- Title: Stargirl – Shining Knight
- wiki: link
Following the death of Henry (Jake Austin Walker), Courtney (Brec Bassinger) receives another gut punch with the arrival of her biological father, a drifter named Sam Curtis (Geoff Stults) who is very much not Starman. Shattering her illusion she was a legacy fulfilling a destiny of picking up her father’s staff in the war against the ISA, the arrival of Sam, neither hero nor villain but simply a selfish absentee father, is a blow as strong as any that left her in the hospital earlier in the season.
The episode gets its name from the school’s custodian Justin (Mark Ashworth) seeking out Pat (Luke Wilson). A once great hero left with a broken mind after his encounter with Dragon King (Nelson Lee), Justin works as a cautionary tale to the new JSA members. Although named after Justin, “Shining Knight” works primarily as a second origin episode for Courtney who struggles with recent events and finds herself unable to wield the staff any longer. The choice to pick it up again, to be Stargirl not out of a sense of loyalty to a father she barely knew or revenge, ends an emotionally-charged episode on a hopeful note as the show moves forward to its two-part season finale and the confrontation with Icicle (Neil Jackson) and the ISA.
