Chapter Two: The Suspects

## Episode Guide

**Chapter Two: The Suspects** also titled **Frenemies - Chapter Two: The Suspects**, is the second episode of the third season of *Stargirl*, and the twenty-eighth episode overall. This episode aired on September 7, 2022 on The CW.

## Synopsis

**A MURDER MYSTERY IN BLUE VALLEY** — After stumbling upon a suspicious murder in Blue Valley, the JSA begin looking at potential suspects. A tense run-in with The Shade makes Courtney and Pat realize that Sylvester’s old ways could land them in hot water. Finally, Barbara steps in to help Paula, whose attempt at fitting in has not gone so well.

## Plot

**Twelve Hours Ago**

Steven Sharpe arrives at Cornhusker Estate Trailer Park, walking into his brand new trailer. He sets his briefcase down on the table, unlocks it, and takes out a photo of Becky. He smiles proudly at the photo, then proceeds to unpack the rest of his belongings, while dancing to his music. He irons his clothing and hangs them in a pristine line in the closet, then puts his laptop on the table. Outside, Larry Crock glares at the trailer from his car, his hands gripping the wheel. Inside, Steven begins his records database search for Rebecca Sharpe. Outside, Larry picks up the metal baseball bat from the passenger seat - it's payback time. He raises the bat but then groans, forcing himself to put it down. Inside, Steven picks up his gun from his luggage, just as Larry speeds away from the trailer park, unseen. Steven comes out to investigate the noise, then returns to his trailer as a suited figure watches him from afar. Steve looks at his gun then the picture of Becky and back again. He drops the gun into the trash can. His trailer door opens and Richard Swift enters.

In the present time, Courtney, Yolanda, Beth, Rick, Pat, and Sylvester meet at The Pit Stop. Courtney tells him that someone murdered The Gambler. Pat asks who would have the motive to do that. Sylvester glibly says it could be anyone who ever met him, which is exactly why Rick doesn't care. Courtney reminds him that a man is dead, and there's a killer out there. Rick and Yolanda still think Cindy Burman did it, as she was standing over his body. She was, but Cindy told them she didn't do it.

In a flashback to finding Cindy, Shiv professes her innocence. She came there to see if The Gambler had any connection to the lame robbery earlier.

Yolanda exclaims that the case is closed then, a sentiment Courtney ignores. Cindy went to investigate when she learned The Gambler's old gang was back together. When she showed up, she found the trailer destroyed and The Gambler dead. Sylvester reminds Courtney that she was holding a gun, but Cindy said she saw the gun, picked it up, and it accidentally went off.

In a flashback, Shiv drops the gun, so the JSA slowly walks closer to the body. Stargirl kneels beside him and finds the letter addressed to Becky. She holds it close to herself.

Beth tells everyone that the goggles couldn't find a bullet hole anywhere. Rick tells her that doesn't mean Cindy didn't kill him, and they exchange looks. Sylvester surmises that whoever twisted that trailer into a pretzel had to be as strong as Solomon Grundy. Rick is sure Grundy's dead, while Yolanda repeats that Cindy is strong. She's a walking science experiment, who knows what else she's done to change herself. Courtney argues that she isn't that strong, and that Dragon King changed her, and he's dead. Rick adds that it's only because Cindy killed him. He adds that if Courtney thought she was innocent she would be at this meeting. Courtney quickly tells Pat about the missing laptop, which still hasn't come back online yet, and that Cindy didn't have it. If they find the laptop they can find the killer. Sylvester is guessing it was one of The Gambler's former colleagues from the Injustice Society that they're hoping to reform. The fact is, it wasn't until The Gambler came back to Blue Valley that he was murdered, making the former villains all suspects, including Cindy Burman.

Courtney sits in her room, somberly looking at Gambler's letter. She opens it and reads the touching words inside. Down in the tunnels, Cindy works in the old ISA headquarters. She lays out medical equipment, a sketch of a human leg, and a syringe full of liquid. She winces at the pain in her shoulder, popping it back into place. She picks up a vial of purple liquid, looks at the ISA portrait on the wall, then drinks the vial.

