You know, back in my day if you were a streaming series, you had your format breaker in the second to last episode of the season. But now? Third episode, if both the first season of The Last of Us and this week’s episode of Lanterns on HBO are any indication!
It’s a bit of an odd thing (and don’t worry, we’re going to get to the recap for Lanterns in a moment) as “Long, Long Time,” the third episode of Last of Us is generally considered one of the best episodes of the series. My personal opinion was it didn’t work. We hadn’t spent enough time getting to know the main characters in the season yet to go away from them for an entire hour. And even if Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett are outstanding, zooming back in time to give us information on things we don’t really know about yet is the sort of thing you can lay in later, not earlier.
On the other hand, Lanterns’ format breaker works. And it works because it gives us vitally necessary info on John Stewart (Aaron Pierre), one of the two leads of the series, his relationship to Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler), as well as explaining further how the two have ended up in the situation we find them in, in 2016 (aka the main timeline of the show thus far). It’s a masterful hour that’s buoyed by two phenomenal performances by Jasmine Cephas-Jones as Bernadette Stewart and J. Alphonse Nicholson as John Stewart Sr., which also is there not to just be an acting showcase but to explain why John is the way he is.
There’s a lot more here, of course, including the introduction of Laura Linney as a Guardian, the boss of the Lanterns. It’s a classic sci-fi robot-esque “what is love?” character, and Linney does seem to be having a lot of fun here. Plus, while we’re back in time we do get a lot more ammunition for theories about the mysteries on the show – particularly, I’m feeling good on my “Who Killed Hal Jordan?” theory at this point, though we don’t get much on the Manhunter thing dropped in Episode 2.
Similarly, one objection I could see to this episode is we ended on Hal facing off with Sinestro (Ulrich Thomsen) in Episode 2, and we clearly won’t get back to that until next week. For fans of the DC Comics material, that sure could be frustrating, huh? Mind you, it worked for me because of the razor focus of the writing and direction, but I could see it not working for everyone.
Also perhaps not working for everyone: I’ve seen some advance reviewers express concern about the Black family dynamics here, and whether it’s playing on harmful tropes. Full disclosure: I am not Black, so I don’t feel comfortable speaking to this in any way. But if anyone does have links or feedback from reviewers of color, I’d love to read them.
Okay, those qualifiers out of the way, let’s get into the recap. And (more) spoilers for Lanterns Episode 3 past this point.
Trust Fall
Things start out in 2016, but earlier in 2016 than we’ve seen previously, in media res with John falling into what looks like an abandoned mall onto what looks like CGI-ed mattresses. He sees an arrow pointing him in the direction he must go, and for you Easter egg heads there’s a neat one in the mall right off: Janus Cosmetics. That’s a company traditionally owned by Batman villain The Black Mask, aka Roman Sionis, and you can even see the model on the ad in the window of the store half covered with black… Something. Unclear, but it’s basically a black mask, so there you go. Will all the Gotham City references add up to something by the end (DCU Batman perhaps)? Probably not, but I guess we’ll see.
Entering an office (dark, also abandoned), John does his best Backrooms impression and heads to a stockroom, then the manager’s office, where he’s greeted by Laura Linney (aka, a Guardian as we find out later), who is dismissing another candidate for the job – or seems to be. She asks John to wait, which he does, unflinching, all night long, while pigeons coo outside the window (note the bird theme, which John dismissed last episode). We’ll also find out later in this episode why he has this patience, and can wait this long, silently… He did it for months, at least once.
The next morning the Guardian enters, surprised he didn’t move. He lays out who Guardians are: the ruling body of the cosmos, the founders of the Green Lantern Corps, and there were 12 though one recently died. That would be the one Sinestro killed during his failed coup, by the way, as mentioned last week. Also, they’re blue, though the Guardian explains that they need to be in human form for budget reasons. Sorry, I mean: because it’ll be more pleasurable.
John’s got a question back for her: why are they interviewing for the job of Green Lantern if usually they’re chosen by the ring. The answer? That dead Guardian.
There’s a pause, and John asks if he’s supposed to say something. The Guardian explains that most candidates ask “why me?” but John answers, “I know exactly why me.” Which is the plot of this episode! Why John?
