03x12 - Frenemies: Chapter Twelve: The Last Will and Testament of Sylvester Pemberton

[bunniefuu]

When the Justice Society first formed,

there was a scientist,
The Ultra-Humanite.

With a little help from Dragon King.

But he escaped us by putting his brain

into the body of an actress
named Dolores Winters.

What are you two idiots doing here?

JAKEEM: Helping Cindy's
the right thing to do.

Maybe The Thunderbolt could cure her.

Let's team up.

If they're looking for trouble,

they're gonna be sorry they got it.

JORDAN: At least you'll die together.

BETH: These are human remains.

[SCREAMS]

I wanna wipe the slate clean.

I'm taking Icicle out
the first chance I get.

Jordan says he wants to work together.

How can you be that naive?

JORDAN: I'm willing to help the JSA

take down The Ultra-Humanite.

It's time.

[INTENSE SOUNDS]

And the award for
Best Actress goes to...

Dolores Winters for
"Remembering to Forget".

[STIRRING MUSIC]

♪ ♪

- Thank you, Mr. Colman.
- Congratulations, Ms. Winters.

I don't know how to express
my gratitude.

I don't know how this
even happened, really, but...

here it is in my hand.

It's heavier than I imagined.

[LAUGHTER]

As actors, we are called upon
to lose ourselves in the role.

And I could not have dreamed
for a better character

to become lost in.

Thank you. I love you all!

[APPLAUSE]

[STIRRING MUSIC]

♪ ♪

[MOODY MUSIC]

♪ ♪

- You did it.
- Yes! Dolores!

What a triumph.

Mr. Standish?

Well, the party is long over.
Everyone has gone home.

I think you should leave.

But I was hoping that...
that maybe we could talk.

That's all.

I have a friend on their way.
They'll be here any moment.

Oh, Dolores, I-I am madly
in love with you.

[LAUGHS]

You're drunk. Go home.

Oh, but like sees like, Dolores.

And... and when I look
into your beautiful eyes,

I see an actor, always acting...

Even when the cameras aren't rolling.

I see a woman hiding,

pretending to be something she's not.

Uh, but I-I won't judge you, Dolores.

Please...

show me who you truly are.

[CRUNCH] Ohh...

[GASPING, WHIMPERING]

You really saw me in here, didn't you?

That's unfortunate.

Ahh!

- [CRUNCHING, CRACKING SOUNDS]
- [STANDISH YELLING]

Aah!

[BREATHING HEAVILY]

[CONTINUES BREATHING HEAVILY]

[SOFT MUSIC]

♪ ♪

You dropped your trophy.

Dr. Ito, you're late.

Who was that?

Someone who was getting too close...

Like the Justice Society is.

They picked up my trail again.

I need a new body.

[CHUCKLES]

Given the JSA and our
inevitable confrontation,

I've been making a few
improvements of my own.

Intent on earning your name,
are you, Dragon King?

I could do the same for you.

No. I have another idea in mind.

An albino gorilla.

A body powerful enough
to destroy the entire JSA,

after a few modifications, of course.

Hmm, an intriguing choice.

I'm almost jealous.

Yes.

Won't this be fun?

[DRAMATIC SWEEPING MUSIC]

♪ ♪

[KNOCK ON DOOR]

Hey.

I can't stop thinking about
Artemis, how alone she is.

And Sylvester wanting to take the Staff

and... and bring in Icicle by himself?

There... there are so many things
wrong with that idea.

Sylvester still thinks Icicle
is his fight.

It's all our fight.

I don't care if Jordan says
he wants peace.

He didn't k*ll the Crocks
out of self-defense.

He needs to be stopped.

Yeah.

[OMINOUS MUSIC]

♪ ♪

He left a note.

What's it say?

Said he had a few things
to do. He'll be back soon.

We have to find him.

[MOODY MUSIC]

♪ ♪

Hey.

What do you want, Mr. Pemberton?

Just, uh, seeing how you're holding up.

What are you planning here?

I'm going to k*ll Jordan Mahkent.

Look, I know that every fiber

of your being wants to find

that Nordic freak and smash

the smug look off his face.

But... there's a future

your parents wanted for you,

and it's not prison.

If you wanna honor your parents,

go to college and be the star

that they raised you to be.

So Jordan Mahkent just gets a pass?

Hell no. I'm gonna k*ll him for you.

[WHOOSHING SOUNDS]

[BREATHING HEAVILY]

[GRUNTING]

[GROANING]

[INTENSE MUSICAL BUILDUP]

♪ ♪

[PANTING]

Aah!

[PHONE BUZZES]

Rick's still not answering.

Shocker. Any news on that creature?

Not yet.

- Mr. Pemberton.
- Are there any updates?