The next morning, Rick goes to Grundy's burial site and finds it untouched. He kneels beside the massive grave and places his hand on the mound. Meanwhile, Pat checks on Courtney who will be late for school unless she gets a move on. He sees her somber expression and asks if she's okay. She's read The Gambler's letter to his daughter a dozen times since last night. He didn't expect anyone to see this except her. Courtney really thinks he was trying to be better. He wrote about his regrets, how he wanted to know her. Courtney would have given anything to have her dad say half the things in this letter to her. She knows the others don't care that The Gambler died, but she does. After they find his killer, she's going to find Becky, and give her the letter. Pat thinks it's a great day and a plan. Sylvester wants to question some of The Gambler's old colleagues, so they'll see what they can find out while she's at school. She can't help but smile at his support, and he nudges her gently then leaves her room

Mike and Jakeem prepare for their paper route, stacking papers in their sacks. Jakeem questions the "bizarre accident in trailer park leaves one dead" headline, shaking his head as the rest of Blue Valley thinks it was a tornado. Mike is thrilled, as it's the best thing that could ever happen to them - a murdering murderer being murdered. If they can catch the killer, everyone's going to take them seriously. Jakeem reminds him they aren't detectives, but Mike puts a hand on his shoulder, as they are now. Thunderbolt zaps to life, beginning to ramble on about "*Columbo*", a reference that confuses Jakeem.

Barbara returns to The American Dream. Charlotte asks if she's heard about Steven Sharpe being dead, as a tornado apparently touched down right on top of him. James quickly explains that Blue Valley has been known to have bizarre weather from time to time, like this summer's storms. Janet thinks it serves Mr. Sharpe right, adding in a "God rest his soul", as she passes them. Barbara turns to her office when Tim suddenly slides in front of her. She's three minutes late, calling her Babs as he makes a pouty face. She reminds him that he isn't her boss, at least not yet. He doesn't want her to be late for the park budget meeting. He wouldn't want her to miss him voting against her proposal again. He gives another pout as they laugh at one another. She gives a fake smile in return and enters her office.

She finds Paula waiting for her. The woman announces they didn't do it. They would never be so sloppy as to leave the body there. Disposing of the corpse is 101. Barbara shudders in disgust, telling her not to tell her that. Paula would never risk going back to prison over some schmuck like Steve. They're home with their daughter again - that is everything. She becomes prideful at the mention of Artemis, asking if Courtney mentioned how well Artemis did with the JSA last night. Barbara admits she didn't mention anything, but Paula is sure she will. They have been doing everything they can to fit in here. She gardens, smiles at strangers, and even applied to join the Blue Valley Rotary Club. Barbara asks how that's working out. They asked Paula to bake a German chocolate cake. She doesn't know why, when she can just buy one. Barbara tells her it means more if she makes it herself, confusing Paula. She elaborates that when someone puts their personal time into something, it makes it more special, by showing that she cares. Paula muses that baking makes people think you care. She quickly rephrases that she does care, plastering on a smile. She takes a big step forward, asking if Barbara knows how to bake, but the woman doesn't - at all. Paula sits down, exasperated.

Beth, Rick, Yolanda, and Courtney sit at their usual lunch table. Beth accesses the coroner's report, which lists the official cause of death as blunt force trauma from the tornado. Rick assures them that Grundy did not kill The Gambler, earning dubious looks from Yolanda. He checked the grave site and he's still buried. Beth believes him and refocuses on the autopsy report. Aside from the broken bones and bruisers, The Gambler also had a stab wound right to the heart. The coroner theorized it was debris thrown by a tornado. Yolanda is certain it wasn't a tornado, just as Cindy slams her bag on the table. She's upset they held a meeting last night without her, realizing they're having another one now. Yolanda sneers that The Gambler died from a stab wound, like a shiv. Courtney adds it could have been a knife or an arrow. She apologizes to Cindy about the meeting, with Yolanda cutting her off as the circumstances were she was standing over a dead body. Those circumstances were completely circumstantial, according to Cindy. Courtney reminds everyone that The Gambler's laptop is missing, and whoever has it, is who killed him. The sooner they find the laptop and catch the killer together, the sooner they can all move on. She eyes Cindy, telling her non-verbally to sit, and the girl does.

