We begin our journey in the series premiere of Lanterns, in the past in 1996 with a 60 Minutes exclusive for the first-ever heart-to-heart with a superhero. The hero in question is Kyle Chandler’s Hal Jordan, who made his presence known years earlier by stopping a meteor from devastating Victoria Falls. Among those watching the interview from their home is a young John Stewart, who is glued to his television as Hal Jordan introduces himself to the world.
Hal looks into the camera as he stresses that the most important thing he wants everyone to know is that he’s just a regular person. The show does a brilliant job of quickly giving viewers Hal’s backstory, including his father’s death when Hal was eight and how Hal followed in his father’s footsteps by joining the United States Air Force. He then explains how the Green Lanterns are, in a sense, like beat cops who each patrol their own part of the galaxy.
As John’s dad arrives home and the other boys in the room panic about him getting them all in trouble by watching the broadcast, the woman interviewing Hal asks him how he came to be the Green Lantern. John does not pull his focus away from the screen as Hal reveals there was only one test he passed. He was asked the question, "Are you afraid?” to which he replied no as he explains that as a kid your biggest fear is losing your parent, and once that happens there is nothing to fear anymore.
John quickly turns the TV off after Hal’s answer is given as his father, John Sr., enters the room. He asks John if he’s going to tell him “his real name," to which young John quips, “Hal Jordan.” His dad orders John outside and follows him to the backyard. We watch as young John stands against a shed and places an apple on his head. His father then asks him, “Are you afraid?” to which John replies, "No, sir.” Much to our shock, John Sr. fires off his gun, shooting the apple off of John’s head before they head inside to grab dinner.
Hal Jordan’s first encounter with John Stewart
From there, we transition to sometime in the future, to a now-grown John working out in a gym, boxing as he gets a message and heads outside. A car speeds around the corner, and John gets inside as Hal greets him, and the pair speed off, hitting the road.
As they drive, Hal asks John if he’s mad about him disappearing for two weeks and then showing up hungover and late for their training. John is adamant he’s not annoyed at all as Hal asks him if he’s ever heard of Pharon 4, which John has not, as he reminds Hal their training has not yet taken them off-planet.
We learn that Pharon 4 is a planet that was on the verge of a civil war, but Hal was able to bring peace with a little bit of diplomacy. Finally, John’s frustrations begin to break through as he points out that they’ve been training for two months and he hasn’t even worn the ring yet. Hal reminds him that he’ll wear the ring when it chooses him, to which John questions how he thought the point was the Guardian chose him. Hal quips back that the big blue bosses might think John’s hot shit, but he’s just a substitute teacher at the moment, and he’s not ready to get up in front of the class until the ring says he is.
Hal’s unorthodox training nearly gets John killed
That’s when we get a real sense for Hal’s unorthodox teaching style as he takes the ring off, places it on the dash of the car, and jumps out after telling him he’ll meet him a few miles up the road at a taco stand. We watch as the car goes flying off a cliff as John frantically grabs the ring and places it on his finger as the camera pans outside to see the car crash as the opening title sequence finally begins. Frustratingly, we don’t see how John used the ring, but he clearly used it somehow to save his life.
Speaking of frustrations, after the crash, John calls his father to complain about Hal’s actions, but his father isn’t exactly sympathetic to John’s complaints. John Sr. suggests it was just a test and tells him to bottle up and cool his head as he questions whether John wants this, which he assures his father he does.
After hanging up the phone, we hear the ring pulsating, and John fidgets with it as the core lights up and Hal materializes in front of John. This time, Hal is even more confused than before as he asks John whether he’s dead, pointing out that John is wearing his ring. This Hal doesn’t seem to recogize John, asking him who he is as John explains that he’s Hal’s trainee. Hal questions how that would be possible, as Lanterns don’t have trainees from their own sectors as he asks John what year it is.
This is when we learn 20 years has passed since the opening scene of the series, as the year in this stage of the story is 2016.
