Courtney might have to choose between Cameron and the JSA. Unfortunately, the tensions between Courtney and the JSA continue to build as she pursues a relationship with Cameron Mahkent, the son of the fallen Injustice Society’s leader, Icicle. After kissing him in the fourth episode, Court is on cloud nine and doing absolutely nothing to hide it except lying and claiming she’s got to do homework. However, her stepdad, Pat, is silently panicking as he hasn’t had to deal with crushes with Mike.
Barbara, Courtney’s mother, tells him that their daughter will tell them about the crush when she’s ready. Little do they realise that it’s Cameron, the son of the dude that Mike ran over at the end of Season One. Let’s not forget here that Icicle did a ton of shady things. First, he killed people associated with the toxic waste that gave his late wife, Christine Mahkent, cancer. Then, there was the use of Project: New America, which aimed to brainwash part of the country’s over-18 population while killing 25 million adults. Oh, and he kidnapped and tried to murder Barb by almost throwing her off the Blue Valley clocktower when she refused to leave her family to be with him.
Cameron’s Verbal Showdown With The JSA And Sylvester’s Advice About Having To Choose Sides
When Cameron shows up at the JSA’s table the day after the two kisses, the tension can be cut with a knife tenfold. Rick doesn’t want him there, so they end up arguing. Yolanda isn’t pleased either. Beth, meanwhile, tries to stay out of it. Finally, when Rick makes a shrewd comment, Courtney puts him in his place.
Once Cameron is out of earshot, Courtney rounds on Yolanda, who attempts to compare Cameron to Jordan. She [Court] says that Cameron is not like Jordan in the same way she is not her father [Sam], and she storms off. This outburst is out of character for her, but it causes the JSA to talk to Sylvester about it.
Sylvester cautions the trio, saying that if Courtney wants to date Cameron, that’s for her to choose. He adds that picking sides killed his era of the JSA. Now, this shows a couple of things. The first is that despite Starman’s habit of acting out whenever he is enraged, he knows that Cameron isn’t to blame for what Icicle did. Also, it gives the team something to think about.
Dealing With The Fall Out
Courtney feels that the only person she can talk to about her relationship with Cameron is Cindy, knowing her former arch-rival won’t judge her. However, Cindy manages to trigger Cameron to see if he has powers. After doing this, Shiv finds Courtney downtrodden at the diner and tells her that she’s confirmed Cameron has his family’s cryokinesis, which Courtney already knew.
The promo for episode six shows that the JSA is still feuding with Courtney over Cameron. We touched on this in our breakdown of the episode synopsises for episodes four, five, and six, where Barbara and Pat do recon at the Mahkent house. This was seen in the episode stills and the promo trailer. Also, this was implied at the end of the current episode, where Lily and Sofus see the pair together and aren’t thrilled.
In the video promo, you hear Rick saying something that sets Courtney off, who says that Cameron isn’t dangerous. Yolanda is also heard in the promo saying, “Love makes you do crazy things,” alluding to her nude picture scandal. This next episode will deal with Barbara and Pat finding out about the relationship and talking about it with the kids, Lily and Sofus.
The Whitmore-Dugan-Mahkent-JSA Friction
There is already friction between Barbara and Pat and Sofus and Lily because of what happened with Jordan. Also, Lily makes it no secret, at least to Sofus, that she despises Courtney. She made this evident during the Whitmore-Dugan-Mahkent family dinner back in Season One when she says Courtney annoys her. Ouch!
Courtney’s connection to Cosmo will likely spiral, too, as there’s an explosion that Courtney causes with the staff that throws the JSA off their feet. We’re not sure when this happens in the episode, but this may occur after Court snaps at Rick. We know that Courtney’s bond with Cosmo is unlike any other. He (yes, the staff has pronouns) has a different connection to her than he does with Sylvester.
