# Lanterns (the green kind) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted, hbomax-wb-dc\ **Created:** [August 17, 2026, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lanterns-the-green-kind/1032374 "2026-08-17T05:23:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 17
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lanterns-the-green-kind/1032374/321 "2026-10-05T09:38:42Z")
After Clayface is the Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow next year which, as underrated it, features John Stewart. I liked the finale. It did not have any surprises but was well done. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lanterns-the-green-kind/1032374/322 "2026-10-05T13:04:42Z")
Good finale, I like the twist where there isn’t a big standoff battle to get the bad guy. The creators talked a lot about how the show is “grounded” being more about the people than the superhero space action, and this finale does that. This show gives you something to think about besides a big green boxing glove. ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lanterns-the-green-kind/1032374/323 "2026-10-05T17:45:29Z")
One thing that confused me. When John Stewart got the lantern that Sinestro forged, it was pretty clearly showing yellow energy, no? And then Sinestro was trying to use reverse psychology to get JS to charge the ring. I assumed that was going to lead to a Yellow Lantern. But then… nothing came of it. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lanterns-the-green-kind/1032374/324 "2026-10-05T17:48:10Z")
> [@Southern\_Yankee](#): > > I assumed that was going to lead to a Yellow Lantern. But then… nothing came of it. It’s a plot thread to dangle for next season. He’s not a Green Lantern or a Yellow Lantern. He’s something in between. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lanterns-the-green-kind/1032374/325 "2026-10-05T18:08:39Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > A kid would be bored to tears by this. In all honesty, I have always been bored and disinterested in Green Lantern, too. I totally love Reynolds as “Deadpool”, but he was a boring shell of himself as the Green Lantern because, to me at least, that’s what the character is, boring. ---
**Author:** ![Noelq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noelq/32/16438_2.png) [@Noelq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noelq)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lanterns-the-green-kind/1032374/326 "2026-10-05T18:30:21Z")
Hated this. I was looking forward to ANY of the nifty stuff about Green Lantern. I wasn’t expecting a buddy cop show in a small town. I hated how they portrayed Hal, and how they portrayed John. They had DECADES of great stories to go with, and they made up their own to totally change everything. I feel worse for watching this. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lanterns-the-green-kind/1032374/327 "2026-10-05T18:42:08Z")
> [@Southern\_Yankee](#): > > When John Stewart got the lantern that Sinestro forged, it was pretty clearly showing yellow energy, no? And then Sinestro was trying to use reverse psychology to get JS to charge the ring. I assumed that was going to lead to a Yellow Lantern. But then… nothing came of it. Nothing came of it…yet. But John Stewart was apparently a Yellow Lantern in an alternate comic continuity, he just managed to use the ring for good. Seems there is nothing inherently evil about fear. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lanterns-the-green-kind/1032374/328 "2026-10-05T18:53:03Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > Seems there is nothing inherently evil about fear. Hypothetically, I suppose you’re right, though the Yellow, Orange, and Red Lanterns have nearly always been portrayed in other media as villains. The “[emotional electromagnetic spectrum](https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Emotional_Electromagnetic_Spectrum)” in DC comics continuity has seven base colors (and seven corresponding types of Lanterns), with green in the center. The colors to the “left” of green all embody generally negative emotions (Red = rage/anger, Orange = greed/avarice, Yellow = fear), while the ones to the “right” of green all embody generally positive emotions (Blue = hope, Indigo = compassion, Violet = love). ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lanterns-the-green-kind/1032374/329 "2026-10-05T18:54:38Z")
He left Sinestro to die. I suspect that is going to come back to bite him. ---
**Author:** ![mozchron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mozchron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mozchron)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lanterns-the-green-kind/1032374/330 "2026-10-05T19:17:12Z")
> [@Noelq](#): > > Hated this. I was looking forward to ANY of the nifty stuff about Green Lantern. I wasn’t expecting a buddy cop show in a small town. I hated how they portrayed Hal, and how they portrayed John. They had DECADES of great stories to go with, and they made up their own to totally change everything. I feel worse for watching this. I never read the comics and knew nothing except it was about a dood with a magic ring who liked the color green. I generally liked this (once I figured out what the hell was going on). Looking forward to season 2. ---
**Author:** ![SwissMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e79b87/32.png) [@SwissMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SwissMan)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lanterns-the-green-kind/1032374/331 "2026-10-05T20:16:08Z")
A fun fact, for those who may not be aware: the Nebraska coach who hands Noah the hat at the end of the game was Matt Rhule, the actual head coach of Nebraska. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lanterns-the-green-kind/1032374/332 "2026-10-05T20:18:30Z")