Maria shakily brings Richard another cup of tea. She nervously waits as he takes a trepidatious sip. He inhales deeply then tells his dear Maria that Earl Grey himself could not have brewed a finer cup. She grins and is so glad he's happy. He's absolutely delighted, and it only took 44 attempts to reach the utter pinnacle of perfection. She walks away happily, just as Pat and Sylvester enter the diner. They stand in front of Richard. Sylvester needs to ask him some questions, sitting on the edge of the booth. Pat tries to slide in next to him, but Sylvester doesn't budge. Pat tells him he needs more room and Sylvester slowly moves over a little, letting him on the booth. Sylvester asks where Richard was last night, and the man knows he's referring to Sharpe. He saw the man yesterday, though well before he died. Pat asks where he saw Sharpe, with Sylvester eerily adding that if he lies to them he'll regret it. Richard saw him in this very booth, where they had a rather unpleasant exchange. Later on, he thought better of it, so he went to see him. In a flashback, Richard stands in Sharpe's trailer. He's willing to let the past go. To someone like him, the past is everything. Sharpe would be eternally grateful if they could reset the backgammon board. Richard nods - this is a time of new beginnings for everyone.

Sylvester doesn't believe that's how things went. In a flashback to his version of events, Richard plainly says he's going to kill him. Then, Sharpe cowers in fear as he holds his hands out in defense, quivering meekly. In the present, Richard looks at them in disgust, wanting to be credited with a little subtlety. Sylvester rolls his eyes, since Richard wears a top hat. If Richard was going to kill The Gambler, or Sylvester for that matter, he'd say something far more eloquent. Something like he's going to snuff out his little glow stick and him, the big, ineffectual, dolt. Sylvester lunges forward, grabbing Richard by the collar. The dishes clang on the table, the patrons gasping. Pat grabs Sylvester's hands, trying to pry him off. Sylvester warns that this isn't over, and Richard smirks that it never is. He releases Richard and tells Pat to move out of the booth, stalking out the door. Pat apologizes to Richard and the rest of the diner on his way out. Richard crosses his legs and asks Maria for a refill.

Once on the crosswalks, Sylvester demands to know what Pat was doing in there. He's the sidekick, which means Sylvester asks the questions and takes the lead. Pat is taken aback. That's not how it's going to work anymore. He knows this town, and the bull-in-a-china-shop thing, isn't going to get him very far. Sylvester snaps that The Shade is a murderer who killed the JSA. Pat argues this is Blue Valley, a small town, and Sylvester scared those people. They're just in there trying to enjoy a cheeseburger. Sylvester turns around for a moment and when he turns back, expresses remorse for his actions. He thanks Pat for steering him in the right direction. He just has to cool off now, walking away from his friend.

Courtney is in algebra class when she sees Sylvester in the door window, gesturing for her to come outside. She reluctantly does, demanding to know what he's doing there. Pat just gave him some great advice, and he wants to pay it forward. It's time for her to level-up, like in a video game. They leave the school together.

In art class, Cameron struggles to paint the delicate lines needed for his project. He expresses his frustration and pain in his hand, resting his head on his hand. He lashes out by angrily swiping the canvas to the ground, surprising all the students. Paul asks if Cam is okay. The boy apologizes, as he just needs to take a break. He leaves the classroom as Paul looks after him, worried.

