Who is Justin, the mysterious janitor? Stargirl dives into that with an opening dedicated to the character. For fans of the comic series, you know where things are going but the television show has done a solid job of keeping things up in the air.

That’s not the only mystery of the episode as Courtney’s real father arrives. It’s all a little dramatic and feels a little out of nowhere but it flows nicely and leads to some solid family dynamics.

The segment is good as it finally answers the question as to who Courtney’s real father is. It closes that plot point but it also puts the family back in the center of the episode. The moments involving Courtney, Pat, Barbara, and Mike are really important and is a reminder that at the center of the show is this family. It focuses on their relationships and ties nicely into recent issues with all of them. It also throws into question Courtney’s role as Stargirl, shifting from legacy to something better.

The episode really gets interesting when Brainwave and Icicle discuss what to do about Stargirl. Icicle actually shows some hesitation in just killing Courtney, and keep in mind this is a series that has been at ease killing kids. It adds a bit to Icicle beyond the cold killer and makes Brainwave a bit colder as well (though, he did kill his own kid).

There is a little silliness in the episode. How Henry’s death is handled by the school feels… off. Then again, this is the third kid who’s died in the school and no one seems to be questioning that at all.

As Stargirl heads to the end of the first season, the episode is solid as it refocuses the series a bit. Each episode up to this point has felt like it revolved around some action sequence or fight. This episode instead gets it back to basics of the family at the heart of the show. It also makes Courtney an even better character by making it really about her as Stargirl not her legacy as Starman’s daughter. Just like she realizes, she’s was chosen for more reasons than who she thought her father was. She has qualities to be a hero, more than her enthusiasm. This is the episode that puts that front and center.

Overall Rating: 8.15