Stargirl goes black and white for a stylish trip to purgatory
Courtney must face her fears in the sinister Shadowlands
TV Reviews Stargirl
Well that was fun! And spooky. And pretty damn heartbreaking too. Picking up from last week’s cliffhanger, this week Courtney finds herself in The Shadowlands —a sort of shadowy purgatory realm that forces people to live out their worst nightmares over and over again until it breaks their spirit. It turns out the swirling void we’ve seen in Dr. Charles McNider’s scenes is the true form of an abyss that can disguise itself as just about anything. And for Courtney, that means an eerie black and white version of Blue Valley, where both her friends and foes are out to haunt her. It’s the ultimate test of Courtney’s optimistic spirit: Can her light survive in a place that’s literally designed to snuff it?
“Summer School: Chapter Eleven” is a great example of Stargirl taking this season’s pandemic-era restrictions and using them as an inspiration for creativity. There aren’t any big action setpieces or showy special effects this week, but the episode still creates a stylish, high-stakes feeling throughout. And though it takes place entirely on preexisting sets, it conjures up a brand-new unnerving tone thanks to its off-kilter performances and gorgeous black and white photography. Even better, the choice to present the episode in black and white has thematic resonance too. It’s a reflection of how Courtney would like to see the world—as a place where good and evil are clear cut and people are either filled with lightness or darkness. In actuality, of course, things are far more complex. And by the end of the hour, we get the sense that Courtney’s trip to The Shadowlands has helped her learn to see those shades of grey.
Fittingly enough, many of those shades of grey come from The Shade himself, who shocked me with his big heel turn last week and moved me with his sacrifice this week. Jonathan Cake has excelled at finding a sense of genuine humanity beneath Richard Swift’s confidently catty British demeanor. The Shade may be selfish, egotistical, and morally ambiguous, but he’s not outright evil in the way so many members of the Injustice Society were. He’s genuinely shocked to learn he accidentally banished Dr. McNider to decades in The Shadowlands, just as he’s ashamed that his gamble to risk Courtney’s life to heal himself didn’t pay off. It feels fitting that he goes out as something akin to a hero—even if he’s largely resolving problems he caused in the first place. Assuming we’ve actually seen the last of him, Cake’s captivating performance will be sorely missed.
But while The Shade’s death is a gut punch, the most moving moment in “Chapter Eleven” comes when Courtney sacrifices a surefire ticket home because she realizes she can’t leave Cindy behind. So much of “Chapter Eleven” hinges on Brec Bassinger’s ability to silently convey all the many different emotions Courtney experiences during her visit to The Shadowlands—from the shock of seeing the Zarick family alive (what a creepy scene!) to her devastation at hearing Shadow Barbara complain that having a kid ruined her life. And it all culminates in the silent realization that crosses Courtney’s face when The Shade first offers an easy way out: Cindy may be her mortal enemy, but there’s no way Courtney would leave her behind.
Though “Chapter Eleven” is about challenging Courtney’s worldview and forcing her to see that things aren’t just black and white, it’s equally about celebrating her innate goodness too—the light that manifests in a desire to help other people and to strive to be a good person, even when it seems impossible. Courtney saves Cindy by doing what she so often does: Reaching out with empathy to someone who’s struggling. And yet I’m also fascinated by the fact that Courtney is only able to make her way back to Cindy after she openly admits that she hates Eclipso. While the episode doesn’t wrap up that thread in a neat little bow (at least not yet), it hints at Courtney’s capacity for darkness without necessarily putting a value judgement on it.
Like “Shining Knight” last season, “Chapter Eleven” is a great showcase episode for Courtney. But it’s also a great Cindy episode too. We learn a few more concrete (and horrifying) details about how her dad’s experimentations led to young Cindy accidentally murdering her mom. And we also see the mindset Cindy has adopted in response to her trauma. She doesn’t run from her darkness, she embraces it. In fact, she credits it with making her a survivor. Like Courtney, however, there’s the sense that in embracing one side of the “light-dark” spectrum, Cindy has shut herself off from the fullness of her humanity. Perhaps her experience in The Shadowlands will change her perspective too.
