WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Stargirl Season 2, Episode 3, “Summer School: Chapter Three,” which aired Tuesday on the CW.
Stargirl Season 2 has introduced two potential major threats for the Justice Society of America: Eclipso and The Shade (Jonathan Cake). Both were briefly introduced at the end of Stargirl Season 1, with The Shade mocking Icicle’s plan for Project New America. Meanwhile, Cindy collects Eclipso’s diamond and plans to use him to build her own villainous team; although, last week it appears Eclipso has his own agenda. Stargirl Season 2, Episode 3, “Summer School: Chapter Three,” may not fully reveal either villains’ plans, but it does allude to a possible and shocking alliance between the JSA and The Shade.
Last week, he asked Barbara (Amy Smart) about getting his hands on William Zarick’s belongings, but she saw this as suspicious, warning Pat (Luke Wilson) about The Shade. Now, she looks into Zarick’s belongings herself; however, The Shade finds her and offers to “help,” taking the box that Eclipso’s diamond was in. Barbara refuses to give it to him, but he uses his shadow powers to kill the lights and steal the box.
Initially, this makes it appear like he is planning to use Eclipso like Cindy is, for selfish, evil purposes. However, upon the JSA finding him at Zarick’s home, things aren’t as they seem. Pat built up The Shade as a major threat, as he was the Injustice Society member who killed the original Dr. Mid-Nite in front of him. While the JSA come in ready for a fight, The Shade sits calmly and invites the heroes to join him for tea.
This takes them all by surprise, with Beth (Anjelika Washington) reminding him that he killed Dr. Mid-Nite; however, he insists she does not know what she is talking about, yet he fails to explain what he means by this. Despite their distrust, the JSA takes a seat to hear what he has to say. When they bring up that he worked with the Injustice Society, he scoffs at the idea that they are the similar.
He admits he played a role in taking down the original JSA and that he worked with the Injustice Society; however, he claims that their beliefs were not the same. He especially disliked Icicile, even claiming that the only thing worse than someone trying to take over the world is someone trying to save it.
According to The Shade, he also has no evil plans for Blue Valley. He just wants to get in and out without the JSA interfering. His ambiguity is still concerning, and when Courtney (Brec Bassinger) questions him about this, he says he isn’t trying to be coy; he just thinks it’s out of their best interest to stay out of the way.
Things then turn south when Mike (Trae Romano) bursts in with Thunderbolt (Jim Gaffigan) and attempts to fight The Shade. The villain easily beats him, and he even takes down the entire JSA with his powers. This doesn’t paint him in the best light, but he does leave them alive, when another villain may have killed them since they pose such a threat. Plus, until Mike attacked, The Shade was surprisingly cordial.
This conversation alone does not make him an ally, and his history works against him; however, his last scene in this episode seems to reveal that he is not the main villain for this season. After opening the box, The Shade discovers Eclipso’s diamond is not there, and he doesn’t seem upset about losing a potential villainous ally. Instead, he claims that Eclipso will kill the young JSA, almost seeming concerned.
The JSA should not trust The Shade, especially after what happened to Dr. Mid-Nite. However, it seems they may share an enemy in Eclipso. This, along with The Shade looking down on the Injustice Society and Icicle, may lead to an unlikely partnership, potentially proving that the enemy of my enemy is my friend in future Stargirl episodes, which air Tuesdays at 8/7c on the CW.
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