It Ain’t Easy Being Green
Flash back to baby John in his crib. His mom is called by Marcus, John’s older brother, and she leaves the room as a green light bathes it. We don’t see what happens, but later find out that yeah, this was Abin Sur’s ring finding John Stewart Sr., waking him up in a green bubble of energy, and asking “Are you afraid?” As baby John watches, his father screams that yes, he is afraid… And so the ring goes to Hal Jordan, instead. John cries, John Sr. is having a panic attack, and we cut to the opening title.
When is this? Likely around 1986, as we discover Green Lantern is now established as a hero, though his identity is still unknown (he reveals himself as Hal Jordan during the 60 Minutes interview in 1996, in the series premiere). As we watch a news reporter talk about Green Lantern saving the day, he receives a statement that explains though they can’t see his face, he’s a hero, and when he received the ring he was only asked one question: “If I was afraid… I am fearless,” at which point John Sr. shoots the TV.
Bernadette is terrified, and John Sr. clearly has lost it after getting bubbled in the middle of the night and losing out the chance to be a hero. Bernadette doesn’t believe any of this happened, she just wants the gun and to protect the sobbing Baby John (and her two other sons, of course). John Sr. hands over the gun, and Bernadette kicks him out of the house.
Guardians Of The Galaxy
Later, though, when she’s taking out the garbage, who should show up, but the Guardian. She’s looking for Sergeant Stewart, and wants to apologize for any “lingering trauma caused by our latest communication.” As compensation, she hands over a frankly enormous diamond, and Bernadette is confused. Turns out, the candidates considered for Green Lantern – there were more than John Sr. and Hal, it seems – have also been wrecked by what happened.
Bernadette continues to be dubious, asking the surprised Guardian to prove she’s an alien. And she does, though we only see it from Bernadette’s perspective as the Guardian grows and stretches, revealing she’s enormously tall, blue-skinned, with short cropped white hair and a jacket with a white “X” design (at least what we can see). While this is relatively accurate with their depiction in DC Comics (the design on the back looks a lot like the outfit worn by the hero Adam Strange, though the Guardians usually are wearing red cloaks with a white bit in the front emblazoned with a Green Lantern symbol), they’re not usually tall; they’re famously short creatures. Is this Guardian floating, perhaps, rather than 10-12 feet tall? Maybe!
We don’t find out because she Linney-izes again, and Bernadette invites her in for coffee. She reveals she’s a teacher, and the Guardian reveals that since they’ve never had a Green Lantern from Earth, they didn’t realize the selection process would go the way it did.
Then Bernadette lays it out. “Do you know the differences in race on Earth?” she asks. “Do you understand how unfair it is to ask a Black man in America if he’s afraid?”
While we pause to let all the writers in the writers room high five each other, Bernadette goes deeper into trying to explain how race is treated in America to the Guardian, who just does not understand. And Bernadette considers that typical, too. “Even in space, y’all don’t consider us,” she says… Which is when the Guardian comes up with an idea: whatever the ring saw in John Sr., John Jr. has that and then some thanks to the fearlessness that comes from Bernadette.
So Bernadette realizes she needs to raise John to be fearless, and the Guardian gives her her word that they will give John a fair shot when it’s time. Which she’s doing in the interview, where John mentions when his mom tried to cash the diamond, the police came to visit her. The Guardian apologizes – again – and the conversation turns to how John became a marine as part of the “path,” to get across the table at this very interview.
No Rules, Just Right
Flash back again to a few years back, the now adult John enters a bar or diner, dressed in full Sergeant Major uniform. That’s a bit of a mistake as his direct superior lays out, this was supposed to be an undercover meeting (of note the superior orders him a steak and a beer despite John being vegan and sober) at an Outback Steakhouse.
To the mission, they need a sniper to take out codename Gray Wolf, aka Arkady Ivanovich Petrov (Jerry Gureghian). This, by the way, is an odd amalgamation of several DC Comics things. Gray Wolf is a member of Batman Inc, essentially a Chechen Batman (though he also has ties to Lex Luthor). However, that character’s name is Anzor, while there’s a The Flash villain named Mister Element whose real name is Alexander Petrov; and Gavril Ivanovich is a Rocket Red (sort of a Russian Iron Man) who joins the Justice League International. Short version? This guy is “generic foreign bad guy” and that’s all you need to know.
John will head to a house in the Kamchatka Peninsula, the only place they know Gray Wolf heads to on any regular basis – though they don’t know when, or how long he’ll stay. John knows he wasn’t the first guy sent on this mission… Three were sent, and none have returned. John’s offered a panic button, which he refuses: “I don’t do panic.” And the commander asks about John Sr. after his “struggles,” with John saying his father is “much better,” though whether that’s true or not is unclear.
