Spoiler warning for anyone who hasn't yet watched Stargirl's third episode, "Icicle."
With its third episode, Stargirl continued laying the well-crafted groundwork for creator Geoff Johns' modern-day Justice Society of America, and the critic-friendly series also packed in a few shocking developments about the villainous Injustice Society's current whereabouts. Fittingly enough, "Icicle" gave fans a revealing look at Season 1's cold-hearted big bad, which featured important deaths in both the past and the present, and according to star Brec Bassinger, that's just the tip of the iceberg. (Terrible pun quota: met.)
CinemaBlend spoke with Brec Bassinger about what's to come after the show's first big modern-day death(s), as well as that surprising semi-twist involving Courtney's mom Barbara (Amy Smart). Read on to dig into why the actress is so pumped about it!
Why Icicle Killing The Wizard Is A Big Deal
Having solidified his powers at a young age after his mother's depressing death, Neil Jackson's Jordan Mahkent solidified his evil in Episode 3 with a no-turning-back moment. As Icicle, he spitefully co-murdered the Joey Zarick (Will Deusnir), the magician-in-training son of William Zarick (Joe Knezevich), who is the Blue Valley councilman also known as the Injustice Society's The Wizard. An even more surprising moment (relatively speaking) came in the final minutes, when Icicle murdered the angered and heartbroken Zarick, leaving behind only the family's matriarch Denise (Cynthia Evans).
Clearly, William Zarick hadn't played a gigantic role in Season 1 so far, either as a regular Joe or as a superhero-killing baddie. But the fact that Stargirl already killed off an O.G. Injustice Society member – by his own leader's hand, no less – is a big sign that this otherwise cheery new show isn't pulling punches when it comes to taking these comic-based characters out. Here's how a very excited Brec Bassinger put it:
When I read that script, I was shook. Like, no one is safe in the show. And if you think that's crazy, just wait. Well, I'm not gonna say anymore, but no one is safe, and I think that's the first testimony to that.
As Courtney is on a quest to find worthy new recruits to fill the shoes of the long-dead Justice Society, Icicle clearly has little issue with lowering the member count of his own super-squad. While William's death wasn't necessarily meant to hit viewers in all the deepest ways, given his (and Joey's) limited screen time, it was still a defining moment for Stargirl in that it set up a high-enough bar for what current characters may be marked for death as the season continues.
Granted, Stargirl did start off with the Justice Society's fatal defeat, which was itself a high bar. (R.I.P. Joel McHale's Starman.) But Brec Bassinger's tone made it seem like virtually anyone beyond Courtney Whitmore herself could be killed off. That's pretty awesome, and fans still haven't met all of the show's major players yet, so the future is full of fun and potentially sad surprises.
Yikes, Stargirl's Mom Works For Icicle
Courtney and Luke Wilson's Pat already have a slew of life wrinkles to worry about in Season 1 so far, from the latter getting used to being a superhero, and the pair's mission to seek out all the Injustice Society members residing in Blue Valley, Nebraska. But as Season 3 revealed, not even the glue holding the Whitmore/Dugan family together is safe from Icicle, or at least from Jordan Mahkent. We learn that Barbara is working for the villainous businessman's "The American Dream" organization, and she's already on his radar after making a positive first impression.
When I asked Brec Bassinger about that surprising reveal, here's what she had to say:
Oh my gosh, I think it's so funny. I mean, we are literally looking for Icicle and the whole Injustice Society, and she's with them almost every single day, which is just ironic, I guess you could say. It does get difficult.
Considering Brec Bassinger called Barbara's potentially dangerous new gig both funny and ironic, we can probably assume that Barbara won't be one of the characters that gets killed off in Season 1. This awkward situation is kind of a classic TV set-up, where main characters are all missing a key piece of information that would connect everything together. Stargirl's use of it speaks to both the show's throwback sensibilities and the fact that Blue Valley is a small ass town.
Truth be told, Brec Bassinger did continue talking about Barbara's job with Icicle beyond that, but the quotes dipped into semi-spoilery territory, so we'll have to circle back around to that rest of it after a later episode.
Stargirl episodes hit the streaming world on Mondays via DC Universe at 9:00 a.m. ET, and then air on linear TV on The CW on Tuesday nights at 8:00 p.m. ET. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more from Brec Bassinger over the next few weeks, and keep an eye on our Summer 2020 premiere schedule to see what other exciting TV shows are debuting soon.
