Stargirl season 2, episode 3 review: Summer School: Chapter Three

“Huh, The Shade. Who’s this creep?” Spoilers for Stargirl season 2, season 3 review follow.

Desperate to be like his sister, Stargirl, Mike craves to be a superhero and, thanks to the help of a magic pen, he might get that chance.

While the young Mr. Dugan learns more about the superhero life, The Shade begins to make moves on Blue Valley.

Here’s everything that went down in Stargirl season 2, episode 3, “Summer School: Chapter Three”.

Genie in the pen

Whoever thought that Johnny Thunder and his genie would ever be adapted to live-action, huh? Such a crazy concept and characters, whether it’s Johnny or Jakeem wielding the pen, that it seemed like it would never ever be used. However, the introduction to the Genie in this episode works really well and fits into Stargirl very well, even if it probably shouldn’t.

The reason that the genie works so well is that the scenes including it, and Mike’s by extension, often feel like a live-action Disney film, which is meant in the best way possible. Lea Thompson directs these scenes in a very specific way that evokes that cheesy, almost too heartfelt, feeling that live-action Disney movies, mainly of the Disney Channel variety, evoke. This works very well because that’s what the Genie initially feels like, something that you would see on the Disney Channel.

However, the reason that it fits into this show is that this Disney-like feeling has a darker edge to it that brings it back into the world of Stargirl. At its core, this is an episode about loneliness and longing to belong to something or someone, which is something that most people can relate to. It may be a teenager’s feelings that are being primarily focused on, but it’s a handled in a way that anyone of any age can relate to, which is why it never becomes just a Disney “rip-off”.

Shadows

While Mike is beginning to bond with his new friend, the JSA is beginning to look for The Shade and trying to find out what he’s doing in Blue Valley. While doing so, we learn a bit more about who the villain is from Pat, as well as the fact that he seemingly killed the original Dr. Midnite during the fight all the way back in the series premiere. And, thanks to Mike and his new friend, it doesn’t take long for the JSA to find out where The Shade is held up. In fact, he’s in William Zarick’s, aka The Magician’s, home.

So, the JSA goes to face him and what do they find? Well, they find him drinking tea and offering a polite conversation. Really, The Shade is such a great change of pace of a character for this show as for both of the episodes that he’s appeared in so far, he’s mostly seemed like a villain. However, his actions in the last 10 minutes of this episode make him seem like neither a villain nor a hero – which is exactly what he is in the comics. He doesn’t have a proper allegiance which is what makes him such a compelling character and hopefully the show continues on this path with him.

Horrors in Stargirl season 2

Whether it be through The Shade or Eclipso, this season is embracing a lot of the horror-inspired nature of its villains. It’s never going fully into the realm of horror, but it definitely is building tension in the way that many horror films would.

When Shade confronts Barbara, it’s one of the tensest scenes of the season so far. It truly felt like Barbara was in danger of being hurt by him and that was all thanks to how well the tension was built throughout the scene. From The Shade appearing out of thin air to him being congenial at the start to his anger coming forth, it’s a fantastic sequence of events that so effortlessly flows from one point to the next.

What did you think of Stargirl season 2, episode 3? Let us know in the comments below!