Yes, as I understand it, the “turn-on” effect is from the plasma generated while the star is falling into the gravity well. The bit of the star that passes the

Yes, as I understand it, the “turn-on” effect is from the plasma generated while the star is falling into the gravity well. The bit of the star that passes the event horizon would be tiny. Moreover, I believe that the radiation from an object falling into a black hole is redshifted so rapidly, that it effectively disappears from view in a very short time. An outside observer would not see anything “lingering” near the event horizon.