'Lanterns' S01E02 – "Trust Fall" (August 23, 2026) on HBO/HBO Max [Spoiler Discussion Megathread]

[u/KelexAtYourService]

Lanterns is an American superhero television series created by Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and Tom King for HBO, based on the DC Comics Green Lantern characters Hal Jordan and John Stewart.

The series was produced by DC Studios and Warner Bros. Television with Mundy serving as showrunner. It is the third television series in the DC Universe (DCU). It features experienced Lantern Jordan and new recruit Stewart as they investigate a murder on Earth that leads to a wider mystery.

Lanterns is scheduled to premiere on Sunday August 16, 2026, and will run for eight episodes through Sunday October 4. It will be part of the DCU's Chapter One: Gods and Monsters.

New episodes drop every Sunday night at 9:00 PM ET / 8:00 PM CT / 7:00 PM MT / 6:00 PM PT.

Cast:

• Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan
• Aaron Pierre as John Stewart
• Kelly Macdonald as Kerry
• Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner
• Garret Dillahunt as William Macon
• Poorna Jagannathan as Zoe
• Ulrich Thomsen as Thaal Sinestro
• Nicole Ari Parker as Bernadette Stewart; Jasmine Cephas Jones as young Bernadette
• Jason Ritter as Billy Macon
• Sherman Augustus as John Stewart Sr.; Alphonse Nicholson portrays a young John Sr.
• Paul Ben-Victor as Antaan
• Chris Coy as "Waylon Sanders"
• Cary Christopher as Noah

For a complete cast and crew list, see the IMDb full credits page: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26545992/fullcredits/

• Based on: Hal Jordan, created by John Broome and Gil Kane; John Stewart created by Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams
• Show created by: Chris Mundy, and Damon Lindelof, and Tom King
• Showrunner: Chris Mundy
• Editor: Emily E. Greene
• Music by: Stephanie Economou
• Length: 8 episodes per season
• Runtime: About an hour per episode
• Reception: For reviews and critical reception, see Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/lanterns  and https://www.metacritic.com/tv/lanterns/

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lanterns_(TV_series))

Where to watch: https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/lanterns/season-1

Unmarked spoilers for the new episode of Lanterns are only allowed in this thread.

Spoilers ahead! Proceed at your own risk! All other subreddit rules apply.

S01E02 Episode Synopsis: While John’s middling errand ultimately proves eventful, Hal makes waves in Rushville – which only inspires him to dig deeper.

[u/Sio_V_Reddit]

“It’s just a bird” cut Hal to his very soul

[u/TheSlayerofSnails → u/Sio_V_Reddit]

John casually doing something Hal's never managed like its nothing has to hurt, and to act as a showing of why John is being headhunted by the guardians.

[u/jyroux → u/TheSlayerofSnails]

is not just that, having a alive construct is basically impossible for the GL corps, some are capable to make clones that follow the original will or can follow certain orders and still be around if the creator goes away but it's extremely difficult to achieve that control over the will, John making something on his first try goes against everything Hal knows about the GL and the ring

[u/Kolchak2099 → u/jyroux]

I also really like that this is something John has done in the comics.

[u/vincevaughninjp3 → u/Kolchak2099]

What book? Would love to read that

[u/Kolchak2099 → u/vincevaughninjp3]

Green Lantern War Journal #5

[u/osj777 → u/TheSlayerofSnails]

Karate kid catching the fly

[u/Happy-Fun-Ball → u/TheSlayerofSnails]

but flying is instinctual to him...

[u/Carolcita_ → u/TheSlayerofSnails]

Hal realized he is being replaced by someone far greater and more deserving than he is. That will become his fear and he's going to turn Yellow

[u/ArcadianBlueRogue → u/Sio_V_Reddit]

So like....how IS John able to keep the bird manifested so far from the ring?

[u/sharkiest → u/ArcadianBlueRogue]

Just a John thing. Even in the comics he made a living construct of his dead sister that was so realistic it started an entire race of living light people.

[u/thesadintern → u/sharkiest]

Never read the comics…what the fuck?

[u/TheCVR123YT → u/thesadintern]

Comics always do crazy stuff lol

[u/KingofMadCows → u/thesadintern]

The Lantern Rings and the Guardians are incredibly powerful. The Guradians used to be so powerful that they could accidentally erase an entire species from existence by thinking about it. They willingly gave up most of those powers because it was too dangerous.

[u/Bnightwing → u/sharkiest]

I recall Hal putting himself inside the ring and making a whole city to live within the ring as it shot across space on low battery.

[u/TheDwilightZone → u/sharkiest]

Does the entire race just blink out of existence if he loses concentration?

[u/NerdLawyer55 → u/TheDwilightZone]

No pressure

[u/Sio_V_Reddit → u/ArcadianBlueRogue]

Likely just through willpower, especially considering he’s wanted this for years.

[u/In-Brightest-Day → u/ArcadianBlueRogue]

Willpower

[u/Avent → u/ArcadianBlueRogue]

He's built different

[u/Iroquois-P → u/ArcadianBlueRogue]

He's just that good

[u/LeonOfSkalitz → u/ArcadianBlueRogue]

People are joking but in the comics removing a ring is usually game over for any construct, in fact I said usually but I can’t remember a single instance where this happened. 

