The first season was a girl trying to become a hero. The second has been about a pervasive, brooding evil, at times more like a horror movie than a superhero action series. Now, Stargirl and her allies band together to try and end the malevolence of Eclipso as the Summer School series comes to an end with “Chapter 13.”
The great evil of Eclipso was released by Cindy Burman AKA Shiv, Stargirl’s nemesis, and the town has been paying for it, especially those nearest and dearest to Courtney. While the titular plotline has been pretty much dropped as part of the story, the evil of Eclipso continues in “Summer School, Chapter Eleven.”
Eclipso’s rampage in Blue Valley continues. Stargirl’s new JSA has been pretty much taken apart, and now there’s a lot of strain among the members who remain. We see family tension, a few different ideas of ways to help, and an unexpected visit among other things in this episode.
Despite the cheery title of “Summer School,” the second season of Stargirl has been increasingly dark and grim. The evil of Eclilpso is loose in Blue Valley, and the novice heroes are no match for him.
Last season, Stargirl and her new JSA fought the Injustice Society, a collection of skilled, experienced supervillains. That, as it turns out, was the easy part.
Stargirl and her new JSA are having a rough summer. Not only do two of them have to go to summer school, which no teen wants, but they’ve dealt with malicious teachers, a powerful demon on the loose, a rival team being put together, and an enigmatic 19th century visitor. In addition to this they have mysteries involving their predecessors, complicated love lives, crushing guilt, and a lot of pressure as the stakes are constantly being raised.
They’ve been doing a good job showing Cindy Burman, AKA Shiv, putting together a team to challenge Stargirl’s fledgling Justice Society of America. Now, at least most of the pieces are in place and Cindy is making her move.
For a show that started off relatively bright and sunny, Stargirl has really developed a dark side. Eclipso is loose in Blue Valley, and that’s bad news for everyone. Now there’s creepiness in the shadows, unexpected allies and enemies, and a lot happening behind the scenes.
Stargirl has its ups and downs over its run so far, but when they give themselves time, they do some good characterization work. We see some of that from a few unexpected directions this week.
One of the things I’ve enjoyed the most about Stargirl is the history from DC’s older characters they’ve managed to bring in, bit by bit. They’ve created some interesting mysteries (Why was Dr. Midnight so much older than he should have been? Where are the rest of the Seven Soldiers of Victory?) but still respect at least most of the various character’s pasts.
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