Summer School Part 7 – Director: Sheelin Choksey/Writer: Robbie Hyne
This one starts with Yolanda back in the confessional booth again. She still can’t admit to killing Brainwave, but tells the priest she’s seen the Devil personally. She asks if it’s a sin to kill a being of pure evil, but before she gets an answer her headache returns and she has visions of killing Brainwave … and Henry Jr. Before the priest can ask any more questions, she tells him the Devil is real and is in Blue Valley, then takes off.
At home, Courtney is worried about the Cosmic Staff, although it does seem to be slowly recharging itself. Pat is more worried about Eclipso and what
his next move will be. At the American Dream, one member is against continuing funding for the sewing machine factory in Oakville that Jordan invested in. Barbara convinces them to liquidate some assets to keep putting all the factory employees out of work, pointing out that’s what Jordan would’ve done. The others agree with her and vote to do as she suggested. Barbara hears Shade’s voice asking for help and finds blood on the floor after he unsuccessfully tries to 
manifest. At the diner, Yolanda is still feeling like crap and it gets worse when her fellow waitress (Maria) pours scalding hot coffee on an unruly customer. Of course, it was Eclipso’s influence that made her do that, and he shows up in the guise of young Bruce Gordon. Yolanda gives him a lollipop, but is startled when he vanishes as soon as her back is turned.
Courtney talks to Beth about the weird weather and Beth says she’ll keep trying to find something with the goggles. Courtney runs into Cameron and
offers to help him put up decorations for July 4th, which is the next day (although Eclipso’s influence makes it look more like fall than summer). At the garage, Mike starts training with Pat, but it’s not as glamorous as he thought it would be. Downtown, Yolanda is still hearing voices and gets upset when she sees Courtney and Cameron hanging out. She goes to church and finds her mom talking to Father Thomas. He actually tells Yolanda’s mom it’s time to stop with the judgement and start with some love and support. But Yolanda sees 
Brainwave leaving the church and chases him, but of course he’s not there when she gets outside. At school, she sees Henry and follows him, but he’s bleeding from a throat wound and blames her for sending him to hell because she didn’t forgive him. Henry is replaced by his father, who tells Yolanda he’s always with her, but she wakes up in class to a concerned Courtney, so it was all a dream … or was it?
Yolanda tells Courtney about seeing Brainwave and Henry, which Courtney assumes is Eclipso’s influence. Yolanda says it’s been going on before
Eclipso, so Courtney suggests she tell the rest of the team what she did so they can deal with it together. At the garage, Mike is hating the drudge work and feels the pull of Eclipso’s shattered diamond, which Courtney brought back after the fight last episode. Touching the diamond makes Mike think there are leeches all over him, until Pat shows up to tell him it’s just an illusion and not to mess with the gem shards again. At home, Courtney and Yolanda tell Rick and Beth that 
Yolanda killed Brainwave. Rick is cool with it, but Beth isn’t so sure she approves. Yolanda points out that Rick couldn’t bring himself to kill Grundy, even to avenge his parents, so his support is kinda hollow. Yolanda figures she’ll have to kill Eclipso because none off the others will want to, but she accepts that since she doesn’t want them to feel the guilt she’s burdened with.
Back at church, Yolanda finally tells Father Thomas what she did, but she
sees Brainwave in his place, blaming her for Henry’s death as well as his own. Brainwave tells her that he sent his consciousness inside her at the moment of his death and he’s part of her now. Stargirl shows up out of nowhere and Brainwave attacks her, so Yolanda (who’s now in costume) kills him again, but he turns into Henry and says she’s going to join him in hell. The real Courtney shows up and brings Yolanda back to reality with the 
Staff, but Yolanda is so freaked out she says she can never be Wildcat again and quits the JSA. Courtney tries calling her that night, but she won’t answer. Yolanda also quits her job at the diner. Courtney and her family have a discussion about things and Mike admits he killed Icicle by accident. Later, we see young Bruce Gordon hanging around outside Beth’s house.
This is kind of a downtime episode, mostly dealing with Yolanda’s guilt over killing Brainwave (and apparently, some guilt she’s feeling for Henry’s death too). I’m not sure if what Brainwave said about projecting his consciousness into her is true and that’s why she’s been having headaches
and visions, or if it’s just Eclipso fucking with her mind. This whole episode is shot slightly off-centre, so everything looks a little askew. At first, I thought something was wrong with my monitor, but the shots extend to the side of the frame, they’re just not centred. I assume that was a conscious choice by the director to show how Eclipso has warped things in Blue Valley. Because of that, I tend to think Yolanda’s Brainwave hallucinations are due to Eclipso magnifying her guilt, not Brainwave’s actual spirit inside her.
Favourite Quotes:
- “How do you stamp the fun out of this already?” Mike’s question when he learns his JSA training will consist of sorting lug nuts.
- “By the time I’m done with this it won’t be Eclipso that kills us, it’s gonna be old age.” Mike letting Pat know he’s not enjoying the drudge work on the STRIPE robot.