'Stargirl' Episode 7: Why Cindy Burman would make a valuable addition to the Justice Society of America
The mean girl has a soft side. Who knew? Well, it wasn't entirely unpredictable if you've binge-watched all sorts of television shows, films and grown so used to the quintessential popular mean girl coming out with a gentler part of her personality. The trope is the same: Cindy Burman or 'Shiv' (Meg DeLacy) is mean (excuse the repetition of the word mean, but there's really no other way to explain her behavior. She isn't diabolic...yet), but wait, she's human, kind of like Regina George from 'Mean Girls'.
The latest episode of DC Universe's Stargirl saw Blue Valley High School's Cindy take up the identity of the villain Shiv. In the comics, her powers are similar to Wolverine from the X-Men comics and she has a golden staff with a dragon's head and it is capable of breathing fire. She isn't entirely reliant on weaponry either and is a master at martial arts.
In the show, Shiv has been given a tragic touch. One of the reasons why she is upset is because her father, Dragon King, doesn't take her seriously and isn't taking her into the Injustice Society Of America. She knows all about the sinister's league's endeavors and really wants to be a part of it. But daddy dearest isn't letting her join. In the comics, it was different. Dragon King was keen on having his daughter join his organization and fight by his side. He was the stereotypical parent and forcing her to go beyond the limits. On the show, Dragon King still wanted Shiv to join him one day but feared that she would not be able to take on the responsibilities that came with being a supervillain. And so, Shiv is desperate to prove herself to her father despite her immaturity, similar to the way Courtney wants to show her stepfather Pat Dugan (Luke Wilson) that she can fight. The two girls, who are each other's archnemesis, are mirrors to each other. But for now, the rivalry between the two teenagers has been cemented, friendship is a distant dream.
There is a lot of grey in Cindy's character. Apart from her tendency to join completely nefarious forces, Cindy is a lonely girl, who craves real friendship, if you could just forget about those terrifying blades in her sleeves for a second. You *would* want to feel sorry for her, had she not humiliated Yolanda Montez (Yvette Monreal) leaving her completely scarred and an outcast from school as well as her own family. Yet, humanizing a villain isn't entirely new on the show, as the creators have shown the emotional side to Icicle (Neil Jackson) too. It wants to make you feel sorry somewhere for these villains and let you know that they also have traumatic issues that they need to deal with. They're real people if only they didn't keep killing people for their own gains.
Nevertheless, the show might not strictly follow the comics. For all we know, Cindy might make a useful ally for the newly-formed JSA. This seems to be heading that way, and we've seen a lot of these mean girls-turned good, to know which way this is headed. She also has some powers that need some more explanation in the show, and it could come in quite useful for the JSA. It's quite possible that she learns to be on the good side and she and Courtney become good friends. It might take her a while to be friends with Yolanda, though.
'Stargirl' airs on The CW, Tuesdays at 8 pm.