Fans have been anticipating the Camney kiss, and guess what? We got it! This week’s episode of Stargirl had it all, and yes, the kiss will talk about at length towards the end. Before we start, I want to stress that NOW is incredibly important to stream the show. The live ratings aren’t the only thing being counted, and Nexstar and The CW need to see that we’re tuning in to watch the show. The live numbers have come in overnight, and it’s not great.
TVLine has reported that the numbers plummeted to 403,000. However, our friends at Bam! Smack! Pow! has made the point that the decrease is due to the fall (autumn) shows starting and that there’s massive competition. However, one positive note is that Stargirl is still The CW’s highest-rating show. The downside is that this might change with The Winchesters and Walker: Independence starting and Walker returning. Also, some of the cast are in other projects. But they’re actors and need to keep the money coming in. It’s perfectly normal. The fans’ efforts to renew the show have reached the mainstream media, with CBR picking up the story.
Anyway, let’s not be pessimistic right now, okay? Going back to the show, we get a few exciting developments regarding Sylvester and Cindy, and we even get a surprise appearance from someone we hadn’t expected to see. We’ll be splitting this post into several different ones.
Sylvester Barely Survives His Injuries
Cosmo awakens Courtney despite her protests and pulls her to the caravan park, where she finds Sylvester in a terrible way. We later see him in the hospital, where a worried Courtney and Pat talk with Bridget – Beth’s mother – who now realises the dangers Beth has to face as a superhero. She admits that she and James were overly excited about Beth becoming Doctor Mid-Nite that they didn’t look at the larger picture. She also says that Sylvester has a massive puncture wound. Pat asks if it’s the same one the Gambler had to the heart.
When Sylvester awakens, Pat walks in with a surprise visitor; Charles McNider – the original Doctor Mid-Nite. After a very aloof Bugs Bunny quote of “What’s up, Doc?”, McNider reveals that he now knows why Pemberton is still alive after spending a decade in a coffin. He explains that because Starman has been wielding Cosmo for so long, the energy has become a part of him, similar to how Alan Scott’s daughter, Jennie-Lynn, has become a living power battery for the ring.
Though, Charles does mention a difference between how Sylvester’s abilities operate and those of Jennie’s.
Cameron’s Lack Of Control
As the episode builds towards the Camney kiss, we get a snapshot of Cameron’s struggles with his powers. First, he freezes over a snow globe in what we can assume is a homage to Courtney. Then, his grandparents tell him that he is getting better at controlling his powers, but they say he has to sacrifice his art if he’s going to honour their family’s legacy.
This doesn’t sit well with him, but he chooses not to argue with them. At school, Courtney sneaks away from the JSA long enough for her to check on him. When she questions what he’s doing, he explains he’s quitting art class because he can’t do it anymore. Things spiral when she reaches out to touch him after they get into an argument. Cameron’s powers go haywire and ice over the entire art room, knocking Courtney to the ground.
Horrified, Cameron goes into shock. Regaining her footing, Courtney quickly closes the door and locks it, a lesson she’s finally taken up after the Crocks keep breaking into her house. Cameron explains that he’s been avoiding her because of his powers and that he could hurt her. He questions why she’s not scared of him. She tells him she’s feeling many things, but fear isn’t one of them.
Barbara Gets An Unexpected Surprise
Barbara and Paula’s friendship has become something that we’ve been enjoying. It’s unexpected and fun, given how different they are, but how similar they are simultaneous. They’re both mothers to stubborn teenage daughters, and both share social issues of not entirely fitting into society.
For Paula, her past as a criminal is still haunting her, and only Barbara has faith that she has changed. On the other hand, Barb has a boss who hates her for no reason. At the end of the last episode, Paula visits her manager and threatens him, which leads to him being much nicer to her this episode. He hates every second of it, and it shows on a massive scale.
Barbara is grateful that her proposal passed and is surprised that Paula has “dropped” into her office. But, to her horror, her new pal has a gift for her; a taxidermied Raccoon she made herself.
[Behind the scenes note: Shawn mentioned on this week’s episode of the Stargirl Aftershow podcast that it’s a raccoon, not a fox]
The raccoon is a little creepy, but the thought counts. Poor Barbara had to pretend to like it. Hmm. Perhaps she only has it on display whenever Paula shows up. Paula was very proud of her creation, and we’re not sure who we feel more sorry for; Barbara or the raccoon that lost its life.
And THAT Kiss!
Finally, we get to the long-awaited Camney kiss. It was perfect, with Courtney being the one to guide Cameron into thinking positive about how to use his powers. She tells him to focus on the love he has for his family. It works, and the snow starts falling in a romantic winter wonderland vibe. We’ll review this in another post, but we believe that Courtney is Cameron’s version of what Beth is to Rick. We’re just hoping we find out whose side Cameron will end up on.
Courtney isn’t afraid to push Cameron to open up to her, regardless of his powers being dangerous. The dialogue was short and perfect in every way possible. Courtney’s “It’s magical” is how we can sum up her outlook on life. However, Cameron’s “Like you” was probably the most heartwarming part of the whole thing. The hand holding just seconds before the kiss shows that Courtney trusts him not to harm her. This contrasts with last week’s episode, where they go to hold hands on their walk, but Cameron pulls away out of fear.
Given the kiss happens the next night, something in Cameron would’ve pushed him to see that Courtney cares and isn’t going to turn on him. Also, he’s wanted to kiss her for a while, and I’m pretty sure that feeling was mutual on her part too.
