Summer School: Chapter One

## Episode Guide

"**Summer School: Chapter One**" is the first episode of the second season of *Stargirl*, and the fourteenth episode overall. This episode aired on August 10, 2021, on The CW.

## Synopsis

**SCHOOL'S OUT -** With summer break around the corner, Pat suggests the family take a vacation after seeing that Courtney has been spending too much time focused on being Stargirl and not enough time on her schoolwork. Meanwhile, as Beth attempts to reconnect with Chuck, she stumbles upon a major secret her parents have been keeping from her. Elsewhere, Yolanda continues to be haunted by Brainwave's death, and Rick secretly tracks Solomon Grundy after suspecting he may still be in the area.

## Plot

Decades ago in Melody Hills, Indiana, a birthday party was held for a little girl named Susie. Across the street, a young girl named Rebecca begs her mother to let her attend the party. Her mother, Myra, refuses as Rebecca had made a scene at the store over not getting a doll. The refusal upsets Myra who runs outside to pout on the porch. A young boy appears in her yard and introduces himself as Bruce. He asks her to the party but she can’t as her mom won’t let her. Bruce doesn’t see her mom anywhere and lures her out against her better judgment. She nearly runs into the street of excitement, and barely avoids a truck. She stands outside Susie’s house and longingly watches the happiness. She notices a pile of presents and Bruce appears behind her. He encourages Rebecca to take one of the presents; she didn’t get anything today and no one is looking anyway. Rebecca runs up, steals a package, and hides behind the bushes to open it. When she does, the doll inside is deformed and dirty. Its eyes glow red. She drops it in shock and it turns back into a doll. Bruce‘s face turns black and his eyes red. He raises a black diamond and shames her for stealing the doll. They are engulfed in purple light. Rebecca’s mother goes looking for her daughter and thinks she is hiding at the party against her wishes. When she goes across the street, she sees something in the yard that makes her scream. The name on the family’s mailbox is McNider.

In the present day, our heroine Stargirl glides around town on her Cosmic Staff and lands in an alley, pointing her weapon at a potential foe lurking in the shadows. Unfortunately, the threat turns out to be an annoyed raccoon. Nonetheless, she signals the coast is clear to her teammates. Hourman sarcastically asks if she checked inside the trash cans. Undeterred, Stargirl asks Dr. Mid-Nite to scan the area. The latter bemoans how less fun it is without Chuck as her goggles malfunction but otherwise detect no suspicious activity, such as the presence of Cindy Burman, The Gambler or Solomon Grundy. Hourman states he beat Grundy, the Gambler is a wimp, and Cindy was probably crushed when the disk cave in. Stargirl presses on others could be at large but Hourman rejects it: Icicle was shattered in a million pieces, Dragon King is dead, Tigress and Sportsmaster are locked up. The Injustice Society of America is done and gone. Wildcat suggests they call it a night and leave, an idea supported by Dr. Mid-Nite and Hourman. Stargirl insists they're the Justice Society of America and they can't quit. Wildcat says they are still the JSA, and if something happens they'll suit up and get to action but otherwise, they're protecting a small town that doesn't need it. Stargirl suggests cutting their patrol nights from seven to six as a comprise. Unamused, her teammates leaves. Stargirl calls after them that she can handle the last of their patrol checks tonight. Sighing, she at least tells the Cosmic Staff it won't leave her.

At the Whitmore-Dugan residence, Courtney is pondering over sheets of ISA documents when her stepfather Pat Dugan appears. He tells her it's 4 in the morning and asks if she's been out all night.

Yolanda is still haunted by Brainwave's death because she did it to avenge Henry but she realizes that she killed someone in cold blood. Courtney tries to help her.

At Blue Valley High, Courtney and Yolanda see Beth and take news of her since Icicle kills "Chuck". Soon after Artemis speaks two boys saying that her parents are in prison, when she stops in front of Courtney, she believes that Artemis attack her and attack in first. She is convoked in Principal's office. Pat and Barbara arrive, Courtney explains that with Artemis it was a misunderstanding. The principal states that Courtney failed English and History, so she has to attend Summer school.

Later, in the evening, Courtney hears a noise in the home and finds someone stealing Green Lantern's power battery. They fight and her adversary reveals herself as Jennie, Green Lantern's daughter. Pat, Barbara and Mike arrive and ask what is happening. Courtney says that is another misunderstanding.

Meanwhile, the same night, Cindy returns to BVHS. She retrieves a folder entitled Injustice Unlimited. She takes refuge in Dragon King’s underground tunnels. She opens the folder of potential candidates and tears a photo of Henry King Jr. in half, as his death made him useless. She lays out images of the ISA’s children, including Artemis Crock, Isaac Bowin, and Cameron Mahkent. She also lays down a photo of JSA protégé Mike Dugan. She holds up the black diamond Eclipso and states they have some recruiting to do. Then, they laugh.

