Original subtitles

- Is everything okay? - I have to go.

It's time to tell you the truth about your family.

I wish to know the name of the killer of The Gambler.

"The killer has many names!"

What the hell does that mean?

Your wife is in Melody Hills, Indiana.

Did you know she was pregnant when everyone thought you died?

Read the new proposal.

- Yeah? - No.

Who's that geek?

He's the reason I will be staying up late

doing this proposal.

Hi, Tim.

We need to talk about a friend of mine...

one that you're going to be a lot nicer to.

Apparently The Gambler's been blackmailing someone, but...

- Huh. - You don't seem surprised.

She's a walking science experiment.

Who knows what else she's done to change herself?

There must be something at the crime scene

that we all overlooked.

No. It's not my turn with you.

Aah!

You're learning, is all.

It takes time, Cameron, to control it,

but you will.

Are you serious right now?

Hey.

What are you... Aah!

Ow.

Well...

what are we doing here?

Hello?

Oh, my God.

Sylvester.

He's unresponsive, but he's stable.

There are large contusions across his body,

and on his back, an unusual puncture wound.

Like the one that went through The Gambler's heart?

What was it from?

I don't know for sure.

I don't think the police will blame this on a freak tornado.

I reported his injuries as consistent with a hit-and-run.

That's good...

right?

Well, uh, now the police will be looking for a driver.

Oh.

What should I have said?

"He hit a tree."

That worked for me before.

Don't worry. We'll... we'll take care of it.

James and I got so caught up in the adventure of it all,

so proud of Beth for becoming Dr. Mid-Nite.

But there's a cost to it.

Sometimes there is, yeah.

- I'm gonna go call her. - Okay.

Pat?

Why would he go out there alone

and not tell anyone?

Because he's Sylvester.

It's just how he does things.

But without the staff?

It wasn't his turn to be Starman.

He was trying to do the right thing.

But was it?

Hopefully we'll know more when he wakes up.

This isn't about who killed The Gambler anymore, Yolanda.

It's about who almost killed Starman.

Do you think they're targeting the rest of us now?

Maybe it's an old JSA enemy like Eclipso.

- Yolanda? - I got to go.

Okay, bye.

Who were you just talking to this late?

It was Maria.

She was asking if I could work a shift tomorrow night.

It's a school night, Yolanda.

I know, but it'll only be for a few hours.

Please?

I would have never let you take that job back

if your father hadn't lost his.

Tips go to your college fund.

I know.

Keep your room clean.

We have a realtor coming over tomorrow.

Okay, Mom.

Ow.

Sylvester?

You were attacked.

Yeah, kid. I remember.

Okay, well, who... who did it?

I don't know.

Didn't see them...

coming or going.

Nothing like a...

ambush to make you feel like a rookie.

Hmm.

Though...

I can now...

confirm personally that...

yes, our killer is, in fact...

very strong.

What were you doing at the trailer park?

Once the leads had dried up,

I went out looking for new clues.

I figured...

criminal always comes back to the scene of the crime.

Just didn't think it would be that very moment.

Well, why didn't you take the staff?

A deal's a deal, kid.

It wasn't my turn.

We have to rethink our agreement.

Oh...

getting jumped like that...

I should be rethinking a lot of things.

If I'm not around and you need the staff,

next time take it.

That should go both ways, then, right?

We're gonna find out who did this.

I called someone who can hopefully help with that.

Hello, Sylvester.

What's up, Doc?

It's good to see you again, old friend.

Now let's have a look at your injuries.

Sorry.

I've felt worse.

Hell, I've been dead.

Your wounds.

I don't understand it, but...

it's astounding.

You're healing remarkably fast.

Hmm.

What is it, Doc?

I think I finally understand

how you came back to the land of the living.

Enlighten me.

That's exactly what I think the staff did, Sylvester.

It imbued you with its cosmic energy

when you died.

I'm guessing that energy is what healed you over the years

while you were in some kind of stasis.

Even now, I'd theorize long-term exposure to the staff

has altered your physiology...

like Alan's daughter,

who was imbued with the power of his ring.

Jennie became a living lantern.

So...

you're saying I'm a living cosmic staff?

Not quite.

Your body is processing the energy from the staff,

absorbing it, not generating it like Alan's daughter.

Oh.

Hey, um...

uh, how's your son?

Um...

Stanley keeps Myra and me on our toes.

Along with the clinic, I'm plenty busy.

You don't miss being Dr. Mid-Nite?

I've gotten more satisfaction

from passing my mantle on to Beth Chapel,

to the next generation.

Under Pat's mentorship, they are in good hands.

I haven't, uh, passed mine on

so much as passed it back and forth.

But...

I'm glad you're happy, Doc...

especially after everything.

You've been through a lot, too.

Are you happy, Sylvester?

Anything, Beth?

Nope.

