09/16/2026
ā ļø Lanterns Episodes 3ā5 Spoilers
Iām finally caught up through Episode 5 of Lanterns, and let me begin with this: I strongly dislike John Stewartās parents.
After the first episode, when his father started shooting apples off little Johnās head, I thought, āThis is child abuse. This guy should be locked up.ā After Episodes 3ā5, I think both parents should be locked upāand Johnās mother deserves the stronger sentence for child endangerment and years of mental and physical abuse. With this upbringing, itās amazing John didnāt become a serial killer.
I havenāt finished the series yet, but by the end of Episode 5, it finally felt as though John was beginning to rebel against all these terrible peopleāfrom the Guardians to his parentsāwho have taken away his agency for his entire life. If this leads to John completely rejecting his parentsā disturbing methods and forging his own path, where he wants the ring for his own reasons rather than someone elseās, then we might finally be getting somewhere.
As for Hal, Kyle Chandler remains the best part of the show and embodies what I love about Hal Jordan, even when the writing makes him a little too possessive of the ring.
My biggest issue is the showās overemphasis on fear instead of willpower. At least for Hal, the defining quality of a Green Lantern isnāt the absence of fearāitās possessing the willpower to overcome it. I think misunderstanding that is where many of the showās problems begin.
John repeatedly condemns Hal for betraying his oath and crossing a lineābut what did Hal actually do, and when did he do it? As a writer, I find it frustrating to make that such a major plot point while refusing to explain what the hell happened. Obviously, something made Hal more cynical. Was it Sinestro? The Guardians? Itās fine to preserve some mystery, but if John knows why he believes Hal betrayed the oath, why doesnāt the audience? So far, it feels like a lot of telling without enough showing.
We finally get a bead on the Manhunter in Episode 5, but even that fell a little flat for me. And the fight between John and Hal was honestly embarrassing. At this point, Iām fully Team Hal.
Yes, Hal hasnāt always been nice to Johnābut John has been lying to him while his ridiculous parents constantly call and practically goad him into killing Hal and taking the ring. John knew who the Manhunter was and told neither Hal nor the Guardians. Meanwhile, Halās great offense in the present story is that heās trying to save the damn town. Could he have handled it more diplomatically? Sure. But while the writers appear determined to suggest Hal was never worthy of the ring, heās the only one of the two consistently trying to save people.
I was genuinely happy when John finally said, in effect, āScrew this noise,ā walked away from the Guardians and rejected the ring. Hopefully, heās also beginning to reject his parentsā control.
Unfortunately, it now looks like the final three episodes will become a whodunit surrounding Hal, which probably means less Kyle Chandlerāand that makes me sad. I just hope the series doesnāt continue tarnishing the legacies of both characters, because they each deserve better than that petty fight.
