'Stargirl': Beth Chapel needs to find a way to strike out on her own and stop using the goggles as a crutch
Spoilers for 'Stargirl' Season 1 Episode 6 'The Justice Society'
The Justice Society has finally emerged, fully formed with costumes and all. They are made up of powerful superheroes, each with their own abilities and talents both in and out of costume that they are pouring into their fight against injustice. Everyone, except Beth Chapel (Anjelika Washington). So far, Beth has been criminally underserved by the show's writing and that's something that desperately needs fixing. As it stands, Beth is not only the weakest member of the group, she's also the one with the least agency.
While everyone's new costume and tools are essentially the things that give them their superpowers, they all at least bring something of their own to the table. Courtney Whitmore (Brec Bassinger) is a gymnast and martial artist. Yolanda Montez (Yvette Monreal) is a boxer, one who's determined to fight. Pat Dugan (Luke Wilson) may have been just a sidekick, but he's got years of superhero experience under his belt, not to mention that he's the only one on the team who's directly contributed to his own power set in the making of the STRIPE armor. Even Rick Tyler brings in his own determination to the table. It's a determination that's rooted in anger, which is another thing the show has to deal with, but the point is that if his powers were taken away, he'd still find a way to stay in the fight.
Beth Chapel's contribution to the team so far, however, consists solely of being told what to do and to say. The McNider glasses give her all the information she needs and suggest courses of action that she immediately follows. Besides being nosy enough to find the goggles in the first place, Beth has done very little work on her own to earn a spot on the team.
Part of the problem may be the show's pace giving us very little time to see just what makes Beth tick. Her story has been told on the sides of other people's in the rush to form the Justice Society as early as possible and has not benefitted from a focused episode that each of the other heroes got. As it stands, however, there is no reason why her goggles and costume couldn't be given to anyone else — in fact, the goggles alone could be worn by any other member of the team.
Beth's reliance on the goggles isn't just a powers-relevant worry, either. Chuck McNider (Henry Thomas) has become her only friend after her parents forcibly distanced themselves from Beth in an attempt to make her more social. What Beth is currently doing is very much the opposite of that - she is spending all her free time socializing with someone that nobody else can see, or talk to — and that only serves to isolate her even further from the people around her.
As it stands, while Beth may be an entertaining character, the series needs to give her a lot more agency than she's currently been given. The goggles are quickly becoming more of a crutch than a form of empowerment, and Beth needs to find a way to stand on her own two feet. The next episode of 'Stargirl' airs on June 29 on DC Universe and June 30 on The CW.