Nothing, like, at all.

There isn't a single strand or drop of blood,

as if someone wiped it clean since Sylvester was here.

'Cause someone probably did.

Hey, whoever did this isn't stupid.

"Whoever" meaning you?

If it were me, I wouldn't have let Sylvester live.

Just being honest.

I think we've hit a dead end, Court.

Again?

Wait.

I've got something.

A single skin cell.

It's got the goggles all worked up.

I guess I almost missed it.

It doesn't belong to Starman.

Then it belongs to whoever attacked him.

It's hot.

It's tea, to calm you,

so you can try again.

About my art.

It needs to be put away, Cameron,

just for now.

You got fresh sheets now,

and, uh, we restocked your fridge.

Oh. With what?

Juice.

Yeah, Dr. McNider said to stay away from alcohol.

This day keeps getting better.

Where is she?

Courtney and the others are out looking for your attacker.

Oh, great.

So the kids are cleaning up my mess.

There's no mess here, Sylvester, all right?

Look, I've never been ambushed in all my years.

Then I come to this little town and...

get my ass kicked.

Hey.

You got to remember that Blue Valley...

it ain't like every other community.

Courtney was doing well here.

Then I come along and make her share the staff

instead of doing the dignified thing,

which is moving on like McNider.

I mean, McNider's a doctor.

He's got a wife and a kid.

Me...

I don't have a career or a family.

Listen, you've chosen to spend your life

protecting other people.

Not everyone would make that choice, right?

Hmm.

Sorry.

And you do have a family, all right?

And we're all right here.

I know you said to try and be a better Starman.

These last few days,

I don't know if I should even be Starman anymore.

Come on...

you're a legend.

The DNA... it's not human or identifiable.

So now we don't know anything.

What is it, Chuck?

I seem to recall a result like this once before...

One of Pat's old enemies...

one of ours...

and yours.

Who?

Beth...

It's Cindy's father.

Dragon King.

Hey, Prairie Dogs, remember to pick up your spirit banners

from the student store by the end of the day.

So Dragon King is the prime suspect now?

I thought Cindy killed him.

Pat said Dr. Ito experimented so much on himself,

he might be unkillable. - That's impossible.

Dr. McNider said the same thing.

We need to warn Cindy her dad might be back.

What if she's working with him?

She would never do that.

She literally just did, last year.

I never told you everything

that happened in the Shadowlands.

When I was trapped there with Cindy...

What?

I could see Cindy's childhood,

like I was living it, too.

Her dad never treated her like a daughter.

She was his lab rat... a lifetime full of abuse.

And now she's finally free.

She would never work with him again.

If Dragon King is still alive,

maybe he came back to Blue Valley for her.

Has anyone seen Cindy today?

Now your mom's a suspect.

I'm telling you... Dragon King?

It all makes sense.

Cindy Burman's dad?

The guy with the reptile skin and the big sharp teeth?

I never saw him,

but that's got to be an exaggeration, right?

You know...

he could still be in the tunnels.

Under Blue Valley? Right now?

Maybe The Gambler found out,

and... and that's why he got offed.

We should check.

- I'm not going down there. - Come on, man.

This is our chance to finally solve this mystery

before school gets out

and before Courtney and the others do.

Since when has this been a competition?

Since no one takes us seriously, Jakeem.

I say we ditch P.E. and we go get S.T.R.I.P.E.

I thought your dad hid the keys.

Yeah, but you can wish for them.

I wonder which key it is.

Blue Valley needs this park.

With more families than ever making our town their home,

they need a safe place to take their children.

And we have a new playground, an outdoor auditorium.

It's wonderful.

Excuse me?

You got my vote, Babs.

Babs-olutely.

So, any project she's for, I'm obviously supportive of.

So, who's with me?

Ah...

Put your hand up.

Push that paperwork through, if you could, immediately,

so...

Well...

can I get you a coffee?

After all that hard work you've done, you deserve it,

so...

Okay.

- Two sugars and a milk, right? - Mm-hmm.

So... so good.

Congrats, Barbara.

Eeh... you're the best in the world.

Oh, Paula. Hi.

How's your day, Barbara? Good, I hope.

Uh, Any problem with that new manager?

What was his name, again? Todd or Tom?

Tim, Tim. No.

Actually, he voted for my project this time.

Really?

That's terrific. - Yeah.

What are you doing here?

Oh.

Um, I got you a gift

for helping me out so much this week.

You really didn't have to.

Honestly, I did...

Oh, whoa.

I made it myself.

You did?

To show you how much I care...

really.

It's beautiful.

I love it.

I knew it.

You a bounty hunter?

Man's got to do something for a living these days.

Dyin' ain't much of a livin', boy.

Oh, no, no, no.

I say, "Dyin' ain't much of a livin', boy."

Oh, okay. So... so what do I say?