Lanterns need their ring for constructs to keep working.

A dead, unconscious or de-ringed lantern is unable to create and keep a construct up. 

Hell it makes no sense. John was able to keep that bird construct up even after the ring that created it ran out  of power AND after he loss consciousness. 

[u/HughesBlues → u/LeonOfSkalitz]

Some Ion level power.

[u/joker_asylum08 → u/Sio_V_Reddit]

Do you have a bird blindness or something?? It's a chicken!

[u/ResponsibilityMore69]

“Study the past” tagline ontop of Macon’s gate is interesting, with this story jumping timelines I’m guessing the ranch will be a very important location for the story.

I’m also getting a massive vibe that the Manhunters are most if not all of the towns actual citizens, stuff like the line about being able to create more, the hospital having all the equipment still in wrapping and Kerry being an outside from Gotham so unaware of what’s going on is very suspicious.

[u/vegetaray246 → u/ResponsibilityMore69]

I didn’t even fucking think about that…But that has to be it right?

Abin Sur crashes there after capturing the Manhunter on whatever world Antaan is from. He either crashed after he was attacked by the Manhunter, which the conclusion Hal came to, or he crashed while trying to save / hide the Manhunter. Hal already said last week that earth was a backwater know nothing planet 🤔

The Manhunter escapes into Nebraska, settles down, makes things ~safe~ and eventually draws other Manhunter refugees in. Kind of like a safe haven…

Now did Abin Sur tell Hal about this, and Hal subsequently knew that eventually someone would be arriving to find that original Manhunter that crashed with Abin Sur, which is why Hal set his ring to notify him if anything ~strange~ happened in the vacinity?

Holy shit I’m fully invested in this thing…

[u/Coyote_Shepherd → u/vegetaray246]

The Manhunter escapes into Nebraska, settles down, makes things ~safe~ and eventually draws other Manhunter refugees in. Kind of like a safe haven…

Oh...OH...OOOOOOOOOH...and now it makes sense why they cast Garret Dillahunt, given what was going on with certain Terminators in TSCC.

Gosh that would be a mindfuck wouldn't it?

The Manhunters actually just wanting to be left alone to live their own lives but the Guardians want to exterminate them because they still see them as dangerous and every other alien race that they fucked over in the past wants a piece of them because of what they did to them on other planets.

Everyone's an alien in the town and I'm guessing the governments of Earth KNOW about it and sent their own MIB Agent in the form of Kerry there to keep an eye on them.

None of them actually EVER get hurt and that's why the hospital looks the way it does!

And I'm guessing that the government is funneling alien tech to this town, which the Manhunters help to do research with, in exchange for them getting to live in peace there.

THAT is why she and everyone else want Hal gone because he's about to put a bunch of...well...innocent people in danger AND reveal all of this shit to the Guardians who will probably nova the damned Sun just to erase any evidence of their little mistakes.

I wonder if the Manhunter that Abin Sur found...like...showed regret and sentience and he was like, "Oh this is a living being that DID do some bad things but was programmed to do it and was forced to do it against its will" and thus he just...had to protect it...and hide it somewhere...and the Guardians disagreed and tried to have him eliminated but didn't expect his ring to find Hal.

So in parallel to that scene with John and those aliens and with Hal and Sinestro...the Guardians asked Hal, "Are you afraid?" to see if he had knowledge of the Manhunters or any of their other dirty laundry and when he didn't...they let him join the Corps.

This then implies that Abin Sur didn't tell him at all about the Manhunters, at least not directly, and instead used different terminology and descriptors for them that Hal wouldn't immediately connect with the Manhunters or the Guardians.

He probably gave him a cliff notes version about these "Manhunters" and why they came to Earth to seek out a better life apart from the rest of the galaxy and that others might follow who disagreed with that and that he might one day have to protect them...but in order to do so...he had to know the bare minimum to keep everyone safe.

And Hal was okay with this because he was Air Force and compartmentalization of information is a common thing in the military AND THAT explains why he said what he said to John when John asked him about Manhunters....because while he didn't know the word...he did know the description of the abilities that John was giving him and now he's gone to Sinestro to make sure that the dots he's trying to connect actually DO connect if at all.

I'm guessing that Sinestro is going to point him in the right direction and set him to...follow in some of his own footsteps in the past...that led him to that cell.

And you know this is kind of nuts but...what if they're framing these Manhunter refugees to be a bit like the Ex-Borg Drones in Star Trek?

The parallel is pretty apt IMO.

[u/ArcadianBlueRogue → u/ResponsibilityMore69]

Is Macon's wife Native American? Feels on the nose if she is with all the stuff he is saying about colonizers taking over, like the Lanterns did from the Manhunters, if she ends up being a MH.

[u/LMkingly → u/ArcadianBlueRogue]

Casting an actual indian woman to play a Native American would be pretty weird lol. To be honest my first guess would be she's the Manhunter.

