‘Stargirl’ 3×12 review: “Frenemies – Chapter Twelve” drops the biggest twist yet

We were not prepared for that Stargirl twist! “Frenemies – Chapter Twelve: The Last Will and Testament of Sylvester Pemberton” delivered one of DC’s Stargirl’s biggest and best twists by far. In hindsight, there were some light clues in the background, like Sylvester’s strange behavior and surprise return from the grave. However, the series kept the truth very close to their chest. The reveal was a powerful moment that shook up the series and what we thought we knew about the infamous character. It was very well done!

Throughout “Frenemies – Chapter Twelve: The Last Will and Testament of Sylvester Pemberton,” the progression made it seem like Starman was bidding his final farewells. He acted like a martyr who planned to sacrifice himself in a final epic battle against Jordan Mahkent (aka. Icicle). Every decision he made and every conversation backed up that inevitability—Stargirl was preparing us for this big battle that never came to be. Good job on the series for fooling us! He brought down our guard and led us in one direction before taking us somewhere completely new; that is the power of a well-executed twist.

I’d say where “Sylvester” started to slip was during his one-on-one conversations with the JSA members. He’s usually a more tactful strategist before his emotions got in the way; Sylvester during “Frenemies – Chapter Twelve: The Last Will and Testament of Sylvester Pemberton” was in full rage mode. His chat with Artemis seemed the most caring; he probably did that to keep her away from killing Jordan and having his plan moving forward. Though, his chats with Courtney and Pat were so mean! He knew how to cut deep and leave them heartbroken. Regardless if he was fulfilling his evil plan, he didn’t have to go so hard to break them down emotionally.

I loved the stylistic choice that was implemented during “Frenemies – Chapter Twelve: The Last Will and Testament of Sylvester Pemberton.” Whenever Stargirl does flashbacks from the past, there’s usually a filter or element to it that makes it clear it’s from the past. The scenes with the Ultra-Humanite’s previous form (“Dorothy”) felt true to the time with the black and white television screens. You could feel the atmosphere of being in Dorothy’s world as her villainous alter-ego slipped through. And it provided a satisfying tease of what was coming next.

Sylvester being revealed as the Ultra-Humanite was a shocking twist that filled in a lot of questions. Like, how did Starman come back from the dead suddenly? Why did he return at this moment? We knew that Icicle was working with the Ultra-Humanite in his ape form, but we didn’t plan for there to be a third person working in the secret villain’s group. This twist gave the villains a huge advantage because they let “Sylvester” into the inner circle of the Justice Society of America. He knew about their weaknesses and manipulated them to weaken the group even further. And with the Cosmic Staff by his side, the Ultra-Humanite made one of the biggest deceptions on Stargirl yet.

Plus, when we pair that with the reveal that The Dragon King is also back from the dead, it’s a trifecta of evil rising from the dead. Did you guess that The Dragon King was alive too? I had a sneaking suspicion something was amiss because Jordan had too much access to complete his schemes for someone who just reformed his solid body. Also, Cindy’s body was acting up due to her father’s scientific experiments, so it made sense that the story would find its way back to that plot. Stargirl needed another reference to The Dragon King to give Cindy’s story some finality before the series ends. Just like Sylvester’s shocking twist, The Dragon King now in the ape body also packed a jaw-dropping punch.

Another big surprise of “Frenemies – Chapter Twelve: The Last Will and Testament of Sylvester Pemberton” came from Jakeem’s wish with the Thunderbolt working out. He got it on the first try and with barely any additional information. That reveal is almost unheard of based on what we’ve seen in the past! Hopefully, Cindy can find a cure for whatever her father did to her. She needs whatever secrets await in his lab, and with him being alive, she needs to get the truth out of him. Mike and Jakeem can only do so much; it’s going to be a massive showdown between father and daughter. My money is on Cindy to take the win.

Do you think Pat will die in the grave? No one was around when “Sylvester” buried him alive and started his villain monologue speech. Plus, no one knew that Pat and Sylvester were teaming up to explore the Mahkent’s house, so they were on their own. The only way I could see Pat being saved is if Beth’s goggles locate his signature/tracking in the forest or the group uses Thunderbolt to successfully wish Pat back. Both are possible options, but it could be too late before they realize to do any of those options; Pat is buried under a thick pile of dirt. We could potentially be saying goodbye to Pat once and for all.

“Frenemies – Chapter Twelve: The Last Will and Testament of Sylvester Pemberton” set up a satisfying and powerful penultimate episode for Stargirl. All the pieces are in place for the final battle and we know now which three villains the JSA needs to defeat. There’s no telling who will survive when the battle is finished, but it’s bound to be epic. Hopefully, the group figures out the traitor before it’s too late.

Feature image courtesy of The CW.