STARGIRL 2.10

 

RECAP - STARGIRL  2.10:  "Summer School - Chapter Ten"  

Well...what now?  Eclipso has gotten the new JSA on their knees, and the town of Blue Valley at his mercy.  The Dugan Family was the last to fall to his nightmarish powers.  And now with the family unable to trust each other, how will they handle defeating this evil monster?  Can they recover in time to stop Eclipso before he gets so powerful, that Blue Valley is only the beginning of something MUCH, MUCH, larger? 

As we saw in this episode, aside from continuing to play on the fears of everyone, Eclipso has also cast mistrust among the Dugan Family.  As Courtney and Mike find out the REAL truth behind who and what Eclipso is, and just what caused the original JSA to break up to begin with.  We go back decades ago, when the JSA had made the critical choice of doing away with Eclipso permanently...by killing Bruce Gordon.  Pat's working on the car in the JSA garage when Sylvester comes in with beer...looking to drown his sorrows.  He knows Pat was right...and they should've listened to him.  Those that made the choice felt their families threatened, and thought this was the only way---but only Pat knew better.  And Sylvester and the rest now have to live with this guilt.  He talked about his deadbeat dad, and how he thought his dad had gotten him a watch as a birthday gift, but really didn't.  He tells part that Eclipso had threatened his family too....Pat himself.  Sylvester says he should've treated Pat better, but he's always considered him family.  They toast to chosen families, and not knowing what the future would hold for the JSA at the time.  

Present day, Pat is taking the heat...along with Barbara...for withholding information about what Eclipso did to Dr. McNider's daughter, and just what he's done to everyone else:  Yolanda, Rick, tried to attack Beth, and has now come after them.  Courtney is VERY much pissed off, and before the argument is settled, and answers given, the Shade returns, weak as he is, and lands in the Dugan household.  He's weak, but alive.  He says the only way to defeat Eclipso is to fuse the diamond back together, and make sure they're not touching it when it traps him.  As Courtney asks Pat how they can re-fuze the diamond, since Cosmo doesn't have the power to do it, and no conventional tools will help, Pat has an idea, but he and Courtney are going on a road trip.  Barb and Mike stay behind, while Shade rests at their house.  Mike wonders who will protect them if Shade wakes up, or Eclipso comes calling, and that's when Courtney puts in a call to Beth.  Beth, who is dealing with her parents, gets a call from Courtney, as they're wondering WHY she is walking around with the goggles on all the time, and they think she's being weird.  When she gets Court's call, she's taking off, and when her parents wonder where she's going, she says she made friends while they were occupied working all the time.  She wanted to discuss the divorce, but they seem to want to continue ducking it, so she says that she has friends that need her that's where she's going, since her parents couldn't make the time for her.  So, they can discuss their divorce and whatever they're going to do.  Beth is busy.  She arrives at the Dugans, as Courtney and Pat take off

Pat and Courtney finally hash our THEIR issues on the car trip to Civic City...where they've gotten sightings of green flames enveloping the the federal building and the orphanage there.  As they're on their journey to find one Jenny Lynn Hayden, Courtney and Pat discuss WHY he withheld information about Eclipse, and he felt that maybe they couldn't handle it, that he thought he was protecting them.  He apologizes, and she says that had he been honest, maybe Yolanda wouldn't have quit being Wildcat, and Rick may not be in trouble.  Pat says she doesn't know that for sure.  But what she knows is that he's done some pretty bad damage.  He knows...because he wishes he had STOPPED the JSA from killing Bruce Gordon a long time ago.   They arrive at the old JSA HQ, and they look around to see if they can  find Jenny, but no luck...until they go into the garage where Pat and Sylvester used to work.  They notice files about a place called the Helix Institute where a young man named Todd Rice had been placed after a robbery.  Jenny's been looking for her brother.  That's the duo's next stop as they meet Nurse Love, who says that Todd isn't there, but his sister is.  She takes them too Todd's old room, where they find Jenny going over his belongings.  They talk about what happened at the federal building and the orphanage, and Jenny said she got frustrated, and couldn't control her powers when she couldn't find Todd, or get access to his files.  She says you'd do anything to protect family...anything.  This does cause Pat and Courtney to look at each other.  They end up leaving, as Jenny has what belongings of Todd's still there.  As Courtney and Pat explain that they need her help, we see Nurse Love call a Mr. Gomes, and says that she discovered that Todd had a sister.  This Mr. Gomes apparently still has Todd somewhere. 

Back at the Dugan house, Shade awakens, as Barbara wants answers about Eclipso.  Shade then calls her his sister, saying that he is sorry he let her down.  Barbara isn't sure what to make of it.  Meanwhile, Mike slips out with his toolbox and heads to the Pit Stop in order to work on S.T.R.I.P.E., while Beth has dug into her laptop to try and get more info on Eclipso.  However, Dr. McNider calls out again, and he explains to Beth how Shade had managed to save him by trapping him in the Shadowlands.  The signal is better, so he retells the story of the Shade, who comes from the 19th Century, and was a con-man, who conned a group of powerful men who wanted to use a ritual with the black diamond to bring forth Eclipso in order to attack their enemies, but Shade sold the a fake diamond, and the used HIM for the ritual anyway.  He ended up getting his powers from this ritual.  Beth asks Dr. McNider to see if she can get more info about Eclipso, and he unlocks the passcode to access his files.  Beth begins to dig in. 

