This week on Stargirl we get yet another stellar episode, as the show just keeps knocking it out of the park. If only all the Arrowverse series were this good (I'm lookin' at you, current seasons of The Flash).
The highlight of the episode was the return of former ISA members Sportsmaster and Tigress, who I honestly never expected to see again.
Thanks to Star Wars ruiner Rian Johnson, the term "subverted my expectations" gets thrown around a lot these days, to the point where it's practically lost its meaning. But that's just what happened in Summer School: Chapter Four. I was definitely NOT expecting Sportsmaster and Tigress to turn out to be loving parents who selflessly supported and indulged their daughter Artemis.
And yet that's exactly what happened this week. Kudos to the writers, as it would have been all too easy to portray the couple as stereotypical supervillains. Instead they went in a completely unexpected and satisfying direction, which gave Sportsmaster and Tigress a surprising amount of depth, and made them almost sympathetic. Tragic, even. Well done!
Stargirl excels at this subversion of the audience's expectations, as it's been doing it on a weekly basis since it premiered. Which is part of what makes it the best of all the Arrowverse shows.
Also this week, the series continues its ominous subplot in which Dugan and Barb reluctantly decide to keep the horrible truth about Eclipso from the JSA members.
Lying and keeping secrets is a way of life for the characters of most other Arrowverse shows. Heck, the cast of The Flash does it in virtually every episode, and always with zero consequences. In addition to making the members of Team Flash look like assholes, it's a cheap, obvious and lazy way to generate tension and drama. As well as to drag out the storylines to fill up the season.
Stargirl's characters actually struggle with the decision to keep secrets from one another, as well as worry about the effect their actions will have on the team. Just one more reason why this show's such a breath of fresh air!
The Plot:
Artemis Crock visits her parents (separately) in prison. "Crusher" (aka Sportsmaster) and Paula (aka Tigress) were both incarcerated after being defeated by Stargirl in the Season 1 finale. Artemis says she's nervous about the upcoming football tryouts, as there'll be a scout there. Her parents— who are both wildly supportive and indulgent of her, despite their criminal backgrounds— assure her she's the best in the state and will do fine.
At the Chapel home, Beth's still trying to reactivate the Chuck AI in her goggles. Last week Chuck came to life just long enough to utter the warning "Eclipso," and Beth's determined to find out what he meant.
Beth then awkwardly tries to get her parents back together and stop their impending divorce. Of course her plan fails miserably. Beth works on the goggles again, and manages to bring up a confidential file on Eclipso. She wonders why the JSA would restrict their own files.
Elsewhere, Barb tells Dugan she couldn't sleep after he told her the horrible truth about Eclipso. He wonders if they should tell Courtney about the demon. Just then Courtney walks in and asks what they know about Eclipso. Dugan's dumbfounded, and asks how the hell she knows that name. Courtney says Chuck warned them about him, but didn't say why.
Dugan tells her part of the truth— that Eclipso is pure evil, and lives inside the Black Diamond. He says whoever possesses the diamond has Eclipso's powers, and can control minds and cause hallucinations. Courtney wonders why The Shade's teaming up with Eclipso, and Barb begs her to stay away from both the villains. Courtney assures her that they'll thoroughly research Eclipso before confronting him.
Deep underground in the ISA's HQ, Cindy Burman mourns her stepmother, saying she didn't want her to die. Eclipso creates an illusion of Cindy's BIRTH mother, who begs her not to hurt her. Cindy angrily tells Eclipso to stop, and says if he ever does that to her again she'll throw the diamond into a volcano.
Cindy then looks at the portrait of the defunct ISA, as Eclipso says he only wants what she desires. He causes the figures in the portrait to morph into a NEW ISA, made up of Cindy and the various kids of the old team.
Artemis is driven to school by her horrible foster mother, who can't be bothered to pack her a decent lunch. When Artemis complains, Foster Mom threatens to stop accepting collect calls from her parents. Artemis angrily gets out and storms across the football field.
Cut to Mike picking up papers for his route. He glances at the front page headline, which says Sportsmaster and Tigress have escaped prison. Just then the two of them appear, grab Mike and haul him off.
