Stargirl Review: Summer School: Chapter Eight (Season 2 Episode 8)
Ever since Eclipso escaped, Blue Valley has turned into Middle America’s dreariest town. Fourth of July isn’t usually a holiday associated with horror, but it is for the JSA on Stargirl Season 2 Episode 8, “Summer School: Chapter Eight.”
After Yolanda’s nightmarish confrontation with her trauma, it’s Rick and Beth’s turn.
For Beth, it’s a story of triumph over her self-doubt. Beth isn’t a fighter like the other JSA members, but she proves she’s just as strong when she bravely takes on Eclipso on her own.
Beth prevails but that doesn’t the episode isn’t scary. I wouldn’t want to be trapped in my hallucinations with a creepy little kid like Bruce either.
Eclipso feeds on people’s fears and insecurities, so targeting Beth’s uncertainty about her place in the JSA makes sense. He preys on her feelings of being an outsider, something that existed even before joining the JSA.
The decision to have Eclipso/Bruce make repeated racist comments to Beth is a real-life type of sinister but also feels somewhat abrupt. While it’s important Stargirl acknowledges Beth’s struggles as a Black girl living in a small Nebraskan town, it’s also something the show rarely acknowledged before this as a part of why she feels like an outsider.
This scene highlights how little Stargirl had addressed what it means to Beth specifically to be a Black superhero taking on the very white male legacy of the JSA. This episode is a good start to that conversation but long overdue.
It’s empowering to hear Beth proclaim she chose herself when Eclipso taunts her and later proudly tell Dr. McNider that she’s the new Dr. Mid-Nite. Anjelika Washington deserves praise for delivering such a moving character moment.
The scene also leads to Beth having an important heart-to-heart with her mother who explains how she also had to overcome challenges as the first Black doctor in town. After all Beth’s been through, it’s satisfying to have her parents finally see her and acknowledge her.
Rick doesn’t get such a happy ending. At first, it seems like he’ll also get an uplifting story, as he bonds with Grundy over being misunderstood.
You can relate to his exhaustion over feeling like he’s giving everything and getting nothing in return. He still tries his best but is in pain.
Cameron Gellman was perfectly cast as the angry brooding teen in Season 1. Now Gellman gets to show even more depth in his performance as Rick tries to heal and grapple with his heroism.
Eclipso quickly derails things with an elaborate illusion that leads Rick to attack Grundy after he “sees” him kill a little girl. Their battle set against the backdrop of Blue Valley’s firework display is an epic fight scene with a disturbing ending.
The realization at the end that nothing Rick saw is real and he’s actually beating his abusive uncle almost to death is a shocking twist. Beth becomes aware of Eclipso’s influence fairly early on but neither Rick nor the viewer understands Eclipso’s control over him until it’s too late.
You feel his anguish and guilt as he smashes Hourman’s hourglass after realizing what he’s done.
Doesn’t Rick also deserve a break? The fact that his uncle’s taunt that he’ll end up in prison before going to college becomes true is devastating.
That Rick is willing to forgive Grundy, his parent’s murderer, shows how much he’s matured and healed from the angry, broken boy we first met. For Eclipso to drag him back down is a crushing ending.
Like Stargirl Season 2 Episode 7, “Summer School: Chapter Seven,” this episode gives the spotlight to JSA members who deserve to have their stories told and have been occasionally sidelined this season. 
DC’s Stargirl — “Summer School: Chapter Eight” –Pictured: Amy Smart as Barbara Whitmore — Photo: The CW — © 2021 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.By the end, the JSA is more fractured than ever. Eclipso doesn’t seem like he’ll stop until he takes down all of them.
This episode leaves one big question: Why is Eclipso so afraid of them? Is it because Cosmo (Courtney’s new name for the cosmic staff) caused him some damage, or something more?
Hopefully, the JSA can survive these challenges to take him down once and for all.
Additional Thoughts:
- I am so ready to learn more about the Shadow Land. Spooky!
- Bruce is still way creepier than Eclipso’s actual form.
- I love that Courtney’s Fourth of July outfit has a star and stripes which doubles as a nod to Stargirl/Starman and Stripesy.
- My heart melted when Mike calls Barbara mom. Our underrated duo!
- Those maggots in the sandwich are a nice nod to The Lost Boys. What other 80s horror movies will we get a reference to this season?
- The score on Stargirl is criminally underrated. It adds so much to the cinematic feel and is one of DC TV’s best.
What did you think of this episode of Stargirl? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Stargirl airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on The CW.
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Breeze Riley
Breeze Riley is a pop culture enthusiast who decided to turn her love of watching too much TV into a hobby writing about it. Although she's a convention-going sci-fi and fantasy nerd, she's just as likely to be watching an off-beat comedy or period drama. She is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic.