DC’s Stargirl 2×04 Review: “Summer School: Chapter Four”

Cindy and Eclipso begin the recruiting process for the ISA as the JSA learns about Eclipso in “Summer School: Chapter Four.”

As the Justice Society of America (JSA) investigates the threat of Eclipso (Nick Taraby), Cindy (Meg DeLacy) begins to assemble recruits for the new Injustice Society of America (ISA) in “Summer School: Chapter Four.” While the episode splits time between the JSA and ISA, the standout of the episode is the story line of Artemis (Stella Smith) and her parents, Sportsmaster (Neil Hopkins) and Tigress (Joy Osmanski).

After Beth (Anjelika Washington) receives a warning about Eclipso at the end of “Summer School: Chapter Three” and she finds that the information about Eclipso classified, Courtney (Brec Bassinger), Beth, Rick (Cameron Gellman), and Yolanda (Yvette Monreal) do their own investigation. While brief, the dynamic of the four of them working together and hanging out together remains a strength of the series.

While the JSA dynamic is always fun to watch, the story line between Artemis and her parents is the highlight of the episode. With her parents in prison, Artemis has been in foster care and visiting them as much as she can. While Artemis’s parents are ISA members, it’s hard not to feel for Artemis, who is unaware of her parents’ true natures and believes that they are innocent. After seeing a glimpse of what Artemis’s life is like in foster care, it provides an interesting perspective on an unavoidable negative consequence of the JSA’s heroics.  

To support their daughter, Artemis’s parents break out of prison to attend her football tryout for a college recruiter. While their method of getting Pat (Luke Wilson) to help them by briefly holding Mike (Trae Romano) hostage is unethical, their love for the daughter makes them somewhat redeemable. Pat reluctantly agrees to bring them home to hide out before the tryout and he and Barbara (Amy Smart) end up briefly bonding with them in an amusing sequence. The heartfelt story line culminates in Artemis throwing a great touchdown pass at her tryout upon hearing and seeing her parents in the stands. Her parents tell her the truth about their villainous identities before willingly going back to prison following an emotional goodbye.

Unfortunately, Artemis’s football tryout is ruined by Cindy’s efforts to recruit her to the ISA. Using Eclipso, Cindy manipulates Artemis into believing that a SWAT team is going after her parents in the stands. Furious, Artemis tackles an agent who turns out to be Courtney, causing the recruiter to reject her for her aggressive nature. After attempting to recruit Isaac (Max Frantz) earlier in the episode, Cindy tries to use Artemis’s vulnerability to manipulate her. While Cindy remains a threat to the JSA, it’s clear that Eclipso is manipulating her and that she could be in just as much danger as the JSA is.

As the JSA continues to investigate Eclipso, Courtney runs into The Shade (Jonathan Cake), who continues to remain cryptic and mysterious. The Shade reveals that Eclipso killed the daughter of the original Dr. Mid-Nite, Charles McNider (Alex Collins). While The Shade is adamant that he doesn’t want to team up with Eclipso, it’s hard to trust him at his word. Regardless, The Shade remains an interesting villain, and the truth about what he is really up to in Blue Valley will hopefully live up to the mystery.

As the episode comes to a close, two revelations are brought forth. First, Pat and Barbara agree to not tell Courtney and the rest of the JSA the full truth about Eclipso. While it’s understandable that they want to protect the teenagers, there is no way that the decision isn’t going to backfire on them, especially with Courtney’s continued eagerness to jump full steam ahead into JSA business.

Second, Beth’s goggles come online, and Chuck reveals that he is not an AI but the real original Dr. Mid-Nite, who is seemingly alive and trapped inside a shadowy realm reminiscent of The Shade’s powers. It will be interesting to see how this revelation will impact the JSA going forward and what Dr. Mid-Nite’s role will ultimately be with both Beth and within the JSA.

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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