Courtney and Sylvester walk to the Blue Valley water tower. She thought training was going to wait until after school, but that was before there was a killer on the loose. He wants her to know everything the Staff can do now, in case they try to strike again. Plus, they both need to have some fun. The staff warbles in response, making them both smile. Sylvester needs to see what she can already do. She executes some acrobatic flips and then takes off into the air, throwing the staff and landing on it. She flies around the tower by standing on the staff, then lands perfectly on the ground. He applauds her, smirking that she should teach him. She wants to see what he can do, and tosses the staff to him. He does a flip and then twirls the staff, creating a whirl of energy. He poses with the staff, then lowers his head. When he looks back up, his eyes glow with energy. An aura surrounds his body, drawing from the staff and filling his immediate surroundings. He hits the end of the staff on the ground, then takes off in a burst of pure cosmic energy. He soars into the sky, sparks like fireworks popping from behind him as he flies. Courtney looks up at him in awe.

Barbara and Paula try to bake a German chocolate cake, ingredients scattered across the counter in a mess. Barbara puts the latest attempt on the counter, both women eyeing it suspiciously. Barbara doesn't think they used enough of something, or maybe they used too much of something else. Paula points out that it does look different than the picture. With a forced smile, Barbara decides the third time's a charm. Pat comes home, looking at the scene curiously. She points to Pat, who is the real baker. He nods slowly then asks if Courtney's here. Barbara tells him that Courtney's at school, but his quiet demeanor makes her sink, asking if she isn't at school.

Courtney questions Sylvester about what the move was. He calls it the Shooting Star, tossing her staff. She wants to try it. He tells her to dig her feet in. She's going to funnel her energy - the positive emotions she exudes - into the staff. Then, she'll amp it up, and when she's ready, slam the end of the Staff down into the ground. He adds that she should hold the hell on. She smiles and prepares to try it. She grips the staff and focuses, then raises it, slamming it down. A blast knocks her onto the ground with a thud. He rushes over, asking if she's okay. She is, so he asks what she was thinking about. She didn't want to screw up in front of him. He chuckles as this is not about him, it's about her. She has to give herself credit for the home she gives everyone, and the love she has for her mom, and Pat, and sometimes Mike. For the faith she has in her friends. She smiles, adding "like him", which makes him smile softly - she can throw that in there, too. He backs up and she digs her feet into the ground. She grips the staff and focuses. Energy swirls around the tip of the staff and slowly creeps down the staff, swirling around itself and through her hands. She flashes to her best memories - sitting with the JSA on her front steps after defeating Eclipso, hugging the team after defeating the ISA, reuniting with her mom from The Shadowlands, hugging Pat on Christmas when she gives him the mug, and finally, meeting Sylvester for the first time. She opens her eyes and they fiercely glow with cosmic energy. She thrusts the staff into the air, a golden aura surrounding her body and flowing through her. She slams it to the ground, blasting into the air in a bolt of cosmic blast. She cheers loudly in the air, two sparks of firework-type-sparks spraying behind her. Sylvester watches her with a grin.

Mike and Jakeem meet in the bathroom of BVHS, scanning the stalls to make sure they're alone. Jakeem reminds Mike that his dad said they should only use the Thunderbolt in emergencies. Mike tells him to stop saying that. The door they walked through says "me", not "boys". He stops Jakeem from checking, as he can do it on the way out. Jakeem retorts that's the kind of attitude that leads to toxic masculinity, which Mike doesn't know anything about. Jakeem doesn't have an explanation, either. Mike gives him the wish to find out who killed The Gambler. He went through a dozen drafts, so it's foolproof. It feels like cheating to Jakeem, but Mike urges him to just do it. Jakeem makes the wish and Thunderbolt zaps awake. It's an excellent question. This is why he spent years studying calligraphy. He burns the answer into the wall in giant pink calligraphy letters, adding an exclamation point at the end - "The killer has many names!". Mike exclaims it's a rip-off, wanting him to wish for it again. Jakeem reminds him they can't wish for the same thing twice. They decide to leave before anyone sees what Jakeem did to the wall. They hurry out, the "boys" bathroom door closing behind them.