Back in Baby John times again, Bernadette talks to John Sr., who is sleeping on the couch. She apologizes for treating him like he’s crazy, shows him the diamond, and tells him that he won’t ever be Green Lantern – but John Jr. might. Bernadette lays it out for John Sr., that they didn’t work this hard to break every stereotype and “face down every fear for you to be penalized.” And Aaron and Marcus, their other sons are too old; they already know fear, while Baby John does not.
“How do you make a Green Lantern?” John Sr asks, raspily giving up his own dream for his son, and Bernadette explains that they’ll condition John to not feel fear, make him better than Hal. And Bernadette wants this not just for John, but to repair their lives too.
“He’s going to hate us,” John Sr says. “So be it,” answers Bernadette, and the pact is made.
In a plane over Kamchatka, John jumps out, Captain America style, though things go wrong immediately: his parachute gets struck by lightning, gets injured by a tree branch, and falls into the freezing water while bleeding from his leg. He makes it out alive, of course, but not a great start for the months that followed.
Back at the interview, he explains that he was dishonorably discharged, which concerns the Guardian. “No disobedience,” John says, he had a mission to complete and he failed.
Hitting a bit of a wall as John says why he failed was classified, the Guardian asks him about Sinestro. John repeats the headlines. She asks him what he thinks of Hal, he says he doesn’t think about him, and respects people in authority, as his father taught him.
The Guardian explains that Sinestro was Hal’s teacher and they’re troubled Hal still harbors affection for him. John explains that’s human, we love the people who raised us “even if they’re crazy.”
It Is Your Destiny
Speaking of which, on the occasion of John’s fifth birthday (so around 1991), he’s got a bird birthday cake (again with the birds) and his parents and brothers are singing to him. They got him a present, and it’s a Green Lantern costume… It’s time to tell him about his “destiny.” They tell it to him plain, that he’s going to be the Green Lantern when he grows up, though they add a few flourishes, like the Guardians want John and only John to be the next Lantern – and “they would send birds to watch over us,” and report back to the Guardians, which explains the birds! Bernadette tells John that he can’t worry about anyone but himself, setting him on a lonely path parallel to Hal. They also give him a rifle, which the Guardian wonders: is that why he became a sniper?
Speaking of being a sniper (and I was going to make a joke about it, but this episode is doing an excellent job of balancing multiple timelines), a bleeding John stumbles through the woods until he finds a safe(ish) place to set up and watch Gray Wolf’s house. While he does this, the Guardian (in voiceover) asks 2016 John if he likes the distance, though she really means is he close to anyone. John says he likes being alone and he doesn’t get distracted, though this is either a lie or self-delusion, something him banging Zoe Macon in a truck and trying to bond with her last episode shows as a fallacy.
Playing on the loneliness theme (remember, Kerry noted that Hal wasn’t fearless, he’s lonely in the premiere) the Guardian says she has no family: “We come into existence alone, and we die the same.” John thinks that’s sad, but the Guardian is surprised. “Is it?” she asks.
And now we’re back to Kid John. They’re trying to set up a satellite dish so they can call the Guardians, when he puts an apple on his head “like William Tell.” John asks for his dad to shoot the apple off his head, and while Bernadette eggs her husband on he takes aim at his son. “Are you afraid?” John Sr. asks, unsure about shooting at his son. But he does it, and John doesn’t flinch (unlike his parents), who reward him with a cheeseburger.
ATLien Nation
Assuring the Guardian he’s going to get the job, we see John back at Gray Wolf’s for months, keeping himself fresh, eating berries, and watching the house day and night. That cuts to Kid John again, who is listening to Outkast’s “ATLien” on the radio and wondering about the lyrics. John hesitates to sing the lyrics, and then does it on the urging of his brothers. The car stops, and Bernadette asks John to get out in a bad neighborhood – not because of the song, but because of his training. Also, not over-stated here: they are training John to fit into “white” society.
The young John walks home as sirens blare in the background, walking past people on the street. He does make it home to the sounds of his family having fun without him. His mother has been waiting for him, she saved him a pork chop. And while she gives him no affection as he falls on the bed crying, it’s clear this is taking a toll on her, as well. “We all lived in the same house for 18 years,” John explains to the Guardian. “I grew up missing them.”
