S02.E05: Summer School: Chapter Five

[scarynikki12]

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As Pat and Courtney clash over their next steps in their search for Eclipso, ominous weather conditions in Blue Valley hint that he may be near.

 

 

[AimingforYoko]

Well, that was a little extreme for the family hour. Damn, I think they were kind of underselling Eclipso. So why was Courtney the only one unaffected? The staff?

[cambridgeguy]

Looks like Courtney is going to learn the lesson that all superheroes do - it will ruin your love life.  On the plus side, it's possible that her extremely high self confidence renders her resistant to Eclipso's influence.  We already saw her spiral into self doubt and come out of it last season, so the writers probably figured it'd be redundant to do it again.  It's a little too much of a cheat if it's just the staff protecting her - that's already the case with the Shade.

[Lantern7]

Eclipso bringing the horror! I really cringed watching him/it/whatever screw with Beth's mind. It's like watching someone kick a puppy in the face. Sure, Rick and Yolanda got it worse, but Beth's just a kid who hasn't gotten past Fundamentals of Cosplay 101.

Shit, Cindy's already got her gang up and running. Apparently, Artemis was an easy sell. Like she'd listen to Courtney. "Why did you wig out on me?" "I saw a SWAT team two seconds from ventilating my parents, and I had to react." "And have you thought maybe Cindy was behind that?" "Screw you! (pushing hard into Courtney) You know, human flesh makes for good protein, and I've been lacking on that end. Think about that, Blondie!"

Shade? Charming as ever. Looks like he left the top hat at home this week.

Poor Cameron. With Artemis joining Cindy's clique, he seems to be the most likely to resist (Cindy probably doesn't want Mike beyond hurting Courtney), but she's got Stargirl stuff, and he's got Sinister Norwegian Grandparents.

Max? Still squishy. If Cindy makes a run on him, I will be furious.

Edited September 12, 2021 by Lantern7

[rmontro]

3 hours ago, AimingforYoko said:

So why was Courtney the only one unaffected? The staff?

That would be my guess, the staff seems to be able to counteract Eclipso's darkness.  Didn't they even say in a prior episode that Starman's staff had defeated Eclipso previously?  Or am I imagining that?

Okay, I'm going to say it.  I don't think this season is as good as the first one.  Something feels off.  Obviously the effects budget has shrunk.  We're five episodes in and haven't seen S.T.R.I.P.E in action once.  It's more than that though, the writing feels different.  Maybe they had more time per episode last year too.  I'm not enjoying it quite as much, I loved last season.  Not sure what it is. 

Pat should have got the station wagon and done that as a project with Mike.  It's kind of funny to think of a super team using a station wagon.  Maybe he's going to build some sort of super-mobile from scratch.

Please do something with Beth, she's practically useless.  At least give her Chuck back, if nothing else.

[Frozendiva]

The evil Norwegian grandma was creepy with the white eyes,

Shade burning contact info into his business card was creepy.

The poor art teacher finding his new muse was also unsettling. The damage to the studio, the painting coming alive, the lockers having paintings in them…  creepy.

The dog is still adorable.

Stripe needs to get back into action.

Court is lucky that she has the staff.

 

 

[Noneofyourbusiness]

1 hour ago, rmontro said:

That would be my guess, the staff seems to be able to counteract Eclipso's darkness.  Didn't they even say in a prior episode that Starman's staff had defeated Eclipso previously?  Or am I imagining that?

No, Pat said that he had seen Starman incapacitate the Shade using the Staff once.

Edited September 8, 2021 by Noneofyourbusiness

[thuganomics85]

Man, between this and the opening act of the premiere, this season really seems to be embracing the horror elements this go around.  Almost felt like I watching a Nancy Drew episode, if Nancy somehow got a hold of a badass glowing staff!  Honestly, as much as I do enjoy the JSA, I feel like the Drew Crew would actually be a force to be reckoned with if they were ever in a superhero show...

Glad the poor art teacher is still alive, but Eclipso sure did a number on him, and almost had the JSA down for the count too.  I guess having the staff protected Courtney from being effected by his powers, but he is clearly going to be someone who won't get taken out easily.  And wait till they find out that it was Cindy that unleashed him upon Blue Valley!

