Stargirl: Chapter 12 Summary & Analysis

In the Hot Seat studio, there are two chairs—one with flames painted on the legs, for the interviewee, and a regular chair for Kevin, the host. Overlooking the stage are two rows of chairs, which the “jury” occupies. The 12 members of the jury are there to ask embarrassing and nosy questions. There are three cameras—one for the stage, one for the jury, and one nicknamed “Chico,” a close-up camera. Leo works in the control room, directing the camera shots, alongside the technical director and faculty advisor, Mr. Robineau.

Though the questions are meant to make the “victim” squirm, the overall atmosphere of Hot Seat is good-natured. The shows are filmed after school and broadcast that night on local cable. For this show, the crew is expecting especially high ratings. But Leo secretly wishes that nobody would watch. When they scheduled Stargirl’s appearance, she was still popular. Now that reactions to Stargirl have soured, however, Leo fears that things will turn ugly.

Leo’s foreboding gets stronger as the grim-faced jurors—including Hillari Kimble—enter the studio. Only Stargirl seems to be in a good mood. She even makes Cinnamon the rat wave at Leo through the control room window, to his embarrassment—he didn’t realize Stargirl knew his name. He collects himself and begins calling the shots for the opening of the show. As the cameras roll, Kevin introduces Stargirl and good-naturedly greets Cinnamon, too.

Kevin tells Stargirl that they’ve been eager to put her on the Hot Seat. Stargirl turns to the camera, her “wonderstruck” eyes slowly getting wider and wider. Leo realizes that she’s milking the moment, pretending to take “hot seat” literally, so he orders a long shot, capturing Stargirl’s scream as she theatrically leaps from the flame-decorated chair and sticks her rear end directly in the camera, fanning it. Kevin laughs hysterically as Cinnamon the rat gets loose and dashes toward the startled jury. Leo continues frantically calling shots—it’s the best Hot Seat footage he’s ever gotten. But, as it turns out, nobody will ever see it.