S01.E11: Shining Knight

[Jediknight]

Upon rewatch, something hit me, the title of the episode isn't just referring to Justin, it's also referring to Pat.  Justin does the knighting gesture with Excalibur to Pat, Justin tells Pat he built a fine suit of armor, he's there for the new JSA and Justin, and he "rescues" the damsel in distress when Courtney is completely devastated by Sam asking for the locket.

[Kromm]

On 7/27/2020 at 9:55 AM, Primal Slayer said:

 

It was a good episode but I think it was also their weakest episode. Shining Knight didnt really get to do much and Courtneys father was introduced just to break Courtneys spirit and rebuild it by the end of the episode. It was definitely an episode meant to move us into the 2part finale.

Setup episodes are always like this though.  

As for Shining Knight, I think the implication is that seeing Courtney and the staff restored enough of his brain so that he will be functional when needed next episode.  The JSA is too outnumbered without his help.

[Kromm]

22 hours ago, Jediknight said:

Upon rewatch, something hit me, the title of the episode isn't just referring to Justin, it's also referring to Pat.  Justin does the knighting gesture with Excalibur to Pat, Justin tells Pat he built a fine suit of armor, he's there for the new JSA and Justin, and he "rescues" the damsel in distress when Courtney is completely devastated by Sam asking for the locket.

I guess now that the episode has aired I can at least mention the comics.  That's literally the character's hero name in the comics, so it's not something they contrived for this show.  However I can see them having added those moments in the script to add another layer. Of course, even though he was older than some of even the previous JSA, "Stripesy" was always more of a Squire than a Knight.  Maybe that's changed.

[Kromm]

On 7/29/2020 at 9:49 PM, Chyromaniac said:

I don’t know if this will be a satisfactory answer for other viewers.  But for me, I now think that the staff could somehow “sense” the danger posed by the ISA, and chose the person best suited to oppose them from the options available.  Pat had possession of it, but c’mon- sidekick.  Mike is too young, and Barbara is a decent person, but focused on career and family.

Meanwhile Courtney has the commitment and desire to do good and protect people.  The fact that she has an athletic background (right?) is also a plus.  I also think she was kind of looking for something to connect to, considering she had just moved to a new town where she didn’t know anyone.  Becoming Stargirl gave her an identity- first as a connection to a kind of fantastical legacy, but now hopefully to a higher purpose as a hero.

This show alternates busting and fulfilling tropes.  To me this is one they're (deliberately) fulfilling.  I don't think it's anything as complicated as commitment plus danger plus athleticism.  I think it comes down to the simpler, Tropey explanation/rationale that it was able to see into her heart and saw nobility.  We've seen bad qualities in her too, so she's not selfless, but she also represents most of the key characteristics of nobility.  And we saw this pretty much directly addressed in the script.  It's why Shining Knight addressed her as Queen.  Through his somewhat screwy medieval framework that was his way of verbally addressing the same thing.

[questionfear]

On 8/1/2020 at 8:42 PM, rmontro said:

He might not be, considering how little attention Pat pays to him.  He's always off with Courtney.

"Sorry buddy, she's the lead.  Got to be closer to the spotlight".

I heard that perfectly in Luke Wilson's voice. 

[Speakeasy]

That one scene changed my opinion On Brec Bassinger's acting, up until now I thought she was, you know, good enough as a teenage superhero in a fairly light-hearted story, but the weight of emotion she put across in a fairly small change of expression-so you could actually believe Douchetube Sam wouldn't notice it at all-was very impressive. You could see her little heart breaking in that moment and it was great because I am an awful monster.

The point where she went back in to hug Pat is the best payoff for that heartbreak, I think, any punishment you could dish out on Sam doesn't change anything, but it's very cathartic after that to see that she does have someone who'll act like a real father.