Season 3 of DC Star Girl kicked off last week with the newest installment in The CW series that takes its young heroes into new territory: a murder mystery. After dealing with the threat of Eclipso in a horror-themed season 2, season three kicked off with a shocking murder, but it won’t be the only surprising element as the season progresses. There are also some unexpected friendships, including the one that apparently grows between Stargirl’s mother, Barbara Whitmore, and former Injustice Society villain Paula Brooks/Tigress (Joy Osmanski). The groundwork for this odd couple was set in season 2 and photos from this week’s episode, “Frenemies – Chapter Two: The Suspects” show the two women apparently trying to bake together, though the circumstances of why they’re not clear. Before the episode, Amy Smart sat down with us to talk about the new season of the show, as well as that surprising friendship, and she said that Season 3 has a little bit of knives out feel it, comparing it to the popular Rian Johnson movie.
“In season two, the cat was out of the bag and she realized what was going on because she was a little naive in season one,” Smart said of Barbara’s place heading into season 3. “Then, Going into season three, a lot has happened. He’s witnessed a lot. He understands the weight and power that his daughter has. I think he sees Pat in a whole new light with STRIPE as his flying robot. Just the dynamic. of the family and how important the family dynamic is to her, just keeping that intact, even though there are superpowers involved.”
He continued, “What I liked is that they’re coming back from a family vacation and I think she feels empowered. She’s in the know. She’s part of the team. What I really like about the tone of the season is that it has knives out feeling, this whodunnit murder mystery. The subtitle is Frenemies, which is a super fun dynamic that’s set up early on with the Crocks moving alongside.”
The Crocks moving in next door brings Paula much closer to Barbara and certainly provides more opportunity for their budding friendship to grow. Smart said the friendship is interesting, in part because both Paula and Barbara are genuine, actually other friends, and can learn from each other.
“It’s definitely so unlikely because you think Barbara was scared to death of her, and now Paula comes to her for help. There seems to be an uncomfortable authenticity about Paula that’s endearing to Barbara,” Smart said. “Barbara doesn’t really have any other friends and she needs friends. She invites her into her life, this friendship starts to grow throughout the season. It’s so much fun. I think for Barbara it’s great because Paula is a badass and she can teach her how to be more tough. Barbara offers a kind of family community quality that Paula lacks and doesn’t understand the dynamic. They’re both kind of drawn to opposites.”
You can check out the synopsis for this week’s episode below.
A BLUE VALLEY MURDER MYSTERY — After stumbling upon a suspicious murder in Blue Valley, the JSA begins searching for possible suspects. A tense run-in with The Shade (guest star Jonathan Cake) makes Courtney (Brec Bassinger) and Pat (Luke Wilson) realize that Sylvester’s (Joel McHale) old ways could land them in trouble. Finally, Barbara (Amy Smart) steps in to help Paula (Joy Osmanski), whose attempt to fit in hasn’t gone so well. Yvette Monreal, Cameron Gellman, Anjelika Washington, Trae Romano, Meg DeLacy, Hunter Sansone, Neil Hopkins and Alkoya Brunson also star. Andi Armaganian directed the episode written by Robbie Hyne.
DC’s Stargirl airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on The CW.
