Some comic-book shows are built around spectacle. Lanterns proves that the characters make the spectacle matter.
With three more episodes behind us, Lanterns has become one of the favorite comic-book shows I've watched in quite some time. It may not quite reach The Penguin's level for me, but that's a pretty high bar. What has impressed me most is how confident the series is in its writing. The mystery keeps evolving, the characters aren't afraid to make complicated choices, and the relationship between Hal Jordan and John Stewart has become the emotional center of the story.
Episodes 4 and 5 bring the 2016 storyline to a dramatic conclusion before Episode 6 jumps forward ten years and reconnects everything to the murder mystery established in the premiere. It's an ambitious structure, but it works because the series has taken the time to show us exactly how Hal and John's relationship fell apart.
Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan is one of the show's biggest strengths. He has the confidence and swagger you'd expect from Hal, but there's also an insecurity underneath it. Hal has spent years believing he belongs in the Green Lantern Corps, so learning that the Guardians are considering John as his replacement hits him harder than he wants to admit. His increasingly desperate attempts to hold onto the ring become less about being a hero and more about protecting the identity he's built for himself.
Episode 4, “The Weenie,” digs deeper into that conflict as Hal and John investigate the Manhunter mystery. Hal's confrontation with Sinestro (Ulrich Thomsen) further complicates the situation, particularly when Sinestro warns him that the Guardians are already looking toward John.
The Macon ranch storyline gets appropriately strange when Will Macon reveals his connection to the Manhunter and the alien technology that has benefited him. It's one of the show's more bizarre detours, but it fits the increasingly unpredictable world Lanterns is building.
The episode ultimately returns to the conflict between Hal and John when Guardian Lianna secretly orders John to recite the Green Lantern oath and take Hal's ring. What began as a complicated mentor-mentee relationship is now becoming a genuine power struggle.
That tension explodes in Episode 5, “Lights Out.”
Zoe is revealed to be the last living Manhunter, and her offer to heal John in exchange for his help killing Hal forces him into an impossible decision. John refuses, a key moment for his character. He's angry at Hal and increasingly distrustful of the Corps, but he still has a moral boundary he refuses to cross.
The resulting battle turns Rushville into a war zone. Hal and John literally fight over the ring, and Hal's willingness to compromise his principles to keep his position reveals how far his desperation has taken him.
John eventually gets the ring, but rather than immediately becoming the hero we've been expecting, he walks away. I really like this choice. Aaron Pierre gives John a quiet determination that makes his decision feel less like hesitation and more like a conscious rejection of an organization he no longer trusts. John has seen too much manipulation to accept the mantle because the Guardians want him to.
Then Episode 6, “Bad Optics,” jumps forward to 2026 and completely changes the show's rhythm.
John is now working as an architect, building panic rooms with his brother Marcus. He's left the Green Lantern world behind—or at least he thinks he has. His mother, Bernadette, tricks him into returning to Rushville by claiming that Hal wants to apologize. Instead, John discovers that Hal has grown close to Bernadette while he was in prison.
Then there's Guy Gardner.
Nathan Fillion's introduction as Earth's current Green Lantern adds a fun new wrinkle to the story. Guy has essentially turned the Green Lantern identity into a brand, complete with a giant signal in Rushville. His flashy, image-conscious approach sharply contrasts with the complicated history Hal and John have with the Corps.
Most importantly, Episode 6 brings us back to the question we've been asking since the premiere: Who killed Hal Jordan?
And there's another question that keeps nagging at me: Is Hal actually dead?
The discovery of Hal's body in the premiere immediately made his fate the central mystery, and now everything we've learned about Hal and John makes that mystery even more complicated. John has already dug up Hal's body and taken the ring, so the final two episodes have plenty to answer.
Will John figure out who killed Hal? Will he finally accept the Green Lantern mantle? And what exactly happened between the two men after John walked away from the Corps?
Those questions are a big reason Lanterns has kept me coming back week after week. The series isn't rushing to explain everything. Instead, it lets the mystery develop alongside the characters, which makes each new revelation feel more meaningful.
With only two episodes left, Lanterns has successfully transformed itself from an alien mystery into a murder investigation wrapped inside a character drama. And I can't wait to see how it all comes together.
Overall, I give all three episodes a 9/10.
Lanterns has officially become one of my favorite comic-book shows currently on television. It may not quite reach The Penguin territory for me, but the writing, character development, and slow-burn mystery have made this one of the biggest surprises of the season.
What did you think of episodes four through six of Lanterns? How do you see the series going with two episodes left? Leave a comment.
You can catch Lanterns on Sundays on HBO and stream it on HBO Max.
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