Mike is at the garage, and not able to get far, when he hears a news report on the radio about a strange occurrence with pink lightning....he knows what that means, and he heads off to see what it's about.  He manages to stumble onto a gingerbread house in the neighborhood...knowing this is the work of the Thunderbolt. We also pay a visit to Rick, who is in jail awaiting trial, and staring at the ceiling when he notices things falling down in his cell.  Turns out, Grundy's keeping on eye on his friend, by giving him apples. 

Back at the JSA garage, Pat, Court, and Jenny try to get her to focus her powers on fusing the diamond back together.  As she is making that happen, Beth finishes pouring through the info McNider gave her, and she realizes that they're making a big mistake.  What she finds out is that fusing the diamond back together won't trap Eclipso, but will draw him TO them, and then it will allow the Shadowlands to be open to Earth, thus healing the Shade.  Which, once Jenny fuses the diamond, both things happen.  Shade apologizes to Barbara for leading her and her family on, but he did what he needed to to do for himself...and he promptly vanishes.  As for Pat, Courtney, and Jenny, they end up facing Eclipso, who blasts Jenny when she tries to fight back, knocking her out.  He then opens up a black hole that ends up dragging Courtney down into it, as Pat tries to rescue her....but she gets sucked in----without Cosmo.  Eclipso takes off, as Pat is left distraught, unable to save Courtney, and having Jenny knocked unconscious.  

We have gotten some dark stuff this season, but tonight was even more of that.  We now know A LOT more about the Shade....and he IS, indeed, quite the conman.  No doubt he fabricated the story about his sister, and played the Dugans once again, as they did exactly what he wanted---to get his powers back and heal...and can honestly care less about Eclipso....despite what Dr. McNider said.  We now understand just WHERE Dr. McNider is, and have no idea if he'll get out.  But we know the Shade is back to full strength, and who knows what his next move will be.  As for Eclipso, he managed to take out Jenny AND Courtney.  And considering how Courtney disappeared, we KNOW she isn't dead.  So, it's possible that wherever she went....Cindy Burman is there as well.  

I like how Beth took her stand with her parents, and bailed on THEM for a change.  Forcing them to have to deal with the fact that she just abandoned THEM for once.  But she laid it all out...so, now we'll see what they do next.  As for Rick...I wonder how long before Grundy breaks him out.  But we do know one thing---Grundy is going to be looking out for him.  

We finally got more information about Todd Rice, and while I'm not feeling that we'll SEE him this season, I DO expect that the team (once they reunite....trust me, they will), will help rescue him from the Helix Institute.  But we are starting to have pieces fall into place, and with only a handful of episodes left this season, we'll see how things transpire as the JSA must pick themselves up off the floor to face off against Eclipso.  And will this also include the new kid with Thunderbolt at his control?  Mike will certainly look into it.  

This show just keeps getting better and better, and this has been a pretty damn good season.  How about all of YOU?  Everyone enjoying this season along with me?  What did you think about this week's installment?  Subscribe and leave me your thoughts and opinions below.

Until next time.....keep your eyes on the stars. 

SUPERGIRL 6.14

 

RECAP - SUPERGIRL  6.14:  "Magical Thinking"  

Magic WAS the theme for this week's installment, as the Superfriends continued their quest to stop Nyxly from obtaining more totems for her conquest of the universe.  This week, however, we get to see Lena finally utilize HER magic capabilities as they need it in order to stop this new little wrinkle that happens with the citizens of National City.  Also, this is the first time William is embedded with the team to report on them.  We also get to continue little Esme's story---the girl from the group home that Kelly had saved a couple of episodes back, as she's placed with her new foster family. 

Things started off pretty normal this week, as the team had their usual game night, outside of Kara, who's still putting out fires as Supergirl.  She's still connected with Nyxly mentally, so they continue to feel each other's presence and emotions.  They try to get her to relax, but she can't.  The team also takes this time to inform Kara that William Dey is going to be imbedded with the team, but they ensured that he adheres to THEIR stipulations.  Kelly, meanwhile, checks in on Esme, the little girl from the group home she had saved from the abusive head of the group home a few weeks back, as she is placed with a new foster family.  Kelly offers some encouragement to the young child, and Esme gives her a rainbow bracelet that she made for her, and Kelly takes it with happiness, and says she'll check in on her.  

Nyxly and Mitch discover where the next totem is, and it's been with a random guy who has it as some kind of wooden amulet that he uses to keep himself calm and serene.  Nyxly shows up and demands it, for which he coughs it over.  This then gets the Superfriends involved, as they get the totem from her.  But when she threatens to start harming civilians unless she gets the totem, Supergirl hands it over.  Nyxly then takes the Humanity Totem, which is the totem of focus this episode, and she activates it.  And, in the process, she effects a lot of the civilians in the immediate area of this arena where people are at, and it strips them of their humanity.  Everyone around begins to just break out into fights, and Supergirl feels overwhelmed, as she needs assistance, while Nyxly gets away. 

Things go from bad to worse, as not only the city is under siege from having all their humanity stripped from them, and they're battling each other all over the streets, but Nyxly herself is experiencing problems, as she begins to feel empathy for those around her.  As she and Mitch head to the Hague in The Netherlands to obtain the next totem, she can't seem to kill the guard at the Hague to gain entry in order to obtain the totem.  They bail on the mission, and she feels helpless to be able to complete her mission.  