At the school, Artemis is upset that the cafeteria doesn't sell health foods. Courtney overhears nd hands her an apple as a peace offering to atone for their "misunderstanding" a couple episodes back. Artemis asks why she's being nice, and Courtney says she's sorry about her "situation." Artemis says the Crocks don't forgive, crushes the apple in her hand and stalks off.
Elsewhere, Miss Woods grades another of Rick's tests and says he aced that one as well. She says she's sorry she accused him of cheating, and apologizes for doubting him. He says it's OK, as everyone does.
Isaac Bowin sits alone in the cafeteria like a feral animal. Cindy approaches and says she always admired his musical talents. Isaac's stunned that she even knows who he is, and she tells him she knows what it's like to lose one's parents. He asks Cindy how her parents died, and she gives him a wry smile as she says, "Horribly."
Dugan goes to the Pit Stop, where he sees the lock's been broken. He cautiously enters, and sees Sportsmaster & Tigress holding Mike hostage. They tell him they want to be there for their daughter Artemis' football tryouts, and if he helps them get in and out undetected, they'll willingly return to prison. Naturally Dugan refuses, so Sportsmaster threatens to spill the beans about the JSA and STRIPE. Dugan reluctantly agrees.
For some reason Dugan takes the criminals to his house (!), where Barb quite rightly asks what the hell's going on. Dugan fills her in, and she reminds him that Tigress tried to kill her. He tells her to just "go with it" and they'll be out of their hair soon.
There's lots of awkwardness between the two couples, as Sportsmaster tells Dugan he's "letting himself go," and Tigress is aghast that Barb lets her kids eat processed foods. After a time they warm up a little, as Sportsmaster says the other ISA members were all putzes, and he and Tigress never fit in with them. Barb mentions how Courtney never listens to her, and Tigress says she has the same problem with Artemis. Barb offers her some coffee, and Tigress agrees to try it for the first time (?).
Meanwhile, Courtney, Rick & Beth meet at the diner to discuss Eclipso and the Black Diamond. They're joined by Yolanda, who's apparently started working as a waitress there. Courtney pulls out an old book and says the diamond came from Devil's Island, which no longer appears on modern maps. It was inhabited by two warring tribes, one of which trapped a demon inside the Black Diamond. An explorer named Bruce Gordon (who was referenced in the season premiere) discovered the island, and found everyone there dead. She says there's no other info on Gordon or Eclipso.
Cindy takes Isaac down into the ISA's HQ, where she shows him the portrait. She says his late father was The Fiddler, and presents him with his violin. When Isaac says he doesn't know how to play it, Cindy ominously says he'll learn.
Courtney goes to a used bookstore and asks if there're any volumes on Bruce Gordon. The owner directs her to the explorer section, in a dimly lit corner. There Courtney's confronted by Richard Swift, aka The Shade.
Swift tells her he knows who she is and why she's there. She says she knows he's teaming up with Eclipso, and that he killed the original Dr. Mid-Nite. He denies both accusations, saying she doesn't know what she's talking about. Swift says Eclipso is pure evil, as he once killed Dr. Mid-Nite's ten year old daughter. Swift claims he's looking for the Black Diamond so he can throw it into the deepest part of the ocean to prevent the demon from harming anyone ever again. He then promptly disappears ihnto the shadows.
Courtney goes home and asks where Dugan is. Barb fills her in on her "unusual" houseguests, and says Dugan took them to the high school.
At the football field, Dugan sneaks Sportsmaster and Tigress into the stands so they can watch Artemis' tryout. She looks unsure of herself till she spots her parents, and then gains the confidence to make a spectacular play. Her abilities impress the recruiter who's observing the game.
Courtney shows up and sees Dugan sitting with Sportsmaster & Tigress. Just then Cindy sashays into the stands as well, and takes out the Black Diamond. She uses it on Artemis, making her see a squad of police arresting her parents. Instantly she runs and attacks one of the officers, screaming that her parents are innocent. As the other players pull her off, she sees she actually attacked Courtney. Cindy walks away, leaving a very confused Artemis wondering what the hell just happened.
After the tryouts, Sportsmaster & Tigress take a moment to talk to Artemis. They admit to being criminals, and say they never told her because they didn't want to ruin her dreams. They tell her this is goodbye, as they're going back to prison. Dugan & Courtney watch as the family hugs one last time. Courtney asks why she feels bad for them.
