This week’s episode of DC’s Stargirl saw the return of Tigress/Paula Brooks (Joy Osmanski) and Sportsmaster/Crusher Crock (Neil Hopkins), though the former Injustice Society members’ return to Blue Valley wasn’t exactly something that the Justice Society of America expected. After all, the villains had been sent to prison after the events of Season 1 and with The Shade (Jonathan Cake) in town it could have been a tense situation all around. However, the very intense duo had their own reasons for coming back into town — and Osmanski says that, with everything that’s happened, there’s a chance Tigress could be redeemed.
Warning: spoilers for this week’s episode, “Summer School: Chapter Four” below.
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In the episode, Paula and Crusher break out of prison so they can support their daughter, Artemis (Stella Smith), for her college football tryout. To be at that tryout, they force Pat (Luke Wilson) to help them and even end up at the Dugan/Whitmore home briefly where, in conversation, it’s revealed that the pair never really felt like they fit with the rest of the Injustice Society. By the end of the episode, Tigress and Sportsmaster end up coming clean with their daughter, telling her the truth about why they are in prison and taking responsibility for their actions. It’s a big shift and it’s one that Osmanski says shows an opportunity for Paula to truly change.
“You know, I do,” Osmanski told ComicBook.com when asked if she thought Paula could be redeemed. “I think the ideology of the ISA was so much about Icicle’s vision and Brainwave’s vision and this extreme method of getting what they wanted. It sounded good, but then you’re like, this is how you’re doing it. And I think, Paula and Crusher often felt used. They were described as the attack dogs. And that’s not a role that’s necessarily that fun to play after a while because there’s not a whole lot of autonomy. So, I feel that Paula in her future has a chance to expand her understanding of what her role is. And particularly with her daughter, if you have a kid who is a teenager and getting older and you can’t fool them as much. You know what I mean? I have a 20-year-old step-kid and I can’t do anything that will trick my kid. It’s all got to be adult from here on out. So, I think them coming clean with their daughter is a sign that they realize that they have to grow and change along with Artemis.”
DC’s Stargirl airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on The CW.
