S02.E08: Summer School: Chapter Eight

[scarynikki12]

Quote

With his world crashing down around him, Rick focuses his attention on protecting Solomon Grundy after learning hunters are after a bear in the woods.

 

 

[cambridgeguy]

Well, Rick's home life is going to be a lot more interesting once all of this is settled.  Of course, a no holds barred beatdown should have left his uncle a bloody corpse, but so be it. 

Eclipso should have stuck to taunting Beth about being too young.  That's a valid point!

[Frozendiva]

I cheered for Beth when she stood up for herself with young Bruce Gordon/Eclipso. An unlikely hero who survived on her own merits. The moving sandwich was creepy as the projection of her parents’ issues and the divorce and blaming everything on her. Plus her getting back her goggles and turning a young black woman into said hero.

Poor Rick and his uncle and Eclipso’s illusions/mind games. I did like his teacher visiting him to refer him to colleges. She admitted that he wasn’t cheating and was trying to help him make a good future for himself. Lucky young man.

Watched the KTLA feed as the WPIX station had baseball. Show will re-air 1 pm MDT Saturday.

[Jediknight]

The way this show turned from a superhero show into a horror show for this arc is perfect.  Just great work from everybody involved.

Beth, you asked the question, but you're the answer.  Eclipso fears the team.  That's why he's going after you, Rick, and Yolanda.  The Cosmic Staff can hurt him, the team is a big threat.  He wants all of you broken, so you're not a threat.  And props that Beth was the first to step up to him and tell him to fuck off.

Loving this arc.  Eclipso's fantastic creepy as hell villain, and it's giving the cast even more chances to shine.

As for Grundy, poor Grundy, his only friend is in jail.  Now who is he gonna share apples with?

[rmontro]

Rick broke the hourglass, Yolanda sent back the Wildcat costume.  I hope they aren't actually splitting up the JSA for good.  

Good for Beth for standing up to Eclipso.  But to be honest, I could have done without all the racial garbage.  

Eight episodes in, and still not one use of S.T.R.I.P.E.  The staff is barely working.  I'm not really enjoying the new lower budgets this season.  Guess Grundy ate up most of it.

[Jediknight]

4 minutes ago, rmontro said:

Rick broke the hourglass, Yolanda sent back the Wildcat costume.  I hope they aren't actually splitting up the JSA for good. 

They're not, it's just Eclipso knocking them down setting up for the Big Damn Heroes moment when the team reunites, and kicks the shit out of him.

[rtms77]

Eclipso was doing over time this ep. Now he’s brought down half the 4 members . Beth is next I suspect. So what’s Bethany’s greatest fear or anger? Hmmm. 
 

Is icicle back somehow? That end seemed to hint at it.

Edited September 29, 2021 by rtms77

[rmontro]

8 minutes ago, Jediknight said:

The way this show turned from a superhero show into a horror show for this arc is perfect. 

Obviously I'm not enjoying this arc as much as you are.  But the drowned girl in the water seemed like a reference to the classic scene in the original Frankenstein movie.  I think Rick even called Grundy Frankenstein at one point.

2 minutes ago, rtms77 said:

Is icicle back somehow? That end seemed to hint at it.

Probably Eclipso's way of messing with Mike and the other Dugans.

[paulvdb]

Funniest moment of the episode for me: Mike, when the doorbell rang and everybody was looking at the door: "Eclipso wouldn't ring the doorbell, would he?" After that I was half expecting to see that little boy when Courtney opened the door, but it was just the bag with the Wildcat costume that Yolanda had dropped off.

[thuganomics85]

And so another JSA member (hopefully temporary) falls thanks to Eclipso's meddling.  Poor Rick.  I mean, Uncle Rex really sounds like a major, major dick, but being tricked into beating the shit out of him will no doubt mess with his head.  But I think what really hurts Rick is that he was made to believe that Solomon Grundy was the one who "killed" the girl, so he also feels like crap about that because he automatically assumed the worst about someone he was building a rapport (maybe friendship?!) with.  And now the Hourglass has been destroyed.  Like with Yolanda, I'm sure this will all lead to him eventually getting back on his feet come endgame, but this is another blow to the JSA.