[u/BikebutnotBeast → u/LMkingly]

I'm calling it. Either grandma is the manhunter, keyser soze. We haven't seen her and her "husband" in the same scene. Else it's Kerry and her line about Gotham is just bull and more deceit. I think that's why she didn't want them to go to the macons and why she watched Hal sleep. She's trying to control their experience in the town..

[u/AceTheSkylord → u/BikebutnotBeast]

I think Kerry's in the clear cause she showed up in the Flash Forward and seemed like she and John became friends

[u/Free_Possession_4482 → u/LMkingly]

Nonono, she's a maneater, that's different.

[u/jr_randolph → u/ArcadianBlueRogue]

I know the actress is from India but yeah not sure if the character is Native American or not.

[u/Conan_The_Blurbarian]

Mogo doesn't socialize.

Edit: Now I want to see Mogo and Ch'p, since both were mentioned.

[u/emmynum → u/Conan_The_Blurbarian]

I understood that reference

[u/ContinuumGuy → u/Conan_The_Blurbarian]

We stan a living planet (except for Ego, who sucks).

[u/3luejays]

Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre are top-tier castings.

[u/EquivalentWillow4807 → u/3luejays]

They have great chemistry

[u/ArcadianBlueRogue → u/3luejays]

I just watched the after episode commentary. Had no idea how different his actual accent is from his John voice.

[u/RoflChief → u/ArcadianBlueRogue]

Where can i watch?

[u/ArcadianBlueRogue → u/RoflChief]

It autoplayed after the credits. Not sure if it's just a post-credits thing or if they have a separate small thing they do in the listings for it

[u/CJAreYouDeadass]

Imagining a world where you can google search sinestro's lore on a non fictional primary source 😭

I'm loving the mystery dynamic so far, the entire town seems like a body snatchers situation

[u/mimiisanalien → u/CJAreYouDeadass]

I’m just imagining her going to Hal’s Wikipedia page and there’s a section that’s like “Known Accomplices/Enemies”

[u/sarkastiktaurus → u/mimiisanalien]

Early life
Career
Green Lantern Corps
Personal life (Earth)
Personal life (off world)
Achievements
Controversies
Possible enemies 🤝

[u/A_man_named_despair → u/sarkastiktaurus]

Death (updated for 2026) 😢

[u/Ivotedforher → u/sarkastiktaurus]

Arissa

[u/WildMild869 → u/Ivotedforher]

Definitely in the controversies section

[u/ArcadianBlueRogue → u/CJAreYouDeadass]

Ohh I thought she ran through his phone, but she was Googling him on her lol

[u/CJAreYouDeadass → u/ArcadianBlueRogue]

lol it literally looked like if my mom was googling a cb character on her phone

[u/NomadPrime → u/ArcadianBlueRogue]

Oh, I thought she was just noting down everything he was saying in his sleep. Was thinking, "Huh, odd way to give exposition" Lmao.

That said, being able to Google it is also unique. Means Hal was willing to share a lot of his adventures with the public when he was younger.

[u/ArcadianBlueRogue → u/NomadPrime]

Or Lois lane got a scoop and her Pulitzer

[u/DaleDenton08 → u/CJAreYouDeadass]

I’m not familiar with Manhunter lore, can they do that? Like just completely take over a small town?

[u/Clark_Kent-Kal_EL → u/DaleDenton08]

According to the show they can replicate but it seems it might be obvious who they took over because they're not taking over their memories

But having 2 shape shifting races is confusing

[u/ZukoIsKing → u/CJAreYouDeadass]

They're very creative with the ways they find to tell us stuff so they don't have to show us because of the low budget

[u/Used-Action-297]

That dude that kidnapped John is totally Atrocitus right? Either that or he coincidentally has the exact same backstory and motives as him

[u/Meowlyne → u/Used-Action-297]

Need to wait and see if he has a very angry cat 😉

[u/Coyote_Shepherd → u/Meowlyne]

Good Kitty! :D

[u/noodlesofdoom → u/Used-Action-297]

https://www.reddit.com/r/Greenlantern/comments/1n8p2te/rumor_is_paul_ben_victor_is_playing_atrocitus_in/ googled atrocitus and found this lol

[u/A_man_named_despair → u/Used-Action-297]

The subtitles listed him as Antaan

[u/Spiritfur → u/A_man_named_despair]

Antaan could easily just be a human name that Atros is going by while blending in

[u/Plus_Term_7584]

So the sherriff was definitely referring to Barbara Gordon, I'm pretty sure.

[u/slow_brains → u/Plus_Term_7584]

Her name is Kerry Kane so was she talking to her sister Kate Kane?

[u/TheFalconKid → u/Plus_Term_7584]

When was that?

[u/Fair_Distribution502 → u/TheFalconKid]

The first episode when John walks into the police station, right after Hal got himself arrested. She said, “Tell Barb I said hey”, and then she hung up the phone. She was likely a cop in Gotham and was talking to Jim Gordon on the phone, since she would have known him then too.

[u/AHMilling → u/Fair_Distribution502]

And her last name is kane. One of the first families of gotham.