John pushes Hal for answers as Hal explains he must be a backup of Hal Jordan’s consciousness, combined with the sentience of the ring. He’s here to give himself a message. Hal explains that Lanterns are uploaded weekly in case something happens to them, and he’s surprised he hasn’t taught John this. Hal is shocked that he hasn’t uploaded in ten years as he asks where his present-day self is. Frustrated, John asks Hal what message he’d like delivered, and Hal relays the message, “There’s hail in Rushville, Nebraska,” before disappearing.
Up the road, the real Hal is taking selfies with fans as he waits for John to arrive, and we learn he hasn’t suited up in some time. Finally, John arrives and confronts Hal for nearly killing him. Hal asks what he made to protect himself as John explains he used the ring to manifest bubble wrap to shield him from harm. As John hands back the ring, he tells Hal about the message left for him from his backup consciousness as Hal flies off, leaving John behind.
John and Hal arrive in Nebraska to investigate a mysterious mass shooting
After being left in the dust, literally, John hops a flight and then grabs a rental car to make his way to Rushville, assuming that is where Hal flew off to. He eventually comes upon a crime scene with a heavy police presence and tells the officer he’s with Hal Jordan. The deputy radios the sheriff, who gives the all-clear for John to enter the scene.
John finds Hal on the bleachers at a high school football field where there was a mass shooting. Sheriff Kerry approaches the pair and reminds Hal he does not have jurisdiction. While he’s a big shot, his jurisdiction only covers extraterritorial events, and this is not that. That’s when Hal points out that these victims are going to end up being aliens… he just doesn’t have proof yet. He points out how mellow things are for a mass shooting and points out how no one seems to be upset down on the field, which is because they’re aliens.
Sheriff Kerry makes it clear that they know who Hal is, and if it ends up being aliens, they’ll cross the bridge when they come to it. For now, she needs to keep the scene calm and tells Hal to avoid the news crews as she heads down to the scene. That’s when Hal asks John to walk him through the scene, and John suggests that things got heated between the two rival teams, leading to the fourth victim's death. Much like Sheriff Kerry, John doesn’t see any signs to explain why Hal thinks this is aliens.
Hal reminds him he’s been doing this job since John was a baby; if he says he has a feeling, that’s all he needs to know. He reminds him that this is his job and will be until he dies, which he doesn’t have any plans of doing anytime soon. Down on the field, John notices a discarded hoodie and suggests one of them is still here, which is when Hal points out a man he suspects was involved.
John questions whether Hal has told the sheriff, making it clear that it’s what should be done, as it’s her crime scene and he respects the chain of command. John heads down to the field as Sheriff Kerry comes over to confront him, pointing out that she already clocked the suspect, who she has been working to keep from getting spooked so he doesn’t open fire like any of his friends. That’s when the man takes off running, realizing he’s been made, and John gives chase after the man.
It looks like the man is going to get away, but John catches up in time to knock the man out as Sheriff Kerry places him in cuffs and her deputies take him away.
Later, we get to see Hal finally use his ring’s powers… to manifest a $20 bill to use in a jukebox at the bar where he and John meet up for drinks. John confronts him about manifesting the counterfeit money as he confronts Hal about not stepping in to take down the man John was chasing. Hal reminds him it’s a dangerous weapon; when and if to use it is the whole ball game.
John questions how he got the ring as Hal notes he knows the story. John suggests that Hal should have had to work for the power and prove himself, rather than being randomly selected. Hal recalls how after a couple of years being a test pilot, he was in his room one night when his room started to vibrate. When he opened his eyes, a big green bubble floated out of his head. Then a voice said to him, “Are you afraid?” He responded no, and then he was yanked out the window and was flown to Nebraska, not more than 20 miles from where he is now. He recalls seeing the pilot, an alien who was dying, who gave him the ring. Once Hal put the ring on, he could understand every word the alien said as he was informed the ring had chosen him to be his successor.
Hal suggests that a human getting a ring isn’t a fluke, as the big blue bosses never wanted a Lantern coming near their planet, which is why he believed the crash was no accident. He’s made there's a lookout to give him a heads-up on anything out of the usual, the Halogram, as John dubs it. As a man in the bar confronts Hal for playing the same song again, John realizes it’s all part of his plan to pick a fight so that he can get tossed into jail and gain access to the suspect.