On the other hand, I was pleasantly surprised that Beth saw through Eclipso's scheme and pushed him back.  He probably had the right idea about trying to go after her insecurities and exploit that (although I guess he also took the time to visit some unsavory message boards and thought "While I'm at it, why don't I take the Racist Internet Troll approach as well!), but I'm glad Beth was able to rise above it.

Surprised that Sylvester was only shown in Beth's vision and didn't show up at the end.  They really got Joel McHale to show up for that brief of a cameo?  Have to imagine he will be getting featured more prominently soon, because I don't see him making the trip for that little bit alone.

Aww, Courtney finally gave the Cosmic Staff an official name:  "Cosmo."  It's part of the family now!

Pat actually seems to have made a lot of progress with STRIPE.  Might be ready come finale time!

Episode ends with ice appearing around Barbara and Mike.  Another trick from Eclipso?  Or is Jordan/Icicle himself somehow coming back?  Or maybe it's connected to Cameron possibly getting those powers as well.

[cambridgeguy]

3 hours ago, rtms77 said:

Eclipso was doing over time this ep. Now he’s brought down half the 4 members . Beth is next I suspect. So what’s Bethany’s greatest fear or anger? Hmmm. 

???  I assume you mean Courtney, since Beth just beat him and apparently he's unwilling or unable to just walk up and kill our heroes.

[AnimeMania]

Rick's Uncle must be Nostradumbass because he predicted that Rick would go to jail before he would go to college. Did anybody else think that Rick's teacher was auditioning to be the next Doctor Who.

Next time you see Shade, maybe ask him what happened to Dr. McNider since you all believe he is still alive.

That episode seemed to be extremely low budget. Maybe inserting Grundy took it all. Beth, I want you to run around in an empty house for 30 minutes while we remind you that you are Black.

[Snapdragon]

5 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

 

That episode seemed to be extremely low budget. Maybe inserting Grundy took it all. Beth, I want you to run around in an empty house for 30 minutes while we remind you that you are Black.

I laughed so hard at this comment.  I liked this episode overall but the race stuff was just so awkward and shoved in there.  

The fake dead girl, that was Dr. McNider's daughter, right?  That's messed up, Eclipso.  

[Frozendiva]

I understand Beth’s parents having struggled initially as one of few black people and professionals moving to and settling in a predominantly white folks town. Her mom must have had challenges being a doctor. Change takes time. They seem to be well respected people in the town. The race stuff did seem awkward.

[Noneofyourbusiness]

12 hours ago, rtms77 said:

Eclipso was doing over time this ep. Now he’s brought down half the 4 members . Beth is next I suspect. So what’s Bethany’s greatest fear or anger? Hmmm.

Well, he pretty much already tried that and it didn't work.

Edited September 29, 2021 by Noneofyourbusiness

[magicdog]

13 hours ago, rmontro said:

Good for Beth for standing up to Eclipso.  But to be honest, I could have done without all the racial garbage.  

Ditto!  I couldn't believe they went there!  This isn't 1950 anymore.  The other fears Eclipso exploited made sense.

I figured It wasn't Grundy that Rick was beating on.  Although I thought Rick had killed him considering he was using super strength while pummeling him.  I think last season (perhaps the pilot) his uncle said he couldn't beat him in a fight before he considered him "man enough".  I guess he won - though at a cost.  How will they get a new hourglass and magic dust?

Nice to see original members of the JSA - even though it wasn't real.  
 

3 hours ago, Snapdragon said:

The fake dead girl, that was Dr. McNider's daughter, right?  That's messed up, Eclipso.  

Yes.  Looking exactly as she did the day she died.

 

8 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

Did anybody else think that Rick's teacher was auditioning to be the next Doctor Who.

Believe it or not.... yeah!

1 hour ago, Frozendiva said:

I understand Beth’s parents having struggled initially as one of few black people and professionals moving to and settling in a predominantly white folks town. Her mom must have had challenges being a doctor. Change takes time. They seem to be well respected people in the town. The race stuff did seem awkward.

I think regardless of race, Dr. Chapel would have had issues.  Regular patients of a doctor who worked for 50 years in a small town is bound to get some pushback.  Even if she'd been a white guy fresh out of med school.  The race card was indeed awkward and unnecessary.