I've been tapping into
the satellite feeds,

searching the woods around Blue
Valley for The Ultra-Humanite.

But now that you b*rned down the barn,

I think he's taken shelter
somewhere new.

My bad. Where's Rick?

Still not answering anyone's calls.

Where's Courtney?

Well, I didn't tell her we were meeting.

Wait. Why not?

Because she already knows the plan.

- What is the plan?
- I'm gonna face Icicle myself.

- We should come with you.
- No.

Jordan's stronger now.
He's too dangerous.

With Cameron and his crazy grandparents,

Jordan won't be alone.

Yeah, he will. I dropped a bug

in the Mahkents' living room
when Pat and I were there.

Cameron and his grandparents
are going to a vigil tonight

for his art teacher.

Mr. Deisinger?

Yeah. Apparently,
he's been missing for days.

Wait, what? What happened?

Well, with the Mahkents
and The Ultra-Humanite

running around, nothing
good, I'm guessing.

So Jordan Mahkent will be
home alone tonight?

Yeah, until I show up
for our little chat.

You're sure you don't want our help?

Actually, I do.

When the JSA d*ed, they left
family members behind.

Sandman has a nephew, The Atom, a son,

Green Lantern's kids,
Jennie and her brother.

But there are other JSA members

whose bloodlines d*ed that night...

Heroes like me who had no families

to pass their legacies on to,

Mr. Terrific, Dr. Fate,

The Spectre, Flash...

And others who shouldn't be forgotten.

So I'm asking both of you,
when this is all over,

go find someone like yourself,

someone worthy of taking one of
these mantles on for their own.

Keep my friends' legacies alive.

You're talking to us like

we're never gonna see you again.

Don't be silly.

I'll catch up with you guys later.

[EMOTIONAL MUSIC]

♪ ♪

I'm not sure about this place.

What, are you kidding? This is awesome!

The ISA meeting room. Oh, check it out.

Okay.

So what... the ISA just sat around

looking at a painting of themselves?

Ugh, are we sure we wanna use this

for the Young All-Stars HQ?

I mean, it's pretty cold down
here for a reptile.

No offense.

What exactly is happening to you?

We only wanna help, Cindy.
We're a team now, aren't we?

And that's what teammates do.

My dad experimented on me my whole life.

He put metal shivs in my arms

and pumped me so full of chemicals,

my hair turned white.

I think my father
did something else to me,

something that lay dormant

until I came back from the Shadowlands.

- Does it hurt?
- Uh, yeah, sometimes.

You took The Gambler's laptop

because you were looking for
your dad's hidden labs, right?

Yeah. And I searched through
all the labs I could find,

hoping one might have answers
on to how to reverse this.

Okay. I got an idea.
I'm gonna wish that...

Wait! You madman!

Write it down first! Think it through!

- I know what I'm doing!
- Jakeem...

Don't embarrass me in front of her!

Thunderbolt, I wish you would
take me, Mike,

and Cindy to the labs that has
what we're looking for.

Oh, no.

Cameron?

Hey.

Courtney still hasn't called
or texted me back.

Whatever is going on,
I know she cares about you.

Give her some time.

I don't think anything we say
is gonna change her mind, Dad.

We have to prove your
intentions are good...

somehow.

Your teacher, um,
the one who's gone missing...

Mr. Deisinger.

He may have fallen prey
to The Ultra-Humanite.

But the police... they thought
he might have had

another psychotic break
or... or... or wandered off.

You think he could be dead?

What if I went after The Ultra-Humanite?

What if I brought him in myself?

Would that be enough?

- Hey.
- Courtney took the Staff?

She went looking for you.
Where... where were ya?

- When's she coming back?
- Listen.

We decided we're not gonna
let you go it alone.

Okay, I've tried to be
diplomatic about this,

but it's not your choice to make.

It's mine.

Okay, Icicle's more powerful
than ever, all right?

And Beth, she's still not sure

what Jordan even did with the Crocks.

All due respect to the dead,
I'm not the Crocks, Pat.

I can protect myself.

I shouldn't even have to say that.

You need our help.

[BANG]

Don't you get it?

I don't want your help! Okay?

Do I have to spell it out for you?

I mean, look at you.

You put a bunch of kids in harm's way

just to make yourself feel important.

- That's just not true.
- Yes, it is.

And the only reason they respect you is

because they weren't there

to see what an ineffectual
loser Stripesy really was.

You know you're a laughingstock?

You were the joke of the entire JSA.

Why are you saying this to me?

Okay.

I've tried to let this go.

I've tried to, but I can't.

This is coming from
the hard truth, okay?

The night the JSA
went up against the ISA,

you wouldn't stop calling me
on the radio.

Do you remember that?

Then you came back after
I ordered you to stay away!

You distracted me
during the most important

fight of my life, and
you got me k*lled, Pat!

