Stargirl Review: Summer School: Chapter Four (Season 2 Episode 4)
Bad isn’t the same thing as evil. At least, that’s what The Shade suggests to Courtney on Stargirl Season 2 Episode 4, “Summer School: Chapter Four.”
Is he right, though? This installment makes a strong case for his argument by exploring the softer side of the Crock family and hinting at some darker JSA secrets.
If evil does exist, it’s in the form of Eclipso. Pat tries to protect Courtney, but he can’t stop her completely from learning about Eclipso since Chuck warned Beth about him.
As we’ve already seen, Eclipso is a powerful and nasty piece of work, making the villains the JSA faced last season pale in comparison. Stargirl does a great job building up the tension around the Eclipso storyline on multiple fronts.
First, the JSA learns that Eclipso is an ancient evil spirit with mind control powers. Combined with the fact Pat seems to be hiding something else from Courtney about what happened between Eclipso and the original JSA, it seems like the new JSA quickly gets in over their heads.
The biggest bombshell (aside from Dr. McNider maybe being alive) is The Shade revealing he doesn’t want to team up with Eclipso, he wants to destroy him. It’s an unexpected direction for the villain and creates a whole new slew of questions for the show to answer.
Will they team up with The Shade? If someone as nefarious as The Shade thinks Eclipso is pure evil, then what chance does the JSA have of stopping him?
Despite covering a lot of exposition at times, the episode ups the stakes and increases your anticipation for the JSA’s eventual confrontation with Eclipso. I’m afraid for our teenaged heroes but also can’t wait to see how this plays out.
If The Shade is just “bad” as he claims and not evil, then maybe so are the Crocks (AKA Tigress and Sportsmaster). Their escape from prison to see Artemis’ football tryouts creates a fun B-plot where they hang out with Pat and Barbara.
Amy Smart gets to show off her comedic skills as Barbara and Paula bond over their stubborn daughters and realize they’re not so different after all. Like Crusher, you also almost start to wonder why he and Pat didn’t end up friends (until Pat reminds him of the whole attempted murder thing).
It’s nice to see Barbara and Pat get to spend some time with other adults, even if those adults did try to kill them.
Even though Cindy’s use of Eclipso to mind control Artemis ends up ruining her tryouts, it’s still heartwarming to see the Crocks show up for their daughter and then tell her the truth to try to help her move on.
Stargirl takes a much more nuanced approach to “good and evil” than some of its peers and seems dedicated to exploring those nuances even further in this season. For every Brainwave or Dragon King who saw their kids as a weapon, there are more complicated characters like Sportsmaster and Tigress who are capable of love and compassion.
As Courtney continues to mature as a hero, and as a teenager, these nuances become even more important to her story. I can see it playing an important role as Cindy recruits for her new ISA and the JSA is put in the position of fighting villains who are their classmates.
The downside of these comical Blue Valley parent shenanigans is Stargirl once again sidelines the rest of the new JSA.
It may be called Stargirl, but the second season is the story of the JSA (and ISA) as much as it is Courtney’s. The problem is too much time is spent on the old JSA’s past without bridging it to the new generation.
Yolanda, Rick, and Beth all have interesting stories that deserve more screen time. If I’m repeating myself from my review of Stargirl Season 2 Episode 3, “Summer School: Chapter Three,” it’s because it continues to be an issue.
Although “Summer School: Chapter Four,” is enjoyable to watch it still feels like a setup for something bigger. With Eclipso’s backstory and The Shade reveal out of the way, hopefully, Stargirl can regain its momentum.
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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.