After Hal steps away to put his plan into motion, he leaves his ring behind with John, and a woman sitting across the bar asks John if he’s going to say yes. John notes that Hal doesn’t want him to have a ring ever and suggests she's testing him before declining her offer to buy him a drink, as he’s on the job. To John’s surprise, the woman refers to him as "space cop" as she assumes he has to be one given his partner is one.
The woman asks John why Hal picked him, as John informs her that he did not; their bosses did. She asks him about when he’ll be a space cop and no longer a trainee, as John explains that Earth only has one Lantern, so he’s being trained in case anything happens to Hal. The pair watch as Sheriff Kerry shows up to arrest Hal as the woman then asks John to walk her to her truck, where they turn up the heat and he uses the ring to give her a post-sex cigarette a light.
Hal's alien theory takes a dark turn
The following morning, John heads to the police station to bail out Hal. Sheriff Kerry informs John that Hal is in a mood, as she threw him in a broom closet, having seen right through Hal’s stupid plan. Hal is taken to court on several charges, and Hal notes he was just trying to question a suspect in an important case. The judge asks Hal what bureau he’s working for as he points out he’s a Green Lantern. As Hal begins to dig his grave further, Billy Macon enters the courthouse to defend Hal and request his release on bail.
Billy is able to secure bail for Hal and informs the court that his father will put the money up for the hefty sum issued by the court. After, we learn that Billy is Sheriff Kerry’s husband, and his father agreed to post the bail for Hal on the condition that he meet Hal. It’s an invitation Hal happily accepts, much to Sheriff Kerry’s annoyance.
Later that day, John and Hal make their way to the address provided for dinner and are greeted by heavy security, including armed men at the gate. It doesn’t take them long to figure out that they’re entering militia land. When they finally reach the homestead, Billy and Sheriff Kerry introduce the pair to their son. Billy excuses himself to take a call as Hal offers Sheriff Kerry a drink, manifesting a bottle opener to crack open her beer.
She makes it clear to Hal that her father-in-law is not a man you want to owe, as she suggests it’s not too late for him to fly home. Hal does not heed her warning and heads into the house with John, where they meet William Macon. When Hal comments on the nice place William has, William remarks that it’s not his place: he’s just the caretaker of the place, but he can’t say who his employer is due to NDAs he signed. Hal guesses that the government is watching his boss, suggesting that William bailed him out to fight off the feds. To his surprise, William makes it clear it has nothing to do with the feds but rather the aliens.
The conversation moves outside as William questions why the universe needs space cops if it’s safe out there. He notes that he’s a student of history, and colonization is ugly from any angle, but especially for those getting colonized. This whole operation is an ounce of prevention, and he believes the man in the prison is part of an advanced team. Hal notes that he’s trying to get in touch with the man in jail, as William assures him he can make that happen.
Elsewhere, John catches up with Billy and Sheriff Kerry’s son and helps coach him on his football throwing skills. Before he can get any intel out of the boy, he rushes off to welcome his grandma, Zoe Macon, though no introduction is needed for John, as Zoe happens to be the woman he hooked up with at the bar.
As night falls, John and Hal prepare to head out as William informs him that Sheriff Kerry has agreed to let him speak with the prisoner in the morning since they share a common interest. Hal remarks that he doesn’t know what William’s interests are as he leverages that they both want to protect the planet from anyone not born on it. Before leaving, William makes a pointed comment to John that hints he knows about John’s night with Zoe, and John has to fill Hal in after about the circumstances.
The following morning, Hal gets his chance to speak with the prisoner as William promised. Sheriff Kerry informs Hal and John that the man’s name is Waylon Sanders, a commercially licensed truck driver who has worked here for the last five years. Hal notes that aliens are good at getting IDs and paying people to lie for them, making it clear he’s not convinced by the story, even when she tells him that the man had some x-rays performed and all of his organs were human. John informs her that there are several tools that aliens can use to pass themselves off as human, as Hal enters the interrogation room to speak with the suspect.