While the team starts trying to work on a way to resolve the violent outburst of the city's denizens using Lena's spellbook, Esme is with her new foster mother, and they get attacked by some of the people affected by the totem.  One tries to attack them, but Esme manages to fight him off.  The foster mother wonders how she did that, and Esme has no idea.  Back at CATCO, William presents his story to Andrea, who is less than enthused with what he wrote, but he's just playing by the rules as set forth by the Superfriends.  She wants him to be the guy that used to infiltrate groups in order to get the scoop.  She especially wants to know who they are, and he reveals that he can't.  She orders him to get the story, or don't bother coming back.  

He eventually makes it back to the Tower, where Lena is having trouble working the spell right, as she almost made Nia unable to use her legs for a brief time.  Supergirl stresses the urgency for her to figure it out, but Lena can only do so much. She can't seem to do it like her mother did.  William actually offers some sage advice, as he talks about how his dad used to bake, but when HE tried to bake the same thing after his dad died, it was never quite right.  But then he just remembered that he needed to do it with HIS own flare, and then it became BETTER.  That helps Lena out, and she then needs a specific flower located at the botanical garden next to the arena in order to make the spell work.  She has to be on site to cast it, and she does.  And the team provides cover for her, as she casts it, but it doesn't quite work, and everyone seems to get worse.  She feels like she failed, because she still adheres to her scientific mind. Kara lets her know that there IS something of a science...even to magic.  Sometimes, it's leaving your comfort zone in order to take a step forward.  William then listens to Supergirl, as she says she feels helpless to stop Nyxly, and get the people back to normal.  She can feel Nyxly feeling empathy for the people, and she realizes that the one way to stop Nyxly and fix things is to make the people less empathetic---if they overwhelm Nyxly enough, she'll have to give up the totem and restore everyone's humanity.  William also takes the time to put it straight with the team:  As much as they wanted to keep Lena out of the story, he needs transparency, otherwise the public will question and doubt them.  He will work with them, but he's going to write the story HIS way.  They all agree that, despite their reservatios at first, getting support of the people is more important.

Nyxly feels helpless to stop the overwhelming empathy and plight of the people, and she can solve it with the snap of her fingers.  Mitch ascertains that the totem maybe be the problem, and that if she can return the humanity to the people, she'll be cured.  She realizes that his her only option.  So, the Superfriends go to put their final plan to action, and Lena is there to cast her spell, and it seems to be working, as the team is racing against the clock to save as many lives as they can.  This now includes Esme, whom the foster mother pushes out the door to keep the violent people away, by having HER stop them, which she doesn't know how.  As more violent people approach the doorstep of the house, Guardian and Sentinel show up and stop them.  Kelly is NOT pleased with this, and neither is Alex.  The spell works, as Nyxly can't take more of the empathy, and she ends up dropping the totem....and everyone begins to return to normal, as the effects of the totem wear off.  Nyxly, however, is mad at Mitch for allowing her to let the totem go, and orders him to go back down and get it, but Supergirl snatches it in time.  Nyxly then orders him to take off and escape.  The day is saved.  

William returns to Andrea with his story, and is pleased with what he wrote.  She starts talking about the follow up, but he tells her no.  He says that he wants to keep the Superfriends' trust, but that also means that he will write the story HIS way...and if Andrea doesn't like it...he'll quit.  She acquiesces, and he gets what he wants. 

Esme is going back to the group home, because the family doesn't want her---she's not a good fit for them.  Kelly and Alex are there, and Kelly says that she should not give up.  Esme says that it's okay...she realizes that she'll never have a family anyway.  This breaks the hearts of Kelly and Alex...who take a long glance with each other before leading Esme to the van that will take her back to the group home. 

Kara and Lena talk about what she did to help save the day.  Lena is grateful for Kara pushing her to work outside her comfort zone, and Kara thanks her for helping her understand boundaries.  

Nyxly, back to her old self, is ready to go get the next totem, but she promises she'll get the humanity totem back...her plan is far from complete. 

This episode helped us explore different aspects of humanity, and also pushed some storylines a little further.  Considering the losses the Superfriends were taking from Nyxly, it was good that they got a W this week.  Despite her Kryptonian DNA, Supergirl's best asset IS her humanity---her empathy for everyone.  While she embraces it, and it makes her the hero she is, and thus worthy to hold that totem, Nyxly discovered that someone WITHOUT any humanity can be overwhelmed by the sheer brunt of what humans go through on a daily basis.  It was her downfall this week, as the team used their plan to imbue the Imp with an overwhelming dose of it....thanks to Lena's spell.  So, with the Superfriends having ONE totem, it's now a race to get the other 4 before Nyxly completes her plan.  

Lena got to step out of HER comfort zone this week by embracing more of her mother's magical gift given to her.  She knew the bad results from what happened when her mother used her magic years ago, and it caused pain.  Lena didn't want to follow that path.  But Kara and William made her realize that it didn't need to be that way.  Once her talk with William happened, Lena was able to embrace her magic more, and it helped win the day.  