Across the board, “Chapter Eleven” is an incredibly stylish hour of TV, one that uses the season’s creeping sense of dread to its fullest potential. This episode turns production simplicity into an asset, rather than a hinderance—from those cool lighted door transitions to the surprise returning cast members. And it shakes up the season’s status quo in a satisfying way. The JSA may lose one dubious ally in The Shade, but they gain a new one in Cindy. Plus they’ve now got the original Doctor Mid-Nite to add to their team too. With Jennie onboard and Jakeem/Thunderbolt still on the table, the pieces are snapping into place for a proper superhero showdown.
Stray observations
- Many thanks to Jarrod Jones for filling in for me again last week! I love how much DC comics lore he brought to his review.
- I know I usually use the Stray Observations to wax poetic about Luke Wilson, but this week I want to sing the praises of Amy Smart. She was especially great during the scene where Barbara tells The Shade she’d rather die than live without her daughter.
- Milo Stein is also giving an all-time great creepy kid performance as Eclipso’s little boy form. Major kudos!
- Cindy describes The Shadowlands as a void created by the darkness inside humanity, and powered by fear, rage, and guilt. She also notes that you can either be sent there by Eclipso or send yourself there if you’re “lost in despair.”
- Did I miss the explanation as to why there were two Shades on Jennie’s Green Lantern map?
- “What’s the Bible name for it?” is such a great line of teenager dialogue.
62 Comments
I’m really loving the cameo return of characters from season one.
That’s a difficult feat to accomplish with all the Covid restrictions, really kudos to the show for pulling that off!
I fully expected one of either MacNider or Cindy to wind up still trapped at the end of the episode, so kudos show for not doing that. I also think I like that it didn’t wind up with Courtney pulling Cindy out of the Shadowlands.All in all though, I’m so glad Cindy is back, right now I think she’s my favorite CWDC antagonist, and between Lex and Alice that’s pretty good company. Hopefully she stays on for a long time as a frenemy, because she and Courtney have a good dynamic going, as evidenced by that scene in the bedroom where they were verbally sparring.
yeah I think Cindy is a fantastic antagonist, I hope like with Alice on Batwoman this show figures out a way to keep her in the mix, even (especially?) if it is annoying to most of the characters.
Alice is fucking awesome. She reminds me so much of Callisto on Xena.
Alice? Ye gods. Is there a more annoyingly unnecessary character in the entire Arrowverse? Everyone on Batwoman is irritating, but Alice is in a class by herself.
no
I’m so, so happy Cindy is back, she’s amazing! And what a turn of events, from her seeking out to form her own ISA at the beginning of the season to becoming a belligerent ally to JSA.
Same here. I figured it would be a set up of Cindy getting stuck in the Shadowlands and blaming Courtney for leaving her behind. Hence, a “The enemy of my enemy is my friend,” storyline where she works with Eclipso to destroy the JSA.
I actually even doubted for a moment that Courtney herself would cross. This show has given enough swerves that I didn’t completely put it past it that she’d save the other two and get stuck for another episode.And goodness, Courtney, you cross fading portals to salvation like a wrestler climbing a ladder to a hanging title! Just keep running!
Cindy’s supersuit (villain-suit?) is fantastic.
Cindy is pretty good, but for me she is not worth losing The Shade. He is my all-time favorite CWDC antagonist, with Thawne/Welles in second place. What can I say, I like my villains tall, dark and arrogant.
He was just a pretty fun character to start expanding the world a bit. Someone you could standalone episode stories with as an antagonist but also someone who it’s exciting to see work alongside the heroes when “shit gets real” I guess Covid has made world building a little harder (although they’ve done it somewhat with Green Lantern and the pink genie chap) but it’s always a fun thing in these shows where you’ve a deep bench of potential players who can be brought in to different storylines in different combinations
– The setting of Stargirl has a very deliberate 50’s/80’s feel to it. Here in the Shadowlands it feels like 70’s/90’s. When small towns were collapsing and blowing away.