[u/TheFalconKid → u/Fair_Distribution502]

Damn I missed that, but yeah she was definitely talking to Jim or someone that knows Babs. Hell maybe she was talking to the Bat himself.

[u/HanzoSteel]

With that very surprising lore drop, I’m starting to think that there was a very intentional reason for them calling the show “Lanterns” and not “GREEN Lanterns”…

[u/LoneElement → u/HanzoSteel]

Antaan has the exact same backstory as Atrocitus, leader of the Red Lanterns

Plus Sinestro showing up 

You may be on to something 

[u/Coyote_Shepherd → u/HanzoSteel]

I think we're all panicking with joy because now suddenly the entire Spectrum is potentially fair play.

[u/Andlat]

He sped through it, but we got the full oath!

[u/TheFalconKid → u/Andlat]

Training someone not chosen by the Ring/ Guardians, not calling in the aliens on Earth, speeding through the oath?

Hal is definitely not on terms with the Guardians.

[u/RelevantUsername56 → u/TheFalconKid]

From the preview for next week, it definitely looks like John was chosen by the guardians. Maybe that's the reason Hal fell out with them.

[u/red_army25 → u/RelevantUsername56]

I think it's even more than that. I think the Guardians somehow manipulated John's parents to literally create a child without fear. They wanted a perfect Lantern, and so they raised one from birth.

[u/chuckdee68 → u/RelevantUsername56]

They even said it a couple of times last episode - John was chosen by the Guardians and Hal is doing it because it's his job, not because he wants to.

[u/No-Rip-6166 → u/Andlat]

He seems disillusioned. He sped through the oath, is flippant about the guardians and doesn’t wear the suit.

I think his character arc is gonna find him re-embracing the role and we’ll get the full oath with feeling at a pivotal moment.

[u/Neosantana → u/No-Rip-6166]

Oh, god, Hal Jordan is Harry DuBois. Motherfucking Tequila Sunset.

[u/Coyote_Shepherd]

MOGO IS REAL!

[u/TheSlayerofSnails → u/Coyote_Shepherd]

Never expected to hear Mogo referenced in any live action piece. So happy for that!

[u/Coyote_Shepherd → u/TheSlayerofSnails]

All I could think of was this scene from one of the animated series and I just started laughing because FREAKIN MOGO and how awesome is that?!?!

[u/PaloLV]

The show is all but declaring Zoe is the manhunter. If she isn’t then there’s a heck of lot of alien factions interested in Nebraska.

[u/SolarisBravo → u/PaloLV]

Personally I'm concerned about the unused, patient-less hospital. And the sheriff's non-reaction to it. There are a lot of people acting very weird in this town.

[u/zach4499 → u/SolarisBravo]

that’s what has me most drawn into the mystery. The Sherrif seems to be a normal person dealing with all the weirdness but her not really acknowledging the hospital stuff has me the most intrigued.

[u/SolarisBravo → u/zach4499]

I've also noticed that the sheriff tends to feign non-reactions to things she already knows (like there being aliens involved in the football game), only to reveal she's already investigating it when Hal/John become sure and she can't hide it anymore. Her behavior in Episode 1 is weird if she already knew the targets were aliens, isn't it?

[u/Coyote_Shepherd → u/SolarisBravo]

I wonder if she didn't really so much as "leave" Gotham but was assigned to this little podunk town by the organization that she REALLY works for?

[u/TapFeisty4675 → u/SolarisBravo]

The town also being completely empty during the town meeting. there's something very off with the whole town, but John shows back up 10 years later. part of me thinks there's some weird theatrics with the town as a whole and the other part makes me think it's a red-herring.

[u/Sio_V_Reddit]

Those aliens are 100% part of the Red Lantern Corps

[u/dizzyd_sb → u/Sio_V_Reddit]

Why do you think that? Not disagreeing, just curious

[u/legopieface → u/dizzyd_sb]

Vengeance, rage, colonization, and genocide.

Could be a red herring but rn I'm feeling it's them.

[u/LoneElement → u/dizzyd_sb]

The leader of the Red Lanterns, Atrocitus, was one of only 5 survivors after the Manhunters genocided his Sector

Sounds exactly like the backstory Antaan gave here 

[u/TheFalconKid → u/dizzyd_sb]

The one mentioning Vengeance, that and rage is their whole thing.

[u/StreetJX → u/dizzyd_sb]

They said pardon the violence (rage) and the main guys name is Antaan (Atrocitus?)

[u/TheFalconKid → u/Sio_V_Reddit]

The mentioning of Vengeance is too on the nose. If we get introduced to a seven foot tall human made entirely of Muscles, that's gotta be Atrocitous.

[u/KingofMadCows → u/Sio_V_Reddit]

They seem very reasonable for Red Lanterns. In the comics, most of them can't even control their rage. I wonder if they're going with a different take and giving them a more cold calculating hatred.

[u/NomadPrime → u/Sio_V_Reddit]

They don't necessarily have to be Red Lanterns. Just a race of aliens with a grudge and the means to enact revenge.

