TV news: DC ‘Lanterns’ shines bright in third episode

The third episode of DC’s latest superhero show, ‘Lanterns’, has received high acclaim after an illuminative character origin story.

The show centres around two iterations of the DC Comics hero Green Lantern, namely Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and John Stewart (Aaron Pierre).

It depicts Jordan towards the end of a long career and Stewart as his trainee and replacement as the intergalactic cop duo solve a mysterious murder on earth.

However, Jordan is not particularly willing to retire his position just yet.

After two intriguing episodes of a detective narrative, episode three gives viewers a thorough introduction to Stewart and takes time to explore his journey, and destiny, towards the heroic mantle.

Continued success for ‘Lanterns’

Episode three, ‘OutKast’, achieved a new series high after attracting over 10 million global views after three days of viewership.

‘Lanterns’, which continues to grow in popularity week-to-week, is among the top five series launches on HBO Max, the platform reports.

The series pilot currently sits at over 20 million worldwide viewers.

In addition to new viewership records, the third episode brought a substantial jump in the show’s ratings.

Its IMDb score debuted at 9.4, a step up from the 8.3 ratings from the first two.

IGN’s rating shared a similar trend, moving up to 9/10 from a consistent 8/10 in the previous episodes.

Introducing John Stewart

When it comes to on-screen adaptations of Green Lantern, Hal Jordan is more often than not the go-to choice.

Thus, John Stewart’s inclusion in the series, which is the first live-action Green Lantern story since Ryan Reynolds’ 2011 film, was an exciting feature for fans, especially considering it is Stewart’s live-action debut.

However, few anticipated the series to explore the character’s origins and upbringing in a new light as it did.

The third episode explores John Stewart’s backstory, which leans into his identity as an African-American and opens with the reveal that his father was initially considered to be earth’s first Green Lantern ahead of Jordan.

However, his failure to successfully answer the initiation question – “Are you afraid?” – leads to his rejection, and ultimately, his mental deterioration.

When an intergalactic election board visits Stewart’s mother years later, she explains the flaws in their selection process and criteria, and the complications around requiring no fear as an African-American in their societal climate.

After the alien guardian suggests that the infant John might have a chance at the mantle in the future, his parents completely redirect the way they raise him, and he becomes engineered into a man without fear.

A two-sided reception

The origin story fuelled the flames of growing excitement around the show, with many applauding the new perspective it explored in introducing the character.

However, not all viewers were in favour of the episode.

Some have critiqued the way ‘Lanterns’ represents Hal Jordan, with fans accusing them of sabotaging the character.

Other opinions found the episode to be a risky filler and early stagnation in the narrative, with Collider’s 6/10 review echoing the sentiment.

Nevertheless, the majority that appreciated the swing pointed out the depth it adds to Stewart’s character in his live-action debut.

It also set up an intriguing future for the rest of the show after providing yet another new layer to the two heroes’ abrasive relationship.

Episodes of ‘Lanterns’ premiere weekly on HBO Max.

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