DC’s Stargirl is the story of Courtney Whitmore (Brec Basinger), who moves to Blue Valley in Nebraska with her family. She discovers a cosmic staff, long-hidden secrets, and ties to the Justice Society of America superheroes. Halfway through season three of The CW’s Stargirl, Courtney’s life has become more complicated due to the attempts at rehabilitation of ex-enemies who, despite their best efforts, don’t always manage to handle tense situations in the most professional manners.
The most complicated aspect of her current life is her blossoming relationship with Cameron Mahkent ( Hunter Sansone), which has been slowly growing since the beginning of the series. This dynamic is finally being explored. It isn’t giving us the satisfaction that we have been looking for.
Courtney and Cameron’s relationship has been complex from the beginning. However, he has not been privy to the secrets. Courtney was Stargirl almost as soon as she became Stargirl. She became involved in the Injustice Society of America battle, which eventually killed and defeated several members of the JSA in a gruelling struggle a decade prior. But here’s the catch.
The catch? Her greatest enemy was her father, who was also her love interest. It was a delicious TV show to watch. The slow development of their relationship has been disappointing since the end of the first season.
As if this weren’t enough, Jordan’s stepbrother Mike ( Trae Romano) accidentally killed him and shattered his Icicle form during battle. Jordan’s grandparents, Sofus ( Jim France and Lily Mahkent [ Kay Galvin] — are aware of Courtney’s involvement. They have not revealed this information to Cameron. Courtney was distant from Cameron throughout the second season. His role was limited to creating a mural of his dad in the middle of the town.
Although their limited interactions clearly showed their love for each other, Courtney’s guilt was too intense, and she couldn’t bear to tell the truth about Jordan. Cameron began to develop his superpower, Cryokinesis, just like his grandfather and father.
Their dynamic changed in the third season. Cameron struggles to control his abilities as they grow at a rapid pace. Courtney discovers and offers to help Cameron manage his powers. She hopes to prevent him from becoming his father. After spending many hours together and two seasons of longing glances and heavy interactions, Courtney finally decided to let go of their love and kiss in Cameron’s cryokinesis-created ice.
Although they have been making progress in their relationship, including an awkward family gathering with Courtney’s parents and Cameron’s grandparents’ grandparents, it has not been enjoyable to see how things turn out.
Now that the couple has made it official investing in them has not been easy. It could be that Courtney isn’t conflicted by her feelings due to all the lingering secrets. Courtney hasn’t spent much time with Courtney. It’s more likely that this flame is burning slowly. It’s taking “slow-burning” to the extreme. And it’s difficult to care when there’s not been much change. The couple’s problems have been recurring since the beginning of the season.
So why has it taken so long for them to get together finally? Cameron is unaware that Courtney is Stargirl and almost constantly lies to him. He doesn’t know her critical role in his father’s final moments. This will undoubtedly shatter their relationship when he uncovers the truth.
The question of whether he will follow in his father’s footsteps is dragging on. This is because the show continues to drag on with other stories. It leaves us little time to understand Cameron and whether these powers will cause his perspective to shift. His grandparents are just as evil as his father, making it difficult to see if he can overcome the decades of evil and get free.
The JSA members don’t trust Cameron due to his father’s actions, which puts Courtney in an awkward spot. She’s torn between people and can’t tell anyone the truth about what’s happening. This dynamic is just too complicated for the writers to comprehend.
Stargirl has struggled with too many characters in the spotlight and so few episodes. The story with Cameron and Courtney has consistently been at the losing end. The slow burn between Courtney and Cameron is no longer working. After so many small things have built up throughout the series, there’s too much to do. Because of how badly it was handled, the show has effectively killed the excitement for the follow-through.
It’s possible this season of Star girl could be the last. Only seven episodes remain, and there is no way the series can bring this story and their romance to a satisfying end. Unless there is a dramatic change in the next episode, the slow burn will end and be remembered as one of the worst aspects of a fantastic series. This is a shame because Courtney and Cameron could have been one of our favorite dynamic duos from DC’s heroes on The CW.
Stargirl continues Wednesdays on The CW.