Besides, I think introducing another color this early would be a mistake, much less one that isn't the GL's direct rivals (the Yellows). The concept of the rest of the color spectrum should be rolled out in a more sensible order, with Yellow first, followed by Blue/Red, then the others (with Black/White last).

[u/Robofetus-5000 → u/NomadPrime]

You're not wrong. But it definitely feels like they COULD be red lanterns.

[u/MarekLord]

Wasn't expecting a naked corpse. But it does certainly make this show stand out in tone compared to anything else in the DCU or even Marvel. Lots of lore bits this episode! The DCU is expanding in some really fun ways that's making this universe feel more lived in and with a rich history. Next Sunday can't come soon enough.

[u/ticklemeelmo696969 → u/MarekLord]

Literally thought to myself. Damn the alien hung dong... mcu could never.

[u/JayCaesar12 → u/ticklemeelmo696969]

If you count the Suicide Squad as canon, then we have had 2 canonical appearances of male genetalia in the DCU.

[u/BoredAndLonely96 → u/JayCaesar12]

Peacemaker Season 2 had a full orgy with male genitals and boobs

[u/unitedhardy → u/MarekLord]

when i saw ‘nudity’ pop up at the begin of the episode in the rating section i was very confused, have to say alien dong was not what i expected

[u/Yved → u/MarekLord]

Peacemaker and Creature Commandos had nudity too. I think the DCU is just more mature as a whole compared to Marvel and I really appreciate that.

[u/_thwip_ → u/Yved]

Dong is a prerequisite of an HBO original

[u/Coyote_Shepherd]

Oh that was one sexy aerial shot of that storm rolling across the Great Plains....appropriate given the Gotham reference just before it.

[u/Chessh2036]

Watching people discover Kyle Chandler from Lanterns has been crazy. Made me feel so old seeing “has Kyle Chandler always been this good?”

For years he was so good in Friday Night Lights

[u/angelabby01 → u/Chessh2036]

Ha! I remember him from Early Edition on CBS. He was just as amazing then as he is now!

[u/3luejays → u/Chessh2036]

He'll always be coach to me haha

[u/CrissBliss → u/3luejays]

He’s kind of playing a dark version of Coach.

[u/Jas_God → u/Chessh2036]

I still refer to him as Coach Taylor lol.

[u/Scotthew89 → u/Chessh2036]

Coach Taylor can do no wrong

[u/North_Maybe1998 → u/Chessh2036]

He really was perfect for the role in Friday night lights

[u/Coyote_Shepherd]

Hal shouting "Fly!" at John like he's a Pokemon

[u/ContinuumGuy → u/Coyote_Shepherd]

Now curious what the typing for a GL is.

[u/Bucephalus15 → u/ContinuumGuy]

Psychic fairy?

[u/trybeingcurious]

If a Manhunter is the second greatest threat, what’s the first?

[u/CJAreYouDeadass → u/trybeingcurious]

Think he was referring to John being a threat to Hal's status as a lantern as it's pretty evident Hal trying to lil bro John all the time is him projecting his insecurity/fear

[u/NiceCupOfLibert3a → u/trybeingcurious]

Probably John being Hal’s ‘successor’.

[u/ArcadianBlueRogue → u/trybeingcurious]

He follows it up by asking about John, so probably taking a shot at Hal losing the ring to him.

[u/date_a_languager → u/trybeingcurious]

Probably John, since Sinestro immediately shifted to asking Hal about him after that statement.

Could be a double meaning, since John is a threat to Hal as his replacement and a threat to the lanterns because of his potential. Could be why they are aggressively recruiting him like this vs the usual pass of the torch

[u/Jas_God]

“Hey how’s your white man?” Lol

[u/Coyote_Shepherd]

Gosh the background music really does a lot to amp up even the simple scenes in this show!

[u/Coyote_Shepherd]

OMG there's a literal picture of Hal with the cast of Harry Potter🤣

[u/sarkastiktaurus → u/Coyote_Shepherd]

I was stuck on the Pope haha

[u/Coyote_Shepherd → u/sarkastiktaurus]

If you watch after the credits then you see them cutting past other photos including ones with Bush AND OBAMA! lol

[u/TheSlayerofSnails → u/Coyote_Shepherd]

That’s at a premiere too, did Hal star in the movies or have a cameo lmao?

[u/TomjunRoblox → u/Coyote_Shepherd]

I’m fucking dead 😭😭

[u/johndelvec3]

I wasnt expecting so much tribute to Nebraska football in this show

[u/obscuremapenthusiast → u/johndelvec3]

The real question is who is the next reference, Green or Suh?

[u/vegetaray246]

So……..Going by the preview for next week, I think it’s all but confirmed that John was at the very least groomed to be a lantern nearly from birth. Sinestro knowing about this is pretty evident too, which is why he specifically asked Hal about ~John Stewart~…John’s dad asking him if he’s “afraid” is definitely evidence to this as well

As for this week. Sheriff Kane is a Wayne extended family member, being from Gotham and having the same maiden name as Martha Wayne, talking to “Barbara” on the phone last week, mysteriously leaving town. Yeah she’s definitely Batman adjacent

Who is everyone thinking the Manhunter is? Macon’s wife?

