Stargirl Review: Summer School: Chapter Nine (Season 2 Episode 9)

If you were hoping for more JSA flashbacks, Stargirl Season 2 Episode 9, “Summer School: Chapter Nine,” delivers. Unfortunately, it comes in the package of another dark storyline.

When referring back to the JSA, Pat often valorizes them. On this episode, we see them during their darkest time when they faced Eclipso.

Some of Pat’s creepy visions are caused by Eclipso, but his memories of the JSA are all his own. After learning earlier this season he’s still hiding something from Courtney, we finally learn what happened.

Learning that the original JSA killed Eclipso’s host Bruce Gordon to stop him puts their legacy into an entirely new light. Between belittling Pat and arguing over whether it’s right to kill Bruce, these men don’t seem like the heroes Pat looked up to.

This season explores the cost of being a hero, and now we get to see what that meant for the original JSA. As Pat later reveals to Courtney, they were never the same after that.

This storyline really puts into perspective why Pat is so protective of Courtney and this new JSA. He doesn’t want to see them meet the same fate. 

One of the biggest highlights of the JSA flashback is the appearance of John Wesley Shipp as Jay Garrick AKA The Flash. Shipp plays Jay Garrick on The Flash, so this marks Stargirl’s first Arrowverse crossover of sorts (due to multiverse reasons it is not actually the same Jay Garrick).

Shipp does a great job of portraying a steadfast hero and provides an important reminder of what the JSA stands for and why this decision goes against their legacy. Jay is the only JSA member to vote against killing Bruce and backs up Pat’s protest.

Hopefully, we get to see some of these JSA members come back under better circumstances, whether it’s through flashbacks or in the present day. Although the show is right to not dwell too much on the past, it seems like there’s a lot more to explore about the old JSA in terms of how it connects to the struggles of the new JSA.

This is the most we’ve seen of Sylvester (Starman) and Pat’s relationship, and it seems more complicated than Pat is ever willing to admit. It would be fascinating to see how it translates to the present day considering Pat isn’t the sidekick anymore.

The reveal of the murder leads to an additional cost for Pat when Courtney realizes he and Barbara kept this secret from her. It’s a tense scene and Brec Bassinger makes up for lack of screen time with an emotionally charged performance expressing her feelings of betrayal.

“Summer School: Chapter Nine”’s biggest weakness is its pacing. You might argue this type of atmospheric horror requires a slower pace, but for an hour-long show, it becomes excruciatingly slow at times.

With the new JSA done with their hallucinations, it feels like Stargirl is checking off boxes by having Eclipso haunt Courtney’s family.

Although Mike and Barbara’s hallucinations are less shocking, they are still very frightening. It’s great to have Neil Jackson back as Jordan Mahkent, whose interactions with Barbara were always creepily compelling.

Her hallucination plays on those mixed feelings she had about Jordan. Sure he was evil but he was also pretty nice to her? This episode reminds us that even though Barbara isn’t out in the field she also bears the cost of what the JSA does.

Speaking of villains obsessed with Barbara, it’s the Shade who saves her by coming to her and snapping her out of her hallucination. I am dying to know what their connection is, which Stargirl teased earlier in the season.

For Cameron, it’s like father, like son. At least for Eclipso’s version of Cameron. Hunter Sansone is so good at playing a bad guy who tortures Mike I almost wish his character would turn evil (Courtney can find another boyfriend, right?).

In addition to exploiting his guilt over killing Jordan, Eclipso explores Mike’s feelings of rejection. At this point, it seems weird that Stargirl keeps bringing these things up for Mike without any resolution.

Are we still supposed to still think his loneliness could lead him to be evil? Or is this supposed to build up to him becoming a hero after the false start with Thunderbolt?

Stargirl keeps teasing interesting stories for Mike and Barbara but coming up short. I’d like to see both characters get some sort of resolution by the end of the season.

The Whitmore-Dugan family may survive Eclipso this time, but he still wins in the end by leaving them fractured. As successfully as the show pulls off these horror elements, Stargirl is starting to become downright depressing.

I’m hoping for a little more light and happiness to return to Blue Valley as we finish out the home stretch.

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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