‘Stargirl’ 3×11 review: “Frenemies – Chapter Eleven: The Haunting” reintroduces a familiar frozen foe

A blast from the past has left us feeling shaken and chilly after the latest episode of DC’s Stargirl. “Frenemies – Chapter Eleven: The Haunting” brought back the Big Bad of Stargirl Season 1 from the dead. His cliffhanger return from the last episode left us at the edge of our seats, but his grand arrival here set off so many red warning signs that we couldn’t ignore. Jordan Mahkent (aka. Icicle) may be pitching peace and a fresh start, but we all know better than to trust him so easily. Now if only the Justice Society of America can figure out the truth before it’s too late!

Before we get into Icicle’s return, we need to discuss Artemis’s and the JSA’s journeys after discovering Paula and Crusher (aka. Tigress and Sportsmaster) were murdered by Icicle. The Crocks had turned over a new leaf and became valuable members/friends of the JSA; it was heartbreaking to have them murdered out of the blue after their strong growth. “Frenemies – Chapter Eleven: The Haunting” was emotionally heartbreaking because we witnessed each member of the JSA processing their emotions and facing the harsh truths of their deaths. Barbara’s sadness was especially hard because she and Paula had become BFFs. Their many scenes of Paula training Barbara were an excellent metaphor for their friendship as they showed how the two balanced each other and impacted their lives.

Stella Smith, who plays Artemis, did an amazing job channeling the grief and pain of her character. You could feel every emotion she went through after discovering her parents were murdered by Icicle. Her breaking down in her bedroom and Barbara comforting her was a powerful scene; her grief-filled every note and you knew exactly what she was going through. I loved that Barbara was there to comfort her; it’s exactly what Paula and Crusher would’ve wanted so that their daughter wasn’t alone in the world. Hopefully, Artemis will get her revenge against Icicle for what he did.

I didn’t buy for a second Jordan’s explanation to Courtney and the JSA for why he murdered Paula and Crusher. Sure, we saw the attack go down, so we know more of the truth compared to the others and how he lured them to their deaths. However, his explanation to them felt so vague and made him out to be the victim. Icicle had the freezing powers, not Tigress or Sportsmaster. Jordan would’ve known how to disarm and subdue his former allies if he wanted to; he purposely went out of his way to kill them. The JSA kept overlooking that logical reasoning and was too focused on the forgiving part of his offer.

Speaking of his offer, would you have taken the deal? Jordan’s offer to make peace for no more deaths was a tempting proposition to make. The Mahkents and Cameron were already on that train, and the JSA wanted to broker peace too. The next steps were going to happen regardless had Jordan or not; he just tipped them over the edge. Based on the proposition, both sides should find peace—they need to stop fighting as it would only cause more pain and death to their lives. Though, they should all keep one suspicious eye on Jordan about everything he does. His offer of peace would’ve been more believable had he not murdered Paula and Crusher; as mentioned above, he can claim it was an accident, but he shed a lot of blood for someone who wanted peace. Jordan isn’t someone who can be forgiven so easily.

The JSA should keep that energy going for the rest of the Mahkents and Cindy. There’s a strong chance that Cameron and his grandparents can be swayed to the side of good, regardless of Jordan’s influence. Sure, the grandparents missed their son, but they would do anything to ensure that Cameron was protected and given a loving future. If Jordan’s schemes get in the way of that, I could see them turning on their son. And the pair were so close to brokering peace before Jordan returned from the dead. Plus, Cameron wants to be with Courtney, so it could be a fresh start all around.

Did anyone guess that Icicle was working with the Ultra-Humanite? I didn’t put the pieces together until he made his way into the woods to meet with the creature. After killing Tigress and Sportsmaster, it makes sense why he would turn on The Gambler too–he was killing off all his former allies who abandoned him. Jordan is probably very pissed off after Mike ran him over and crushed him into a million pieces. His Icicle abilities keep him alive, so he’s clinging to life every second of the day. And if the power of Thunderbolt can’t stop him, he’s probably using a lot of energy to make it happen.

Teaming up with the Ultra-Humanite might be his way to seek revenge and achieve his goal over the failures of others. Though, we need more of the story of how this pair came together. If what both sides said was true, the Ultra-Humanite should want Jordan and the Injustice Society of America members dead too. There must be a reason why the creature is working with Jordan; he must’ve made an offer that appealed to the scientist too. Mike, Cindy, and Jakeem need to get as far away from the Ultra-Humanite as possible; this is not an enemy they can fight alone. DC’s Stargirl might be preparing us for the next big superhero team-up yet!

“Frenemies – Chapter Eleven: The Haunting” picked up the pieces after a thrilling and jaw-dropping twist. Much of the momentum was about learning from the past and filling in the gaps in Jordan’s story. DC’s Stargirl couldn’t move forward unless it turned to the past. Basically, the show hit pause as the rest of the characters caught up to the significant news of Stargirl Season 3’s new Big Bad. Now that the reveal is out of the way, the momentum could be kicking into high gear for the last two episodes left in the series.

Feature image courtesy The CW