I think we got some SERIOUS foreshadowing about Esme's future, as her foster family didn't work out.  And it seems that her bond with Kelly has gotten stronger.  And in the aftermath of this situation this week, we see Alex and Kelly look at each other for a couple beats, as Esme said she's realizing that she'll never have a family.  If you all remember a few years back, when Alex and Maggie Sawyer were dating, Alex wanted to have kids.  She even filed for an adoption agency, but got turned down.  That was one of Alex's low points in this series.  It took her awhile to get through that one (and her eventual breakup with Maggie).  But I think with Esme, they both see a strong willed child who needs a home...and love.  And don't be surprised that---after some discussion---Alex and Kelly realize that Esme is just what they needed in their lives to take that next step.  It may not happen immediately, but by the time this series signs off, Esme will be a part of the family.  

I was glad to see William get back to being the reporter he's used to be, but at the same time, protecting important aspects of the Superfriends' secrets.  But he's still on his own side----reporting the truth, facts, and the story.  And he's doing it HIS way...with honesty and integrity.  He won't polish it up for Andrea just to get likes and clicks or sales.  He's doing it because it's right.  

Overall, not a bad episode.  We've got 6 more to go, as we wind down the Girl of Steel's last flight.  So, hang onto your hats and we'll see where this final battle leads, and what the future holds for Kara Zor-El.  

What did YOU all think of this episode?  What do you think of the story going forward these last few episodes?  Subscribe and drop me a comment below.

Until next time...up, up, and away!

STARGIRL 2.9

 

RECAP - STARGIRL  2.9:  "Summer School - Chapter Nine"  

I think it's safe to say that...for the Dugan family...the chickens have come home to roost.  This week, Eclipso finally gets to play his favorite game of nightmare and torture against our titular family of Blue Valley.  We saw Yolanda bow out as Wildcat in the wake of her PTSD, and her inability to work past killing Brainwave.  Rick thought he was getting justice for a girl that was supposedly killed by Grundy, only to find out he pounded his abusive uncle into hamburger, and he's on life support.  Beth had to face Eclipso head on, and deal with his mind games about being worthless and unworthy...only to have her fight back against him, and use the Dr. Mid-Nite goggles to discover she can see through his gimmicks.  But now....now it's Courtney's turn...it's time for the Dugan family to finally get a taste of some of that old Eclipso magic...

Now...before we get on with the Eclipso festivities, we gotta backtrack in time a little bit...and we see a castle somewhere.  And within that castle, is Bruce Gordon, who just arrived from the island with Eclipso in the black diamond.  Eclipso is taunting Bruce about how it was Bruce's idea to bring him back.  Bruce tries to fight him off, and says that he'll get rid of him, and it's his fault he lost his team.  Bruce plans on committing suicide, but Eclipso continues to manipulate him.  He says he can fix everything if he just let's him have control.  He taunts Bruce with a woman he loves, but is married to another.  Bruce can't seem to stave him off, and Eclipso consumes him and takes him over.  We move forward to current time, where Pat and Mike are preparing to have the family weather the current storm.  Courtney comes in, and says that they cancelled Rick's hearing due to the storm, and she's tired of trying to figure out what Eclipso's next move is.  She knows the storm won't end until Eclipso is stopped.  She goes to confer with Beth about what plan of action they can take, using the goggles and Cosmo in order to stop Eclipso once and for all.  She just wonders if they'll ever be ready ENOUGH in order to make Pat happy.  Pat then notices a flower on the counter, and he begins to daydream about the past.  In his dream, we see the funeral of Rebecca McNider---the poor gal that stole the doll at the party at the beginning of the year, whom little Brucie Gordon lured into doing...then killed her while calling her a thief.  Mrs. McNider is breaking down, blaming her husband, Charles, who is Dr. Mid-Nite, for not being there for their daughter.  They walk away as he tries to reason with her.  Meanwhile, Pat is with the JSA as Jay Garrick comes up to greet the team.  Pat wonders what the next move is, as Jay describes just who Eclipso is. He talks about Bruce Gordon's excursion, and what he brought back.  Members of the team tend to dismiss Pat's opinions or thoughts, because he isn't an official member of the team.  But they all agree they need to find a way to stop this new menace.

Barbara and her co-workers are sent home early to get out of the storm.  Her one co-worker orders her to be careful as she leaves. She knows the storm is getting worse as she continues to drive....but then things get worse as the rain just pours down, and the car just stalls...and she can't get it started. Her nightmare is just beginning...because she now has the car around her begin to get colder, and when she looks in the rearview mirror, she sees Icicle in the backseat.  She knows in her head and  heart that it's Eclipso's doing, but Icicle says it's all him, and he said that he was in love with her, and that he thought she shared his vision of reshaping the world.  But since he's dead, he's going to make her life miserable.  She continues to try and fight off the visions, but they are getting stronger, as Icicle freezes the car, taunting her, and trying to get her to break.  However, the Shade....with as much of him as can be....enters the car, and urges Barbara to fight through the vision, and start the car.  She manages to hear him, and then the vision vanishes---and it's just her in the car in the pouring rain.  She starts the car, and heads for home.

