Lanterns “Pilot” Review

Season 1 Episode 1 – After a fatal shooting, Green Lantern Hal Jordan and new recruit John Stewart set out to prove it was an extraterrestrial event.

Please note that our reviews are based on likes and dislikes. These contain significant spoilers. If you haven’t already watched the episode, we recommend that you click off the article and come back once you have watched the episode. Enjoy!

Highlights

1. This was a great introduction to the show. We see John as a child watching Hal perform his first interview on TV, showcasing just how important the Green Lantern was to him growing up and why their eventual partnership means something. When we jump forward to 2016 and finally see John and Hal working together, we also see relatively quickly just how dysfunctional that relationship actually is.

2. I really like that we’re seeing the ring being used this early. From the original trailers, I genuinely thought they were going to hold a lot of these sections back, but thankfully they haven’t. We’ve already seen Hal fly, Hal’s consciousness emerge from the ring as a real-life hologram, and John survive an intentional car crash caused by Hal. I just hope this continues throughout the series and they don’t hold back on the Green Lantern side of things.

3. I also love that we’re getting to see the actual jurisdiction of a Green Lantern on Earth. We learn that they do hold jurisdiction when aliens are involved, but outside of that they have absolutely no authority. It’s an interesting dynamic, especially when we see the completely different personalities of Hal and John as they attend a crime scene involving a shooting.

4. As John and Hal sit in a bar for a drink, Hal explains the story of how he got the ring. It’s the first time we really see him drop the sarcasm, and it’s genuinely a great story. I already love how this version of Hal became the Green Lantern, and the scene gives us a completely different side to him.

5. Hal’s interview with Waylan is an absolute masterclass. He manages to dismantle pretty much every concern raised by the police that Waylan could be an alien, all while Waylan begins teasing Hal about the Green Lantern Corps. Waylan then suddenly explodes, forcing Hal to use the ring to save the station. Immediately after this, we jump from 2016 all the way to 2026, which leaves us with one hell of an intriguing mystery.

What I Didn’t Work

I know the show is obviously going to explain what happened during that ten-year gap and why we’ve suddenly jumped forward. However, at first glance, I wasn’t a massive fan of how it was handled. It almost felt like, “Here’s a ten-year time jump and, oh yeah, Hal’s dead because he froze to death.” We’ve just spent most of the episode establishing John and Hal’s relationship and getting invested in the two of them working together, only for that dynamic to suddenly be ripped away. I’m obviously curious to find out what happened and where the story goes next, but as an ending to this first episode, it didn’t completely sit right with me.

Standout Character

It would be a travesty if I didn’t give this to Hal in the opening episode. I absolutely loved the direction they’ve gone with this version of the character. In many ways, he feels like a more fleshed-out version of what Ryan Reynolds’ Hal Jordan should have been. He’s sarcastic, arrogant and hilarious, but there’s clearly a lot more underneath the surface, which we begin to see whenever he drops the act. I’m also excited to see John’s character develop as the episodes progress, but for this opening episode, Hal comfortably takes it.

Favorite Moment

I never thought I’d see Hal Jordan up in court on assault charges, representing himself, but here we are. I absolutely loved this entire scene, especially when Hal’s hilarious defence basically amounts to, “I’m Green Lantern.” It’s ridiculous, but it works perfectly for this version of Hal.