Bernadette is trying to call the Guardians, and she’s desperate, she clearly wants this to be over. After a shooting session, she tells John to shoot an apple off John Sr’s head, and she seems confident… But John can’t do it. He is afraid, after all that. A woodpecker flies up, and Bernadette takes the gun. Later, John is sketching in his room, and shows her a picture of an apple with a hole in it, and tells him that loving his father isn’t anything to be ashamed of. “You know how many little boys don’t even get a daddy to love?” she asks, referencing Hal’s origin.
Bernadette, changing tactics, tells John that love is the most important thing; and then tells him the birds aren’t watching, they made it up. Further, she confesses that the Guardians aren’t talking to them… But that doesn’t mean they aren’t listening. She compares John’s training to Hal’s “privileged” life, and that he didn’t have to know fear; but they’re giving that gift to John.
“Sometimes a Black man has to raise his own hand,” Bernadette continues. “Doesn’t mean you’re not good enough, doesn’t mean you’re not better. It just means they don’t see us.”
She then gives John the choice: continue his training, or not, it’s up to him. And John chooses to shoot the apple… Off his mother’s head. There’s a hostility here, a revenge for her lying to him all these years. And while he does shoot the apple safely off her head, he confesses he hates cheeseburgers. It’s that moment in anyone’s life when they realize their parents are human, and it flips the dynamic.
Hal Pass
So why was John discharged from the military? Finally, Gray Wolf pulls up the mansion, but John doesn’t have a clear shot. Again, he’s unable to take it when the target appears in his window, and then the next morning, barely able to keep his eyes open, comes his last chance. He’s about to shoot when suddenly something breaks the sound barrier. A green bubble covers the target, the house blows up, and John is knocked back. Of course, it’s Hal, who flies down, grabs Gray Wolf, and flies away. After all those months, the Green Lantern pulled John’s shot away from him.
Back at Outback Steakhouse, the commander is talking to John, now out of military uniform: it’s been nine months, and they thought he was dead. And it turns out that Hal was at a strip club when the Deputy Defense Secretary arrived, got a little tipsy, told Hal about Gray Wolf, and so he grabbed him and dropped the criminal off at Guantanamo. The US military took responsibility for the action, but the Catch-22 is they need a fall guy since they weren’t supposed to be there. That would be John, who agrees to the dismissal, a dishonorable discharge.
Playing with a football on his childhood bed, the now grown John laments that everything is gone, everything he worked for. But not everything is gone: he got accepted to art school after his mom applied for him. She wants him to keep trying to be Green Lantern, but taking a different path by making himself happy. John does go to art school, and is happily drawing models and birds when a man invites him to interview for a special project.
John proceeds to pick up a massive drawing board to sketch the building they’re in, while sitting on a stool and it’s crazy he doesn’t just lean on a table or something but I digress. Next, the man asks him to sketch a watch… And pulls out a Green Lantern ring, asking him to manifest his father’s watch.
Realizing it’s finally happening, you can see the anticipation on John’s face, and even some fear as he assembles a watch from parts, a perfect construct. He gives the ring back to the man, who locks the door. He tells John they’ve been watching his progress and it’s time for his interview.
The man (who is clearly a Guardian) drops a black ball on the floor, which opens a hole/portal. John jumps in, and we cut back to the beginning of the episode with him falling into the abandoned mall. Pure speculation here, but I wonder if this dude (played by actor Sergio Lanza) is supposed to be Ganthet, the most prominent of the Guardians in the comics? Or is Linney Ganthet? Neither of them?
Then we’re caught up to the interview, and the “present” – or rather, two months ago. Which is when we get to the point of this whole charade… The Guardian (Linney, to be clear), asks to confirm that it’s because of Hal Jordan that he’s not in the military, which John does. She asks if John’s family life is “complicated” because of Hal Jordan, and John again agrees.
While John says he doesn’t harbor any ill will towards Hal because he was following orders, the Guardian reveals that well, he wasn’t. They had repeatedly told Hal not to use his powers to “intervene in terrestrial disputes,” something that, by the way, is pretty consistent with the DC Comics version of the character… Hal often goes rogue and clashes with the Guardians.
“Would you be comfortable replacing Hal Jordan,” the Guardian asks, “With the understanding that he would be under the impression that you are simply his backup.”
“Are those my orders?” John asks, with the Guardian saying that if he gets the job, yes, those are his orders. “Then it doesn’t matter if I’m comfortable with it.”
