first scenes) also had some beautiful moments here, with Crusher being a friend to Pat and Paula trying to help Barbara protect herself in light of all that’s been happening. Paula reacting as she did to being called a “good friend” was wholesome, and I’ll miss their “odd couple” friendship when the series is done.

I also liked how Courtney and Yolanda reconnected. Their “apology hug” was well shot and Courtney putting her faith in Yolanda to help back her up about the “Cameron reveal” was well handled and showed that their friendship really did mean the world to Courtney. Rick’s mini-speech about “you all are my family” and his “having their back no matter what” was also great. I want more of THAT Rick, not the “Rick Roid” version we’ve been getting or the jerk who says everything with a blank face.

The fight scene at the end was easily the biggest of the season, and there are some pros and cons to it as I’ll reveal. At times, it was great, and there were some really epic shots and moves done by both sides. I’ve noted many times that this season hasn’t had a lot of fight scenes, but they do deliver when they happen.

Also…the Ultra-Humanite reveal? I didn’t see that coming. Look him up if you don’t know him, but he’s a long-time rival of the JSA, and he’s made it clear he wants to wipe them all out. Let’s hope it’s for a good reason. Also, it’s clear he wasn’t the character from the cameras…or was it? Hard to say but I’m betting it’s not.

Sadly, that’s where the good times end. There were a few missteps in this episode that are hard to ignore. Including a lot of things that happened with Beth. She noted to Yolanda and Rick that whoever the camera person was had been rerouting the signal to confuse them…and then it JUST SO HAPPENS to “emanate” from the house of the Icicles, and they didn’t even question it! They just rushed right in led by “Rick Roid.” Yes, you can say Rick’s “condition” helped force it but Beth should’ve known better.

Then, during the fight, Beth suddenly finds out that her suit has always had a combat mode…and it was revealed to her by her parents and not Dr. Mid-Nite…really? Like, REALLY?!?! And remember, she has a good relationship with Dr. Mid-Nite and saw him multiple times in person yet he never relayed the suit’s ability? Also, that’s not how he is in the comics, at all.

As for the fight scene, while it was epic at times, it was very unbelievable at points. The grandparents holding their own with shockingly great ability? Artemis coming out of nowhere to assist when we haven’t seen her in many episodes?  Rick not being able to take out Cameron when we know he’s as strong as Solomon Grundy? Plus, as shown in the earlier scene, Grandma Icicle can kill people with a simple icicle to the heart (which was really hardcore and yet…unnecessary) and yet she didn’t do that to Yolanda when she froze her to the wall!

And Cameron suddenly being a martial arts master when he’s barely used his powers in combat and was an artist? Yeah, that’s unrealistic. And I bet they won’t even judge the grandparents for KILLING SOMEONE AND HIDING THE BODY!

Oh, and Mike is still an idiot, let’s move on.

In the end, “The Monsters” did finally move some things forward, but once again, it came at a cost. Time is running out, so let’s see what happens next.

3.5/5

Todd Black is reader of comics, a watch of TV (a LOT of TV), and a writer of many different mediums. He's written teleplays, fan-fictions, and currently writes a comic book called Guardians (guardians-comic.com). He dreams of working at Nintendo, writing a SHAZAM! TV series, and working on Guardians for a very long time!