03x01 - Frenemies: Chapter One: The m*rder

[bunniefuu]

Here comes the new dad.

He's not my new dad.

I was Starman's sidekick.

- It's you.
- I'm looking for Pat Dugan.

Name's Sylvester Pemberton.

We stopped that freak together.

I'm Stargirl.

- And that's my sidekick.
- Great.

- Hi. I'm Courtney.
- I'm Beth.

This is the table for the singles.

- [WHISPERS] The losers.
- The Gambler.

He's one of the most cunning
criminal masterminds in the world.

All Eclipso did was

make me believe in people even more.

You asked Cindy Burman

to help you stop Eclipso?

I wanna join the JSA.

Crusher, what are you doing here?

We didn't come back to town

for revenge on you and the Scooby g*ng.

[BOTH GRUNT]

The house next door sold.

[DOORBELL RINGS]

Howdy, neighbor!

What the...

[GENTLE PIANO MUSIC]

Settle in, as we're about to begin

a tale of trust,

a tale of heartache,

and a tale of m*rder.

♪ ♪

[NEIL DIAMOND'S "AMERICA" PLAYING]

♪ ♪

[EAGLE SCREECHES]

[NEIL DIAMOND'S "AMERICA" PLAYING]

♪ ♪

All right. Nice!

♪ ♪

- [CAR HORN HONKS]
- Hello, Maria.

Morning, Zeke.

- Good morning, Deb.
- Good morning, Darryl.

How have you been?

Want the usual?

♪ ♪

[EXHALES SHARPLY]

[WHISTLES]

[BICYCLE BELL CHIMES]

♪ ♪

♪ Far ♪

♪ We've been traveling far ♪

♪ Without a home ♪

♪ But not without a star ♪

♪ ♪

♪ Free ♪

[ZAPS]

Pedal, Jakeem! Pump those feet!

That guy is spooksville. Let's split!

♪ ♪

BOTH: Good morning!

[LAUGHTER]

♪ On the boats and on the planes ♪

- [PHONE CHIMING]
- Breakfast!

Bacon and eggs.

♪ Never looking back again ♪

♪ They're coming to America ♪

♪ Home ♪

- ♪ Don't it seem so far away? ♪
- [GRUNTS]

♪ Oh, we're traveling light today ♪

♪ In the eye of the storm ♪

♪ ♪

♪ In the eye of the storm ♪

[GROWLS] What the hell?

- Bye, Dorothy.
- Bye.

- [PHONE CHIMES]
- ♪ Make our bed ♪

♪ And we'll say our grace ♪

♪ Freedom's light burning warm ♪

♪ ♪

♪ Freedom's light burning warm ♪

- Bye, guys. See ya.
- Bye, Yolanda!

♪ ♪

♪ Everywhere around the world ♪

♪ They're coming to America ♪

Would you like some help with that?

It looks kind of... pretty big.

- Thank you.
- Yeah.

♪ Got a dream to take them there ♪

♪ They're coming to America ♪

All right, Crock team.

Let's go, let's go, let's go!

♪ They're coming to America ♪

♪ They're coming to America ♪

♪ ♪

♪ They're coming to America ♪

♪ ♪

♪ They're coming to America ♪

♪ ♪

♪ They're coming to America ♪

♪ Today ♪

♪ ♪

♪ Today ♪

♪ ♪

♪ Today ♪

♪ ♪

♪ Today ♪

♪ ♪

♪ Today ♪

[SIGHS]

Home sweet home.

♪ Sweet land of liberty ♪

♪ Of thee, I sing ♪

Hey.

♪ ♪

- Good day, good sir.
- Hey.

ALL: ♪ Today ♪

♪ ♪

♪ Today ♪

♪ ♪

♪ Today ♪

♪ ♪

♪ Today ♪

♪ ♪

♪ Today ♪

♪ ♪

[LIGHT MUSIC]

♪ ♪

[CAR HORN HONKS]

[BRAKES SQUEAL]

[CAR DOOR OPENS, SLAMS]

[DOOR OPENS]

Well, trip's over, Mike.

Hey, no use complaining about it now.

Why do you try sitting in the
back seat of a car for hours

when you know we have
a flying robot at home, Pat?