We’ve seen Sylvester teaching his successor new tricks she didn’t know. For example, during a training session earlier in the season, we learn that Sylvester can make his eyes glow, an ability that Courtney now knows how to use. What’s more, the promo for next week’s episode shows Courtney’s eyes glowing, and her powers seem to be affected when she uses Cosmo, which may cause the explosion.
Going back to what could happen with the intervention with the parents, Pat could make some joke that makes the situation with Lily and Sofus awkward, given his smile in the promo images. Getting parental permission to date any teenager is intimidating, but it’s even worse for Courtney, given her history with Jordan.
The JSA Need To Stop Pushing Courtney To Choose
Rick and Yolanda need to stop and think about what Courtney wants. Beth is doing what she can to remain neutral, but the others have more sway. The group are already torn over the whole Cindy thing. Now, they have to deal with their leader deciding to choose her new boyfriend over them, if you can even call it that.
They need to know when to back off and keep their opinions to themselves. Courtney can handle herself. They know this, and if she wants to be with Cameron, that’s her choice. Rick and Yolanda blame Cameron for everything his father has done and assume the worst about him without considering their own flaws.
Rick has his demons, as does Yolanda. They assume that because Cameron is Jordan’s son that he’s automatically a homicidal maniac who wants to corrupt the world. Do they stop to get to know him? No. Courtney’s clearly in love with him, and he feels the same about her. Why can’t they let her be happy?
The animosity between Rick and Cameron is almost as tense as it is with Cindy and Yolanda. This ticks Courtney off because she knows that they see comparisons that aren’t there. For example, Rick is given a bad rep because his Uncle raised him, Matt, who was a deadbeat and horrible person.
Yolanda had a great relationship with her family until her nudes leaked. Now they see her as a black spot on their ‘reputation.’ What she does, doesn’t matter; she can’t get back in their good graces. So, what gives her the right to tell Courtney that Cameron is bad news?
The More Pushing The JSA Does, The More Courtney Will Choose Cameron
The JSA is reaching when they’re criticising Cameron without thinking about how it will affect Courtney and their relationship with her. She is their leader. They’re supposed to have some ounce of respect for her. However, they’re taking swipes at her boyfriend, and they think she will agree with it. We know from her outburst and storm off that she doesn’t take kindly to it.
Rick, Yolanda and, in a way, Beth’s disapproval had the opposite effect of what they wanted, hence why they bought it up with Sylvester. However, his advice probably wasn’t what they were thinking either. Yolanda says they need to pick sides only to be told it’s a bad idea, as a decision like this gets people killed. Merry, Sylvester’s sister and Henry’s mother, is bought up as an example of this. Unfortunately, she got involved, and her husband, Brainwave, killed her. It’s as simple as that.
However, the more the JSA push Courtney to choose a side, the more she will choose Cameron. As she tells them after she scolds Rick, Cameron needs help since he is struggling with losing his dad. What she doesn’t tell them is that he has powers like Jordan.
Beth asks why Cameron would need help, but it’s the question that isn’t answered. In all honesty? It doesn’t need to be. Courtney’s attention is divided as it is, and to tell her friends about her boyfriend being like their dead enemy, would only infuriate them further, Rick especially. However, her storm-off indicates that she’d side with him over the JSA if she had to.
Could The Choice Be Seen As Manipulation? Will Courtney Be Forced To Choose?
To finish this post, we need to address whether the JSA will see Courtney’s choice as manipulation by Cameron. It will depend on what he knows about his father’s death. While we do not believe he will manipulate the situation, the team might not think the same way. After all, all they see is Icicle Junior. They don’t see a human being as capable of love. Let alone being in love with Courtney.
Given the JSA’s experiences with Jordan, it wouldn’t be surprising if they push the narrative of Cameron being Jordan’s disciple. Courtney’s decision will cause the team to rethink what they say and do. Pushing Courtney into Cameron’s arms further will only force her to question them. If she had to choose, we believe she would choose Cameron. She would feel that her friends couldn’t be trusted when she helped pull them out of hard times. Moreover, she would’ve thought they would’ve done the same for her.