Mike's nightmare starts with him going upstairs to get the sleeping bags for the family to hunker down, and he overhears Courtney and Beth talking about what they could possibly do to take down Eclipso.  He then moves down the hallway, but the house seems to get colder.  He grabs a coat, and checks the thermostat, and it's at freezing temperature.  He then looks around the house for his dad, but can't find him.  He hears a knock at the door, and it's Cameron Mahkent, who says he's trying to escape the storm, and wanted to come in, and Mike let's him in.  He asks where Court and Pat are, and Mike says Court is upstairs, and he can't figure out where his dad went.  Cam asks about Barbara, and Mike says she's on her way home.  Cam knows, and says his dad is with her.  He then mocks and taunts Mike about how lucky he is to have his dad, while Cameron's father was killed by him.  Mike says it was an accident.  Cameron says that his dad is going to take care of Barbara, and then he starts freezing the air in Mike's lungs, choking him.  Saying he is going to kill Pat like Mike killed his dad...he only feels it's fair.  The family dog tries to attack Cam, but he kills her.  Mike is about to meet his end when he hears Courtney, who helps him with the assistance of Cosmo to break Eclipso's spell.  Mike says that Cam is there to kill them, and she can't see him.  She calms Mike down and let's him know he's okay.  She then asks where Pat is, and Mike doesn't know.  Courtney then heads towards the basement, but the door is locked, and she can't break in. 

Pat, who's lost in his memories with the JSA, flashes back yet again, as he talks to Sylvester about Eclipso, and Sylvester tells him to go back to the garage once The Shade shows up.  Sylvester leaves to talk to him, and when Pat goes to follow, he can't find them.  Back at the garage, he's working on the car when Sylvester shows up.  Sylvester tells Pat that The Shade informed him that Eclipso is a spiritual parasite...it will show you what you want to see, play on your fears, and consume you....and it's got Bruce Gordon.  Shade called Eclipso "real evil".  And Shade told him that the only way to stop it....is to kill the host.  Pat is dismayed at this, because he believes there's another way, and doesn't think the JSA needs to kill in order to stop this menace.  Not too long after, the team shows up, and they decide that the only way to stop Eclipso, is to kill Bruce Gordon.  Pat still thinks this is the wrong way, but Wildcat shuts him down, and says he doesn't have a say, and the team needs to put it to a vote.  Flash is out, and votes no, as does Dr. Mid-Nite.  Wildcat and Hourman both agree that they need to put Eclipso down once and for all.  Flash sticks up for Pat, and says that he gets a vote...and Pat obviously votes no.  That leaves Sylvester....who...after a pause...agrees that it must be done.  Pat refuses to help them out in this endeavor, as Flash also wanted no part of it.  We later see Pat sitting in the car as Starman goes to help put Eclipso down.  After a few minutes, Starman comes back...sullen.  He says it's done, and then orders Pat to drive, as he shows him the black box with the black diamond, and says they need to store the box away.  

Pat comes back to reality, and Bruce Gordon is in the basement, and says that Pat made a choice and damned his family.  He then starts to shoot at Pat, who ducks and hides to avoid gunfire.  Courtney manages to break in and save him, and Eclipso disappears.  Courtney's had enough of Pat's ducking of the truth, and wants the whole truth.  So, Pat retells the story about how the JSA really stopped Eclipso---by killing Bruce Gordon.  And when they did...it tore the team apart.  They ended up disbanding after that until the ISA came back.  And the only reason the ISA beat them, was because they didn't have it in them to fight...Eclipso had already beaten them.  Courtney is upset that Pat hid the truth from her.  She wonders what her mother would say when she finds out.  Pat admits to her that Barbara knows, and this just upsets Courtney even more.  She feels she can't trust her family, and as her mother arrives home, the entire family gets into an argument about what transpired----and the lack of transparency.  Outside....little Brucie Gordon...having his last laugh...having destroyed the family from within. 

This episode was dark, dramatic, and it gave us a HELLUVA lot of exposition leading up to what's going on.  We FINALLY get some reasoning as to what the hell happened to the JSA, and why they were easy pickings for the ISA.  It was AWESOME to see John Wesley Shipp back as the Jay Garrick Flash.  Now...not sure if this is the SAME Flash from Earth-Prime where our boy Barry Allen lives, but it was STILL an awesome sight to see---stoic as always, and brought a lot of brevity to the episode.  His Flash never wavered in the code of the JSA, and seemed to treat Pat with some dignity, and not some cheap sidekick, like Wildcat, Hourman, and even Starman did to some extent.  But Pat has also never wavered in his beliefs, and it's what makes him a good man, not just a great father.  But even HE makes mistakes.  And his refusal (and Barbara's...who'd preached "complete transparency" to the kids and Pat), in regards to what REALLY happened with how they stopped Eclipso the first time comes home to roost...as we can see the family dynamic falling apart before Brucie Gordon's eyes.  They were the last to fall, and it wasn't as individuals---Courtney never suffered the nightmares that Pat, Barbara, and Mike did....her nightmare has been losing Yolanda, Rick, and now her trust and belief in her parents...which is worse.  

I like that we got the background on Bruce Gordon, and how HE struggled with Eclipso before giving in.  If anyone had noticed among the things they showed at the opening of the show that were on his desk, was a book called MY GREATEST ADVENTURE.  That is an easter egg nice put in there by Geoff Johns, to pay homage to the past of DC.  My Greatest Adventure was a comic published by DC that ran 85 issues from January 1955 - February 1964.  The comic is most known for being the first appearance of The Doom Patrol.  Overall, the episode was solid, as this series continues to be the best superhero show on TV.  They've built the drama and danger in this season nicely.  We're reaching close to the end with this season, so now that we're at this low point for the new JSA, it will be VERY interesting to see how they bounce back.  I'm engaged, and everyone is just killing it with their performances.  

What did YOU all think of this episode?  Did you enjoy Jay Garrick's brief foray into Stargirl's world?  Subscribe and give me the skinny from YOUR perspective.  