Welcome home, Star family.

Hey, Sylvester. How you doing?

Hey, buddy. Oh, who's a good boy?

Who's a good boy?

Well, how was the trip?

- Memorable.
- Horrendous.

Surprisingly busy.

It was great.

Pat, the stache.

You left home a boy and came back a man.

Are you kidding? Look at him.

He looks like an evil Pat Dugan
from a parallel universe.

You know, facial hair
is a man's birthright, Mike.

You'll understand
when you start shaving.

I shave.

Do you?

Oh, my God.

Sylvester, you fixed everything?

- This marble looks expensive.
- Whoa.

Well, a house guest
needs to earn his keep.

You know, Mike and I actually had that

on a list of things to do.

Yeah.

BOTH: What list?

Whoa.

[FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING]

- What do you think?
- It's amazing.

- It's neat, huh?
- And no more cobwebs.

That was the hardest part, I think.

Oh, where's Cosmo's crate?

In the garage, because I made a new one.

A display case.

Right by your bed...

[STAFF WARBLING]

[LAUGHS]

I think he likes it. Look at that.

- [CHUCKLES DRYLY]
- Oh. Oh.

Maybe the case is overkill.

I-I just didn't know how
to thank a big, golden stick.

I mean, the Staff's the reason
why I'm not dead now.

I've been wanting
to talk to you about that,

but I didn't wanna be rude.

Oh, how I'm back?

Yeah, I'm still trying

to figure that out exactly.

Did I mention that I woke up
in my own coffin?

Yeah. I used to be
a pretty cool superhero,

but it's hard to keep your cool
when you're buried alive.

So I did a lot of screaming.

And when I dug myself out,

I somehow was completely fine.

I don't understand it,

but I think when you formed
the bond with Cosmo over there,

it woke up the bond I have with him too.

If-if you're reconsidering what you said

about letting me keep the Staff,

just tell me now
so I can figure out what...

Oh, no. No, no. The Staff, it chose you.

It did.

I'm done being Starman.

What is it?

I thought that you were excited
that Sylvester's here.

No, I-I am, Pat.

I just... [SIGHS]

What?

He put a lot of hard work

into building that display case.

And then he was talking

about the bond he has with the Staff.

Yeah. But see, I think that's
exactly why he can show you

how to do things with it
that I never could.

I think that there's
a real opportunity here, Court,

for you to learn directly from him.

He really knows what he's doing.

And while he teaches you
how to be a better Stargirl,

I can help him figure out

how to navigate his life post-Starman.

[LAWN MOWER WHIRRING]

Welcome home, neighbors!

- Howdy!
- Hi!

Thank you.

Oh, please tell Barbara

we have got to get together for coffee.

I will. She'll be thrilled.

- [DOOR OPENS]
- She won't.

- Boy...
- [SIGHS]

[LOCKS DOOR]

- [UNLOCKS DOOR]
- Hey, what are you doing?

What are you doing?

Well, I'm locking the door.

We have to learn to trust them.

Trust who? The Crocks?

Are you kidding me?

They're not our enemies anymore.

Hey, you're very trusting, all right?

And that's a great quality,

but when it comes to people like that,

you gotta be very careful.

We can really make
a difference in the world, Pat.

We can help the bad guys break... good.

If we could all learn
to trust each other,

not only would we
be better people for it,

but no matter what evil
comes our way next,

if we're on the same side
like we were against Eclipso,

we'll be unstoppable.

- [DOORBELL RINGS]
- Well, hold on.

- It's locked.
- Yeah.

Ah, yes.

Good day, Miss Whitmore, Mr. Dugan.

I am here to make amends.

Oh, and I brought your mail.

Now, I realize my reappearance
in Blue Valley is,

well, a surprise to you both
and maybe even a worry.

I'm sorry to admit, but, well,

I've come straight to your doorstep

to assure you fine folks
that my intentions

are only to follow
the wonderful examples

that the others in my ilk
have set forth.

See, Gambler, old buddy, the thing is,

you're not afforded the same
courtesy that other people are.

[CHUCKLES] Why ever not, Mr. Dugan?

Well, while you were on the run,

everyone else helped us
save Blue Valley.

Yes, I heard all about
that devilish business

with the Black Diamond and Eclipso.