I found all the time jumping to be very confusing, and I lost track of a bunch of plot threads. But I liked the portrayal of Hal. I think he was a good person raging against the Guardians who he knew were trying to control him. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lanterns-the-green-kind/1032374/333 "2026-10-05T20:31:43Z")
What’s interesting about the jumping around is the order we got the episodes was not the order they were intended to appear in. The first episode with Guy and the Hal Flashback were earlier and the action episode where Rushville is destroyed was the penultimate episode. HBO suggested they change to what we got and I think that network note actually improved things. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lanterns-the-green-kind/1032374/334 "2026-10-05T20:45:58Z")
An eight-episode superhero series that says essentially the Beatles were right. The love you take is equal to the love you make. Dead bodies can be forgiven. So why was it a superhero series? At least 95% of the scenes could have taken place without using aliens or alien weapons. Isn’t the literal point of superheroes to depict scenes that couldn’t be done without the super part? People keep comparing this, usually unfavorably, to _True Detective_. I never saw _True Detective_ because a slow, grim, gray slog through evil isn’t my thing. _Wandavision_, e.g., OTOH, acknowledged the evil that is the necessary counterpart to heroism and built up characters who reacted to circumstances that would have no place in ordinary household dramas. Kyle Chandler certainly can act, though. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lanterns-the-green-kind/1032374/335 "2026-10-05T20:51:29Z")
I expect Hal to appear in the next season, just because he’s played by Kyle Chandler. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lanterns-the-green-kind/1032374/336 "2026-10-05T20:52:52Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > So why was it a superhero series? At least 95% of the scenes could have taken place without using aliens or alien weapons. Isn’t the literal point of superheroes to depict scenes that couldn’t be done without the super part? Well, except the multiple times Hal flew, the exploding aliens, the magic green bird, the sentient plant, the laser beams from space, the futuristic healing technology, and going to a fear planet via a wormhole, yeah, I guess it was pretty normal. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lanterns-the-green-kind/1032374/337 "2026-10-05T20:55:58Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Isn’t the literal point of superheroes to depict scenes that couldn’t be done without the super part? Technically, the point is to have an entertaining product. DCU (or Marvel) is a setting within which they tell stories. Some stories are cartoons with Mongul or Darkseid, and feature armies of scary demons and laser eyes where you ask exactly how is Batman not dead yet? Others are very human stories where the point isn’t how big a boom you can film, but how hard the narrative hits your audience. While I did enjoy it very much, I did not like two things. #1. Hal’s death scene, he gets shot in the head and just sits down? Stop it. #2. Hal gets shot in the head by the sheriff’s pistol and there’s no ballistics? The bullet sure as shit didn’t go out the back. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lanterns-the-green-kind/1032374/338 "2026-10-05T21:18:38Z")
Good ending, kinda bummed Hal is still dead. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lanterns-the-green-kind/1032374/339 "2026-10-05T21:21:43Z")
Now he’s double-dead. Though I don’t see why there would be a non-plot convenience reason recharging the ring would delete the backup. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lanterns-the-green-kind/1032374/340 "2026-10-05T22:19:20Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > except the multiple times Hal flew, - _he could have driven off_ > the exploding aliens, - _could have had implanted bombs_ > the magic green bird, - _mostly ignored and easily substituted with another gimmick_ > the sentient plant, - _another irrelevant gimmick_ > the laser beams from space, - _they were from drones_ > the futuristic healing technology, - _done for drama and not plot_ > and going to a fear planet via a wormhole - _could have gone to an island_ You’re confusing fanservice gimmicks with meaningful plot elements that couldn’t ever happen in our world. > [@Cheesesteak](#): > > While I did enjoy it very much, I did not like two things. > #1. Hal’s death scene, he gets shot in the head and just sits down? Stop it. > #2. Hal gets shot in the head by the sheriff’s pistol and there’s no ballistics? The bullet sure as shit didn’t go out the back. And many hours later, he is still sitting upright. Instant rigor mortis? And weren’t they outside the stadium when he was shot? The lack of an autopsy is probably the most not possible in our world element of the show. A superhero gets shot in the head? Every government official, journalist, and crazyhead would have descended on Rushville and never left. Aren’t there other superheroes in this DCU in 2016? All of them would investigate as well. And don’t get me started on Kelly. She became pregnant before she even met Billy? An immaculate conception? She accepted that out of gratitude to Zoe? Where did Billy come from, BTW? Was he Will’s from a previous marriage or did Zoe magic him into existence? Did nobody in the town notice any of this? Can any of Kelly’s actions be better explained by her knowing all along what was going on? All this is also in the 5% of the show that can’t be mundanified, but none of that 5% is actually a positive good. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lanterns-the-green-kind/1032374.md?page=16) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lanterns-the-green-kind/1032374.md?page=18)