Later Courtney asks Dugan if he knew Eclipso killed Dr. Mid-Nite's daughter. He admits he did, but didn't say anything because he didn't want to scare her. She asks if he knows anything else about Eclipso or Bruce Gordon, and he hesitates before saying no. He then leaves to make sure Sportsmaster & Tigress make it back to prison.
Artemis gets a call from the recruiter, who says she's disqualified due to her unprovoked attack on Courtney. She's devastated by the news, and wonders what she's going to do next. Just then Cindy appears, and invites her to join her team.
Later that night, Barb asks Dugan if he told Courtney everything about Eclipso. He admits he didn't, claiming if she and the rest of the JSA ever found out they'd never be the same. Barb agrees they should protect the kids from the awful truth.
Elsewhere, Beth tries to reboot her goggles and fails yet again. Suddenly they come to life, and Chuck asks who she is. She tells him she's his friend Beth, but he doesn't remember her or know anyone named Chuck. He says he's Dr. Charles McNider, and he's been trapped in the "Shadowlands" for years. Beth realizes she's talking to the real Dr. Mid-Nite, who's somehow still alive.
Cut to the Shadowlands, a dark and harsh realm, as Dr. Mid-Nite wanders through the featureless landscape.
Thoughts:
• This is one of the very few episodes of Stargirl that doesn't start with a flashback.
• Back in the season premiere, I wondered where Artemis was living now that her parents are both in the slammer. I assumed she was probably staying with relatives.
In this episode we find out she's actually living in a foster home. Mystery solved!
• While visiting her incarcerated parents, Artemis tells them, "I can't stay in that foster home anymore. Macaroni and cheese, bunk beds, basic cable... no football Sunday pass!"
I love that in her mind, the lack of a sports cable package constitutes inhuman living condition! Apparently Sportsmaster agrees, because when he hears this shocking news he hisses, "Animals!" Ha!
• During the opening scene, we cut back and forth to Artemis visiting her parents in separate prisons. Kudos to the writers for understanding that there are no co-ed correctional facilities. There are men's and women's prisons near one another, and sometimes on the same property, but the genders are never housed in the same building.
• Beth's goggles uncover a JSA file on Eclipso, but it's locked and labeled confidential. She wonders why the JSA would restrict their own files. Good question!
Obviously something very, very bad happened between the JSA and Eclipso a decade or so ago. Something so horrible that its effects are still being felt to this day. Something so terrible that Dugan's willing to risk his relationship with Courtney and the rest of the kids by keeping it from them.
Obviously something very, very bad happened between the JSA and Eclipso a decade or so ago. Something so horrible that its effects are still being felt to this day. Something so terrible that Dugan's willing to risk his relationship with Courtney and the rest of the kids by keeping it from them.
I'm guessing Eclipso Likely caused one or more of the adult JSAers to hallucinate and murder one of their teammates. Maybe even their own child!
• In this episode Cindy's still mourning the death of her stepmother Bobbie, who died at the hands of Eclipso last week. Once again I'm surprised by this, since on numerous occasions we saw Cindy being dismissive and openly hostile toward Bobbie.
I assume this is an attempt to give Cindy some depth and show she's not a shallow supervillain. Cindy likely just thought she wanted Bobbie dead, but when it actually happened she realized she had unexpected feelings for her.
So is... is Cindy supposed to be Asian as well? That's definitely news to me, as she certainly doesn't look it in the least. A quick trip to IMDB confirms that actress Meg DeLacy is half-Asian on her mother's side, so there you go!
Maybe since they previously established her father as a Japanese man, they should have cast a Caucasian woman as Cindy's mother, to explain her not-very-Asian appearance.
• At one point Cindy stares at the old ISA portrait, which suddenly morphs into her new team. It features Cameron Mahkent, Artemis Crock, Cindy herself, Mike Dugan and Isaac Bowin.
As I said last week, even if she used the Black Diamond to corrupt Mike, I'm still puzzled as to why she'd want him on her team in the first place. Especially since he has zero superpowers— useful or otherwise. Maybe she wants him as the team's comic relief?
• Artemis' horrible foster mom drops her off at school, where she trudges across the football field.