[SHUDDERS] Ooh.

Heard it from who?

"From whom" would be proper.

Needless to say, I...

well, I've had a change
of heart myself as of late.

And what exactly caused this
so-called change of heart?

Well, trying to hide traces
of me in the digital world,

I uncovered a birth certificate
from some years back.

I have a daughter.

Her name's Becky.

Her mother gave her up for adoption,

so I'm having trouble locating her.

You wanna be a father?

Is that what you're saying?

Oh, I have no delusions there.

I am not a role model

for anyone to look up to, not like you.

No, sir. [CHUCKLES]

I know that.

But what I can do is apologize
to the people I've wronged

and become a productive member
of this community

in hopes that...

[CHUCKLES DRYLY]

In hopes that if my daughter wants

to have some kind of
relationship with me someday,

well then, maybe I'll be worthy of one.

And why does she matter to you so much?

[SIGHS]

My own father abandoned me, and...

[SIGHS]

It put me on a bad path, I think.

I don't want my daughter
to go through life

thinking I abandoned her.

I want her to know I love her.

That's all.

I want her to know I love her.

[WARM MUSIC]

[SCREEN DRONING]

[JUICER WHIRRING]

Hey.

Hey! Morning, bud.

Crusher, it's : in the morning.

What are you doing in my kitchen?

- [JUICER POWERS DOWN]
- I'm making breakfast.

What you are actually
doing, it's trespassing.

You're gonna love this.

Wheatgrass, spirulina, bee pollen,

and just a pinch of testosterone.

- No offense.
- Yeah.

My testosterone's fine, thanks.

And I'm good on the juice.

So tell me:

what was that putz doing here yesterday?

Who?

The Gambler.

Yeah?

Why didn't you and the kid lock him up?

Hey, we're dealing with it.

Let me tell you something.

That Kentucky-fried felon
is not to be trusted.

No matter what he says,

he's only ever been
in this life for the money.

- That's all he cares about.
- Thanks for the Intel.

Um, what is going on?

Oh, Crusher broke in.

Door was unlocked.

I'm just trying to get your old man

back into the program.

Okay, listen.

Juicer. That's on us.

First one's free, and I'll
see you at Ripped City.

- Grand reopening today, huh?
- Yeah.

- New bod, new life.
- Stop. Stop.

Hey, remember what happened
last time we fought.

- Yeah.
- Almost k*lled you.

You wish.

Whoo!

Later!

We gotta start locking
the doors, all right?

[SOFT MUSIC PLAYING]

♪ ♪

♪ There were two stars
in the sky last night ♪

♪ In the sky last night ♪

Um...

Maria, my dear, I-I... I'm afraid
it's still not quite right.

Darn it.

And I think you still might be

scalding the tea just a touch.

But I do appreciate the effort.

[BELL CHIMES]

[APPROACHING FOOTSTEPS]

Steven Sharp, The Gambler.

Good morning, Mr. Swift.

- Do you mind if I sit?
- Yes, I do. Very much.

Well, I'll only take
but a moment of your time.

Now, before we begin
this parlay of sorts,

well, it occurred to me
that I've never told you

how much I admire your sophisticated

and refined sense of style.

What do you want?

- To reform.
- Oh...

Well, like you, for my daughter.

Her name is Becky.

You have no daughter

like you have no scruples.

You're not fooling anyone.

So I suggest you leave Blue Valley

before Courtney Whitmore
and the others find out

whatever it is you're really up to.

Or I do.

[CHUCKLES SOFTLY]

Well, I assure you, Mr. Swift,

my daughter is very real.

Mm.

Well, I've simply come here

to extend an apology

for our disagreements of the past.

Now, when you left the ISA,

I'm certain that me draining
all your bank accounts

was displeasing, to say...

Go.

Yes, but of course.

I do hope you find a good cup of tea.

[SINISTER MUSIC]

♪ ♪

[BELL RINGS]

This is what happens when you
forgive one of the bad guys.

They all come running for handouts.

Okay, we don't know if The Gambler

is up to something bad.

Of course we don't, Court.

He's not gonna tell us.

None of them are, especially Cindy.

She stabbed me in the back,
and she'll do it to you too

first chance she gets.