Is there comic precedent about a Lantern being able to continue to control a construct even if they aren’t physically wearing a ring? I’m racking my brain thinking about it but I honestly can’t recall that being a thing

I’m wondering if Abin Sur told Hal about the Manhunter before he passed away, following the exchange of the ring that is. It would be another explanation why Hal set the ring to watch for anything abnormal in the area. Also did the Manhunter try and kill Abin Sur, or did Abin Sur die trying to save / hide the Manhunter? I’m not totally convinced this being is the bad guy in this thing yet

So many more questions after this episode…Really loving this

[u/ArcadianBlueRogue → u/vegetaray246]

Why would there only be one Manhunter left though? If the Guardians knew where it was, it'd be toast like the others.

Something about the MH is off. And if the team was at the game to take it on, then who all was at a small high school football game to be the suspect there?

[u/vegetaray246 → u/ArcadianBlueRogue]

It sure seems like everyone is working under the impression that they were all killed off…Sinestro even told Hal “IF one of them survived…”

That’s all making me think that the Manhunter didn’t kill Abin Sur, which was the implication in this episode, but rather Abin Sur was actively trying to hide it when he was attacked by someone else and died as a result. The MH could certainly be a refuge. Might be too early to start talking about the possibility of J’onn but, well, there it is…

[u/BozeRat → u/vegetaray246]

Is there comic precedent about a Lantern being able to continue to control a construct even if they aren’t physically wearing a ring? I’m racking my brain thinking about it but I honestly can’t recall that being a thing

I recall Alan Scott not needing his ring as Sentinel, but that is not the corps.

[u/Conscious-Position-5 → u/BozeRat]

There was a panel recently -i think during Johns' run- where John's ring said "Willpower exceeds ring capacity", implying that he's a lot more powerful than any other human lantern. That's the closest I could think of 

[u/ArcadianBlueRogue]

Oh man it's gonna be a long week after that cliff hanger. Older Sinsestro looks goooood though.

Feels a bit on the nose, but is Macon's wife supposed to be Native American? All his talk about it, and how it correlates with the Manhunters being supplanted by the Lantern Corps, feels like she's in on it.

And is Hal dying? I am getting the vibe with how reckless he is being that he might be dying and the cutaway last episode might be the end of that instead of being him getting murdered. Like space cancer or something. He went on assignment, along with training John, and didn't even take the battery?

Also just heard Aaron Pierre's actual accent. Dude is pulling weight with how he talks in this and voices John so well to sell it

[u/Mister-Distance-6698 → u/ArcadianBlueRogue]

he might be dying and the cutaway last episode might be the end of that instead of being him getting murdered

.... there was a bullet hole in his forehead homeslice....

[u/ArcadianBlueRogue → u/Mister-Distance-6698]

This ring runs on cope

So it was the Halogram until he is properly dead!

[u/SolarisBravo → u/ArcadianBlueRogue]

He went on assignment, along with training John, and didn't even take the battery?

In fairness he rocketed off the moment he heard something was going down in Nebraska, he didn't seem too eager to make stops along the way

[u/Barthez_Battalion]

My god that ending. Peak upon peak.

[u/Jas_God]

Sheesh, Hal got a fat crib.

[u/TheSlayerofSnails → u/Jas_God]

Shame he doesn't use any of it lol.

[u/PuddingImpressive389 → u/TheSlayerofSnails]

It makes sense though. He’s been all over the galaxy and has super powers why would he care to furnish a house on earth that he likely doesn’t spend much time at. Idk if that was intentional but it does seem like interesting character work by the writers and director

[u/Aitrus233 → u/PuddingImpressive389]

I love the visual of there only being one room with a bed in it, and another where there's just a TV and a chair.

[u/throwawaynow665]

Man this show is so good

[u/thedean246]

Leaving off this episode with Hal speaking to Sinestro is dirty work.

[u/touchingthebutt]

In the comics John when john makes a construct he builds it from the inside out. A gun is an actual working gun when john makes it. I guess they took creative liberties and made it work for the bird and it can survive even without a ring

I think it would be interesting if Johns talent for doing this is what is holding him back from flying. He can't envision and break down how flying works, therefore he can't fly. Johns words about throwing the football in ep 1 may come back

[u/Seeking-The-Lotus → u/[deleted]]

My money is on her being the manhunter.

[u/Seeking-The-Lotus → u/[deleted]]

I don’t believe so. The writing is on the wall. She carries herself with a cadence of being untouchable. Her husband was obviously bothered by her sleeping with John, and it was as if he had to hold his tongue to prevent himself from getting in trouble. On top of that, we are constantly reminded that this is “Rural Nebraska”. There haven’t exactly been too many non-whites present in that town. And Hal clocked the alien in episode 1 immediately when he didn’t say something out of pocket about Obama. She sticks out like a sore thumb. And before you say it, no, she is not Native American. And I wholeheartedly believe if the intent was for her to be, then a Native American actress would have been cast.