Until next time....keep your eyes on the stars. 

SUPERGIRL 6.13

 

RECAP - SUPERGIRL  6.13:  "The Gauntlet"

With Nyxly finally ready to track down the next totem...the Totem of Courage...to help fuel her desire to conquer the universe, it's put the Superfriends in a bind, and they cannot track her anymore, due to having used their last device to help the citizens of The Heights to stop Councilwoman Rankin from reshaping it in her own image with her newfound powers.  Undaunted though, they continue to try and search for the totems themselves to try and cut Nyxly off at the pass.  Lena finally returns, and she is still trying to process the fact that she's got magic powers.  This week, the race is on for the Courage Totem. 

The team had quite a task this week, as they had to battle Nyxly over control of the Courage Totem, which she had found using Mitch's help (I keep getting that guy's name mixed up...mostly because I feel he' such a USELESS character), and it's located at the National City Science Museum.  They end up meeting her there, and have a battle over it, but as Nyxly tries to use it, Supergirl zaps it with her heat vision, thus splitting it in half.  Problem is, with it split in half, the Totem has 5th Dimensional energy flowing from it, and it's affected most everyone in the building that was in the radius of it when the Girl of Steel split it in half.  Nyxly makes her escape thanks to Mitch with half the totem, and the Superfriends get the other half.  They need to get more information about how to stop the totem from spewing out more energy, and since it's magical in nature, Supergirl and Lena head to the Fortress to consult Veda, one of the Kryptonian Witches who fills them in on the power of the totem.  Veda says that the only way to stop it is from passing the Gauntlet---a test that the totem expects the wielder to pass.  And since Supergirl is the one who broke the damn thing, SHE gets to run this Gauntlet--meaning, she'll have to face her biggest fears in order to pass.  Lena, however, doesn't tell Kara about her magic powers....yet.

William is chastised by Andrea about his Superfriends story, and he tries to say that he's not able to get access, but she wants him to get back to his old reporting ways, or he's going to be fired.  He's going back to when he was shot by Eve Tessmacher the last time he was anywhere near Supergirl, and he's going through a bit of PTSD.  We then meet a Dr. Beatrice Larr, who is trying to create a project that will allow her to harness lightning for energy, but her former partner stole the research, saying that it was too dangerous.  During the scrum between Nyxly and the Superfriends, she managed to get the suitcase with the research, and was also affected by the 5th Dimensional energy.  So, she begins work on her project with her assistant.

One of the drawbacks of that battle, was the fact that Alex got affected by the energy, and she became reckless, running into battle without thinking, facing down one of Nyxly's dragons, and J'onn was affected as well...complimenting everyone on their performances.  We find out later that Brainy was also infected, as his calculations had been mere guesses, and not based on mathematical accuracy.  Even William...who'd been there to cover the battle at the museum...thanks to a tip by Nia...got affected. Both Nyxly and Kara at this time begin the Gauntlet, but both fail a few times...as they totem wants them to face their greatest moment of fear.  For Nyxly, it's the moment she was found out as a traitor to her father for her coup she was planning.  For Supergirl, it was the night of Alex's plane being struck, and it was when she first became Supergirl.  Kara also fails, because she can't seem to figure out where the fear would be.  Nyxly gets help from Mitch, who explains to her the situation, and that it wasn't the fear of being caught by her father....it was the betrayal by her brother---and that he willing just turned on her when she needed him most, despite her love for him, and willingness to do anything for him.  She ends up passing the test.  Supergirl...despite her best efforts...cannot.  Even Lena tries to help her, conversing with Veda for another way, and Veda comments that a human with magical powers could possibly contain the totem.  

Things get interrupted by the lightning storm thanks to Dr. Larr's lightning machine.  Supergirl keeps trying to pass the Gauntlet as the team tries to go and stop Dr. Larr's machine.  Naturally, Alex, J'onn, and Brainy are still affected by the totem, and things aren't getting better.  When Nyxly passes her part of the Gauntlet, part of the totem Supergirl has changes, and it starts to leave but she holds onto it, and her and Lena capture it in a container.  

The team arrives on the scene, and Dr. Larr isn't happy they're there to stop it.  But the team isn't functioning as a cohesive unit, and it's only making matters worse.  Supergirl then tells Lena to release the totem---despite the fact it will go to Nyxly, saving the people, and getting her team back is more important.  So, they release the totem, and it flies to Nyxly, who now has one totem to her collection.  Meanwhile, Supergirl arrives on the scene, and---with the team now back to normal---manages to shut down the machine.  

One of the interesting aspects of the totem having been split in half, and both Nyxly and Supergirl having run the Gauntlet, is the fact that they now share a psychic connection.  Lena, who finally tells Kara about her mother's past, and her possible magic powers, offers to help Kara break the link between her and Nyxly---but Kara says it's actually a good thing---it'll help them track Nyxly to the next totem.  Nyxly, on the other hand, wonders why Supergirl didn't suffer, and didn't experience her greatest fear, and Mitch says that while Nyxly passed the test...Supergirl did not. Armed with that knowledge, Nyxly is confident she'll obtain the other totems with ease.  

Kelly had joined the fray for the final fight after having taken care of business in The Heights for her job, and while Alex offered help, Kelly said she had it....but she DID show up as Guardian to lend a hand against Dr. Larr's lightning machine.  They're happy that they can be there for each other not just as a couple, but as teammates.  