Edited September 29, 2021 by magicdog

[Noneofyourbusiness]

14 minutes ago, magicdog said:

Ditto!  I couldn't believe they went there!  This isn't 1950 anymore.  The other fears Eclipso exploited made sense.

I think the race stuff comes from Eclipso's human host Bruce Gordon, who lived way back when.

And yet the message that you're not enough if you don't look a certain way is still out there, especially for young people.

14 minutes ago, magicdog said:

I think regardless of race, Dr. Chapel would have had issues.  Regular patients of a doctor who worked for 50 years in a small town is bound to get some pushback.  Even if she'd been a white guy fresh out of med school.  The race card was indeed awkward and unnecessary.

It may seem unbelievable to you and me because that hasn't been our experience and we wouldn't do it, but I've heard enough stories to know that people do still get their abilities doubted just because they're black even after many years in their job, and dismissing that fact doesn't help. It seems awkward to you because you don't like the idea this is still people's lived experience in America. That scene with her parents was completely realistic. All the more so in a small town that doesn't seem to want to admit the 80s are over. In fact, it would have stretched suspension of disbelief for the Chapels to not mention race when talking about fitting in and made it the elephant in the room. This is nothing like the contrivedness of last week's Supergirl episode.

Edited September 29, 2021 by Noneofyourbusiness

[Frozendiva]

Things were very different in 1950 than today.

Many new doctors don’t want to work in rural areas and encouraging them to work in a town an hour or two from a major city is tough.

[MarkHB]

14 hours ago, rmontro said:

Eight episodes in, and still not one use of S.T.R.I.P.E.  The staff is barely working.  I'm not really enjoying the new lower budgets this season.  Guess Grundy ate up most of it.

And no Henry Thomas as Dr. Mid-Nite (I). I really hope that's actor availability and not budget-related.

Damn, they did a good job with the creepiness factor on this one!

Edited September 29, 2021 by MarkHB

[Gimmick Genius]

Just give the Wildcat costume to Barbara! I'd love to see Amy Smart tricked out as a kick-ass Cat(like) Woman.

[MissLucas]

14 hours ago, paulvdb said:

Funniest moment of the episode for me: Mike, when the doorbell rang and everybody was looking at the door: "Eclipso wouldn't ring the doorbell, would he?" After that I was half expecting to see that little boy when Courtney opened the door, but it was just the bag with the Wildcat costume that Yolanda had dropped off.

That was funny - especially since nobody seems to care and they just let Courtney open the door without even bother to ask her who it was when she remained silent for quite a while.

I loved Mike calling Barbar 'Mom' and giving her a hug. That was a sweet moment just to be ruined by those damned icicles. 

Whenever I see Beth's home I have to wonder about her parents taste in interior design. I think the racism angle would have worked better had we seen Beth being subjected to racist abuse but I can't remember that ever having been an issue. 

Gloomy episode - now two members of the JSA have been involved in acts of violence with severe consequences. I don't know how they can keep Rick out prison even though his uncle was a massive (and abusive) jerk.  Not sure how they can bring the band back together even though Beth seems to have found a way to resist Eclipso.

I suppose Cindy is in the Shadowlands too. Maybe the Shade's there as well - recovering from whatever happened to him.

[rmontro]

44 minutes ago, Gimmick Genius said:

Just give the Wildcat costume to Barbara! I'd love to see Amy Smart tricked out as a kick-ass Cat(like) Woman.

I really like this idea, but it probably doesn't fit the idea of the show, because she's not a teenager (or a young adult playing a teenager).  Also not diverse.  Could also give Mike the costume, he's been whining for some powers.

I just had to look up Amy Smart because I figured she was in her 30s, but she's actually 45!  Wow, she looks phenomenal for 45.

[rmontro]

5 hours ago, Noneofyourbusiness said:

I think the race stuff comes from Eclipso's human host Bruce Gordon, who lived way back when.