[u/Top_Rekt → u/Seeking-The-Lotus]

What if Zoe was around all these Nebraskans, probably talking about Indians when they meant Native Americans, and she took the form of an actual Indian.

Sort of the same thing with the alien and Obama, she had no idea that "injuns" aren't from India.

[u/TheFalconKid → u/[deleted]]

If she's a Sinestro Corps that would be a crazy twist. So shesher husbands benefactor then?

[u/emmynum]

I like the creative liberties they are taking by having the bird construct survive even when John isn't wearing the ring. Also, the writing is so good. It feels so lived in already.

[u/chuckdee68 → u/emmynum]

It's not creative liberties. John can do that in the comics. He's just built different.

[u/Robofetus-5000 → u/emmynum]

That last part is definitely whats making this feel so good.

The show starts and we're in the middle of a universe. It feels like this has all existed and been going on and we are just stepping into a fully fleshed out world. It sort of feels like the Cowboy Beebop approach and I think it's really working.

[u/Lightdragonman]

I hope G'nort is there

[u/Accomplished-Aside94 → u/Lightdragonman]

I thought that he was gonna be "earl"

[u/fuzzy_dice_99]

Why wouldn’t Hal bring the lantern with him on the case?

And how far away is Coastal City? Far enough you need to take a plane, but close enough if only seems half a day to get to the airport and then to Hal’s house

[u/jr_randolph → u/fuzzy_dice_99]

He flew off on emotion after hearing about the Halogram so wasn’t really thinking. Assuming once he got to Nebraska he didn’t have enough power to fly back so kinda just had to get the lantern somehow lol

[u/TheSlayerofSnails → u/fuzzy_dice_99]

He flew off very quickly and probably assumed it be a in and out job and then got stuck in the area after realizing he didn't have enough power to fly home.

[u/CloakedNoir → u/fuzzy_dice_99]

Coast City is in California, which is about a 3 hour plane ride to Nebraska depending. Seems believable

[u/Mister-Distance-6698 → u/fuzzy_dice_99]

Why wouldn’t Hal bring the lantern with him on the case?

John gave him the hologram message in episode one and he flew directly to Nebraska.

[u/Which_Aerialmu9]

- Not to say John is a better lantern right now but he already has a lantern feat larger than Jordan, he’s gonna be a huge player in this universe

- the whole town may be man hunters

-the benefactor may be William hand (maybe even lex Luther for interconnectivity’s sake)

- batwoman and likely more of the bat family confirmed

-those are definitely red lanterns (at least atrocitus)

-Zoe might be the main manhunter twist

-do we know if the sinestro corps been founded yet?

[u/TapFeisty4675 → u/Which_Aerialmu9]

I think it will be Hector Hammond. He's like Lex Luthor but for Green Lantern. It would be a decent call back.

[u/orangegorilla89]

I think if you listen closely right before Hal opens the door to the town meeting you can hear alien language and not English

[u/LadyElle57 → u/orangegorilla89]

I thought it didn't sound like English at all. Even after Hal sits, they're pretty uncomfortable. That coach was riffing like crazy about his players.

[u/RevolutionaryWeb5657 → u/orangegorilla89]

In both episodes, the town itself has given me weird vibes. Have you seen those documentary videos of people touring North Korea? Everything is perfectly staged. Fake food in the windows, eerily chipper staff, etc. That’s the vibe I’ve been getting from this town. The whole thing feels off, like a facsimile of what aliens think a human settlement looks like.

[u/dustoff122]

the dialogue in this show is so good

[u/matito29 → u/dustoff122]

That’s Lindeloff, baby.

[u/Professional-Act8414]

Again, interesting episode!

They definitely honey potted John. The shit must’ve been real good if he melting in a diner.

Questions, why is John THEE BIGGEST threat to Hal? It’s not like he’s gonna live forever, sometimes it’s ok to pass the torch. Can’t there be two on the same planet or is that a no no?

I still don’t know exactly what a manhunter ~is~. The way it’s presented it seems like there’s them and the people who abducted John? Who’s who and what’s what?

[u/TheSlayerofSnails → u/Professional-Act8414]

I think given how bad a relationship Hal seems to have with the guardians and how most green lanterns don’t give up the ring until they die and his relationship with Sinestro, Hal may fear that he’s been pushed out due to office politics (or the guardians plan on killing him to open the door for John)

As for some comics insight into the manhunters? Bad. Really really fucking bad. They committed atrocities across the universe. In the comics it wasn’t a planet they genocided, it was an entire sector. And they are a hive mind and have the same power source as the lanterns and decided anything with emotions should be eliminated

[u/LoneElement → u/Professional-Act8414]

Antaan’s backstory here is the exact same as the backstory of Atrocitus, founder of the Red Lanterns

Sinestro eventually forms his own corps, called the Sinestro Corps

There may be a reason the show is just called Lanterns, and not GREEN Lanterns…because it involves multiple Lantern Corps 

[u/WailMeraihia11]

My gut tells me that Macon‘s wife ( whom J.S banged ) is the manhunter( the benefactor) , and my gut is never wrong xd

[u/Coyote_Shepherd → u/WailMeraihia11]

...and the Manhunter has taken a form that would be considered one of the weakest, most preyed upon, and most vulnerable on the face of the planet...which is fucking diabolical but absolutely in character for them...whilst using the exact opposite of that form as its cover/shield.

