DC’s Stargirl 2×06 Review: “Summer School: Chapter Six”

The ISA launches a coordinated attack on the JSA and everyone is imperiled as Eclipso regains full power in “Summer School: Chapter Six.”

The Justice Society of America (JSA) was able to temporarily stop Eclipso (Nick Tarabay) in “Summer School: Chapter Five,” but the terrifying villain regains full power in “Summer School: Chapter Six.” The JSA must also contend with the newly reformed Injustice Society of America (ISA), who declare war on the JSA in order to avenge their parents. The episode builds to a powerful showdown between the two and sets the stage for the rest of the season.

Led by Cindy (Meg DeLacy), the ISA begins their attack on the JSA. Isaac (Max Frantz) intimidates Yolanda (Yvette Monreal) and Artemis (Stella Smith) threatens Beth (Anjelika Washington). While the JSA had justifiable reasons to stop the original ISA, the show has done a good job at making the kids of the ISA somewhat sympathetic despite their actions. However, it does seem unfortunate that a kid of an ISA member is automatically destined to be a villain and hopefully this mold will be broken in future episodes.

Beth is still looking for answers in regards to her parents’ impending divorce, and it’s frustrating that her parents won’t take the time to sit down and help her through this. Meanwhile, Courtney (Brec Bassinger) and Pat (Luke Wilson) sort through the damage left behind by Eclipso’s last attack and are able to find undeniable proof that Cindy is in possession of the diamond holding Eclipso. Courtney also has an exchange with Cameron (Hunter Sansone), who questions why bad things keep happening to good people. It’s hard not to feel for Cameron, and it will be interesting to see what will happen when he finds out the truth about his father.

The ISA’s plan continues to come to fruition as Artemis and Isaac attack Pat at the auto shop and destroy S.T.R.I.P.E. Though it’s hard to watch Pat get beat up while refusing to fight children, it’s nice to see Artemis stop Isaac from killing Pat due to how he helped her parents in “Summer School: Chapter Four.” Pat ends up in the hospital with a concussion and Cindy kidnaps Mike (Trae Romano) to pose as bait for Courtney and the JSA. With all of the teasing of Mike’s potential recruitment to the ISA, Cindy’s sole interest in using Mike as bait is a bit of a letdown from a storyline potential standpoint.

As Courtney blames herself in the hospital for not being there to stop Pat’s attack, she receives a call from Cindy threatening her and telling her to bring the JSA to school in order to save Mike. Barbara (Amy Smart) gives a great pep-talk telling Courtney to be Stargirl and save Mike. It’s a wonderful moment between the two and shows how far they have come in terms of Stargirl and the JSA.

The JSA arrives at the cafeteria and the fight with the ISA commences. The fight sequence is well choreographed with Courtney taking on Cindy, Yolanda taking on Isaac, and Rick (Cameron Gellman) taking on Artemis after stepping in to protect Beth from one of her arrows. While Beth gets a couple of cool moments in the battle and ends up being the one to rescue Mike, it does feel like she gets pushed to the side a bit due to her lack of fighting skills. Even Mike gets a great moment in the fight to attack Cindy while she has Courtney cornered.

After an assist from The Shade (Jonathan Cake), having been informed of Eclipso’s location by Barbara, Cindy threatens to unleash Eclipso on the JSA. Courtney attempts to attack the diamond but ends up freeing Eclipso and causes the light in her staff to go out. Once free, Eclipso regains his full form and presumably kills Isaac, Cindy, and The Shade. Eclipso proves to be every bit as threatening as the audience has been told and will be a formidable challenge for the JSA to face in the season’s remaining episodes.

As Eclipso takes his child form (Milo Stein) and runs through the streets of Blue Valley with glee, the JSA regroups. Pat wakes up in the hospital and the family agrees that they need to stop Eclipso before he wreaks havoc on Blue Valley. Mike tells Pat that he refuses to remain on the sidelines, and that he wants a S.T.R.I.P.E. of his own. While it remains to be seen what Mike’s role will ultimately be, his continuous desire to get involved and his relationship with Courtney remain strengths of his character. Regardless, it’s clear that the JSA needs all of the help it can get to stop Eclipso.

Author: Jessica Wolff

Jessica Wolff is a graduate of Drexel University with a BS in Film/Video. She has a passion for entertainment and representation in entertainment. She currently resides outside of Washington, DC.

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