I have enough problems with my parents.

If they catch me sneaking
out of the house again,

I wouldn't be surprised if they
ship me off to boarding school.

I told you guys, yellow
and black are Rick's colors.

I like my cape. I don't
need a new costume.

Just take another look at the design.

Laser lemon.

It just... it sounds so superhero!

I gotta go, okay?

- Love you. Bye.
- Okay, honey. Love you.

- Bye. Have a great day...
- Have a great one, Be...

[SIGHS]

[CHUCKLES]

Shouldn't have given them this number.

Yum. What's that?

Oh, crispy chicken over turmeric,

lemon, cabbage, and peas.

My parents made it. Breakfast too.

Mmm.

- Hey, guys.
- ALL: Hey.

- [CHUCKLES]
- No luck with Grundy, huh?

I've buried him everywhere

The Shade's told me to.

"In a clear field under a full moon.

Between two oak trees".

Whatever he says,
but nothing ever happens.

Maybe The Shade is lying.

Maybe Grundy's never coming back.

[CHAIR LEGS SKID SHRILLY]

Hi.

Welcome back to school, JSA.

Hi, Cindy.

I guess me sitting here means

this isn't the losers' table anymore.

It never was.

[CHUCKLES DRYLY]

So... wow.

All five of us here. [LAUGHS]

Um, so I wanna start this team meeting

by talking about teamwork.

Oh, I-I made some notes.

- Ooh.
- Uh...

First, we have to wipe
the slate clean, all of us.

If I can look beyond the past
with Cindy,

so can all of you.

Not necessarily.

Get over your trauma already.

We don't want you here. Get it?

- Yolanda, we all agreed to...
- No, Court.

You and Beth agreed
to invite her into the JSA.

Yolanda and I, we voted no.

- Oh, so I'm the tiebreaker.
- You don't get a vote.

- Can I get back to my notes?
- Yeah.

Can we just skip down
to "Starman's back"?

'Cause I'm dying to know
what the deal is.

That's the real elephant in the room.

Isn't it, g*ng?

[CHUCKLES]

It's great that Starman is back.

We all thought he was dead
like Dr. McNider.

So how lucky are we? [CHUCKLES]

He thinks the Staff did it some...

What about the Staff? What now?

Sylvester's gonna show me how to use it.

But you already know how to use it.

Well, apparently
it has a few more tricks

up its proverbial sleeve,
so that's exciting.

Yeah! Go, team! Whoo!

Artemis, what are you talking about?

- They're losers.
- [LAUGHTER]

What was that "go team" about?

I don't know.

Are you sure?

Because it seems like
anyone can join the JSA now.

[DRAMATIC MUSIC]

♪ ♪

[SIGHS]

I'll see you later then, teammate.

I'll wait till she gets back. [CHUCKLES]

[WHIRRING]

Pat. Okay.

What you did with the
Rocket Racer was unbelievable.

But this robot?

- I mean, it's spectacular.
- Thanks.

If the rest of the JSA
were alive to see this,

I mean, they'd be begging you
to sit at the table.

Well, I put a lot of work into it.

Yeah, but you need more recognition.

I mean, look at this bad boy.

You gotta show me what it can do.

I wanna see this sucker fly.

I'm dying to. Please,
for old times' sake.

Let's do it.

- Great.
- Okay.

I'm gonna grab the Staff.

The Staff?

Well, Pat, how am I
gonna keep up with it?

- It'll be quick.
- Yeah.

- Sylvester, just...
- Oh, and Pat.

And I think I forgot
to say this outright,

but thanks for giving me a place to stay

and to make me feel welcome.

- Of course.
- I really mean it.

To see you with your family,
succeeding and happy,

makes me happy too.

[WARM MUSIC]

Thanks, Sylvester.

♪ ♪

[DOOR OPENS, SHUTS]

[KNOCK ON DOOR]

Hello, Barbara.

Paula, what are you doing here?

I need to talk to you.

- About what?
- My daughter.

I realize Artemis has a history
with Courtney and her friends,

like us with you,

but she desperately wants to join

the... Justice Society of America.

And if she wants that, so do I.

Oh.

