There Were Big Teases for James Gunn’s DCU in the New ‘Lanterns'

One of the things I have loved most about Lanterns is that it hasn’t felt the need to get too grand. The story exists in a larger universe, and revelations will affect that, but at its heart it’s still a grounded detective story. I really thought that might change this week, especially with the introduction of Guy Gardner, but the show stayed true to its detective (nailed it) roots, kept unraveling a murder mystery with a few more answers, and kept the questions coming while bringing James Gunn’s DCU more into the picture.

The newest episode picks up firmly in 2026, leaving 2016 in the past. John Stewart is now a successful architect, much like his comic-book counterpart, and works with his brother. They’re making a massive pitch for a series of stadium-sized panic rooms, and they have one last person to convince. Immediately, I was struck by Aaron Pierre’s performance in this episode. His John Stewart feels freer now. Happier, even. So, of course, that’s when he hears from his mom that Hal is out of prison and wants to apologize.

Lanterns has done a fantastic job referencing Hal Jordan’s lengthy comic book origins while also making them feel fresh. Having him spend time in a literal prison is not new, as a retelling of his origin story called Emerald Dawn found him causing a car accident that left several people injured, and before he accepts his full-time position as a Green Lantern, he goes to jail for his crime. Jordan also spent several years in the mid 2000s trying to make up for atrocities he committed as a being named Parallax (makes more sense when you’re reading it). Having him take the fall for the destruction of Rushville feels like a nod to his complicated past.

John meets with Hal at the diner in Rushville, where Hal has been living, much to his surprise. While Jordan has been talking to John’s mom on the phone, he did not say he wanted to apologize, even though she told John he did. They play the blame game, and it ends with John punching Hal in the nose and an uncharacteristically frightened Jordan begging him not to tell anyone that they met up. It’s a big setup for the show’s central mystery, but also brings Guy Gardner into the picture, as well as a certain caped crusader.

It turns out that, in the years since Rushville’s destruction, Hal’s ring was decommissioned (more on that later), Guy Gardner was given a new ring, and he left a Lantern signal in Rushville to atone for what happened. Hal mocks that prospect, noting that Gardner ripped off some guy in Gotham. This isn’t the first tease for Gunn’s Batman, who seems permanently in flux, but it is the biggest confirmation of how he is viewed. Chances are, if he’s at the point of having a bat signal, he’s no urban legend. It’s possible! But not likely.

After Hal and John’s fight, John heads home only to be called by Sheriff Kane and told that Hal was murdered. We see the scene play out again, which feels a little odd, as John still checks for Hal’s ring. It makes sense for the mystery of it all, but it seems a little silly now that we know he knows Hal didn’t have his ring when he was killed. But it turns out John was the one who broke Hal’s nose, and he still keeps the fact that he was meeting with Hal a secret from the sheriff and decides to remain in town to help investigate.

After turning up more and more questions, Stewart lights up the Lantern signal and gets threatened for his troubles. A group of angry Rushvillians arrives, is soon joined by Billy Macon, and they threaten Stewart to turn it off. Instead, he throws the first punch, lays them all out, goes to the sheriff’s house for dinner, and is later arrested. It may feel like I’m burning through events, but this episode really took its time (for the best), and I don’t want this to get too long in the tooth, so don’t expect a lot of talk about Earl or Hal’s hyper-threatening storage locker.

John spends the night in jail and is awakened by Guy Gardner, who fits seamlessly into the show. I was a little nervous that he wouldn’t translate, but they set him up perfectly, and Nathan Fillion does an excellent job meeting the tone of the show without sacrificing any of his character. Given his extensive acting career, his role bouncing from movies to shows to movies makes a lot of sense and is something he can clearly excel at. I also think they made his hair look slightly less goofy/a little more shaggy, so props to the hair and makeup team.

While Gardner won’t help with the investigation, John asks him to retrieve Jordan’s suit and decommissioned ring. Sheriff Kane had been in a relationship with Jordan at the time of his death, and she and Stewart want to have a funeral. Guy refuses at first, until Stewart notes that Gardner owes him, because if he hadn’t turned down the ring, Gardner wouldn’t have it. He later brings the items and tells John not to steal the ring. John tries to play it cool, and Guy Gardner reads him for filth, noting that he’s the kind of freak who will make people think he isn’t one. He also revealed that someone has freed Sinestro from prison, adding more trouble to James Gunn’s DCU.

John also spends much of the episode avoiding his mother and father, the latter of whom has been sent to some kind of assisted living home. He also ends up screwing up the big deal he was setting up with his brother, as instead of being there to negotiate, he’s busy digging up Hal Jordan’s body to do exactly what Guy Gardner accused him of wanting to do. At first, I thought John would be getting the ring to use it later, but I had completely forgotten the trick Hal taught him about slamming it flat on a flat surface to jump-start it. I practically jumped out of my seat, cheering when John did it and revealed Hal’s hologram.

I’m not one hundred percent ready to close Hal’s casket, but he does seem pretty dead. His hologram will be joining the investigation, but the death of the man himself feels pretty certain at this point, and the theory that his hologram was the one killed seems all but undone at this point. The showrunners spent the after-show talking about it in a way that felt like them saying, “See?! Dead!” But that could still be smoke and mirrors. That said, it would feel a little cheap to bring him back. However, would I be mad at more Kyle Chandler?! Absolutely not!

The show just continues to do things I do not expect, which is so fantastic. I really thought this one would be more space-oriented. Instead, they kept it grounded. I still think we’ll get more of the wider universe (who broke Sinstro free??), but they could save it all for the last twenty minutes at this point, and I’d be perfectly fine with that. Everything the show has done has worked for me, and I’ll happily stay for the ride.