…And that gets him the job; not of being Hal’s trainee, not when Hal dies, but his replacement, now, secretly.
Thrilled, John returns home to tell his parents, but Hal is already there. We discover why Hal calls John “Junior” as he asks John’s parents if he is a Junior, though it’s clearly derogatory as well. Hal is overly chipper, explaining that he “just had to meet my new protege,” and continues that if they raised him he’s probably great. “Y’all two are salt of the Earth, like the Midwest Huxtables,” Hal says, the sort of low-key, everyday racism that passes as kindness but is really a microaggression.
Hal asks John to step outside, still all smiles, and tells Hal he was hoping to tell his parents himself. “Aw hell, did I spoil it?” Hal says, and John laughs, telling him it’s okay. And Hal then turns, telling John “I don’t give a flying f**k what you’re hoping for, but I’m guessing it’s this ring right here. And I don’t need a f**king sidekick, and I don’t want a f**king backup, and the only way you’re gonna get this ring is over my dead f**king body.”
Hal finishes by saying they’ll start training Monday morning, and then flies off, clearly trying to punctuate that dismissive little speech. John watches him fly off, and sees a woodpecker on the mailbox. “I think he likes me,” John says to the bird, and walks back in the house while Outkast’s “Gasoline Dreams” plays over the credits.
So there you go! Origin story over, now we really understand the dynamic here… John knows he’s the next Green Lantern, Hal doesn’t know that, and we get a better understanding of where we were in the premiere. Next week, back to Sinestro, perhaps, to help drive that wedge further?
Before we wrap up, let’s dive into our three big mysteries on the show and see if we can suss out any more clues.
Who Killed Hal Jordan?
They’re sure playing with us with that final “Over my dead body” from Hal, and I still feel like that actually is Hal dead at the end of the premiere, even though theories are flying about it being an alien dupe or the Manhunter, instead. As for suspects, I think you could potentially add John here though he really does seem by the book, do the right thing sort of guy; him saying he harbors no ill will feels like the lady doth protest too much.
How about the Guardians? They’re unhappy with Hal, and if they want to speed up the process would they kill him? Maybe, though in general they don’t take direct action (at least in the comics) preferring to work through emissaries like the Green Lanterns, the rings, or the Manhunters.
But my main theory, that John Sr. killed Hal, is one that I’d venture has even more weight after this episode, and you could probably throw Bernadette into the mix as well. Hal Jordan really did ruin both of their lives, and they don’t have the same discipline as John (see Bernadette shaking like a leaf when Young John shoots the apple off her head), so could take revenge for a lifetime of being distanced from their son. You could also throw John’s brothers in there as well, maybe, though they’re sort of non-characters at the moment.
But John Sr? We saw him shoot Hal while watching TV this episode, we saw him with a gun in the opening, and Hal is dead with a gunshot wound in his head. John Sr. had the worst experience of his life because of Hal (sort of), had his own destiny taken from him, and then had his son taken from him as well. And not only that, one could venture given how John Sr. is mostly missing for a chunk of this episode that Bernadette took the lead; he was even a non-factor there, too. If anyone has a reason to kill Hal, it’s John Sr.
Who Is William Macon’s Benefactor?
We don’t really get anything else this episode on this particular mystery, so I’m sticking with the Manhunter for the moment. So…
Who Is The Manhunter?
Same here, nothing really new on the Manhunter mystery. I still say (maybe) Zoe Macon, which seems to be the decided upon theory online, as well. But given the Manhunter can look like anyone, the whole cast is still fair game.
Lanterns Premiere Dates And Episode Guide:
New episodes of Lanterns premiere Sundays on HBO and HBO Max at 9 p.m. ET. Here’s what we expect from the full list of episodes in Lanterns with premiere dates.
- Sunday, August 16, 2026: Lanterns, Episode 1
- Sunday, August 23, 2026: Lanterns, Episode 2
- Sunday, August 30, 2026: Lanterns, Episode 3
- Sunday, September 6, 2026: Lanterns, Episode 4
- Sunday, September 13, 2026: Lanterns, Episode 5
- Sunday, September 20, 2026: Lanterns, Episode 6
- Sunday, September 27, 2026: Lanterns, Episode 7
- Sunday, October 4, 2026: Lanterns, Episode 8 *Season Finale*
Where To Watch Lanterns
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