– That wasn’t the priest from Yolanda’s church.
– There was a poster in the displays of the theater. Did anybody catch it?
– Nice to see all of these people.
– “People brought here by their own despair.” *cough*Yolanda*cough*
– Could Courtney heal Yolanda here?
– Actually using the set’s open wall.
– Courtney placed first in a lot of competitions.
– KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT, MIKE!
– Two shadow sources. I’m guessing the Shade and Eclipso.
– A black and white movie, and moving through a movie screen. How very on brand for the Shade.
– The Yolanda scene. I’ve been waiting for this moment. Please don’t disappoint me.
– It disappointed me.
– Cindy mouthing the same words as little Cindy was moving.
– The Shade’s theme is played on a pipe organ.
– I didn’t expect Dr. Mid-Nite to make it. Or if he did, for him to age superfast after exiting.
– I also expected Cindy to disappear while everybody watched the Shade die.
– Speaking of…the Shade died. But did he really?
– What did Jennie and Beth find at the other site?
It was a poster of 1945’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, the film the Shade was watching.
It was a poster of 1945’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, the film the Shade was watching.
He was watching the Portrait of Dorian Gray, very on brand for him, lol.
I thought it was Laura, I guess I confused George Saunders with Clifton Webb. Portrait of Dorian Gray makes more sense
It said Portrait of Dorian Gray on the marquee, he could have been doing a whole day out of it with Laura too!
Picture of Dorian Gray was a perfect movie for The Shade. Victorian setting, featuring two of the more delightful amoral characters from golden age Hollywood. I can very much imagine The Shade loving George Sanders performance in it almost as much as I do.
“- I didn’t expect Dr. Mid-Nite to make it. Or if he did, for him to age superfast after exiting.”
He hasn’t been in there for that long, right? The JSA has only been out of operation for about a decade when the show starts.
The priest was listed as Fr Craemer, perhaps a nod to a chap of the same name in the John Ostrander/Kim Yale/Luke McDonnell Suicide Squad series.
I hope The Shade is not DEAD/ dead. That scamp. He might very well have just faked his own deathI hope that Jennie finds a way to feel part of the team, who obviously all value her & consider her familyI would love if the real Dr McNider finds Beth to be a surrogate daughter to replace the one he lost & she finds a mentor in him to replace his AI and also her shitty parents (who hopefully will improve)
I’m 100% certain the last shot of the season will be a hint the Shade is still around, if not just actually showing him.
I never thought for a moment The Shade died. He played it pretty overly-dramatic, seemed like a pretty clear opportunity to play hero, escape, and keep anyone from looking for him. Especially since he’s watching Dorian Gray.
Not much chatter on the Doctor Midnite recast, but it’s pretty seamless since Henry Thomas barely appeared on-camera in the first season. I’m stoked to see more of the original JSA.
– One doesn’t really notice it too much if you keep up with the show, but the lack of “Previously on…” recap at the beginning must be off-putting to someone coming in fresh. Like, if this was your first episode, for whatever reason, that opening scene doesn’t really explain anything.
– I am a little surprised Yolanda has been gone this long. Yea, I’m sure COVID is partially responsible, but still.
– Seeing Icicle again a few episodes ago was a little surprising, but seeing the complete Zarick family back? Was NOT expecting that. Double with Principal Bowen and Issac.
– God, that scene where Darkness!Barbara wished that Courtney was never born was fucking chilling, though admittedly personal reasons amped that up for me.
– Courtney’s clap back at Cindy actually trusting Eclipso was so, so perfect.
– It’s nice to see Charles McNider in person rather than from the back or just a voice-over.
– Speak of the devil! Yolanda does return, albeit in a non-speaking appearance.
– Itoh trying to make Cindy the Dragon Queen is a bit extra disturbing due to certain NSFW media.