I get the feeling the writers are hoping we all forget this ever happened...
• Mike picks up the newspapers for his route, and sees the headline that Sportsmaster and Tigress have escaped from prison. A couple things here:
First of all, at the bottom of the page there's a story about a new bookstore opening in the former location of Ripped City.
That's the name of the gym that was owned by Sportsmaster in Season 1! Nice callback (more about Ripped City a bit later)!
Secondly, right after Mike reads about their escape, Sportsmaster & Tigress suddenly appear and capture him. Take note of their fiendishly clever and cunning disguises, which consist of... a hoodie pulled up over their heads.
Apparently they were influenced by the Marvel Cinematic Universe School Of Disguise. Because as we all know, a hoodie or a baseball cap (and an occasional pair of sunglasses) is all it takes to completely hide a fugitive's identity and prevent anyone from ever recognizing them. Ingenious!
• At one point we see Isaac Bowin eating lunch by himself in the school cafeteria. Man, just look at his posture and overall attitude. He couldn't look more like a psychopath if he tried! Like he's ready to snap and attack someone at any second.
• Mike calls Dugan and says his old friends Sportsmaster & Tigress want to see him. I pointed this out last season, but based on this shot, they're apparently still using flip phones over on Earth-2. Either that or Dugan's like my dad, and refuses to ever part with his ancient phone.
• For a guy who used to be a superhero, Dugan can be remarkably dense when it comes to personal safety. When he arrives at the Pit Stop, the garage door's only halfway up. He then has to awkwardly bend down to skooch under it— which of course leaves him completely vulnerable to lethal attack.
Good thing for him that Sportsmaster & Tigress weren't planning on killing him and just wanted to talk.
• Inside the garage, Dugan sees that the lock to his secret workshop— where he keeps STRIPE— has been busted open.
I dunno... I think if I was a superhero with a secret identity and my own giant mech suit, I might invest in some better security than a hardware store padlock.
• Dugan sees Sportsmaster & Tigress have escaped and readies himself for a fight. Sportsmaster says, "Okay, bud. We didn't come back to town for revenge on you and the Scooby Gang."
Heh. Over on Buffy The Vampire Slayer, the titular character and her little team often referred to themselves as "The Scooby Gang." Looks like writer Geoff Johns is a fan of Buffy!
• OK, I get that Sportsmaster & Tigress threatened to reveal Dugan's secret identity if he didn't help them, so he was forced to go along with their plan. But why in the name of sanity would he take these two hardened criminals back to his HOME??? Why not just let 'em chill at the Pit Stop till the game started?
Now instead of just his son being in danger, he's involved his wife as well! Barb even points this out when she sees the former ISA-ers in her house, as she reminds Dugan that Tigress tried to kill her last season.
Clearly the writers had Dugan bring Sportsmaster & Tigress home with him for maximum yuks, but I honestly can't think of any logical in-universe reason to do it. It just plain doesn't make any sense!
• Dugan brings the two criminals home with him, much to Barb's dismay and discomfort. A couple things here:
First of all, I loved the scene between Barb and Tigress. The two of them are from completely different backgrounds and have absolutely nothing in common, yet end up bonding over the antics of their respective daughters. That's awesome!
The writers could have easily had the two of them insult one another the whole time, but instead they gave the scene a perfect little twist and had them realize they're not so different after all. That was infinitely more interesting, as it completely and wonderfully subverted our expectations. Well done!
That said, unfortunately the "Crocks Meet The Dugans" scene didn't make a lick of sense. When Dugan first brings Sportsmaster and Tigress home with him, the writers really milk the whole fish out of water angle. The two criminals pick up various knick-knacks and seem completely baffled by them, as if they've never seen a potpourri bowl before. The episode treats them like aliens who've never been in a human home before.
Thing is, at this point they've been living in Blue Valley and posing as a normal everyday couple for over ten years now!
Heck, last season in The Justice Society we even got a glimpse of their home, which looked pretty much identical to Dugan's. So why are they acting like they've never seen a typical suburban house before?
• Beth finds an even older map that shows the actual location of Diablo Island. Because this is a comic book show, note that the island's shaped like a devil's head.