Speaking of which, looks like Cindy failed to wrap Cameron into her grand scheme, so she's off to recruit Mike now!  Which... normally, I would say easier said than done, but I'm starting to worry with the way Pat keeps pushing back anytime Mike tries to get more involved with the JSA.  I get that a lot of it is his fatherly instincts kicking in again (like with Courtney last season), but he has to realize at some point that it will do more harm than good.  At least he is taking the step of having them work on a JSA project together now.

She might not have spoken a world, but Yolanda's reactions to Courtney and Cameron awkward flirting and pining clearly said "Seriously, Court?!  Of all the guys to fall for, you fall for the one that not only is the son of your former enemy, but then said father gets killed by none other than your actual brother?!" 

The Shade might have left the top hat at home, but he shows off his impressive "burn my phone number in my business card" skills to Barbara.  The Shade's got style!

Beth finally confronts her parents about their divorce.  I hope this leads somewhere soon.

[MissLucas]

Lots of horror in this one - starting with little Cindy. I had thought she'd been a toddler when her mother died but apparently she was older. And all those unicorns couldn't protect her from evid Dad. Not looking forward to the flashback of her mother's death. At least I enjoyed her meeting icy grandma.

Urgh, doomed romance alert. Not looking forward to that either. 

Barbara sure has nerves of steel. Calmly studying that business card with the scorching numbers. Pat seems a bit off his game, lying to Courtney, not really knowing how to deal with Mike. 

I don't mind that the show's a bit darker than last season but I find the various subplots that are not moving somewhat frustrating: Yolanda's trauma, Rick's pet and Beth's double trouble (parents divorce and Chuck). They all seem to fester away beneath the hunt for Eclipso.

 

[marketdoctor]

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Almost felt like I watching a Nancy Drew episode, if Nancy somehow got a hold of a badass glowing staff!

This would make a great crossover (and will be a long time before it gets televised.)

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The Shade's got style!

He's probably the best thing about this season--an antagonist, but not a pure villain, or not yet, but he's very consistently motivated.

[Trini]

On 9/8/2021 at 1:29 AM, Frozendiva said:

The poor art teacher finding his new muse was also unsettling. The damage to the studio, the painting coming alive, the lockers having paintings in them…  creepy.

I'm NOT into this horror vibe they're going for and I FF'd through a lot of scenes with the art teacher/etc.

I might be a sucker for doomed romance because I want ALL the drama with Cameron and Courtney! Cameron is a wild card for me; they could go several places with him, and I'm not sure what they're going with -- which is good.

Edited September 10, 2021 by Trini
oy, grammar

[shapeshifter]

Was Cindy conceived when her mom was raped by her scary monster father? I don't remember their backstory.
After seeing her possessed by the scary monster father as a scared little girl in bed, I felt sorry for her when Cameron dissed her with:

• "You remember what you said to our fourth grade class after your mom died? You said, "I never liked her anyway," right in front of everyone. No one ever forgot that, Cindy. So do not tell me you're sorry about my dad. You've never been sorry. About anything."

 

I just got around to watching this episode and hearted/liked all the posts above not just to show I read them, but because I agreed with all of them.

 

On 9/7/2021 at 10:44 PM, Lantern7 said:

Shade? Charming as ever. Looks like he left the top hat at home this week.

Shade is charming, but I was also imagining that he had sulfurous breath (like The Devil and my ex) when he was so close to Courtney's mom--based on her reaction.

On 9/8/2021 at 1:29 AM, Frozendiva said:

Shade burning contact info into his business card was creepy.

Heh, being old enough to have had actual business cards, I was thinking: Wow. That would have impressed them with my IT skills.

 

 

On 9/8/2021 at 12:46 AM, rmontro said:

Pat should have got the station wagon and done that as a project with Mike.  It's kind of funny to think of a super team using a station wagon.  Maybe he's going to build some sort of super-mobile from scratch.

Aww, yes, Pat and Mike fixing up the old beater of a station wagon would have been a great Dad-son bonding project. And the station wagon would have been a character in its own right.
OTOH, I suppose it's good for actual teens watching to not be encouraged to buy such money sink holes.