I didn't like it because Eclipso seemed to be trying to take advantage of some sort of insecurity on Beth's part with being black.  Which she denied there was, and we have never seen any insecurity on her part because of her race.  And nor should we have, IMO.  The whole thing seemed shoehorned in there, because there has never been any indication in any of the stories we've seen that there was some sort of problem with Beth being black. And honestly, if they want to go in that direction I will likely stop watching, because that is a very different TV show.

Rick hasn't merely lost his powers, with the destruction of the hourglass, he's been hauled off to jail.  I suppose there's a decent possibility that his uncle won't press charges on him.

[Jediknight]

2 hours ago, rmontro said:

I didn't like it because Eclipso seemed to be trying to take advantage of some sort of insecurity on Beth's part with being black.  Which she denied there was, and we have never seen any insecurity on her part because of her race.  And nor should we have, IMO.

He was just trying anything he could to break Beth.  To get her to question if she really deserves to be a member of the JSA.  Doing anything he can to get under her skin.

Like I said, he's afraid of the kids.  They did something that not even the original JSA could do, they took down the ISA.  Eclipso would know that, and he was imprisoned before.  He's afraid of what the kids, Pat, Barb, and Cosmo can do to him.  It's also why he's not physically attacking them.  If he attacked Yolanda, every single member would have been there to fight him.  If he attacked Rick, every member would have been there to fight him.  He's got to fracture the group before he can strike.

[ICantDoThatDave]

I can suspend disbelief with regards to a bunch of teenagers fighting an Evil Mind Demon who escaped from a Diamond, but I'm having a hard time with how everyone is wearing winter clothes & coats  on "July 4th" & there are no leaves on the trees in the summer.

EDIT: although they did lampshade it this episode, I'll grant

Edited September 30, 2021 by ICantDoThatDave

[Noneofyourbusiness]

4 minutes ago, ICantDoThatDave said:

I can suspend disbelief with regards to a bunch of teenagers fighting an Evil Mind Demon who escaped from a Diamond, but I'm having a hard time with how everyone is wearing winter clothes & coats  on "July 4th" & there are no leaves on the trees in the summer.

EDIT: although they did lampshade it this episode, I'll grant

Not just a lampshade. Last episode, they said that Eclipso's powers were making it winter in summer.

2 hours ago, rmontro said:

I didn't like it because Eclipso seemed to be trying to take advantage of some sort of insecurity on Beth's part with being black.  Which she denied there was, and we have never seen any insecurity on her part because of her race.

Regardless of whether we've seen it said specifically before in her case, as I said above, the message that you're not good enough to be [insert here] if you don't fit a certain look is out there in American media in real life, and every young black person deals with it in their own way. Every. Even those with the nicest lives in the nicest places to live. Which is why Beth had to explicitly reject the notion. Also, I think Bruce Gordon's whatever-century-or-decade attitudes were shining through Eclipso's behavior.

7 hours ago, Gimmick Genius said:

Just give the Wildcat costume to Barbara! I'd love to see Amy Smart tricked out as a kick-ass Cat(like) Woman.

That would actually be a good idea (temporarily until Yolanda comes back, or if there's an emergency situation in a future episode)!

[ICantDoThatDave]

1 hour ago, Noneofyourbusiness said:

Not just a lampshade. Last episode, they said that Eclipso's powers were making it winter in summer.

I mean, ok, that's the "in-show" explanation.  But wouldn't the other people in the town remark on it?  Or even the main characters ("I hate having to wear long-sleeves in July!")  Wouldn't it be a an anomaly for the state?  The whole country?  It's just silly.

Not diminishing my enjoyment of the show, but... it's just... silly.  Laughable, when you notice it while watching.

[shapeshifter]

I question the wisdom of making the show so dark and depressing, especially with the pandemic IRL. 

[Noneofyourbusiness]

2 hours ago, ICantDoThatDave said:

I mean, ok, that's the "in-show" explanation.  But wouldn't the other people in the town remark on it?  Or even the main characters ("I hate having to wear long-sleeves in July!")

What do you mean? Both the main characters and the other people in town did remark on it, last week and this week. That's the "they" I'm referring to.

Edited September 30, 2021 by Noneofyourbusiness

[cambridgeguy]

8 hours ago, Noneofyourbusiness said:

That would actually be a good idea (temporarily until Yolanda comes back, or if there's an emergency situation in a future episode)!