I just hope Courtney
doesn't hold grudges

or punish her

for the past actions
of myself and my husband

'cause that'd be a real shame,

potentially with real consequences.

Well, who's in the JSA isn't up to me.

It's up to them.

So Artemis, she's such a great kid.

She'll prove herself if she has to.

Just watch.

[QUIRKY MUSIC]

♪ ♪

[DOOR SHUTS]

[SIGHS]

[TENSE MUSIC]

♪ ♪

[RAPID BEEPING]

Where are you, Becky?

[CAR BRAKES SQUEAL]

[ENGINE REVVING]

[TENSE MUSIC]

♪ ♪

[DRAMATIC MUSIC]

♪ ♪

- Race you.
- You're on!

Come on, S.T.R.I.P.E.

Catch up!

That poor guy looked like
he was gonna have

- a heart att*ck!
- Oh, my Lord!

I couldn't believe the look
on that pilot's face.

Yeah, because there was
a huge robot staring at him.

But next time, I take the nose,
you take the rear.

- 'Cause... no, no, because I was...
- Hey, don't.

Don't blame yourself, 'cause that thing

was heavier than we both thought.

- I mean, it was a . ...
- Hi.

Oh, hey. Howdy, folks.

- You took the Staff?
- Yeah.

- And it is way past dinner, Pat.
- Yeah.

I wanted to see
Stripesy's mech in action.

And then a plane was in trouble.

- Big plane.
- Huge!

- Jumbo jet.
- Yeah, and he caught it.

You told Courtney you weren't
gonna be Starman anymore.

[STAFF WARBLES SADLY]

- I'm sorry about that, Court.
- Nope.

No, no, no. It was my idea
to take out the Staff.

Well, it's great, what
you both did saving a plane.

It's amazing, really.

Here. Please.

I'm, uh, sorry for causing trouble.

It's not my intention to
be anything but helpful here.

You know, he actually means
it, 'cause he never apologizes.

All right? And it's my fault too.

That's okay, Pat. Really.

It sounds like you both had
a lot of fun, and I'm glad.

Yeah. I mean,
we hadn't gotten to do that

for a long time, but...

I'm gonna get to work on dinner.

I can tell everybody's hungry.

This is gonna be great.

- Everybody ready?
- Yeah.

Okay. Mike, grab that seasoning for me.

Seasoning? What seasoning?

What seasonings do we even have?

When do I help you cook?

[SOMBER MUSIC]

♪ ♪

- Hey.
- Hey.

Are you okay?

I lied to you.

I did come back for the Staff.

I thought so.

You could see right through me, huh?

I just knew there had to be something.

You know, when I came back
to life, which...

[CHUCKLES DRYLY]

I realized I didn't have
a life to come back to.

I mean, my sister d*ed.

My parents, who never won

a Mom and Dad of the Year award,

I mean, they're gone too.

And I never married.

No kids.

All I ever had was Starman.

So I don't know
what I would do without it.

So you do want the Staff back?

[STAFF WARBLES]

No.

I just thought that Pat
was holding the Staff

and that was that.

Then I saw you with the Staff,
and... it chose you.

I mean, I'd never ask for it back,

'cause you're the future, not me.

I know that.

But I can train you.

I can show you some pretty great tricks.

And after that, I don't know.

Wait.

The Staff still works for you,
and I think it means something.

I don't know what,
but I can't just ignore that.

So...

What if we made
some kind of arrangement?

An arrangement?

When I'm at school, the Staff is yours,

and when I'm out, I'll take it back.

Like a tag team.

- I don't know.
- Yeah.

That's better for everybody, really.

- Courtney.
- That settles it.

Look out, world. Starman is back.

[STAFF WARBLES HAPPILY]

That sounds pretty cool, right?

- Yeah.
- [CHUCKLES]

Okay.

Wow.

Starman's back.

[PHONE BUZZES]

- Hey, Beth.
- Court.

There's trouble.

[DRAMATIC MUSIC]

♪ ♪

- There they are.
- Move it.

Open it! Hurry up!

I know you have the key.

- [g*n COCKS]
- Hurry up now!

Five guys and dollar-sign masks?

You needed all of us here for this?

If you don't like it, go home.

Hey. Someone is in trouble, okay?

We do not have time for this.

