With the Summer Break looming, Pat organises a family get away for the Whitmore-Dugans, but Courtney is sure that evil is lurking around every corner. Beth, Yolanda and Rick don’t share their leader’s passion, convinced that there is no danger remaining now the ISA has been defeated. But has it?

It somehow doesn’t feel like a year since Stargirl ended its strong maiden season, and yet here we are. The gang are all still together, albeit absent Chuck and with Yolanda and Rick not really feeling the same enthusiasm for nightly patrols and investigation as Courtney. For her part, Stargirl is absolutely obsessed that a new danger is lurking just out of sight, and when she isn’t pounding the streets with the staff, she’s poring over old JSA archives, trying to second guess which super villain might appear next.

Fearing for his adoptive daughter’s sanity and wellbeing, Pat organises a trip for the whole family to celebrate summer break. This may actually cause him more trouble than it’s worth, between Courtney’s determined refusal to take a break and his own mistake in choosing someone to run the garage while he’s gone. When you’re keeping a secret robot (well, technically a mech suit but everyone in the show insists on ‘robot’) in a room with ‘keep out, staff only’ on the door, you’re asking for trouble by inviting someone else to run the place in your absence.

Beth is struggling without Chuck, the best friend she’d ever had, and her attempts to restore the A.I. are not going well. When she discovers a secret being kept from her by her loving but constantly-harassed-looking parents, she pretty much bottoms out and goes into strong denial. I can see this one causing problems.

Speaking of problems, Yolanda seems to still very much be struggling with the fact she murdered her enemy in last season’s climax, and I suspect that’s a theme that will drag out through this season, especially given the character’s overtly religious bearing. Rick meanwhile is apparently at peace, though still on the lookout for an old acquaintance who all signs point to very much still being around.

Not only is Courtney obsessed with what might be coming, she’s on edge at school too, and an incident at school causes even more issues for her and the family. It’s clear that despite their victory last time out, the JSA have a lot more challenges ahead of them.

Verdict: A fairly muted but still impressive return which promises much intrigue to come. 8/10

Greg D. Smith