Because you definitely want someone who has no apparent fighting skills (as seen when Tigress attacked her) to be on the front lines?  Yeah, the suit helps enhance your abilities, but you need something to start with.  Might as well give it to Pat since the robot won't be operational soon and at least he can throw a punch.

[MissLucas]

The obvious choice for an ersatz-wildcat is Artemis - girl took on Hourman and lives to tell the tale. 

I also question the show's hard drop into dark, gloomy and gothic. Nothing wrong with that but I loved last season's more cheerful take which had its moments of darkness too but it was not so unrelenting.

[magicdog]

22 minutes ago, MissLucas said:

The obvious choice for an ersatz-wildcat is Artemis - girl took on Hourman and lives to tell the tale. 

I love this!  Considering Artemis was suitably freaked out during their last encounter with Eclipso, she might have a distinct advantage wearing the suit.  She already is physically strong without it, she's be a force to be reckoned with if she wore it. 

The ice at the end of the episode:

1) Jordan Mahkent is back (he pulled himself together)

2) His mother (who also has ice powers) is spying on the family

3) Cameron (doubtful, as we've barely seen him all season and doesn't appear to be malevolent like the rest of his family - unless Eclipso gets to him) 

14 hours ago, rmontro said:

I didn't like it because Eclipso seemed to be trying to take advantage of some sort of insecurity on Beth's part with being black.  Which she denied there was, and we have never seen any insecurity on her part because of her race.  And nor should we have, IMO.  The whole thing seemed shoehorned in there, because there has never been any indication in any of the stories we've seen that there was some sort of problem with Beth being black.

This.  It's not as if people were treating her badly because of her race, they treated her like any other [perceived nerd] who tried too hard.  It's also because there are other blacks in the town/school (like Cindy's friend - who was part of the cool popular crowd) or her brother (who now has the pen) and they as far as we've seen, have never been harassed due to their race either.

[Jediknight]

On 9/30/2021 at 12:52 AM, shapeshifter said:

I question the wisdom of making the show so dark and depressing, especially with the pandemic IRL. 

 

16 hours ago, MissLucas said:

I also question the show's hard drop into dark, gloomy and gothic. Nothing wrong with that but I loved last season's more cheerful take which had its moments of darkness too but it was not so unrelenting.

I like the show going more to a horror show for this.  Like I said, I think they've done a great job, and Eclipso is the perfect villain for this.  And I have faith they'll give us the payoff we want.  It's not like this most recent season of The Boring... I mean The Flash.  Setting it up dark now, and I've got faith it's to make the JSA defeating Eclipso, all the more satisfying.

[SnarkShark]

Damn, they're doing stuff with Eclipso I never expected.  This is really really good stuff.

[Diapason Untuned]

On 9/29/2021 at 7:36 PM, rmontro said:

I didn't like it because Eclipso seemed to be trying to take advantage of some sort of insecurity on Beth's part with being black.  Which she denied there was, and we have never seen any insecurity on her part because of her race.  And nor should we have, IMO.  The whole thing seemed shoehorned in there, because there has never been any indication in any of the stories we've seen that there was some sort of problem with Beth being black. 

Blue Valley is probably a 90%+ white town; it would make sense to tie Beth's sense of being an outsider to being Black from Eclipso's point of view. 

[rmontro]

7 hours ago, Diapason Untuned said:

Blue Valley is probably a 90%+ white town; it would make sense to tie Beth's sense of being an outsider to being Black from Eclipso's point of view. 

Maybe from Eclipso's point of view.  I'm just saying this seemed to come out of nowhere.  If this was some sort of issue for Beth to deal with, we haven't seen any sign of it before (not that I care to watch a program that is always shoving racism in our face).  And the fact that Beth denied it was an issue is encouraging.  Maybe Blue Valley isn't so bad after all, aside from it being a center for super villains apparently.

[Lantern7]

Eclipso: a frightening being of incredible power, nigh-invincible, nigh-invulnerable  . . . and also a racist. Or maybe he was just acting like that to strip away Beth's soul layer by layer. But this is Beth. He could've just went "boo!" and she'd be in a coma for the rest of the season.