– Yea, I’ll believe The Shade is dead when he never shows up again outside of flashbacks. This show loves its comic book tropes. And Shade IS a con-man, after all.- With only two episodes left, I’m surprised that they haven’t bothered to introduce Thunderbolt’s new owner. Yea, we got that brief shot back at the beginning of the season, but that wasn’t a proper introduction. I wonder if he’ll end up giving up the pen and not being a regular character.- So, taking bets, will we actually see Pat (or somebody else) actually use STRIPE in battle against Eclipso, or will the robot spend the entire season in the garage?
– This has nothing to do with anything here, but what exactly is the Scooby-Doo reunion special about? Except for Frank Welker (who is still on the show) and Nicole Jaffe (original Velma), the original cast has all died. And it’s not as if they are no longer making Scooby-Doo stuff, as they just released another DTV movie a few weeks ago and are currently working on another season of Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? Are they going to bring in Scott Innes, Scott Melville, BJ Ward, and Mindy Cohn or something?
Could be for the live action movie, but that would make more sense next year.
Eh, maybe, but the promo exclusively used the animated designs.
Got to bring the WHOLE Scooby crew:
“Double with Principal Bowen and Issac.”“I miss my tuba” was such a laugh-out-loud moment.
– Yea, I’ll believe The Shade is dead when he never shows up again
outside of flashbacks. This show loves its comic book tropes. And Shade
IS a con-man, after all.
Yeah, no body no death. Besides, a dude literally named the Shade is gonna die fading into a shadow? Nah, that’s not a poetic death, that’s fading back to the Shadowlands where he’ll recover or something.
If he doesn’t pop up after Eclipso’s defeated I can still definitely see him making an appearance in a future season.
We never saw Beth or Jennie again after the group split up to follow the two Shade signatures, so I’m assuming we’ll find out what the other one was next week. Though I thought it was pretty obvious that it was Eclipso since he has the same energy as The Shade. I don’t know why the JSA didn’t think of that.Anyway I’ll miss the Shade, he made for an interesting villain by mostly not being a villain. Just a Shadey (Heh) figure that was more or less on the JSA’s side.I honestly thought that McNeider would sacrifice himself or something but he survived somehow. Maybe later, I don’t think he’s going to stick around past this season.
I think Swift watching “The Picture of Dorian Grey” is our clue about the second Shade. In the story, one Grey ages and decays while the other prospers. I think the Shade we saw evaporate was the decaying model while the real one is recovering somewhere unexpected and will show up in the nick of time.
I like this theory! The Shade’s a conman so I’ll be very surprised if he’s really dead.
Why didn’t putting The Black Diamond back together heal The Shade?
The Shade saved Dr. Mid-Nite’s life … by trapping him in a dimension of existential torment & forgot to rescue him for a decade.
I believe Shade said Eclipso destroyed it before it could finish. As for Mid-Nite, it’s possible Shade merely attempted to teleport him, but Eclipso somehow intervened.
It think it was healing him. It was just not finished yet and he used his energy to open the portal instead of to complete the healing.
I don’t really get how Shade didn’t know Mid-Nite was still alive. What was he trying to do, send his dead body to the Shadowlands?
It was healing him just very slowly. Presumably if he could’ve just sat there for a while longer in the theater he could’ve been back at his A-game and maybe he wouldn’t have died holding the portal open. But then also every minute he didn’t help, Courtney/Cindy/Dr. Mid-Nite risked death or being driven insane.
Stargirl goes black and white for a wacky day at a New Jersey convenience store. She’s not even supposed to be here today!
She assures you that “We’re Open.”
Buncha savages in this town!
Oooh, Navy Seals!
Grundy- Metal!
is that his fuckin’ metal face?
When baby Eclipso got Courtney to say she hated him he broke out an evil little smile and disappeared as if he won something. Maybe a way to tap into Courtney’s dark side and use it against her or turn her? Only two episodes to find out. Of course this is a CW show so it could mean absolutely nothing.