I'm not gonna let it happen again!

You're no hero.

Not then and not now.

You are just a sidekick.

You heard us?

All of it.

Well, it is what it is, kid.

You know, since the day
I found the Staff,

you've been my hero.

I even thought you were
my father for a while.

But when Brainwave came after me,

it was Pat who saved me.

And when Cindy hurt me,

it was Pat who got me to the hospital.

And when my dad came to take that locket

and I was absolutely crushed,

Pat was there for me too.

He's been there for me every
time I've ever needed him.

So...

you're not my hero, Starman.

Pat Dugan is my hero.

I was so disappointed

when I found out you weren't my father.

But I thank God every day that Pat is.

I need the Staff.

I'm not giving it to you.

Cosmo.

No. You stay.

You may have swayed the Staff
to yourself before,

but deep down...

you know it belongs to me.

You're not worthy of it.

I'll be back after
I go take care of Icicle.

- Stop.
- Sorry, kid.

[SOMBER MUSIC]

♪ ♪

How did he take the Staff from you?

He asked Cosmo to come to him, and...

I couldn't do anything about it.

- It didn't come back? Why?
- Because I'm not Starman.

I'm gonna go and get S.T.R.I.P.E.

to try and intercept Sylvester
before he gets to Jordan's.

We need Rick.

We need his help, and he needs ours.

So go talk to him. I'll check in later.

Court, I'm really sorry.

You didn't do anything wrong, Pat.

This all looks the same.
We've been walking forever.

- Where the hell are we?
- A place where you find

what you're looking for.

And what are we looking for exactly?

- A cure.
- Well, Cindy Burman was, yes.

But you, my friend, made the wish,

and you were looking to impress her.

So Ta-da, here's your chance!

- What does that mean?
- [GRUNTS]

Thunderbolt?

Oh, God, you guys are useless.

Call him out here, Jakeem, right now!

Make him explain!
"So cool" his pink ass!

Wait, wait.

We're by one of my dad's labs.

Jakeem, I think you did it.
Let's go, idiots!

See? I did it.

Did what exactly?
That's what I wanna know.

Oh, man, this is not good.
Not good at all.

Zeek, what happened?

Sylvester, that's what happened.

- He did this?
- Yeah. I walked in.

He went flying off like
a witch on a broomstick.

Zeek, he's lost his mind.

Or maybe that's what
he wants you to think.

Let me run this by you, Dugan.

Maybe, just maybe,
Sylvester is doing to you

what you did to Little Dugan

when Eclipso was
prancing around Blue Valley.

What did I do?

You told Mike to meet you
when S.T.R.I.P.E. was fixed,

knowing good and well it wouldn't be.

You lied to him to protect him.

So he's lying to protect me.

He'd rather we hate him
than have us get hurt.

Sylvester's gonna get himself k*lled.

Grab that wrench. I gotta move fast.

Well, hold on, Dugan.

I'm as fast as they come,
but putting old Humpty Dumpty

together here is gonna take
more than a few minutes.

I understand that, but I got an idea.

Ooh. Ha ha.

Call me when you find Rick.

We will.

I need your help.

This is one of your dad's creepy labs.

Very creepy.

What are we looking for? A potion?

What? No. He's not a wizard.

There was a wizard
in the ISA, wasn't there?

Yes. Okay, there was.

Um, someone's been working in here.

But I thought you said your dad is dead.

He's supposed to be.

[CREAKING]

[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]

♪ ♪

What the hell are you doing here?

I know you're trying to protect us,

saying what you said,
taking out S.T.R.I.P.E.

But I'm not letting you do this alone.

This is my fight, Pat!

You keep saying that,
but it doesn't have to be.

The reason I was brought
back from the dead

was to fight another man
back from the dead,

to... to avenge the JSA,
to fix my mistakes.

I'm the reason why the JSA d*ed.

The... they should have
come back instead of me.

So if I die making
things right, then I die.

Don't say that.

This is my destiny, Pat.

Then it's my destiny too.

You're my friend. You're my partner.

And I'm not letting you
do this alone, and that's it.

Everything I said back there...

Hey, I know, all right?

Forget it. We gotta do this.

Let's go.

[DARK MUSIC]

♪ ♪

Don't touch anything!
You might catch what she has.

Uh, really?

Just sayin'.

Mm-hmm.

Dude, what's the matter with you?

Y-y-you don't know what this stuff does.

Why would you say that, though?

Ugh, forget it.

[EERIE NOTES]

Is that a-a-a body?

It's something.

[BOTH GAGGING]

I-it's my dad.

[THUDDING FOOTSTEPS]

Hello, my daughter.

Dad?

[THUDDING FOOTSTEPS]

Wait. That's your dad?

He put his brain in that thing.