## Cast

### Starring

* Brec Bassinger as Courtney Whitmore/Stargirl
* Yvette Monreal as Yolanda Montez/Wildcat
* Anjelika Washington as Beth Chapel/Dr. Mid-Nite
* Cameron Gellman as Rick Tyler/Hourman
* Trae Romano as Mike Dugan
* Hunter Sansone as Cameron Mahkent
* Meg DeLacy as Cindy Burman
* Nick Tarabay as the voice of Eclipso
* Amy Smart as Barbara Whitmore
* Luke Wilson as Pat Dugan

### Guest Starring

* Joel McHale as Ultra-Humanite
* Milo Stein as Young Bruce Gordon and Eclipso/Young Bruce Gordon
* Ysa Penarejo as Jennie-Lynn Hayden
* Olive Abercrombie as Rebecca McNider
* Alex Collins as the voice of Charles McNider

### Co-Starring

* Stella Smith as Artemis Crock
* Max Frantz as Isaac Bowin
* King Orba as Zeek
* Jim Franco as Sofus Mahkent
* Kay Galvin as Lily Mahkent
* Kron Moore as Dr. Bridget Chapel
* Gilber Glenn Brown as James Chapel
* Tywayne Wheatt as Principal Harold Sherman
* Emily Dunlop as Myra McNider
* Kenny Aldonso as Father Thomas
* Deborah Bowman as Miss. Woods

### Uncredited

* Christopher James Baker as Henry King Sr./Brainwave (archive footage)
* Alicia Witt as Maggie Shaw

## Notes and Trivia

* On July 7, 2021, TVLine released five first look photos of *Summer School: Chapter One*. They also released captions for the photos that detailed what was happening in each one.
	+ This character played by Joel McHale, who showed up in a season finale bonus scene has some very specific questions for this waitress in the Season 2 premiere. (Oh, and said waitress isn’t just anybody, by the way.)
	+ As the Season 2 trailer may have hinted, Green Lantern Alan Scott’s daughter Jenny (played by Ysa Penarejo, far right) does not receive the warmest welcome upon arriving in Blue Valley after spending her childhood in a Milwaukee group home. Courtney in particular bristles at how “perfect” this newly discovered legacy is, until someone serves up a most salient observation.
* In its overnight ratings, *Stargirl* dipped slightly from its season one finale, earning 750,000 views and a 0.1 demographic, though, the live plus seven day ratings have yet to come in.
* The Dallas Movie Theater marquee contained a Mark Merlin Easter egg.
* Per Degaton is mentioned as having been a member of the Injustice Society of America until The Flash banished him to an alternate timeline. In the comics, Per Degaton is obsessed with time travel and is a member of the ISA as an evil para-military commander, though he is defeated by the Justice Society of America and incarcerated.
* Blackbriar Thorn is mentioned as having been a member of the Injustice Society of America until Green Lantern destroyed him in 1988. In the comics, Blackbriar Thorn is a druid and an enemy of the Justice Society of America. Though he spent the majority of is time in Gotham before joining the ISA and directing his anger towards Green Lantern.
* Baron Blitzkrieg is mentioned as having been a member of the Injustice Society of America until his defeat. In the comics, Baron Blitzkrieg is a Nazi super-villain who later joined Lex Luthor's team of super-villains.
* Gentleman Ghost is mentioned as having been a member of the Injustice Society of America until his defeat. In the comics, Gentleman Ghost is a 19th-century gentleman thief and a member of the ISA.
* Jennie is introduced as the daughter of the original Green Lantern. She breaks into the Whitmore-Dugan house to steal Green Lantern's Power Battery which results in a massive fight between her and Courtney.
* Cindy Burman begins to form the Injustice Unlimited group with the children of the ISA.
* Dragon King is confirmed dead by Hourman, while Sportsmaster and Tigress are revealed alive and incarcerated.
* During a podcast hosted by Stargirl graphic designer Shawn, he revealed a few tidbits about the episode and his role in its creation.
	+ The only scripted part of the newspaper that Mike sets on the counter was Taco Whiz. Shawn decided to fill in the rest of the sections.
	+ He designed the stain glass in the church which took him many hours and late nights.
	+ Movie Marquee is an Easter egg to Mark Merlin; a paranormal detective from the DC comics. It was Shawn's suggestion to include Mark Merlin on the Marquee, and Geoff Johns loved the idea so much he included it. Shawn also suggested a movie poster which has to be included.

## Soundtrack

 Summertime Blues
 Break the Rules

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://tvline.com/2021/08/11/tv-ratings-stargirl-season-2-premiere/