DC Studios' Lanterns has gotten off to one heck of a start! The brand new installment of the DC Universe kicked off on both HBO and HBO Max this August with a truly thrilling series premiere. Having been in development for so long (and undergoing a complete reinvention when James Gunn and Peter Safran took over as the co-chairmen and CEOs of DC Studios), it needed to deliver. Needless to say that it did.
The first episode showcased veteran Green Lantern Hal Jordan attempting to train his new protégé John Stewart. There were just two problems with that: Lanterns aren't supposed to have proteges, and Jordan isn't all that good of a teacher. At least that's how John felt... until he arrived in Rushville, Nebraska and saw that his apparent mentor was right about an alien shooting in the small town.
But a flash-forward to the future revealed an unexpectedly grim fate for one of these Green Lanterns. The only question is: Is that Lantern really dead, and who seemingly killed him? The second episode does little to answer those specific questions but it does throw a whole new heap of questions our way - ones that involve the town of Rushville itself, who's really in charge here, and just how universal this issue might be.
With that, let's dive into the events of episode 2, titled "Trust Fall", and see where it takes the DCU series. As always, be aware that there will be MAJOR SPOILERS from this point onwards.
New missions, same old Rushville
Have you recovered from the first episode of Lanterns yet? Silly question, I know. The series premiere ended on a pretty shocking note when it jumped forward in time to 2026 to show us that the original Green Lantern, Hal Jordan, was dead. John Stewart's former mentor was sitting upright with what appeared to be a bullet wound above his eye, frozen in the snow. Sheriff Kerry Kane brought Stewart to Jordan's body - it was a reunion for Kane and Stewart, who seemingly hadn't seen each other in years - and he looked at his old friend, a tear coming from his eye.
This is clearly the final act of this mystery, so Lanterns wastes little time in taking us back to the start of it once again, as we head back to 2016 where the main narrative will unfold. And with that Hal and John are investigating the alien attack on the sheriff's station in the previous episode, with Hal pretty confident after being proven correct about aliens in Rushville, Nebraska.
"Trust Fall" opens with Hal waking John up with a bucket of water. The pair's banter / dysfunctional dynamic played into the pilot in a big way and we are absolutely going to see more of that here. And with that, it looks as if the main crux of this episode has been set up as Hal is attempting to train John how to use the ring to fly, but it takes some surprising turns very, very quickly. And this paves the way for the episode's true purpose.
John's flight lesson doesn't work, but the future Green Lantern does manage to conjure up a green bird - which Hal tells him to keep in existence as he sets out on his next mission: Heading to Coast City to retrieve the Lantern so that it can charge Hal's ring. Naturally, John isn't happy about being sent away again, but Hal has plans to investigate while he's out of town.
Although John successfully retrieves the Lantern (and feeds Hal's Poison Ivy-esque plant Earl) at his larger-than-life home, he is captured by a group of aliens hunting what they call a Manhunter. They tell John that they mean him no harm and simply wish to recruit him to do what they can't: Go back to Rushville and identify the Manhunter, who can shapeshift into other forms. They can't do that because of William Macon's technology in the town, which can identify aliens. And they don't trust Hal Jordan to do it.
Despite his misgivings with Hal, John tells him about the encounter anyway. The veteran Green Lantern is somewhat impressed that the protégé he is being oh-so-hard on was actually upfront about the run-in, but he was more perturbed by the idea that a Manhunter could be operating in town. And yet, he has sneaking suspicions about the town - and Macon - so he takes it upon himself to investigate... again.
Welcome to the DC Universe, Sinestro
The big closing moment shocker of Lanterns episode 2 came when Hal Jordan donned the Green Lantern suit that John Stewart had picked up for him. After charging the ring, Hal headed off into the space, flying to what appeared to be a an intergalactic prison complex designed by the Guardians for the most notorious prisoners in the galaxy. He then headed to one very specific cell in a bid to do some questioning. And in a moment that undoubtedly made DC fans sit up and point like that Leonardo DiCaprio meme, Hal confronted none other than Sinestro.
The Green Lantern archenemy responded to the visit with shock and a touch of warmth - he and Hal knew each other in another life - as he sat up and stared at the man before him with surprise. Hal then asked him what he knew about Manhunters - to which Sinestro responded with a claim that any surviving Manhunter would be Hal Jordan's second-greatest threat. He then implied that John Stewart would be the first, asking his former friend about his protégé as the episode concludes.
And with that, fans are left to wonder what Sinestro's line of questioning is getting at. It's becoming abundantly clear that nobody can trust anybody in Lanterns - and yet John did trust Hal with the adventures that descended upon him in Coast City. Is the series throwing us off the scent? Is Sinestro suggesting that John Stewart shouldn't be trusted? And just how does the drama in Rushville have something to do with the outer reaches of the galaxy?
The second episode of Lanterns is full of mystery, and it certainly wants us to think that it might have answered the biggest question of all: Did John Stewart kill Hal Jordan? It's way too early to know for sure, but we'd be lying if we said we weren't hooked. The most intriguing is yet to come.
Lanterns airs new episodes on HBO each Sunday, streaming them on HBO Max worldwide simultaneously.
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