Warning: This review contains full spoilers for Lanterns Season 1, Episode 4!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\nLanterns<\/u> sure left us hanging these past couple of weeks, ending Episode 2 with the debut of Ulrich Thomsen\u2019s Sinestro and then pivoting away to tell a flashback storyline in Episode 3 (a great flashback storyline, but a flashback all the same). Only now in Episode 4 do we see the full reunion between Sinestro and his former protege. It\u2019s a definite high point of the episode, albeit an all too brief one.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s slightly ironic that a show about Manhunters is taking some inspiration from 1986\u2019s Manhunter (and its literary inspiration, Thomas Harris\u2019 Red Dragon). Sinestro is clearly being cast as the Hannibal Lecter figure in this particular investigation, providing his former protege with some much-needed advice and also taking the opportunity to screw with him psychologically. Thomsen really shines in this opening scene. He conveys a clear menace, but you also get a real sense of the history and camaraderie between Sinestro and Kyle Chandler\u2019s Hal. As readers of Geoff Johns\u2019 seminal Green Lantern run will know well, Sinestro ultimately sees himself as nothing more or less than Hal\u2019s friend. He may have ulterior motives in this show, but he seems to be genuinely trying to help Hal out of a dangerous predicament. <\/p>\n
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Lanterns Images<\/h3>\n<\/span><\/output><\/p>\n
My main complaint here, again, is that the Hal\/Sinestro reunion is over too soon. Sinestro is too key a character to the Green Lantern mythos to be treated as such a small supporting player. I would have loved more of this sci-fi-flavored spin on the classic Will Graham\/Hannibal Lecter dynamic, whether that consists of flashbacks to their pre-uprising relationship or simply more scenes of the two conversing in the prison. Later on, Hal recounts what Sinestro told him about Manhunters struggling to replicate human hearts. Why couldn\u2019t we have seen that portion of their conversation? We can only hope the series finds room to bring Thomsen back in a more substantive role in the back half of Season 1, but right now, it seems just as likely this is all we\u2019re going to see of the character. <\/p>\n
I feel similarly about the other key GL villain introduced in Episode 4, Jason Manuel Olaz\u00e1bal\u2019s Hector Hammond. We basically get one good, solid sequence out of Hector and that\u2019s it. The standoff between Hector and Hal\/John (Aaron Pierre) is tense and stressful in the best way, but it\u2019s also over very quickly. At that point, we learn that Hector is really just Hector Guti\u00e9rrez, another fakeout used by the Manhunter to throw our heroes off their scent. And unlike Sinestro, there\u2019s not even any prior history between Hal and Hector in this universe. This is a major DC villain who\u2019s being effectively wasted as a one-off misdirection. <\/p>\n
So there\u2019s definitely a newfound element of frustration to Lanterns in Episode 4. Up till now, I haven\u2019t minded the series\u2019 decision to downplay some of the franchise\u2019s more fantastical trappings. It\u2019s necessary from a practical TV-making perspective, and it suits the story being told. But seeing such major GL characters being introduced and then whisked off the board so unceremoniously is harder to stomach. <\/p>\n\n\nWhat We Thought of Lanterns Episode 3<\/h3>\n <\/p>\n<\/output><\/p>\n
“Anyone bored with the typical tropes when it comes to superhero origin stories definitely needs to give Lanterns Episode 3 a watch. This installment succeeds in crafting a very different and extremely compelling take on John Stewart’s formative years, revealing how two deeply committed but downright abusive parents shaped him into the fearless soldier he is in 2016. With a cleverly structured narrative and great performances all around, this episode is easily the strongest chapter of Lanterns so far.” -Jesse Schedeen, 08\/30\/2026<\/p>\n
Click here to read our full review.<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<\/section>\n
Fortunately, Lanterns still has its biggest selling point to fall back upon – the eternal friction between cantankerous veteran Hal Jordan and ambitious rookie John Stewart. That strength remains fully on display in Episode 4, which manages to deftly balance the inherent comedy of this pairing and the simmering tensions within Rushville. In the case of the former, we get a lot of fun banter between the two characters, and even some good jokes regarding John\u2019s dour, stoic demeanor. Plus, there\u2019s the heightened nature of their latest, very awkward meeting with a proudly naked Will Macon (Garret Dillahunt). Investigating Macon\u2019s Weenie indeed. <\/p>\n
Episode 4 is at its best when it highlights the growing friction between Hal and John. Both men are increasingly at odds with one another. Each is hiding things from the other. Moreover, each has been given clear advice to betray the other and elevate their own station. The question of whether John will backstab Hal and claim the ring hangs over every scene that follows his conversation with the Guardian Lianna (Laura Linney). We\u2019ve seen that years of abusive parentage and single-minded training<\/u> have molded John into a man who follows orders without question. Is that blind obedience what the Guardians crave, more than fearlessness? What happens when John is inevitably forced to choose between his desire for the ring and his loyalty to Hal? Does that loyalty even still exist following this episode\u2019s dramatic final scene? A lot to ponder heading into Episode 5.<\/p>\n
Also of note is that we seem to have our answer regarding the mystery of the undercover Manhunter. Despite the giant red herring that was Zoe\u2019s \u201cdeath\u201d scene, she\u2019s been revealed as Macon\u2019s mysterious benefactor. As far as twists go, this one is pretty obvious, so it\u2019s just as well the writers didn\u2019t drag things out any longer. Predictable or not, it\u2019s a reveal that works, and I\u2019m excited to see where things go now that the Lanterns (and Antaan\u2019s crew) know who their quarry is. We may be only halfway through the season, but the 2016 conflict sure is heating up. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n<\/span><\/p>\nOne final sidebar – I didn\u2019t really hone in on this before, but it\u2019s certainly interesting that Sheriff Kerry (Kelly Macdonald) is a former Gotham City native whose last name is Kane. Is she somehow related to Kate Kane (and by extension, Bruce Wayne himself)? I can\u2019t imagine the Kane\/Gotham connection is mere coincidence. Presumably, we\u2019ll get more on Kerry\u2019s backstory before Season 1 is finished.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Read Full Article At Source <\/a>Warning: This review contains full spoilers for Lanterns Season 1, Episode 4! Lanterns sure left us hanging these past couple of weeks, ending Episode 2…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":82899,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[5776,12674,16298,28,668],"class_list":["post-82898","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tech-gadgets-reviews","tag-episode","tag-lanterns","tag-recap","tag-review","tag-season","wpcat-32-id"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82898","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=82898"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82898\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/82899"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=82898"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=82898"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=82898"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}