“The 5th episode of Lanterns is, without a doubt, the best episode of superhero television this year. It’s explosive, action-packed, deeply moving, and genuinely shocking.”
It’s time for a new episode of Lanterns, and we are already halfway through the season. Created by Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and Tom King, it stars Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan, Aaron Pierre as John Stewart, Kelly Macdonald, Garrett Dillahunt, and Poorna Jagannathan. A new episode is now streaming on HBO Max.
THE BIG SHOWDOWN
After the reveal last week of who is the Manhunter, this week is finally the big showdown in Rushville. It’s quite an explosive and action-packed episode. Antaan and his group come into town planning to blow themselves up, while the Manhunter uses her drones to draw Hal Jordan out. So, yes, there are plenty of explosions—and plenty of dead people, too. The opening scene presents the Manhunter as a savior and benevolent figure, but she is far more ruthless than she initially appears. Blowing up her own town and killing innocent people isn’t exactly what you would call benevolent.
Having the Manhunter in Rushville storyline conclude right in the middle of the season is a bold move. There are still three episodes left, and the audience has no idea what’s going to happen, apart from John Stewart trying to understand what happened to Hal Jordan. That leaves a huge blank canvas, and anything can happen. In terms of who dies, it’s pretty much who the audience would expect, but that’s not the most interesting part of this storyline. What matters is how it leaves Hal Jordan and John Stewart.
BEING GREEN LANTERN
When we meet Hal Jordan in 2016, he’s already an experience Green Lantern who clearly doesn’t want to be replaced. But the events in Rushville destroy him. And this episode shows exactly that. It portrays a Hal Jordan who has lost himself. He tries to keep his ring while he has forgotten why he cared about having it in the first place. While John Stewart does everything to get that ring, leading to a big confrontation between them. But in the end, John has also forgotten why he wanted the ring in the first place.
This episode is about broken heroes who have lost their ways. And this is deeply moving. This episode is another turning point in the series. The writing is outstanding here. This episode conveys so many emotions, and a lot happens. When the credits roll, you’re left in shock, and the episode stays with you long after it ends. It’s going to be incredibly captivating to see where the story goes from here.
VERDICT
The 5th episode of Lanterns is, without a doubt, the best episode of superhero television this year. It’s explosive, action-packed, deeply moving, and genuinely shocking.
A new episode of Lanterns is now streaming on HBO Max.
Collectables and Anime Editor for Future Of The Force.
Star Wars expert and Japan connoisseur.
