One of the most endearing things about Stargirl is how, with a few notable exceptions, everyone’s motivations seem true. “Summer School: Chapter Four” does its best to give context to the actions of some of the show’s heavies, but there’s one glaring omission that even a flashback can’t give real sympathy to, no matter how hard they try. Let’s dig in.
1. No more lies! Except for this lie
I’ve appreciated how real, at times, the relationships within the Whitmore/Dugan family can be. Sure, a lot of it is CW’d over, but there are times when it seems like there is a kernel of truth in the way the family interacts that feels unique. This week, we see Pat and Barbra basically admit that they will continue to lie to their kids about very important things, in order to protect them. This is something parents do all the time, and it is usually with the best of intentions, as is the case here. But it’s also some bullshit, as they trust Courtney to literally put her life on the line, but not with the full breadth of information at her disposal.
The scenes where there is clear deception happening are clear as day, in part because of just how limited of an actor Luke Wilson is on a good day, not when he’s trying to both play a character and make sure that character appears squirrely. His lack of range is on full display in this episode, and while it makes me like Luke Wilson the dude more, it doesn’t make me enjoy his portrayal of Pat Dugan any more.
The flipside of the Pat/Babs situation is the one that Artemis finds herself in. She believes her parents are in prison despite being innocent, and has built her identity around that fact. When they break out to see her football tryout, she is told the truth about them, and it breaks her heart. There’s a direct line here between the truth and heartbreak, but the Crocks know that you can’t hide behind that. By telling Artemis the truth, it is allowing her to move on with her life, even if it means that they can’t be a part of it.
2. Man, these cops are shite
So let’s get this straight: even though they ‘left a trail of breadcrumbs’ going to Miami, there is no law enforcement types looking for Sportsmaster and Tigress in their hometown, where their daughter lives? Even if you’re sure, absolutely positive, that they hare heading to Florida, don’t you at least alert the local police, just to be safe? This isn’t the 1980s, there aren’t exorbitant long distance fees; just pick up the phone.
3. The New ISA
Shiv uses the Black Diamond to mess with Artemis and cause her temper flare ups to cost her a sweet collegiate football gig. Shiv manipulates the Fiddler’s kid by pretending to care about him. It’ll be easy enough to see how she goes after Cameron, aka Icicle’s son, but I’m still not entirely sure what her play for Mike is going to be. Pat obviously came directly to his rescue today, and so I don’t think the ‘your parents don’t care about you’ line will work. I think it will either be stoking his jealousy of Courtney, or by saying how basically he’s been exposed to so much danger courtesy of Pat and Court, that he needs to learn to defend himself.
There just isn’t enough anger or guile in Mike yet to make that transformation seem possible. That said, like I mentioned last week, there’s a lot more going on with Mike this season, and I hope we see the character continue to grow.
4. Shade’s game
Courtney is given some important information by the Shade, who continues to present as a complex character without a real moral compass. He talks about how he’s done bad, but he’s not evil, and Eclipso is evil. You can see that he’s trying to protect the new JSA, but doesn’t want to get too involved, both for appearances and for his, seemingly real, apathy towards norms of right and wrong.
What’s really interesting is that, aside from Shiv and her father, there’s been no one on the show that’s been out and out evil. Sure, Icicle and the ISA were bad guys, but they all believed themselves to be on the correct side of the issues. Shiv has no such depth; in this episode, we see her tricked by Eclipso into seeing her dead mother. But there’s nothing tethering her to normalcy; she’s out for evil, no fucks given. It makes her the least interesting character on the show, which is a problem for someone who is supposed to be gathering allies.
Continued below5. Is Obsidian next?
The episode ends with a hell of a surprise, which is that Doctor Mid-Nite is not dead, but is trapped in the Shadowlands, presumably by the Shade. But maybe not, as we have a few shadow-based characters on the show already, plus a logical addition. We know that Mid-Nite’s daughter was killed by Eclipso, but maybe she was just taken into the Shadowlands by him, and now Mid-Nite is looking for her? We hear Mid-Nite say ‘the Shade,’ but not “I was put here by the Shade;” it could’ve easily been “get help from the Shade.”
I mentioned a logical addition to the shadow-power set, and that would be Obsidian. He’s the other child of Green Lantern, and since we saw his sister join the show a few episodes ago, this seems like a logical ally to pull into the fight against Eclipso. Will he appear on the series? Time will tell.
