In the penultimate episode of DC’s Stargirl season 2, we see how Eclipso’s master plan will come together as Cindy joins the JSA to fight him. The JSA struggles to pull itself into a coherent team to defeat Eclipso as the darkness threatens to overtake its shining light: Courtney. Read on to find out what happened in “Summer School: Chapter 12”!
Getting The Band Back Together
With the new JSA in shambles, the vast majority of the episode is spent gathering the necessary members back in the same room. The most heartwarming new addition is the original Dr. Mid-Nite, whose sweet relationship with Beth gives her the confidence she’s sorely been missing this season. He tells Pat that he thinks Beth and the rest of the kids are ready to be heroes, a sentiment this new JSA really needs to hear. McNider is also convinced that Courtney’s inner light will be enough to defeat Eclipso.
Of course, there’s still the matter of Rick’s pending criminal charges after accidentally beating up his uncle. Pat goes to the hospital to convince Rick’s uncle Matt to drop the charges, but he stubbornly refuses. This leads to one of the darkest Pat moments of the season as he threatens Matt, pulling the hospital curtains shut. Pat emerges with Matt agreeing to drop the charges, but at what cost? Is Pat beginning to succumb to his own darkness?
Yolanda is also a no-show as Courtney attempts to bring her back into the fold. Courtney tells her that she is not the first JSA member to take a life, hoping it will bring her comfort, but all it does is upset Yolanda more. Yolanda doesn’t want to carry on the legacy of Wildcat killing others. But Cindy knows what will work to lure out Yolanda. In a “good cop, bad cop” routine, Cindy goes to visit Yolanda and uses reverse psychology on her, making Yolanda think Cindy isn’t trustworthy. Wanting to protect her friends from being double crossed by Cindy, Yolanda rejoins the JSA. When Courtney calls out Cindy for manipulating Yolanda, Cindy retorts that they’re fighting a supervillain and a little evil is justified. We also see Cindy calling an unknown collaborator, telling them to return to Blue Valley.
There’s just one last piece missing: Thunderbolt. With reports of giant food popping up all over town, it seems Thunderbolt is hard at work. Mike goes to Jakeem, Thunderbolt’s newest owner, explaining the JSA and how Thunderbolt is needed. Mike also nudges Jakeem into becoming a member of the JSA by telling him that the fun of having Thunderbolt to call on also means he has a responsibility to wield the power well. Thunderbolt is indisposed at the moment (getting Chinese food directly from China, no less), but Jakeem agrees to help … once his chores are done. Priorities, am I right?
Mother Daughter Time
Courtney is stressed for a number of reasons in this episode, but one reason is her unresolved tension with her mother. After what she heard in the Shadowlands, she is having a hard time shaking her emotions even as she knows the Shadowlands version of Barbara wasn’t real. She asks her mother if it was difficult raising her alone, and Barbara tells her that while it was hard, it was all worth it because she had Courtney. They embrace, finally healing the rift between them.
Going After Eclipso
Beth and Dr. McNider try to use their goggles to find Eclipso, but it’s too much for them to handle alone. They realize they need the JSA’s computer, and the pair head to the American Dream. But they aren’t alone: Bruce shows up to taunt them, getting in a heart wrenching dig about killing McNider’s daughter. As Bruce begins to monologue, as villains are known to do, we see that Jen is having a nightmare due to Eclipso’s influence on the ring.
Since this is the penultimate episode of the season, a good bit of time is devoted to the reveal of Eclipso’s ultimate plan. He’s been growing in strength the whole season, and Jen’s nightmare reveals his desire to use the JSA for his own plans. His strongest desire? To turn Stargirl evil, bringing out the darkness within. This fits with what we’ve seen of Eclipso so far — he manipulates good people by encouraging their darkness through fear. Jen’s nightmare is bleak, with a half-demon Courtney stepping over the bodies of her friends. But is this the future? We’ll have to wait for the season finale to find out!
DC’s Stargirl airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.
