Here’s When This Week’s Episode Drops On HBO Max

Episode 2 “Trust Fall”: Back in 2016, Hal continues John’s extremely unconventional training. John demonstrates potentially extraordinary abilities when he creates a small green bird construct that somehow continues existing even after he no longer has the ring. John is then abducted by a group led by an alien named Antaan, who tells him about the Manhunters—ancient synthetic predecessors to the Green Lantern Corps capable of disguising themselves as other species. Antaan believes a Manhunter responsible for annihilating his people is now hiding in human form somewhere in Rushville, and that Hal may know more about it than he’s admitting.

Meanwhile, Hal discovers that Macon has installed advanced alien-detection technology around town. When Hal confronts him about where he got it, in typical Hal fashion, one of Macon’s men shoots Hal. After a brief stay in a very creepy hospital (unsettlingly empty) Hal and John reunite. John ultimately tells Hal everything Antaan revealed, despite being warned not to. The episode ends with Hal traveling off-world, in his Lantern super-suit, to question his imprisoned former mentor, Sinestro (Ulrich Thomsen). Before the credits roll, Sinestro warns Hal: if a Manhunter really survives, it’s only the second-biggest threat Hal is facing. He then asks him about John Stewart.

Episode 3 “OutKast”: Last week’s episode largely abandons the present-day Rushville investigation to tell John Stewart’s origin story. We learn that John’s father, John Stewart Sr., was originally tested by Abin Sur’s ring but admitted that he was afraid, causing the ring to pass him over and ultimately choose Hal Jordan instead. The experience traumatized John Sr. and fractured the family, but it also brought the Guardians into their lives. A Guardian named Lianna tells John’s mother, Bernadette, that her infant son could someday become a Green Lantern, prompting Bernadette to spend John’s childhood deliberately training him to conquer fear, often through extreme and highly questionable (super unhinged!) methods. John eventually becomes a Marine sniper, but his military career ends in disgrace after Hal intervenes in a terrestrial conflict, putting John on a very different path.

Years later, John is summoned for an elaborate interview with Lianna, who reveals that the Guardians have been watching him for essentially his entire life. More importantly, John isn’t simply being recruited as Hal’s apprentice: the Guardians have lost faith in Hal and intend John to replace him. Hal is ordered to train John but is furious about being pushed aside, especially after learning that the Guardians prefer his replacement. When John returns home to tell his parents the news, Hal has already beaten him there and announced it himself. Outside, Hal makes his hostility clear, telling John that he doesn’t need a sidekick and that John will get his ring “over my dead body,” an ominous line given that the series has already shown us Hal’s apparent death in 2026.

As of now, the big mysteries are: Who is the Manhunter? It has to be someone (or more than one) person in Rushville and it’s almost certainly somebody we ‘ve already met. What is Macon involved in and who is his mysterious benefactor? What makes John so unusually powerful? What does Sinestro know about him? Who kills Hal and takes his ring in 2026? And are the Guardians using John for nefarious reasons? Something doesn’t smell right.

Also, how does Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion) have the ring in the modern timeline (which we know is true because of Superman and Peacemaker) rather than John? That makes me think that John was never intended to get it in the first place and this is all some elaborate setup.

I’m reviewing this series each week, and so far I have mixed feelings. It’s not bad, but it’s a little slow at times and perhaps a bit too opaque for casual viewers. While I enjoy a good slow burn, I’m still not invested enough in the characters or the story and I think the show could have done a better job hooking non-Green Lantern fans in a little better, even if some of these mysteries are certainly fun. Links to my written and video recaps below:

Why ‘Lanterns’ Is A Big Deal For The DCU