WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THIS WEEK’S EPISODE OF STARGIRL SEASON 2
As Eclipso continues to move in the shadows, Stargirl and the rest of the JSA try their best to learn more about Eclipso’s past. Cindy commences her recruitment with the help of Eclipso, Beth is trying her absolute best to get her parents to rekindle their marriage, while Pat and Barbara deal with Sportsmaster and Tigress, they contemplate revealing what they know about Eclipso with both Mike and Courtney.
We open up this week’s episode with Artemis Crock visiting her parents in prison. Artemis is currently trying to deal with not just her parents being in prison for a “crime they did not commit” but also football tryouts and college Scouters. After receiving words of encouragement from her parents, the prison guard cuts their visit short and also mocks her for having to visit her parents in prison. Meanwhile, Beth is trying to get her parents to rekindle their marriage. She’s shown throughout these past few weeks that she is not taking her parent’s divorce lightly. And while her parents are rather dismissive about the situation, Chuck finds a classified JSA file on Eclipso.
Over in the Dugan household, Pat informs Barbara about Eclipso, his past and how dangerous he is; and how much of a threat he is to the world, Court, and the JSA. They also contemplate telling Courtney the truth about Eclipso as they fear for her safety if she knows the truth but also, her keenness for jumping the gun and getting ahead of herself just so she can kick some butt. Courtney, however, reveals to her parents that she knows about Eclipso and about The Black Diamond. Pat proceeds to inform her about Eclipso and his powers and that the former JSA defeated him, however, Pat does not know how exactly they managed to do that.
Courtney, just like everyone else, is wondering what could The Shade want exactly with Eclipso and the Black Diamond. Questions we certainly don’t have answers to just yet. But Courtney ensures her parents that she will seek further information on Eclipso the “old-fashioned” way, by “hitting the books”. And ensures her mother that she won’t jump ahead and get in way over her head (seems like The Shade has humbled her a little bit).
We then catch up with Cindy Burman who is still having a hard time processing the loss of her mother. Eclipso projects a version of her mom to bring Cindy some calmness but this enrages her more, causing her to display her grief. Eclipso ensures he just wants to help her do what she wants to do and that is, put together the new Injustice Society.
We’re now with Artemis who is riding in the car with her foster caregiver who is giving her a hard time. Artemis doesn’t respond kindly which annoys her caregiver to the point that she threatens her with no longer accepting her parent’s calls from prison. Artemis fully displays her distaste for her caregiver, showcasing that she doesn’t want to be around her. We then cut to Mikey reading the newspaper with a headline stating that Sportsmaster and Tigress have broken out of prison. They also take Mikey hostage.
Back in school, Courtney extends a peace offering to Artemis which she doesn’t accept. As Artemis storms off we then see Cindy appear before Issac Bowin and proposes her friendship to him in an attempt to make him a new recruit in the ISA. She tries to reel him in by trying to relate to him with grief as his mother Principle Bowin died a few months prior. Isaac proceeds to ask Cindy how her parents died to which she responds “horribly”.
We cut to Pat driving and listening to a voicemail left for him by Mike, who informs him that he and Pat’s “old friends” are down at the Pit Stop and they would like to speak to him. Pat suspecting that Mike is in danger rushes to the Pit Stop and sees that Mike is there with Sportsmaster and Tigress. They reveal to Pat why they broke out of prison, and that’s to watch Artemis during her football tryouts and they promise to return to prison without causing any ruckus if Pat helps them lay low and watch their daughter.
Barbara, however, is not too keen on Sportsmaster and Tigress sticking around for the time being. Here we get an interesting exchange between Barbara and Tigress, and Pat and Sportsmaster. During his talk with Pat, Sportsmaster tries to give Pat some parenting advice in regards to Mike and “his big mouth”. Sportsmaster thinks he’ll get into a lot of trouble because of it and thinks that Pat should start training him now.
Pat asks Sportsmaster about prison and his old ISA buddies. He reveals to Pat that he and Tigress never fit in with the ISA. They had a good relationship with Jordan MahKent aka Icicle but they could care less about the others since they never really got along. When Pat brings up The Shade, Sportsmaster reveals how he did not like the guy because he was not a team player and he made fun of his cleats, despite him wearing top hats and ascots.
Sportsmaster then boasts about the Dragon King and what he did to The Wizard’s body which he ultimately doesn’t reveal to Pat. They then reflect on their possible friendship and how it could’ve worked out by ya know…relationships are funny like that. On the other hand, Barbara and Tigress connect over motherly frustrations about their headstrong teenagers and top it off with sharing a drink of coffee.