William and Nia talk again, and he eventually faced down his fears about when he was shot by Eve Tessmacher, and has a plan to get his Superfriends story---by trying to get in with them on a closer basis---which causes concern for Nia.  

A pretty straightforward episode, with a misguided scientist as a "bad guy" aside.  The story focused more on Nyxly and Supergirl trying to face their greatest fears in order to pass the Gauntlet.  We KNEW Nyxly's....the fear of her brother's betrayal, the very thing that set her on her current path.  While Mitch helped her recognize that, the problem with Supergirl, it was the night of her debut, as she saved Alex's plane from crashing.  We never got to know what fear she was supposed to face----which, I thought, was Alex's disapproval...but she faced that already in the show's pilot episode.  So, we NEVER got any resolution to that...because she never had any fear that night---she dove right in.  So, I was a bit disappointed, to say the least, at the lack of resolution at that part.  But, as the story dictated, Supergirl was SUPPOSED to fail.  

Was interesting to see how the core members of the team (outside of Dreamer), get affected by the energy spilled from the totem.  J'onn was rather comical giving such pats on the back to everyone for their various aspects of their work.  Brainy was also comical...especially when possessed by Veda...and the fact that when he realized he was guessing the entire time, it's an insult to his race.  As for Alex....she had no fear....she just dove in, consequences be damned, into battle....even if it put herself in danger.  Kara wasn't affected because she had possession of the totem, and didn't do anything to her.  But we also see it affect William, who managed to go through his little bout of PTSD, and face his fears about being shot.  He now has a renewed sense of confidence in being able to get the big story---which is going to be trouble for the Superfriends, as it means he will eventually discover WHO they are behind the masks.  Nia knows how badly THIS can turn out, and it'll be something she'll have to tell the team. As for Lena...I think she's starting to come around to the idea that her magic powers can be useful....especially when Veda commented that a magical human CAN handle 5th Dimensional energy.  She's still skeptical, because she's always been a hard science gal...but I think we're going to see her experiment with them before this show closes out.  She'll be needed.  

Looks like Nyxly is going to be Supergirl's final big fore before she finishes her final flight.  Wasn't what I was hoping for, but it's where we're at.  I just hope we have a finish that will be satisfactory for all of us.  7 episodes to go, as the countdown TRULY begins.  How did YOU all feel about this episode?  Subscribe and leave a  comment below.  

Until next time...Up, up, and away! 

STARGIRL 2.8

 

RECAP - STARGIRL  2.8:  "Summer School - Chapter Eight"  

Eclipso is really having his cake and eating it, too.  He has managed to take down Shiv, killed the new Fiddler, and has messed up The Shade enough, that he's busy trying to reassemble himself.  Yolanda has walked away from Wildcat, so now Eclipso has set his sights on a NEW targets:  Beth Chapel & Rick Tyler.  Beth has plenty of fears and insecurities, and she's also the weakest member of the JSA.  Tyler has had his issues growing up, dealing with an abusive uncle, to having been seen as an outcast.  Meanwhile, Pat and Mike have to get S.T.R.I.P.E. back together, and all Courtney can do is just sit and wait...which is frustrating.  So...how did our heroes fare this week?  

Rick's story this week began with a visit from his teacher, who travels up to his house to deliver and apology for how she accused him of cheating, and dropped off college brochures for him.  However, his drunken uncle comes out, orders the teacher off his property, mocks the fact that she thinks Rick can go to college, and she leaves, but says that she will meet with him later.  His uncle...jerk that he is...flips the brochures out of her hands, and Rick picks them up.  He heads out into the woods with some food for Grundy, who FINALLY makes his appearance this season in the flesh.  He ends up sitting down, and just pouring out his guts to Grundy after he's screamed about giving his all and not getting anything in return.  All Grundy does is pat Rick on the back...and hand him an apple.

Courtney worries about Yolanda, and wants to help her, but Barb and Pat feel that the best thing for her to do is give Yolanda space to work things out.  Mike thinks it's time to take it to Eclipso before he gets anymore powerful.  There's a knock at the door of the Dugan home, and Courtney goes to answer it...and there's a duffel bag on the porch, and Courtney opens it to find the Wildcat suit.  Yolanda officially has given up on being a hero.  

For Beth, she's been taking in everything that happened, and eventually gets ahold of Dr. McNider again.  He still doesn't know who she is, but he manages to tell her that he is trapped in a shadow realm.  Eventually, her parents arrive home, and they FINALLY want to sit down and talk about the divorce to Beth, and have dinner while they're at it.  But something is off when they start accusing Beth herself of being the main reason WHY they are divorcing.  Beth knows something is off, so she tosses the dinner aside, as it starts to move with bugs, and takes off.

Rick is about to leave the woods after his visit with Grundy, and overhears a radio broadcast about a bear in the woods attacking people, and sees a truck full of hunters go by.  Thinking Grundy might have something to do with this, and if he's found, they'll kill him, Rick races back into the woods to find him.  At this time, Courtney arrives with Cosmo...which is what she's calling the staff now...saying that it's taking too long for him to heal.  Courtney had just put the Wildcat suit away with the rest of the JSA gear in the basement at home, and wanted to see Pat, and figure out what to do.  She feels helpless.  Pat...who's been working on getting S.T.R.I.P.E. functioning again, tells her that they have to be patient.  She wonders what's taking Eclipso so long to make his move, and Pat doesn't know why, either. But he knows they need to get Beth and Rick, and start figuring it out.  At that time, Rick calls Pat, and tells him that Grundy is in trouble.  