In the comics, Gordon was the original host of Eclipso. It's a long story, but he was a scientist who went to the jungle to observe a solar eclipse. While there he was attacked by a tribal sorcerer, who stabbed him with a mysterious black diamond and threw him off a cliff (!). Gordon somehow survived, and afterward would turn into Eclipso whenever an eclipse occurred.
He was very much a Jekyll & Hyde type character, and was featured in DC's House Of Mystery comic (more on that title in a minute!).
• I know I keep bringing this up, but I think it's worth a repeat. Ever since Rick found out that Solomon Grundy's hiding out in the woods near his home, he's been buying tons of fast food every day and feeding the behemoth. It happens again this week, as Rick orders a whopping twelve cheeseburgers and fries for his Grundy. I can't help but wonder where a jobless high school student is getting the money for this vast amount of food.
So just how did the original Fiddler's powers work? Was he a metahuman with the ability to turn a violin into a weapon? Or did he use a special instrument that could produce deadly sonic blasts?
I'm guessing it's the latter. Once the original Fiddler disappeared, his wife Anaya Bowin became The Fiddler 2.0, and now that she's dead, Isaac's about to take up the mantle himself. Since it's unlikely that all three of them would have the same metahuman ability, the power clearly lies in the violin itself.
• In order to find info on Bruce Gordon and Eclipso, Courtney pays a visit to House Of Secrets— Blue Valley's newest used bookstore. A couple things here:
Earlier in the episode, we saw a front page newspaper story stating that this bookstore opened in the former location of Ripped City, the gym owned by Sportsmaster.
As Courtney enters the store, we see its front door is at the end of a distinctive recessed entrance.
Turns out that Ripped City had that exact same entrance! The set designers really did use the old Ripped City location for the new bookstore! That's amazing, and some awesome attention to detail. They could have easily used any storefront and hoped the audience wouldn't notice the difference, but they took the trouble to reuse and redress the old location. Kudos!
Also, note the reflection in the window in the image above. Apparently Ripped City was directly across the street from The American Dream building!
Secondly, the bookstore's called The House Of Secrets. If that name sounds familiar to you, that's because DC published a comic of the same name! The House Of Secrets was an anthology series, and ran in one form or another from 1956 to 1998.
The reference is no accident, since as I mentioned above, Eclipso debuted in The House Of Secrets #61 in 1963.
Note that the bookstore's logo, seen above the entrance, is identical to that of the comic! Nice touch!
Lastly, The House Of Secrets had a companion comic called The House Of Mystery. Over on Legends Of Tomorrow, John Constantine's manor is informally known as the "House Of Mystery."
• Missed Opportunity: The House Of Secrets comic featured a rotund character named "Abel," who presented the various stories each month (his brother Cain starred in The House Of Mystery book).
Sadly, the owner of The House Of Mystery bookstore is just a bespectacled old man, who doesn't look anything like Abel from the comic. Darn.
• Inside the bookstore, Courtney has an encounter with The Shade. She tells him that Dugan saw him kill the original Dr. Mid-Nite. The Shade says, "It's interesting the things he chooses to tell you and those he doesn't."
He's of course is referring to the fact that Dugan's deliberately hiding the truth about Eclipso from the JSA. Although just how The Shade would know that isn't clear. Maybe he's been hiding in the shadows and eavesdropping in the Dugan home?
He's of course is referring to the fact that Dugan's deliberately hiding the truth about Eclipso from the JSA. Although just how The Shade would know that isn't clear. Maybe he's been hiding in the shadows and eavesdropping in the Dugan home?
• Sportsmaster and Tigress may be terrible people, but damn if they're not excellent parents! I was honestly moved at how loving and supportive they are toward their daughter Artemis. More so than many non-supervillain parents I'll wager!
• All through this episode the characters mention Charles McNider, aka the original Dr. Mid-Nite. Unfortunately whenever they say "Dr. McNider," it comes out sounding like "Dr. Mid-Nighter." Courtney in particular is guilty of this.
This is needlessly confusing, and seems like something the director should have caught and corrected on set.
• In the tag scene we see that the original Dr. Mid-Nite wasn't killed ten years ago by the ISA after all. Instead he's alive and well after apparently being pulled into the Shadowlands, a dark, nightmarish void.
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