Sylvester, Courtney, and Cosmo visit The Shade's house. He screwed things up with him earlier, and if they're going to get answers, Sylvester has to apologize - even if he's a douchebag. Richard clears his throat from behind them. If they're selling life insurance, he's sorry, but has no intention of dying, ever. Sylvester forces a laugh at the joke. Shade asks how Courtney keeps getting rope into these witch hunts. Courtney quickly explains this isn't a witch hunt. Sylvester is here to apologize. She gestures to Sylvester, who steps forward. He's come to make peace. It doesn't clear him from being a suspect, but he was out line at the diner. Richard sighs, asking why he would waste his time on gaudy theatrics and rip his trailer to pieces. He would have simply dragged him off into the Shadow Lands. He turns to walk away, until Sylvester asks if it was like Dr. McNider. Richard stops - he saved his life. Sylvester concedes that maybe he did. But what about the others - Jay Garrick, Wesley Dodds, they died heroes, fighting him.

The staff warbles in Courtney's hand. She looks at it worriedly. Richard turns and steps up to Sylvester, asking if Pat's told him about his funeral yet. They had a rather impressive ceremony for the rest of the Justice Society of America, but for plain old Sylvester Pemberton, Pat Dugan was the only one there. Nobody wants him back, or here. He should do them all a favor and give Courtney the staff, and go. He turns to leave and Sylvester opens his hand. The staff whooshes to his hand and he blasts Richard, sending him tumbling across the yard. He flips off the porch and points the staff at him, trembling with rage as he repeats that Shade killed the JSA.

Courtney rushes to the yard and yells out, "stop!", which makes the Staff fly to her hand. Sylvester turns in surprise. After a moment, Richard provides his alibi of being with Maria at Richie's, teaching her the art of tea brewing. She may be the finest tea maker in the world, thanks to him. Courtney asks if he's okay, apologizing to him, as he stands, trying to smooth his suit. He had hoped to spend time in Blue Valley, but Sylvester has made it intolerable. Courtney thinks that if he didn't do it they can help them find who did. Richard scoffs - he has problems of his own to attend to. He disappears in a cloud of black smoke. Courtney glares at Sylvester, who doesn't meet her gaze.

Once they return to the Whitmore-Dugan home, Barbara and Pat scold Courtney and Sylvester for their little rendezvous. Pat scolds him for taking her out of school and attacking The Shade. Sylvester went to apologize and things got out of hand. Seeing The Shade at the diner, at his house, that took him back. Shade was the one that told him that the key to stopping Eclipso was to kill Bruce Gordon. He took that to the JSA and they killed a man in cold blood. He's not running away from that. But it all started with The Shade. The JSA broke up, only to get back together, still broken, to take on the ISA. Shade played a role, but it's not himself that Sylvester's really mad at. He's mad at himself for killing the Justice Society. He asks why he got to come back. He questions why he is here and not them. He swells with emotion as he admits to missing them. He softly apologizes and leaves the room. Pat, Barbara, and Courtney watch him go with sympathetic expressions.

Rick works on the hourglass in The Pit Stop, pensively looking at the wiring. Beth thought he fixed it. He thought so too, but the timing's off. He sighs that he's supposed to be Hourman. One hour of super strength a day every time he puts that thing on. But lately, it's been completely random intervals. 48 minutes, then 6, and then 17. He sighs that he can't have his powers drop out mid-fight, especially if The Gambler's killer is as strong as they think they are. Beth looks at him sympathetically, understanding his struggle. A whoosh makes Beth turn around, just as The Shade arrives on the couch. She crinkles her face as she doesn't look so good. He grumbles that he ran into something rather large, and rather stupid. Rick prickly asks what he wants. Shade is leaving Blue Valley, for now. There are things he needs to attend to elsewhere. Quite honestly, this town is too small for the vast egos of Sylvester Pemberton and himself. He just wanted to apologize that he wasn't able to help Rick with Grundy's return. He tells him not to give up. Rick nods and asks what he's supposed to do with him now. Shade simply smirks and puts his top hat on, disappearing in a cloud of black smoke.