Yeah, but if Dragon King
put his lizard brain

in the white ape,

where's The Ultra-Humanite's brain?

[DRAMATIC MUSICAL STING]

♪ ♪

Uhh...

What now?

I'll take care of him.

Won't this be fun?

I've missed you, my greatest
experiment...

well, until now.

- Be ready to run.
- Come on. Come on, over here.

You know, the new look, Daddy,

it's not an improvement.

[SNARLING]

Go! Go, go, go!

I think you should take it off, Rick.

If it hurts, we can
help you manage the pain.

Maybe my mom can help.

What about The Ultra-Humanite
and Jordan?

You need me powered up.

We need you healthy, Rick.

Where's Sylvester?

He... he might know what to do.

Um, he's out...

He... he... he knew about the limiter.

What?

He told me how to take it off.

I did some reading.

Your father went through
the same thing once.

And the JSA helped him through it.

Then Sylvester would know
the dangers of the limiter.

Starman was there, yeah.

If he was there, he knew
what it would do to Rick.

Why would he tell him to remove it?

[WARBLING SOUNDS]

Stop it. Now!

Power down.

How? How?

How what? Do I control the Staff?

I'm Starman.

What? [GRUNTING]

Well, I'm Starman now.

And as Dolores Winters
said in "The Confidence Game",

you've been had, kiddo.

[LAUGHS]

You're The Ultra-Humanite.

Well, bingo.

Where's Sylvester?

Oh, Dr. McNider was right
about the cosmic energy

preserving the body.

But Sylvester's brain,
mmm, that's long gone.

We had some fun, didn't we, Pat?

Back in the old days?

Star-Spangled Kid and Stripesy

alongside the Seven Soldiers of Victory.

Huzzah! [CHUCKLING]

What the hell are you talking about?

Oh, you remember. After
Ted gave me the Staff,

it was Starman and the JSA.

Those are the big leagues.

And now, Starman and S.T.R.I.P.E.

We made a real team again.
These were great times.

I'm sad we won't have
that anymore, 'cause...

you're my friend,

my brother.

I'm sorry it has to end like this.

You're not Sylvester.

Oh... ha. Right.

Yes, of course.

Yeah, sometimes I get lost in the role.

I just forget.

Ugh!

Wait a second! Hold on!
Stop it! Hold on a second!

Hold on. You don't have to do this.

Sylvester...

you're my friend, right?

- That's right, Pat.
- Right.

So... so it's not happening
like this, okay?

Help me outta here.

Okay.

Yeah, there you go. Come on. Yeah.

Just grab on. Come on, you can do it.

Come on.

Oh, that was good, Pat.

That was really good.

You almost had me.

You're insane.

I know.

[GRUNTING]

It's a beautiful night.

For decades, I enjoyed
being in that beast...

that's been roaming these woods.

And just the raw strength...

Helped me survive the JSA att*cks

one after the other.

But being in that monster,
I had to stay hidden.

I grew tired of hiding.

I missed the adulation
that Dolores Winters got.

I wanted that again.

Like, I know Jordan and
Dr. Ito may have plans.

But for me, that's
what this is all about.

So after the operation,

I did some traveling.

I did my research.

[GRUNTS] Ah...

I talked to almost everyone you knew,

from your landlord in Van Nuys...

To Mike's mom.

When I finally made my way to you,

I was more than ready to play that role.

And I was accepted back so quickly

because everyone worshipped Starman...

especially you.

But I had to cement that acceptance.

So I made myself a victim

with the help of some friends.

[SNARLING]

You brought me into
the circle of trust, Pat.

And you brought me closer to Courtney.

And more importantly, to my
ultimate prize, the Staff.

So I not only bonded with all of you,

I bonded with it.

And thanks to Courtney,

the bond with the Staff is now complete.

At the same time, I had to make sure

Courtney's friends stayed out of my way

because if anyone saw
through my disguise,

it would be Cindy Burman.

So I used Yolanda to push her away.

The way you don't let
Dragon King's kid off the hook,

it's very Ted. It's good judgment.

And then I urged Beth
to cut off her parents

to keep her distracted.

First rule I have... protect the family.

And Rick... ha ha.

Rex Tyler's angry little brute.

I mean, we all know
what Rex went through

before he set a limiter
on that hourglass.

So, oh, I'd hate to be Rick right now.

He must be in a world of pain.

And finally... your son.

I told Mike to go prove he could do

what you said he couldn't.

And then I put him and his inept friend

with the pen in harm's way.

That worked out great.

It all worked out...

and so will the rest of our plan.

You wanna hear Jordan's endgame, Pat?

Pat?

[DARK MUSIC]

Oh.

Bye, Pat.

[INTENSE MUSICAL BUILDUP]

Greg, move your head.