 

On 9/8/2021 at 1:29 AM, Frozendiva said:

The evil Norwegian grandma was creepy with the white eyes

I thought it's great that an older woman was given a place in this universe as something other than a Mrs. Kent, cookie-baking type.

 

 

On 9/8/2021 at 1:29 AM, Frozendiva said:

The poor art teacher

First I lusted after Art Teacher/Mr. Deisinger's shirt. I wonder if I can find it on wornontv.net/tag/stargirl-season-2-episode-5? Hrmmm. Not yet, anyway.

But then I adored Mr. Deisinger for being such a supportive high school art teacher (even if a little too emo himself).

But then. WTH, Show? "The poor art teacher" indeed!
Just because he became a teacher instead of an artist is no reason to treat his character like he is a red shirt! </end rant>

 

[Noneofyourbusiness]

13 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Was Cindy conceived when her mom was raped by her scary monster father? I don't remember their backstory.

We don't know it yet. Just that Dragon King implied Cindy had killed her mother and she said it was an accident. Beth also said that Cindy was nice in elementary school before her mother died.

[Noneofyourbusiness]

13 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

sulfurous breath (like The Devil and my ex) when he was so close to Courtney's mom--based on her reaction.

Lol.

13 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Heh, being old enough to have had actual business cards, I was thinking: Wow. That would have impressed them with my IT skills.

People still have business cards. I do (I'm a freelance editor/proofreader for novels, biographies, articles, dissertations and manuscripts of all kinds).

Edited September 10, 2021 by Noneofyourbusiness

[rmontro]

9 hours ago, Noneofyourbusiness said:

People still have business cards. I do (I'm a freelance editor/proofreader for novels, biographies, articles, dissertations and manuscripts of all kinds).

Sure.  Now days they have an email address and a webpage on them.

[marketdoctor]

Quote

Sure.  Now days they have an email address and a webpage on them.

Yes, though that takes longer to burn in, so you might want to use a printer instead.

[tennisgurl]

Poor Mr. Deisinger, that took a really quick turn into cosmic horror, with the scary paintings and the creepy paint portal that turned into a paint monster covering Mr. Deisinger, things have taken a very gothic turn this season. I like it, this has been a really solid second season so far, even if I think some of the subplots have been moving a bit too slowly, like Rick feeding Grundy. 

Everyone getting mentally attacked was pretty intense, good thing Courtney was able to fight off the darkness, possibly with the power of the staff, which is certainly going to be key to stopping Eclipso. Yolanda is still really going through a lot especially, working through some pretty serious guilt and trauma after everything. Watching your ex boyfriend get crushed to death by his own father and then slitting said fathers throat will do that to a person. 

The flashbacks did actually make me feel just a tiny bit bad for Cindy, as horrible as she is now. Clearly her dad did some terrible things to her, the guy definitely did not deserve any kind of Worlds Best Dad mug. 

I am really glad that Pat is going to work on a project with Mike, the poor kid is absolutely desperate to feel included and to get some attention. I get why Pat wants to keep him away from the action, especially with things getting really dangerous, but his desire to feel needed and special could lead him open to manipulation from evil Nick Fury and Eclipso. 

If we have learned anything from television, its that no dark encroaching powers can possibly stop teens from engaging in awkward flirting. Courtney and Cameron are quite cute, even if I am not sure where he will fall when he finds out the truth. He's a nice kid, but with his evil grandparents around as his only parental figures, they could mislead him into thinking that his dad was an innocent victim of the evil JSA. Especially now that his powers are getting stronger, at least if Courtney tells him the truth first she can give him the full picture. Cindy might have been playing with fire (pun not intended) messing with evil ice grandma, who also has ice powers as it turns out. I do love the creepy grandparents, and those icy eyes looked really cool.

Even when The Shade leaves his hat at home, he is one stylish guy. That business card trick was a smooth one. 

[magicdog]

18 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

Courtney and Cameron are quite cute, even if I am not sure where he will fall when he finds out the truth. He's a nice kid, but with his evil grandparents around as his only parental figures, they could mislead him into thinking that his dad was an innocent victim of the evil JSA. Especially now that his powers are getting stronger, at least if Courtney tells him the truth first she can give him the full picture.

