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Lanterns “The Weenie” Review

Published on by Kyra1 Comment

Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another reaction/review of this week’s episode of Lanterns, “The Weenie.” If you’d like to see our thoughts on last week’s episode “OutKast,” check it out here. This post will only cover “The Weenie.” “The Weenie” goes back to the 2016 timeline, and while the episode is entertaining (Lanterns is a bingeable show), “The Weenie” illustrates why stories shouldn’t feature too many flashbacks: knowing the future (to some extent) can lessen a story’s tension.

I’ll get right to it. Spoiler warning is in effect. Again, I don’t know why someone who hasn’t seen Lanterns at all would want to read a reaction/review of the show’s fourth episode, but hey, you do you. And you’ve been warned about spoilers.

Lanterns‘ pilot ends in 2026 with Hal Jordan dead, and John Stewart checking Hal’s hand for the power ring. Much of “The Weenie’s” main tension exists between Hal and John. Sinestro insists Hal call John by what John really is: Hal’s replacement. The guardian we met last week (during John’s flashback episode) returns this week (in 2016) and tasks John with taking the power ring from Hal. But we (the audience) already know that John didn’t recite the oath and take the ring away from Hal. Why would John check Hal’s hand for a power ring in 2026 (Hal’s death) if he took the ring from Hal in 2016? I wanted the tension to build a lot more than it did. That’s the danger of too many flashbacks or a flashback within a flashback.

I’m done picking at that nit. Despite the reduced tension (from what I would’ve liked), “The Weenie” manages to recapture Lanterns‘ momentum. Losing momentum can also occur with more flashbacks. “The Weenie” onboards viewers into the action. Continuing Hal’s conversation with Sinestro (from episode two, “Trust Fall”) helped. It served as a brief recap. We gain context for John missing his payphone call from his parents; the call was really from the Guardians. And I love Lanterns‘ ability to contrast Hal and John’s personalities. During this episode, John said that everyone, including him, was lying. Lanterns accomplishes this with great dialogue. Most characters give half-truths or at least obfuscate their true intentions.

That last element adds to Lanterns‘ intrigue. The identity of the Manhunter (the killing machine the Guardians created before forming the Green Lantern Corps.) was revealed. I had an inkling as to the Manhunter’s identity. “The Weenie” removed all doubt. I liked how Lanterns executed the reveal. The show let the characters’ nature do the work. Centering one’s narrative with its main characters is always a great choice. Kudos!

And I have to hand it to Lanterns. While the show continues to dodge Green Lantern’s costume, it showed the biggest Lantern construct to date (John’s digging device). Sure, Hal wears the costume during his brief scene with Sinestro, but for the most part, Lanterns doesn’t like to show the character in costume. Getting back to John’s digging device, its inclusion makes me excited for more Lantern constructs in future episodes. Lanterns kept its special effects budget low during the first half of its first season, but the second half of the season should splurge a little.

The town of Rushville continues to be a great setting, almost its own character. “The Weenie” reveals that the Manhunter prevents people in Rushville from getting sick or dying. That explains the hospital’s unpacked equipment and the fact that Hal was the only patient to sign the log. This will cause some future tension between the city of Rushville and the aliens who want to hunt down the Manhunter. The aliens plan to blow up Rushville if Hal and John don’t deliver the Manhunter to them, but the Manhunter means a lot to the town of Rushville. It’s a lose-lose situation, and we do see some demolished buildings in Rushville during John Stewart’s return to the town (in 2026). Something explodes, but what? How? Unlike John’s refusal to take the ring from Hal, we know less about Rushville’s fate.

We didn’t see much of Rushville in 2026. The sheriff talks to John as if life continued for the town of Rushville…in some capacity. I like that Lanterns is using Manhunters as its chief villain for its first season. Teasing Sinestro is a great touch. Something tells me we’ll see the Sinestro Corps. before the season finale. I’m still waiting for Guy Gardner to make an appearance. Lanterns continues to use Fillion’s Gardner as its thumbnail. The big teasers. Does this mean Gardner got the ring before Stewart? Was he the one who took the ring from Hal? Who knows? Lanterns has done a great job setting up these mysteries. Time will tell if the show sticks the landing.

Those are my thoughts on Lanterns “The Weenie.” What are yours? Let us know in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Lanterns “Pilot” Review

Published on by Kyra1 Comment

Happy Saturday, Geekly Gang! The Lanterns pilot episode released this past week, and I’ve had some time to watch the show a few times. I’ve got some thoughts and if Season’s watched the episode, she may have thoughts as well. It’s time for another Geekly review/reaction of Lanterns “Pilot” episode. Before we begin, I’ll warn everyone that there will be spoilers for Lanterns “Pilot.” Okay, that’s out of the way. Let’s get into the show.