- Stop! Whoo!
- ♪ Everybody dance now ♪

- Hey!
- JSA! Let's go!

[BOTH GRUNTING]

♪ Everybody dance now ♪

♪ Here is the dome, back with the bass ♪

♪ The jam is live in effect,
and I don't waste time ♪

♪ On the Mic with a dope
rhyme, jump to the rhythm ♪

♪ Jump, jump to the rhythm, jump ♪

Who's next?

♪ Beats and lyrics to make
your shake your pants ♪

♪ Take a chance, come on and dance ♪

How's that for a tryout?

[COOS]

Artemis, one! Bad guys, zero!

[VOCALIZING]

[SOMBER MUSIC]

♪ ♪

"Dearest Becky,

My darling daughter,

I write to you today

to apologize for the years lost.

I wasn't there for your birth
or your birthdays.

I wasn't there for you.

I wish I could offer
more of an explanation

for my past errant ways".

So this is where you guys hang out?

Your stepfather's greasy garage?

Well, it's the only place
big enough to keep S.T.R.I.P.E.

It smells like a gas station bathroom.

Are you gonna complain about everything?

Well, we could meet at my house,

where there's comfortable
chairs and wine.

We don't drink on the job.

We don't drink. Not .

Oh, God. Could this get any more lame?

Okay.

- [COMPUTER PINGS]
- Here.

The criminals that h*jacked
the truck tonight

are called the No Limit g*ng.

They used to work for
The Gambler back in the day.

I'm trying to determine
if they were all in

on the robbery together.

Come on. You think this
is all just some coincidence?

The Gambler shows up in Blue Valley

and his g*ng a few miles outside of it?

Well, bad guys like The Gambler

never really change, now, do they?

This should all be done
in about an hour.

Yeah, no, this is beyond boring.

Call me when something
exciting happens, Kay?

Cindy, just...

The JSA isn't gonna work

if you let people like
Cindy Burman on the team.

Screw Cindy Burman.
Let's go after The Gambler.

He's guilty. We all already know this.

Court, sorry, but this little experiment

where we hang out
with supervillains, it's over.

♪ ♪

Ice cold, just how you like it.

Thanks.

- What a night.
- Mm.

That Courtney, she's something else.

I know it.

And getting you and I both
back into the game?

Pfft, amazing.

You gotta make the most of it.

You get a second chance, right?

Second chance like the Crocks?

Or The Shade?

Dragon King's daughter?

Or The Gambler?

Well, I mean, Courtney
believes we should.

And well, so far, her heart,
it hasn't steered us wrong yet.

Look, I'm not saying she's wrong.

These are predators we're dealing with.

Every one of 'em.

Even so, to second chances.

- Second chances.
- Yeah.

[LAUGHTER]

And hey, if I'm really back,

that means you're officially
my sidekick again.

Sidekick?

Starman and Stripesy.

I've also just been
going by just S.T.R.I.P.E.

It's an acronym
for Subatomic Tactical...

- Gonna be fun.
- Robot Internet Pat Enhancer.

- Hmm.
- Hey.

The mustache is great.

You think so?

[SOFT MUSIC]

♪ ♪

[COMPUTER PINGS]

[DRAMATIC MUSIC]

♪ ♪

[OVERLAPPING CHATTER]

- [LAUGHTER]
- See?

♪ ♪

Isn't it weird how I was dead?

♪ ♪

[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]

♪ ♪

[GROWLING]

I've been trying to see
if The Gambler's been

in communication with his old g*ng,

but so far, nothing.

They could be working without him.

I doubt it.

We're gonna wreck him.

We're going to give him
an opportunity to explain.

That's all.

Why are you so intent on believing

any of them have changed, Court?

Why are you giving someone
like The Gambler a chance?

Because he's trying to be
better for his daughter.

The Gambler, of all people,

is a better dad than mine ever was.

[STAFF WARBLES]

[g*nsh*t]

Oh, my! What the heck?

[TENSE MUSIC]

♪ ♪

- Oh, my gosh.
- Did you do that?

- What?
- What the heck is going on?

♪ ♪

I didn't do it.

[DRAMATIC MUSIC]

♪ ♪

Greg, move your head.

Mad Ghost.