Nothing good will come of Courtney telling Cameron about what happened.  He'll likely blame her and fully reject her.  I wouldn't be surprised if he would run straight to join the new ISA after finding out.   His grandparents will certainly see to that.  I do hope they get together at some point and Cameron comes to realize his father and the ISA were no good. 

Interesting the ice powers are at least 3 generations long.  Didn't know the grandparent had them.

Edited September 12, 2021 by magicdog

[Starfish35]

For some reason, I’m just not feeling Cameron and Courtney this season.  I thought it was kind of cute last season, but this season I’m having about as much patience with it as Yolanda is.  I don’t know.  It is interesting that his grandmother has ice powers too, though.  

Rick and Beth though….that is cute. 

The show is trying really hard to make me sympathetic toward Cindy Burman, and I hate to admit it but I think they’re succeeding. That poor terrified child.  I know Cindy’s building her team, but I’m wondering if it won’t actually end up being an all-hands-on-deck battle against Eclipso.  And Shade is the wild card.  I actually hope he doesn’t turn out to be all bad.  I like having a somewhat morally ambiguous character in the mix.  

I loved Pat last season, but between lying to Courtney and the way he’s dealing with Mike, I’m kind of frustrated with him this year. I hope they don’t drag out this secret thing too long.  And I hope his plans with Mike aren’t just something to get Mike out of the way, because Mike will see straight through that.  

Why are Beth’s parents so weird around her?   Could those hugs have been any more awkward? 

Oh, and another thing…Cameron, I know you’ve had a hard time lately (and I wonder what exactly he was told about his father’s death), but maybe when the girl’s phone is blowing up, don’t make it all about yourself?  I know, teenage boy, but still.

Edited September 13, 2021 by Starfish35

[cambridgeguy]

7 hours ago, Starfish35 said:

I loved Pat last season, but between lying to Courtney and the way he’s dealing with Mike, I’m kind of frustrated with him this year. I hope they don’t drag out this secret thing too long.  And I hope his plans with Mike aren’t just something to get Mike out of the way, because Mike will see straight through that.  

The only good thing is that this time he's talked to Barbara and they've jointly decided on their course of action - it's dumb, of course, but at least Pat isn't keeping Barbara in the dark while helping Courtney engage in dangerous activities.  Ultimately Pat needs to find the balance between being a teammate (so tell them already) and a dad (of course you don't want them facing the ultimate evil).  When Sylvester (assuming that it's the real deal) finally makes it to Blue Valley maybe he can force the issue.

[shapeshifter]

8 hours ago, Starfish35 said:

Why are Beth’s parents so weird around her?   Could those hugs have been any more awkward? 

They've *got* to be superhero godparents who took her in because her superhero parents were offed by villains, right?

[AnimeMania]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

9 hours ago, Starfish35 said:

Why are Beth’s parents so weird around her?   Could those hugs have been any more awkward? 

They've *got* to be superhero godparents who took her in because her superhero parents were offed by villains, right?

I thought it was because after they divorced, they planned to ship Beth off to Military School so they could have time to get their groove back.

[Maverick]

 Am I the only one finding Shade kind of hot?  Just me?  Ok then.

 Eclipso sounds almost exactly like Armus the oil slick that killed Tasha Yar on Star Trek.   I guess all embodiments of evil sound alike. 

 I have a hard time believing Pat is so dense about Mike.   It's superhero 101:   friend/fan/relative wants to be part of the superhero team, gets left out and is the costumed villain on the block.   Barbara gets it but she needs to pick up Pat's slack.  All the stop signs in the scrapyard were a nice touch.

 Who was the other picture Eclipso tormented Rick with?  Was that his loser uncle?  Is he still alive?   It's been so long believe seasons I have a hard time remembering who died, much less how.

 This episode felt like stalling.  There really was no movement forward in any of the plots.

 

[Wonderlad71]

11 hours ago, Maverick said:

 Am I the only one finding Shade kind of hot?  Just me?  Ok then.

LOL I also think he's kinda hot. The actor looked familiar so I looked him up - he played the slimy Furkat on the Affair.

Overall the stakes are quite high this season but am not feeling the drama as much. Still it's better than Titans S03.