It was a good episode, and I'm glad Beth managed to hold her own against Eclipso better than anyone else shown so far. It's just . . . she looks like she's twelve years old. I get that' probably stems from Beth's life and her lack of need to "grow" up. I keep saying that going up against her is like poking a puppy in the eyes. And, apparently, she doesn't watch horror movies, because she kept chasing "Bruce," leading her to nightmare after nightmare. I'm guessing that her overcoming that trial made her grow up . . . which is good, especially since Yolanda quit and Rick is in jail. She would need a better name, though . . . or am I too pedantic about referring to her as "Med Student Mid-Nite"?

Damn, Rick got played. It was probably easier for Eclipso to fuck with his mind than Beth's. He made a friend of sorts in Grundy, Grundy seemed to betray that, Rick beat the shit out of him . . . only to find out he was critically injuring his uncle. Granted, he's probably a bigger asshole than any adult in Yolanda's family, but Rick flipped his hourglass. Bright side: he's close to joining Yolanda in the "I Killed Someone" Club.

Temperatures are dropping in Blue Valley, things are getting creeper . . . but those reason's aren't enough to cancel the Independence Day fireworks! #Priorities

"Cosmo," Courtney? Really? That's what you named the Staff? Also cute/sad that she's feeling powerless and she was wearing a top with a star on it.

"Pre-Med Mid-Nite"?

[Noneofyourbusiness]

On 9/30/2021 at 9:01 AM, cambridgeguy said:

Because you definitely want someone who has no apparent fighting skills (as seen when Tigress attacked her) to be on the front lines?  Yeah, the suit helps enhance your abilities, but you need something to start with.  Might as well give it to Pat since the robot won't be operational soon and at least he can throw a punch.

I was thinking along the lines of her making a heroic entrance in the suit when the house is invaded again. Which would probably work out; it's TV. Miss Lucas's idea about Artemis isn't bad, either. But we all know Yolanda will be back eventually.

[shapeshifter]

On 10/2/2021 at 10:36 PM, Lantern7 said:

Damn, Rick got played. It was probably easier for Eclipso to fuck with his mind than Beth's.…   
Bright side: he's close to joining Yolanda in the "I Killed Someone" Club.

If having Rick and Yolanda form a support group for teenage superheroes in-training who got mind warped into murdering is the plot arc point, well, that’s—something. Perhaps a metaphor for PTSD of returning soldiers?

[tennisgurl]

This show has gotten seriously dark and creepy, we have taken a real turn this season towards horror. I am really liking it as a horror fan, especially coming out in September/October, the appropriately spooky season, but I can see why some viewers are turned off after last seasons more fun and earnest superhero show. Things just keep getting creepier and darker, and now Rick has been taken out thanks to Eclipso. His uncle was a scumbag, but being tricked into beating him nearly to death is seriously going to miss him up. Poor Rick, Eclipso made him think the worst of Grundy the way everyone thinks the worst of him, what a mess. Like I said, I am enjoying the many horror tropes being used, from Eclipso as a creepy kid to the Frankenstein way Grundy was treated, complete with the little girl in the water, the sandwich becoming maggots Lost Boys style, even with what is obviously not a huge budget they still managed to be quite creepy. 

I am glad that Beth managed to shut Eclipso down, Beth really needed that win and that validation. Beth really does need to think about upping her fighting game though if she keeps wanting to fight against supervillains, a positive attitude is great and all but she really needs to learn how to throw a punch. Its sad how much she has struggled with her own self doubt, but at least she had a nice moment with her parents. The whole team really needs to talk about all of their issues, Eclipso is taking them down one by one for a reason, he doesn't want them together. Then everyone should consider a LOT of therapy.

In the midst of all the sadness, at least we got that sweet scene of Mike hugging Barbara and calling her mom. Awww I really needed that after so much sadness. 

[CletusMusashi]

I thought they did some good character work this episode, but Eclipso himself is best when he hides off-screen ad plays illusary tricks. When we see him, he's either a very, very punchable small child or an extra from Power Rangers who doesn't even have the wrist strength to win a tug-of-war match with a nerdy high school girl. Many of this shows villains have been great on camera. Eclipso, not so much.

Edited July 18, 2022 by CletusMusashi