Sylvester sits on his bed as he talks to the Staff, listening to its warbles in response. Courtney comes downstairs to ask if he's okay. He merely remarks that he's alive. She thanks him for already teaching her so much, but Pat's taught her a lot too. The most important thing he's ever taught her is that her whole life can't be about being Stargirl. She needs to be Courtney Whitmore, too. He remarks that she has a great life here. She thinks he can have one, too. A life outside of Starman. A life as Sylvester Pemberton. He doesn't even know who that guy is. Blue Valley helped her figure out who she is. This place has been a second chance for her, for a lot of people, and she really believes it can be that for him, too. He admits that it's a maybe. Neither one of them thinks The Shade killed The Gambler, but wonder who else is left.

Across town, in the Mahkent residence, Cameron faces a blank canvas resting on an easel. His grandparents stand behind him, watching. Every time he tries to paint now, it hurts. He sadly relents that he can't do it. Lily remarks that he is meant for greater things beyond painting. Sofus seconds her sentiment, saying there are so much greater things he's meant for. Cameron turns to look at the sketches he did for his fathers mural.

Cindy sits in the ISA headquarters, facing the mural of now-fallen members. She opens a purple laptop and turns it on. The computer screen asks for a password, with a picture of Steven Sharpe next to the password prompt.

Downtown, Ripped City has its grand opening. Paula and Larry are the only ones inside. Paula punches a heavy bag, before turning to Larry. It's only a matter of time before they find out, which he knows. She punches the heavy bag with a growl, sending it flying backwards into the wall. She sighs and looks back at him.

## 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/Shiv
* Alkoya Brunson as Jakeem Williams
* Neil Hopkins as Larry Crock
* Joy Osmanski as Paula Brooks
* Amy Smart as Barbara Whitmore
* Luke Wilson as Pat Dugan

### Special Guest Star

* Jonathan Cake as Richard Swift/The Shade
* Seth Green as Thunderbolt

### Guest Starring

* Eric Goins as Steve Sharpe/The Gambler
* Randy Havens as Paul Deisinger

### Co-Starring

* Gilbert Glenn Brown as James Chapel
* Kay Galvin as Lily Mahkent
* Jim France as Sofus Mahkent
* Maria Sager as Maria Carmen Saravia
* Todd Allen Durkin as Tim T. Tattle
* Leander Suleiman as Janel A'Lessio
* Ashani Roberts as Charlotte Balogh

## Notes and Trivia

* Steve Sharpe's suitcase combination is 777, which is the slot coin jackpot numbers.
* The odd storms over the course of the summer are referenced, when Blue Valley news reports a freaky tornado touching down at Cornhusker Estate Trailer Park that killed Steve Sharpe.
* For a deep-dive podcast with lots of behind the scenes info and easter eggs that you won’t find anywhere else, visit the Stargirl Aftershow podcast.
	+ Tim is a new manager at The American Dream, and described as the "Jeremy Jam" and "Dolores Umbridge" of Blue Valley.
	+ Paula referencing her and Larry disposing bodies is a nod to them covering up Anaya Bowin's murder and the murder of BVHS football coaches.
* Paula joins the Rotary Club and has to bake a German chocolate cake, which is ironic, because in Season 1 she tells Larry she can't put up with much more of Blue Valley's Rotary Clubs and bake sales.
* Thunderbolt makes a number of pop culture references that Mike and Jakeem don't recognise including the crime series Columbo and actress Julie Newmar. Newmar played Catwoman in the 1966 Batman series, a role she shared with Eartha Kitt.
* Miss Woods is mentioned to be Courtney's teacher while she's in class. This is the same teacher Rick had in Season 2 that accused him of cheating but apologised when she realised he had done the work himself.

## Gallery

### Videos

DC's Stargirl - Season 3 Episode 2 - The Suspects Promo - The CW
### Screenshots

All Screenshots are courtesy of Screencapped.net. For a complete image set, see their gallery.

## Soundtrack

* Watch me Move - Pigeon John - montage with Cindy in her lab in the ISA headquarters.