‘Lanterns’ Just Got Deeper on Every Single Level

The first episode of Lanterns set the table. Now, the second episode served the full meal . With Green Lantern Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and his trainee John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) in Rushville, Nebraska, with proof that there are aliens around, it’s time to do some detective work. But first, Hal needs to teach John a thing or two, which sets both men on their paths ripe with narrative revelations. Let’s recap the second episode of Lanterns .

Hal dumps a bucket of water on John to wake him up, definitely starting the day off on the wrong foot. John is super agitated but calms a bit when he realizes Hal wants to teach him how to fly. He puts on the ring, thinks “flight,” and…nothing. It’s almost embarrassing except that a green bird appears out of nowhere. Hal seems shocked by this, John is confused, and Hal has a backup plan. He’s already pre-bought John a ticket to fly back to Coast City to get the Lantern to charge the ring. John is rightfully insulted because it shows that Hal never thought he was going to fly. But also, Hal now wants John to keep the green bird alive and bring him back.

As John heads cross-country, Hal goes into detective mode. He notices the football field where the murders happened has metal detectors that don’t seem to detect metal, and he finds the same metal detectors at a large town meeting that he was not made aware of. There, he’s informed that the charges against him have been dropped and he’s free to go home. But everyone wanting him to go home makes him think that’s a bad idea.

Hal has to leave the meeting because John calls him from his house. The house is massive and, apparently, was given to John by a rich person he helped at one point. As the conversation is happening, Hal breaks into the town morgue to steal the alien bodies from the football field. He doesn’t make John aware of that, however. John searches through Hal’s house and finds the voice-activated safe that contains the pocket dimension that contains the Lantern that will charge the ring. John grabs it, and then feeds Hal’s pet Earl, who just so happens to be a massive carnivorous plant in the backyard. Which is a very weird wrinkle in the story of who Hal Jordan is.

As he expected, Hal takes the alien corpses back to the football field, and wouldn’t you know it? They set off the alarm. Somehow, Rushville, Nebraska has alien detectors so advanced that Hal later says he’s never seen them in all his travels across the galaxy. He even heads to Macon’s ranch to confront him about it, and leaves with a bullet through his shoulder. A warning shot. Leave Rushville, or else.

John leaves Hal’s place, only to get jumped and kidnapped. In the van, he escapes again, setting up a fun little highway chase before he’s hit by a car and kidnapped…again. A little repetitive? Sure. But the episode was lacking in action.

The people who snatched John are revealed to be the same group whose members were killed at the football field. Aliens. Aliens who are on Earth looking for a Manhunter. John doesn’t know what a Manhunter is, and so the lead alien, played by The Wire ‘s Paul Ben-Victor, decides not just to tell him, but to show him.