It’d be interesting to see Eclipso try to break Batman in the Shadowlands. After all, as the Joker once said, “Behind all the stern and the Batarangs, you’re just a little boy in a playsuit, crying for mommy and daddy.” Surely long-stemming traumatized childhoods fit within Eclipso’s reportoire.
Hoo-boy, this episode was damn good!Cindy’s back, so that means more Cindy-Courtney verbal sparring; you love to see it!Yolanda’s back…as a depressing statue. At least it looks like she’ll be back in the flesh next week.Rick’s back…as a depressing statue. Who knows when he’ll get out of the clink.That little boy is creepy as fuck. Keep him away from me.It’s good to see Dr. McNider out of the Shadowlands (RIP The Shade). Kinda wanna see how he and Beth work together now.The returning characters were sufficiently creepy. How creepy? I was recording a podcast in a separate room and was able to watch it with the captions on in my living room. Watching that magic trick again – and the realization that he knew she was lying – was scary as hell.I’m gonna miss this show when the season’s over.
Man no one mentioned it but Stripsey and Dr. Mid-Nite had a great little moment after everyone came through the portal- they gave each other a big hug. Not sure why that stood out to me but its nice to see their friendship is genuine.No WAY Shade is dead. He’s one of Johns’ and Robinson’s favorite characters. Banishing Eclipso will somehow bring him back through a release of shadowlands energy or something.Given that sometime in S1 they stated McNider was 90+, and that they keep labeling the JSA days as “decades ago,” I’m looking forward to seeing what comic story Johns’ uses to explain why no one is aging properly, or why people have been de-aged. Zero Hour perhaps?
I was so nervous that Dr. Mid-Nite wasn’t going to remain trapped (didn’t think the writers would go so far as to kill him off) that I was watching him like a hawk during that sequence. I thought that hug with Pat was WONDERFUL.
Dr McNider explained that time worked differently in the shadow-lands, which is why he hasn’t aged
That much I got. But I think they said McNider was 90 or so while he was Dr. Mid-Nite in S1.
Yeah, I’m not sure why anyone is buying into The Shade actually dying and not using that as a convenient moment to escape.
The lack of Grundy was disappointing, but there was a ton to like about this one. It looked beautiful, the writing was stellar, and the performances were fantastic across the board. Shade will obviously be back, but he was fantastic in this episode, giving his last effort. I’m loving this season, and seeing it follow to the end is delightful.
I’ve been starting to suspect that if someone has to die or become trapped in the shadow realm in order to keep Eclipso at bay forever, it’s going to be Grundy sacrificing himself–evoking the very likeable Grundy of Robinson’s fantastic Starman monthly of the 1990s.
I’d love that. Of course, the ultimate redeemed Grundy for me is the DCAU version from JL/JLU, but this would be incredible too.
This is the episode where Courtney became a superhero for me. Not an apprentice hero, not a junior superhero waiting to mess up and learn, but an actual bona fide full fledged Superhero.Without her staff, without any weapons or powers, isolated from all her support team, her mentors, and her very world. She still had the mental fortitude to reject the visions of her own failings and focus on what heroes do: risk their own rescue and their own life to rescue everyone else, even a psychotic villain who will likely be the cause of more than a few deaths in the real world over the years.
That description of the Shadowlands makes me think that Stargirl happens in the same universe as Warhammer 40K.
I’m disappointed that the Shade was killed off. Hopefully it isn’t permanent and he just shadows back into existence. I’m also embarrassed it took me this long to realize they recast MacNider.
Now that Dr. McNider is back… CAN SOMEONE PLEASE GO GET THAT POOR OWL?
God I love this show. I watch most DC shows and while Legends was my fav for a bit and I know Doom Patrol is the best show, I have to say (haven’t watched season 3 of Doom Patrol as of yet) Stargirl is the best DC show right now and best CW show! Holy shit do I love this show and all of it’s charcters!
Is anyone else slightly disappointed that Henry Thomas isn’t playing the live action Doctor Mid-Nite?