Kyra’s Take

Lanterns “Pilot” does everything a pilot episode should do for a series. It does a great job showing us the main characters (Hal Jordan and John Stewart) and their relationship, it creates intrigue (the question that must be answered by the end of the season), and the small town in western Nebraska even becomes its own character. Great work. If Lanterns wasn’t part of the DCU or based on the Green Lantern property, I’d probably give the episode a near perfect score. It is that good. But Lanterns has yet to follow through with two simple and easy genre expectations for a superhero show/movie: costumes and powers.

And this is on the heels of Supergirl (review here if you want to read it), which also featured a superhero who refused to wear her costume for three-quarters of the movie’s runtime. But at least Supergirl used her powers. Lanterns barely shows Hal Jordan using his ring, and John Stewart recounts what he does with the ring to the audience. Bubble wrap would’ve been nice to see. Superhero stories don’t have too many genre expectations, but not meeting either one (costumes or powers) is a little concerning. I’m concerned about Lanterns; we haven’t reached gripe levels yet. I could see saving money on special effects (powers), but you made the Green Lantern costume. Why not show Hal in the costume for more than fifteen seconds? I know. I know. Character reasons, but the DCU already did that with Supergirl. Will this become a trend? But I meant what I said. Lanterns “Pilot” is almost pitch-perfect.

I’m putting the costume/power concerns on the backburner. Lanterns comes out with a bang. The audience can tell Jon and Hal have a long history. I love their opening scene in the car. “Why do your ‘sirs’ sound like f*** yous?” Classic. Both men come from broken homes. Hal’s father died in a plane crash, and we don’t see John’s mother. The two react differently to their circumstances and this shines through their character choices. Jon using the ring for bubble wrap meant he totaled Hal’s car. Something Hal takes offense to. We do hear why Hal no longer wears his costume. Fair. He could’ve worn the costume under a bomber jacket and jeans. Just saying. And that’s where the show shifts to western Nebraska. Like I said, the little town becomes a character, an engaging character.

I like how Hal navigates the small town politics. Again, it’s obvious this isn’t the first time Hal has visited this Nebraskan town. He even mentions that the town is close to where he gained his Green Lantern ring. This town is more than it seems. The sheriff (portrayed by brilliant character actor, Kelly Macdonald) may try to deny it, but aliens regularly visit this Nebraska town. An alien entity has infiltrated this town, and the sheriff’s father-in-law builds a militia to fend Earth from the aliens he believes will colonize the planet. Lanterns has a lot to say about the world’s current climate. Xenophobia runs rampant in parts of the United States, especially parts like rural Nebraska. I can’t wait to see more of this town and its citizens. Lanterns does a great job of creating a fascinating web.

And that’s before we talk about the alien Hal and John encounter. Extraterrestrials do want to infiltrate this Nebraska town. It’s for the power ring. It’s gotta be for the power ring. A conversation between Hal and John in a bar all but confirms these aliens’ intent. And I love the bar scene from Lanterns “Pilot.” Again, we see how these two Green Lanterns tick. John shows far more patience than his mentor. Despite Hal giving John his ring for safe keeping, John refuses to put on the ring. He believes it’s a test. And knowing what little we do about this version of Hal Jordan, it may be a test. But my favorite moment was when Hal counterfeits a $20 to flood the bar’s jukebox with Melanie’s “Brand New Key.” He pisses off the bar regulars, and they fight him. All of this was a ploy to get arrested so he could interrogate the alien the town’s sheriff has in custody. Everyone, including John Stewart, dubs this a stupid plan. So good.

How this little town works could be its own show. Aliens and Green Lanterns are just a bonus. This may be where my disconnect derives. Lanterns “Pilot” is a great episode, but is it a story unique to Green Lantern? We’ll see. Hal’s bizarre behavior deserves more exploration. He frequents this Nebraska town, and the episode ends with his passing and missing his power ring. Uh oh! Again, brilliant way to open a series. I see a handful of flashbacks in the future while John Stewart unearths who has Hal’s ring, because it’s obvious John doesn’t. When he examines Hal’s body, John looks for Hal’s ring and doesn’t find it. Lanterns “Pilot” lays down a stellar opening for the series. This episode leaves us with plenty of questions and some characters that require more digging.

Those are my thoughts on Lanterns “Pilot” episode. Let us know yours in the comments. Looks like I’m on my own this week. Season may catch up for next week’s episode of Lanterns. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.