Once in the room, Hal immediately begins to press the man about his true home and begins to ask the man questions, including why he was at the game. He quizzes the man on some random football facts, and the man comes up with the answers with little thought. That’s when Hal shakes things up by asking where Harry Potter went to school. The question stumps the man who says he doesn’t read or watch movies, as Hal points out that the downfall of pretending to be someone you’re not is learning the specifics without learning other things. Hal doesn’t hold back as he reveals himself to be a Green Lantern and points out that he believes the man to be an alien.
As Sheriff Kerry and John watch, she tells John it can’t be easy having to learn from someone you don’t respect. He assures her he does respect Hal, which surprises her. She questions why he respects Hal, and John points out how Hal’s fearless. She suggests that Hal doesn’t care about anybody and nobody cares about him; he’s not fearless, he’s lonely.
Back in the interrogation room, John questions why the alien didn’t flee when he could. The man’s responses only seem to further fuel Hal’s theory, as he’s unable to tell him anything outside of random facts he clearly learned as part of his prep.
To Sheriff Kerry’s surprise, the man asks Hal what it would mean if he were not of this world but were a visitor who went to great lengths to hide himself well. He suggests that if he had gone to such lengths, he would be here for a very important purpose—a purpose that required great discretion and secrecy and would need to be kept from a galactic peace organization, and if he were captured, he’d have to take drastic action to ensure that purpose was not revealed.
Hal’s hunch about the suspect is proven right
That’s when the man informs Hal he has a biometric neutron device woven into his skeleton, which he can activate with a single thought. Hal makes it clear he’s not walking out and informs the man he can easily protect the town from an explosion as the man questions how much charge Hal’s ring has. Hal doesn’t back down from the threat as the man suggests that Hal almost wants to die, which seems to be against his Lantern oath, which he recites back to Hal.
Hal finally snaps and roughs up the man, throwing him up against the one-sided mirror as he presses him for answers on why he’s here. That’s when Hal begins to hear a beeping as the man remarks that he’s here for vengeance. The beeping intensifies, and Hal throws the man to the corner and uses his ring to contain the blast as best he can, but it still causes the jail wall to explode. Never one to miss a beat, Hal can’t help but hit John and Sheriff Kerry with a “told you so,” as he quips about his hunch being correct.
Wait, did Lanterns just kill Hal Jordan?
As the camera pans out, we jump ahead to the present day in 2026. We see John driving through snow back to the high school football field, which drew him and Hal to town a decade ago. When he pulls up, Sheriff Kerry is waiting for him as she greets him with a hug. We learn that her son, Noah, is now the team’s quarterback before the conversation shifts and John asks her if anyone else knows. It’s unclear what he’s referring to as she informs him that the groundskeeper is the only other one who knows.
The pair walk onto the field and up to the bleachers, where we see Hal sitting lifeless, dried blood on his face and covered in snow, suggesting he’s been there for a while. John reaches out and brushes off Hal’s lifeless hands and is surprised to see the ring is no longer on his finger. He takes a step back, and the camera pans out before the episode comes to a close.
Verdict
I’m not going to lie, the premiere of Lanterns started off a bit slower than I expected. However, as the episode went along I came to appreciate the slow burn more than I did at the beginning.
I do still think there was room to open with more of a showy episode that actually allowed us to see the full extent of the Lantern’s abilities and not just in humorous bits. Sure, it was fun, but I wanted more spectacle, as I think it’s what was needed to really hook fans and give them a reason to stay tuned. After all, Lanterns is taking over for House of the Dragon in the HBO lineup, and the show’s third season churned out so many big and epic moments.
Also, for a show that is about an intergalactic peacekeeping organization, the stakes felt a little too low and we were missing actual intergalactic elements. It’s clear that there are aliens in Nebraska, and the closing act has me eager to see where things go; I just wish we did a little more showing in the opening episode. I say this all because Green Lantern is a character who hasn’t exactly had the best track record for adaptations.
Taking a more grounded approach definitely feels like a smart choice, but it’s a risky one I hope pays off for the show in the long run. What definitely helps is that shocking ending, as it’s hard to imagine fans won’t return for answers to the Hal-sized cliffhanger.
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