Frank and Thomas break down the full first season of HBO's Lanterns the night after the finale, from John Stewart's new oath to Hal Jordan's "I love you, Junior" goodbye. Frank had the season sitting at a six until the last episode pulled it up to a strong eight.
The conversation keeps splitting along one line: how the show plays for a comic reader versus someone who only knows the DCU on screen. That split shapes the read on John embracing fear, the lantern that looked more yellow than green, his choice to let Noah live, and a villain lineup that gave Sinestro too little screen time and Antaan almost nothing to do. The back half looks ahead to Man of Tomorrow, what a second season should be about, and the questions about Hal and Sheriff Kerry Kane the finale left open. Full spoilers start at 11:12.
Timestamps and Topics
00:00 Housekeeping and the John Stewart Patreon Statue
01:53 Finale Gut Reactions and Season Scores
11:12 John Stewart as the Cowboy Green Lantern (Full Spoilers)
17:22 The Yellow Lantern Tease and the Noah Decision
26:23 John's Family and the Hal Jordan Goodbye
39:53 Where the Villains Fell Short
46:29 Lanterns in Man of Tomorrow and Season 2
49:57 Final Thoughts
55:44 Side Quest and Patreon Shout-Out
Key Takeaways
The finale changed Frank's score for the whole season. Knowing where the story lands made earlier weak spots, like the limited Sinestro time, play as setup.
John's new oath includes "I embrace fear." To a comic reader that sounds like Parallax. Taken on its own, it gives the Green Lanterns the thing Frank and Thomas said they were missing back in their episode one review: admitting fear exists and overcoming it.
Frank compares the repaired lantern to kintsugi, the Japanese practice of mending broken pottery with gold, as a way to read the yellow in it as a flaw being honored.
Sparing Noah is the choice that sells John as a superhero. He takes on the risk of a young Manhunter and commits to becoming strong enough to stop him if it comes to that.
The villains were the weakest part of the season. Zoe is gone by the midpoint, Antaan's crew never returns, and Ulrich Thomsen's Sinestro needed more scenes.
For Man of Tomorrow, Frank wants John in a role as active as Mister Terrific's in Superman, plus a clear signal of what Lanterns season two is about.
Quotes
"This John Stewart is a superhero. He's not a cop." (Frank)
"Before that finale, I had the season sitting closer to a six. With that, I have it at a strong eight." (Frank)
"Antaan. What a waste of a character." (Frank)
"They've left us wanting a little bit more than they should have." (Frank)
"If it wasn't for this ending, it would have been an unsatisfactory show, no doubt." (Frank)
Links and Resources
GeekFreaksPodcast.com is the source of all news discussed during the podcast.
Call to Action
Follow or subscribe to Geek Freaks wherever you listen, and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify so more DC fans can find the show. If you have a friend who was sure that lantern was turning yellow, send them this episode and tag your reaction with #GeekFreaksPodcast.
Did you watch Lanterns without reading a single Green Lantern comic? Frank and Thomas want to know how the season played for you, since neither of them can watch it that way. Send your take, your season two theories, or a topic you want covered on a future episode.
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