Beth, at the Dugan house, is confronted by Eclipso himself, who starts demeaning her, and mocking her, saying she's weak and nothing, and that she wasn't chosen to be a hero like Courtney was, when Cosmo chose her, or when Yolanda was chosen by Courtney to be Wildcat, or Rick because of his parents.  Beth is nothing...she's just a colored girl who's worthless.  Beth resists him, and stands her ground, saying that he doesn't know her at all.  He blasts her into a closet, and she ends up chasing Bruce Gordon around, as he continues to laugh and mock her.  She then sees the original Starman, Wildcat, Hourman, and Dr. Mid-Nite, and they say she isn't the right gender, the right color, or the right person for the job.  She fights back by saying she's proud of being black, she's proud of being a woman, and wonders what HE is scared of.  They end up fighting over the Dr. Mid-Nite goggles that he accused her of stealing.  She gets ahold of them and puts them on.  And realizes she's still at home.  It turns out, she was hallucinating the whole thing, thanks to Eclipso's powers.  Dr. McNider actually talks to her, and says that the goggles filter through Eclipso's powers, and that she now holds one of the keys to beating him.  He still doesn't know who she is, but she admits she IS Dr. Mid-Nite.  Her parents DO arrive home, and she tells them that she saw them at dinner, and they said that they just got home.  They wonder about the goggles, and she plays it off like she's joining the swim team.  

Courtney and Pat make it  out to the woods to meet up with Rick to rescue Grundy, and while Cosmo isn't a full strength yet, he's still good for about 2 shots, so Pat says she'll have to make them count.  They go out searching for Rick and Grundy.  Rick happens upon Grundy, and sees a young girl in the creek, apparently dead.  Rick wants to know if Grundy killed her, as he had passed injured hunters before finding the creature.  They warned him not to go deep into the woods, but he does it anyway.  He yells at Grundy, and tells him to run.  Grundy takes off.  Court and Pat catch up to him, as he says he's going to kill Grundy, and he chases after Grundy.  Grundy has made it to Rick's house, and he and Grundy start to fight.  Rick, enraged, beats down the beast against a pickup truck.  Courtney and Pat...having seen the girl, know that it isn't real, and it's Eclipso playing mind games.  They chase after Rick, and just before he delivers the killing blow to Grundy, Courtney blasts him with the staff.  They tell him it's not Grundy, and that it is Eclipso playing with their minds.  When Rick finally breaks through the spell, we see that he's beaten his own uncle within and inch of his life.  Horrified by what he did, he takes the Hourman hourglass...the source of his powers...and shatters it, breaking it apart, and all the magical sand being spilt.  Pat and Courtney look on in shock, as Rick just destroyed any chance of him being Hourman again.  Eclipso strikes once more, and another member of the JSA is gone.  Rick is arrested, and as he's taken to jail, with Courtney and Pat in tow...Grundy emerges from the shadows...and says that Rick is his friend.  

Back at the Dugan house, Barbara and Mike are there, with Barb telling Mike that Courtney and Pat are still with Rick, seeing what they can do to help, and that Rick's uncle is in critical condition at the hospital. Mike asks what they can do, and Barbara says just be there for them.  She and Mike hug, but outside, trouble is brewing as their kitchen window gets foggy,  and we start to see ice and snow forming on the roof of the house.  

This episode was another solid edition, as we are finally poking into the psyches of our main protagonists.  Yolanda's been a PTSD mess....so much so, that she's given up the Wildcat identity, all because she killed Brainwave.  Her trauma...added onto the trauma she had when Henry exposed her naughty pictures to everyone in school.  Still dealing with the fallout of THAT incident, and still looked down upon by her own family (sans her brother, who adores her), she is now the first domino to fall for Eclipso.  Now, we have Rick.  Rick's rage from his life---abusive parental unit, accused of cheating, and learning who his parents truly were...and then protecting the very creature that killed them.  For him to savagely beat whom he thought was Grundy, was intense.  We got to see HIS trauma, and sensitivity, on full display.  Especially when he found out what he did to the REAL monster---his uncle.  For him to smash the hourglass, and thus end the career of Hourman, Eclipso has now effectively removed 2 of the more powerful members of the team off the chessboard. 

However, Eclipso made an error----he tried to break down Beth.  Which, considering how milquetoast I have felt Beth was as a character, we FINALLY got to see her stand up to a bully, face down true evil, and come out the otherside knowing EXACTLY who she is.  Having faced the fact that Bruce Gordon did all he could to break her down mentally, and try to end her career as Dr. Mid-Nite, it's now only emboldened her.  So, Beth is still in the game, and it will be crucial in the homestretch of this season for her to step up her game.  But now we know that the goggles break through Eclipso's illusions and other garbage.  But now Eclipso has his last target to take down:  The Dugans.  And he's going to use the one fear that Barbara has:  Joran Mahkent.  This will also play into Courtney's, as she's gotten closer to his son, Cameron, who has no idea that she's Stargirl.

Really liking the intensity and character development this eason.  How about you guys?  You enjoyed Stargirl up to this point?  Subscribe and lemme know what you think below.  

Until next time....keep your eyes on the stars.