[CAUTION: THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR STARGIRL S02E11]
DC FanDome gave us a glimpse at Summer School: Chapter 11 and it was difficult to watch. We get a recap of what happened at the end of the previous episode of Courtney being pulled through the floor the same way Cindy was. It then jumps ahead to Pat arriving home to find Barbara and Mike sitting on the stairs. Jennie trials behind him with Cosmo and Courtney’s backpack. Barbara breaks down in sobs as she embraces her husband and son. Jennie hugs Beth who is also shaken by the news. Meanwhile, we see Courtney is fine, but she’s not in Civic City; she’s in the Shadowlands.
She encounters Cindy who looks like she wants to kill her, which is nothing new. You would think that after Courtney tried to help her that she’d be at least a little grateful. But, no. That’s not Burman’s MO and it doesn’t matter if they’re trapped together in the Shadowlands. What we see is the polar opposite of what happened in the promo that was released last week. We’ve also explored Cindy’s past.
Who Do We See In The Shadowlands?
Last week’s promo showed us Dragon King and the Zaricks living in a twisted version of Blue Valley. However, we get a better look at this, and it’s scary. We say this is because we better look at what appears to be glimpses of the outside world. Also, what could be alternate looks on how things could’ve played out.
The sneak peek shows Barbara at her diner job that she was going to in the pilot episode. We also see Courtney standing in the doorway of Yolanda’s bedroom, where Yolanda is sitting dejectedly on her bed. Another scene we get a glimpse at is Cindy sitting on the floor with a dead woman lying in a pool of blood. It’s only a quick look, but if we had to guess, it’s a memory of Cindy’s when she killed her mother when she was in the fourth grade. Again, this would back up what Dragon King, Beth, and Cameron have all said about her shift in personality after Suzanne’s death.
However, the woman doesn’t look like Suzanne from the quick look we get. Also, the Shadowlands operates in black and white. What struck us was how Courtney has her hand resting on Cindy’s shoulder as if to console her. Moreover, this might lead to the scene where Courtney asks how they get out, and Cindy tells her they can’t.
However, what we weren’t expecting was Anaya and Isaac Bowin. Furthermore, this whole hellscape Courtney is experiencing is full of dead people. The Zaricks, Dragon King (supposedly) and the Bowins are all dead.
Doctor McNider
A person we expected to get in this episode is Charles McNider. We’ve known for a few episodes that he’s in the Shadowlands. According to the sneak peek, he is the one who rescues Courtney. They end up in Pat and Sylvester’s workspace at the JSA headquarters. Ultimately, this is the same place Courtney disappeared topside.
Courtney recognises him straight away because he’s still in his costume, which is the same as Beth’s. The question is now is whether he will know Courtney. It’s unlikely, but maybe the JSA database has been updated to reflect Courtney in Pat’s profile if he has one. Also, no. We do not believe there is a reason behind the actor change.
Could it be a combined effort to get out?
Unaccounted For
Finally, we know Yolanda comes back into play this episode, but one person is missing; Rick. He was in last week’s episode, but he had no dialogue and was there to allow things to shape up a little better for him. After all, he didn’t know which was real or fake with the interactions he had with Grundy. Having the beast throw apples into his cell was a great way to show that some of his interactions with him were real.
