Stargirl – Summer School Chapter Four review S2 E4
It’s kind of astonishing just how good Stargirl is compared to most of The CW Verse superhero shows. Like Superman and Lois the secret ingredient is heart and earnestness that safeguards against the show getting too bleak and depressing.
This is ironic as Chapter Four of this season goes to much darker places. Stargirl is showing how to handle a threatening menace without drowning the heroes in this overly depressing funk that steals all the joy from the show.
There’s something remarkably wholesome about Courtney and the JSA learning about Eclipso through actual trips to the library and bookstores instead of three keystrokes on the computer. That’s a basic and sensible way to gradually introduce Eclipso’s threat without showing all the hands at once.
And this allowed screenwriter Taylor Streitz to work in a Bruce Gordon and House of Secrets reference. Eclipso debuted in House of Secrets #61 and Gordon was the everyman hero who regularly battled Eclipso.
So often with superhero shows, particularly with younger heroes, they’re chock full of secrets and withhold everything from their parents. With Stargirl, that dynamic is flipped with Pat and Barb (parents who are actually on the same page is another novelty) deliberately not telling Courtney everything about Eclipso.
Courtney’s not clueless and knows they’re hiding some information from her as a means of being protective. It’s so refreshing that Courtney isn’t pouting and being resentful of her parents caring yet is determined to get the intel on her own.
Enter a conversation with The Shade. Rather than talk in riddles for multiple episodes and several running in place style standoffs, Shade tells Courtney that Eclipso is a real danger and he plans on putting the diamond at the bottom of the deepest ocean. That plan works OK provided this Earth doesn’t have an Aquaman or Atlanteans. Shade also drops the big bombshell that Eclipso killed Dr. Mid-Nite’s daughter.
And even with all this new information, Courtney still wants to go after Shade. This is a perfect example of how to show your main hero being a hero without having to have all the other characters repeatedly drone on about how Stargirl is so great.
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Cindy was hard at work this week recruiting her Injustice Society. First up was The Fiddler’s son, Isaac (Max Frantz). As a social outcast, Isaac was an easy mark for Cindy to sweet talk and manipulate. The other recruit would require a little more work.
Artemis’ college football tryout was shaping up to be a huge day in her life. And her parents, Lawrence aka Sportsmaster and Paula aka Tigress weren’t going to let a little thing like being in prison stop them. They slyly threaten Mike in order to get Pat to agree to keep them away from the authorities long enough to see Artemis’ tryout.
This is a subplot that probably wouldn’t work on most of the CW Verse shows, but the nice mix of awkward tension — Lawrence gets on Pat for letting himself go — and humor — Paula disgusted with Barb’s food options — helped make for a surprising highlight.
Motivated by her parents’ presence, Artemis started putting on her own highlight reel until Cindy ruined it by having Eclipso make her see SWAT coming for her parents. That’s more than enough to cost Artemis a scholarship opportunity, but ruling Blue Valley with Cindy and Isaac might make for a nice consolation prize. Besides, now Artemis can take part in the true family business.
The writing of this scene showed Stargirl’s creative team understands genuine emotion. Parents always sacrifice for their children and Lawrence and Paula wanted to make sure Artemis was in a good place was very sweet. Considering these were the two teacher killing psychos from last season that was an impressive feat.
Beth hears from Chuck again through her goggles, but the voice on the other end is confused why she keeps calling him Chuck. It’s actually Dr. Mid-Nite himself somehow lost in a realm of darkness.
This was straight from showrunner Geoff Johns’ JSA comic playbook. Johns would regularly craft ways for the older, legacy heroes to return and work alongside their modern counterpart.
Stargirl is just really quality comic book TV. This Eclipso arc is playing out impressively and there hasn’t been a letdown episode yet.
Rating: 8.5 out of 10
Photo Credit: The CW
Check out Stargirl: Book One from Geoff Johns on Amazon.