Oh, you don't say anything. You just look scared like him.

Oh, so you're Clint, and I'm this other guy.

The guy who's about to get shot.

Oh, here we go.

You know, this isn't necessary.

You can just ride on.

Great. That's so great.

Knock, knock.

Door was open.

What are you doing here?

Ah!

I heard what happened.

Sucker punch, huh?

Wasn't us. - I know.

You don't hit that hard.

Hey, we hit plenty hard.

Just take it easy.

What do you want, Sportsmaster?

I just brought by a neighborly sixer.

Thought you could use it.

Real nice of you, but Doc said no alcohol.

But thank you.

I used to knock back a few back when you'd kick my ass.

Hey, look, I'm man enough to admit,

back in the day, when the wife and I pulled a job,

Starman was the last one we'd want to see.

Your right hook's a killer.

Anyway...

cheers.

Hey.

You want one?

We're actually watching "Josey Wales," if...

I don't know. - The outlaw?

Hoo!

I'm in!

Cameron?

Courtney.

What are you doing?

I'm quitting art class.

Why? - I can't do this anymore.

It's time to admit

that the artistic side of me is... is gone.

It's not gone.

You love art.

Look, you... you've just been through so much.

And if anything's going to help you heal,

it's going to be the things that you love.

Courtney, please.

- Let me help you. - You can't help me.

- I can. - You can't.

- It's okay. - Aah!

Are you okay?

Are you?

You're not scared?

I'm feeling a bunch of stuff.

Cameron...

My grandparents call it cryokinesis.

What is that exactly?

A gift.

my family has had it for generations.

They used it to help people.

My grandfather and grandmother want me to do the same...

to carry on my dad's legacy, and...

I don't know what that means.

I know this must sound insane to someone like you.

Like me?

Normal.

Cameron, your father...

His death wasn't an accident.

He was killed.

What?

How?

They won't tell me.

But I know he died trying to help people.

This is why I was avoiding you before.

I...

I could really hurt you, Courtney.

I'm not afraid.

- There you are. - Hey.

Just getting some air.

Yeah, Crusher's, uh,

doing one-armed push-ups to work off the carbs.

He actually thinks I'm still down there.

Guy's a maniac.

It's funny.

He was... he was calling you maniac,

and you're calling him a maniac.

And it's not funny 'cause you're right... he is crazy.

You're looking better. How you feeling?

Well, not as good

as back when I first got the staff from Ted.

Yeah.

Those were unforgettable times.

I hear ya.

Is there anything sadder

than an old man clinging to his glory days?

Glory days, right?

I mean, hell, even bad guys like Crock have moved on...

Which...

Which is why I think I should leave Starman

where he was great...

in past...

once and for all.

Since I got here, all I've done is screw up.

Hey.

Sure, you... you made some mistakes.

There have been a few transgressions.

I mean, you destroyed the supermarket.

You got Courtney to skip school.

You tried to murder The Shade, Paula, Crusher...

- Okay, okay. - And Steve Sharpe... Right.

And don't take this the wrong way,

but watching you screw up...

I think it's finally helped her

understand the importance of balance in her life,

you know?

Well, I'm glad I could be a bad example.

You can be a good one, too...

to Courtney and all these kids.

A mentor, like you?

Why not?

Think about it.

Hold on.

Ahh. - What's this?

Oh, I don't know.

Got to check it out.

I got that.

Oh, yeah.

I don't know, Pat.

Hey...

if I ain't retiring yet, neither are you.

Okay.

- You in? - Let's do this.

Yeah.

- Hello? - Hey.

Hi.

Um, is Courtney here? - No.

We've been calling her.

What's going on?

Beth and Dr. McNider found evidence that Dragon King

was the one that attacked you.

What?

We think he's back.

He may be in the tunnels under Blue Valley.

We were gonna check.

I'll come.

Okay, cool.

Yeah, great.

Let me suit up.

So the mural was the last thing I was able to paint

before my hands stopped working.

Have you ever tried using this gift

like you do your art?

What do you mean?

Well, you express yourself so beautifully

through color and paint.

Can you do it through the ice?

You mean express how I feel?

I could've really hurt you, Courtney.

Because you were alone and afraid.

You're not alone now.

How can you be so calm about all this?

No.

It's too dangerous.

Only if you let it be.

How do you know?

Because I know you.

And you're sweet...

and kind and... and thoughtful.

Someone once told me that emotion is what fuels us.

It affects everything we do and how we do it.

And by embracing the love and... and hope

I had for the people I care about, it worked.

Okay.

Think of all the love you have for your mom and dad

and what they mean to you.

Let your gift out feeling that.

I don't want to hurt you again.

You won't.

It's magical.

Like you.

A single skin cell...

it's got the goggles all worked up.

I guess I almost missed it.

Aah!

Greg, move your head.