Season 2 of Stargirl has given us one hell of a thrill ride as we’ve watched our favourite characters struggle. The long-anticipated ‘Summer School: Chapter Nine’ will push the envelope for the Whitmore-Dugan family. Pat will be dealing with his past with the original JSA and Eclipso. Mike, meanwhile, will (finally) deal with the fallout of what happened with Icicle. Elsewhere, Barbara comes up against a certain someone who is looking to haunt her and her family. Moreover, Courtney begins to suffer as her friends and family continue to fall prey to the Prince of Darkness.
The promo for the upcoming episode has provided us with some hints of what to expect, and well, it wasn’t what we were anticipating. Earlier in the year, it was announced John Wesley Shipp would be guest-starring as The Flash‘s version of Jay Garrick in episode 9. Since then, details have come out that it’ll contain vital flashbacks involving the original JSA. In the days leading up to the episode, photos, courtesy of our friends at Stargirl Wiki for Episode Nine, have given us a look at what is to come. It also confirms that Ted Grant and Johnny Thunder will be involved.
We’re going to be breaking down how the story may play out. Therefore, this is a warning! This post contains potential spoilers for Summer School: Chapter Nine.
Pat’s Memories
For a few episodes, Pat has hinted at a massive secret that will devastate Courtney. The only person he has told, so far, is Barbara, who agrees their daughter cannot know what happened regarding Eclipso. Australian Arrowverse YouTuber Pagey pointed out in a recent video that whatever the former sidekick is hiding might have something to do with Rebecca McNider.
Pagey said this because two of the promo images shows members of the Golden Age JSA at a funeral.
In the photo containing Sylvester and Johnny, Starman is holding a funeral program, and you can see the name “Rebecca” written on it. Moreover, we’ll witness the aftermath of what happened with Eclipso. Furthermore, it makes the most sense. The synopsis for episode ten mentions that Courtney will know what occurred. What’s more, is it will put a wedge between her and Pat.
Whatever happened must be bad enough for Barbara to agree Courtney cannot learn of what happened. Also, we know she [Courtney] was left disappointed when Pat had to confirm that what The Shade told her about Eclipso’s involvement in Rebecca’s death was, in fact, true.
Pat is going to have a lot to grapple with outside of his memories as well. In the promo, he is in the basement when someone shoots at him. At the moment, it’s unclear who it is. The only person we know uses a gun is The Gambler, but he’s MIA, and the figure doesn’t fit his description from the promo.
Icicle Returns From The Dead
Barbara appears a few times in the promo. One of the most noticeable occasions is when she ends up locked in her car which is surrounded by ice. We also hear a voiceover that says they will “haunt her and her family forever”. Moreover, this is the “ghost” of Jordan Mahkent, better known as Icicle.
There is a shot in the promo which shows a coffin with a hand creeping out from under the lid. Furthermore, this would fit to show Jordan somehow still being alive in some form. Or it’s Eclipso playing with Barbara’s fears.
What’s more, is this voiceover is nothing unusual. Brainwave’s voice was heard before he was seen. Also, Dragon King had a tiny cameo in Episode Five as part of Cindy’s flashback. Not to mention, Tigress and Sportsmaster had a vital role in Episode Four.
Of all the high-ranking ISA members, Icicle is the only one who hasn’t been seen yet. The Gambler is still unaccounted for, and Principal Bowin is dead. However, they haven’t been ruled out for appearances just yet. After all, it’s a comic book show where people could come back.
Jordan would be haunting Barbara because she rejected him. Also, he almost killed her by throwing her off the clock tower. Not to mention, his death is the reason Mike is now feeling the effects of his guilt. He told Yolanda in Episode Three that his killing of Icicle was an accident and not intentional. Though, that brings us to Cameron.
Could Eclipso Attempt To Feed Off Mike’s Guilt?
The promo images and the video show that Mike will end up revealing the truth to Cameron… or does he? With Eclipso now loose and making everything in Blue Valley worse with the weather he’s been creating, he could make the youngest Whitmore-Dugan believe he is confessing to the son of Icicle.
What’s throwing us is the staging of the scene in the promo footage. The photo below is from that scene:
It appears that the “confrontation” happens in the Whitmore-Dugan house. But why would it happen there? Also, it’s a bit weird that Cameron would do a complete 180. In Episode Seven, he’s happy-go-lucky when he’s with Courtney, especially after she apologises for slamming him into the wall. Given Eclipso’s powers, it’s possible this setup is in Mike’s head.
Look at what happened with Beth in Episode Eight. Her whole run-in with Eclipso happened in her house and she only realised what was going on after she put on her Doctor Mid-Nite goggles. McNider was watching the whole exchange from the Shadowlands. Also, in the promo footage, Mike is seen withering on the floor being strangled by an invisible force. We know it’s him because he’s wearing the same jacket as the promo photo.
Cameron isn’t a vengeful person… or so we think. He’s never displayed any bad qualities, but if he is pushed too far, who knows what will happen. We’ve addressed this before as to how far he will need to go to end up as Mike’s adversary.
What Happened With Rick Could Be The Same For Mike
We were given no warning that Eclipso was playing with Rick’s head when he almost killed his uncle, thinking he was Solomon Grundy. Everything seemed to lean towards it being real, but at the last second, we had the metaphorical rug pulled out from under us.
Perhaps, the whole thing with Mike and Cameron is similar to that. After all, it seems out of character for Cameron to turn around and say, “Everyone in this house is about to die.” For all we know, this could be a bit of reality and delusion like it was for Rick.
However, we have that ice forming outside the Whitmore-Dugan house that is still a question mark. Was it caused by one of the ice-wielding Mahkents or was created by Eclipso? It could be either. Hopefully, Episode Nine shines a light on whether Sofus has powers or not and whether Christine, Jordan’s wife knew about her husband’s powers.
For Mike, he has been silently suffering since he revealed to Yolanda that his killing of Icicle was not intentional. However, it became more apparent after he touched the diamond shards. He has started to display signs of self-doubt. His family have told him that it was an accident. Though, the feeling has not left him. It shows when he talks to Barbara at the end of Episode Eight. However, the conversation wasn’t about Jordan.
Courtney’s Helplessness
Finally, the synopsis for the episode says that Courtney will begin to feel hope slipping away as her family become Eclipso’s targets. He’s already targeted her friends, and now her team is short two people. We see her in the promo pounding on the basement door, desperate to get to Pat.
After everything that occurred with Yolanda, Rick, and Mike struggling with his guilt over what he did, Courtney is having a difficult time holding onto whatever hope she has left. Eclipso is destroying everything, and it’s going to show in Episode Nine.