The Origin of Bruce Gordon and the Black Diamond:
The JSA are gathered at Yolanda’s job and reveal all of the information they found on Eclipso, the Black Diamond, and Diablo Island. The Black Diamond originated from Diablo Island, an island that has now not been seen on the world map since its removal back in 1832. We learn here about the two warring tribes of Diablo Island, one of the tribes who summoned an evil entity of vengeance ended up trapping this entity in what is believed to now be the Black Diamond which houses Eclipso.
Beth reveals to the team that an explorer named Bruce Gordon rediscovered Diablo Island and is the only person who has ever returned from visiting the said island. However, despite his many exploration stories and books, nothing about Bruce Gordon is found online, same with Eclipso. But it is suspected that Bruce Gordon brought the Black Diamond back with him.
Jumping to Cindy who has now brought Isaac Bowin down the ISA HQ, she reveals to him that this is where their parents tried to save the world before they we killed by the JSA. Isaac recognizes his father’s picture on the mural that’s on the wall and Cindy tells him about his true identity as The Fiddler. Sating that he doesn’t know how to play the fiddle, Cindy ensures him that he will learn.
Courtney is now at the local library trying to find some books written by Bruce Gordon which the librarian informs her, they do not have. However, he does inform her about Captain Cook who we presume to be James Cook, just don’t take our word for it; and Robert Ripley, famously known for “Ripley’s Believe it or not”. While at the library, Courtney runs into The Shade. She threatens with stopping him from teaming up with Eclipso, which she thinks is his ultimate plan.
The Shade takes offense to her idea of him teaming up with Eclipso, even more, when Courtney compares this potential team up in the same vein as Icicle and Brainwave. The Shade ensures Courtney that he doesn’t want to team up with Eclipso. Courtney blames him for killing the original Doctor Mid-Nite. The shade scoffs at her information mocking the conviction behind her assessment which is all based on the information Pat gave her. The Shade that he’s done his fair share of evil things, including killing people, but he enforces that he only kills those who truly revered it. He also reveals that Pat isn’t telling her the whole truth and that Eclipso killed Doctor Mid-Nite’s daughter.
This is the little girl we meet at the start of the season. The Shade wants to get rid of the Black Diamond to ensure that Eclipso doesn’t hurt anyone again. Courtney asks why and just plays it off to him just being bored. We have yet to really get a grasp on what The Shade really wants with Eclipso’s Black diamond. We then join Pat and The Crocks at Artemis’ football tryouts. Seeing that Artemis is struggling on the field, they reveal to her that they’re in the stands and she immediately improves her game until Cindy Burman shows up and hexes Artemis with the Black Diamond.
Artemis, now hexed by Eclipso goes into a rage and attacks Courtney and a couple of her teammates who are standing on the sidelines. Artemis then learns that her parents are not as innocent as she thinks, and they share a final goodbye as they return to prison. Courtney asks Pat if he knew about Eclipso killing Doctor Mid-Nite’s daughter, which he confirms by asking her how did she know that information. Pat chalks it up to not telling Courtney about Rebecca’s death because he did not want to scare her. But he deflects from providing her with any additional answers.
Artemis is then rejected by the college scouter and is greeted by Cindy Burman who offers her a seat at the ISA table. Barbara asks Patif he told Courtney everything about Eclipso, which he didn’t. But they both agree to not tell her anything more about Eclipso and the JSA so she isn’t affected even more about the action of her predecessors.
Courtney wanted to get more information on Eclipso heads out in the middle of the night to meet The Shade since Pat doesn’t want to divulge any additional information. Chuck suddenly calls out to Beth and asks who she is and why she keeps calling him “Chuck”. She reveals that Chuck is Charles McNidner’s A.I. Chuck, “Chuck” then reveals to Beth that he is not Chuck but THE Charles McNider. He reveals that he has been gone for years seemingly trapped in the “shadow”.
Overall, this episode of Stargirl gave us a ton of information in regards to Eclipso and his origin. If you weren’t able to put two and two together Bruce Gordon is Eclipso but we have yet to learn about how he was able to leave Diablo Island safely and how he ultimately became Eclipso. And while The Shade is very open about things, he is also vague, we don’t really know what’s his personal vendetta against Eclipso and why he wants to take him down for good but it seems like the JSA has found. an unlikely ally in The Shade.
The huge revelation of Charles McNider being alive and trapped wherever The Shade has him is huge. Even looking back at the last season and taking a look at the scene in which Pat shows Courtney the JSA’s headquarters, everyone’s weapon or costume was in that room with the exception of Dr. Mid-Nite. Which should’ve been a huge indicator that he would be lingering somewhere.
Even the fact that he was dragged away by The Shade and not killed on-screen like everyone else should’ve also been a massive indicator that he’d come back in some way. Stargirl has been really delivering this season and has been really building up to Eclipso’s reveal which we hope is coming sooner rather than later.
Stargirl Season 2 broadcasts live on The CW every Tuesday at 8:00 PM EST and streams live free the next day on The CW App.
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