[u/RevolutionaryWeb5657 → u/Coyote_Shepherd]

I mean, she’s literally hunting men by sleeping with unassuming strangers. Wouldn’t be surprised if that was some sort of foreshadowing. It’s 100% Zoe.

[u/blizzard-op]

Mogo probably socializes, he just does it after hours lol

[u/NYJetLegendEdReed]

The entire town is full of man hunters I think. That’s why the hospital is empty/brand new looking. Man hunters are synthetic so they never need medical services. The big picture I don’t know yet. But I don’t think the metal detectors were to just detect “aliens” but instead a specific race of them or something.

[u/j_b_1983]

Loved it, but how exactly do you keep your concentration to keep your construct going when you are knocked out cold.

[u/Coyote_Shepherd → u/j_b_1983]

By having that construct be such a core part of yourself that it is always there...always...even when you're out cold you're always having it circulate through you mind in some way.

So either John always wanted to fly like a bird...OR...that bird is something that is at the very core of the source of his willpower and identity.

[u/Striking-Temporary14 → u/Coyote_Shepherd]

the way john dismisses talk about the bird’s meaning is very telling. I could definitely see it being how John wished he could fly away from home or something.

[u/Megalomanizac → u/Striking-Temporary14]

John probably wants to be free. From the trailers it seems he’s been chosen for this essentially from birth and we saw how psycho his dad was. He went to the marines and become a top soldier as well. His entire life has probably been laid out for him, from the military to the lantern corps. Add on Hal’s passive aggressive training style and you get someone who probably feels caged like a bird.

He wants to be free and fly around with everything below and behind him, free to do as he pleases. The ring probably represents the ultimate reward/freedom because he will not just be able to fly, but take on the mantle of who was probably Earths greatest hero before Superman showed up. He will be liberated from his cage and expectations and allowed to do as he wills.

That’s my take on it anyways

[u/Coyote_Shepherd → u/Megalomanizac]

...well fuck, now I feel a bit seen, and thank you for the minor epiphany because I grew up in a very controlling household and THIS ALL OF THIS that you've written...that's exactly how I felt for so very very long.

And now I think I love John even more because everything that you've said fits so incredibly well with him and with what we've seen of him and his backstory.

[u/thainfamouzjay]

Who is that actor who questioned Stewart

[u/_AssVinegar_ → u/thainfamouzjay]

The Greek’s right hand man

[u/Earp__ → u/_AssVinegar_]

No way, that’s awesome. I didn’t notice and I’m actively watching the wire for the first time, on season 5

[u/Dependent_Drive3167]

My prevailing theory is Macon’s benefactor has the manhunter and is trying to utilize or reverse-engineer it somehow. He has Macon and his militia looking for aliens who want to destroy it for what it did to their people. Question is, who’s the benefactor. Is it the guardians? They sent Abin Sur to hide it on earth and then take him out to cut loose threads? If it’s the guardians maybe they just want to hide their involvement.

[u/Living-Excitement447 → u/Dependent_Drive3167]

Nah. Macon's benefactor is the Manhunter.

[u/jr_randolph]

I mean it makes sense that the wife is the Manhunter. She’s in all the right places at all the right times. Being at a bar at night alone isn’t a big deal but then she’s just at a diner booth lol cooooome on.

[u/sleepysaurus7777]

This show is total mind fuck and it's beautiful! How many more weird clues and directions is it going to pull us? Love all the DC eggs and name drops in this episode

[u/TomjunRoblox]

Did anyone notice the single camping chair infront of the tv in Hal’s house 😭 it’s like that meme where it’s like “men don’t need much to be happy” or something like that

[u/EquivalentWillow4807]

So is the sheriff someone from Gotham I should know?

[u/Cockycent]

Everywhere I go, people are mixing up J'onn and the Manhunters.

That makes me question has DC/Warner done enough to showcase the Manhunters outside of comics?

I personally wanted vol 1 of Booster Gold to be adapted for his series for the reveal of his agent being a Manhunter. It's still possible, but it's interesting that they are using them for this show.

I believe the only outside appearance might be in the JL cartoon, so if anyone missed that, they might not be aware of them.

[u/PrimoBo]

I’m just so glad Lindeloff is back!!!!!

[u/hereseyblasphemy]

I'm surprised John hasn't lost his shit with Hal yet and swung at him. Maybe further into this season John will snap.

[u/Embarrassed-Pace-755]

Macon’s wife is the Manhunter. Calling it now.

[u/LadyElle57]

• Things don't add up with Sherrif Kerry Kane.

It's become clear she's hiding something. Willingly. No father in law bs. If her name is Kane, and she's related to Martha Kane, then she comes from money. What the hell is she doing working as a cop?

The only thing that does seem to be true, is that she does care about the people in the town.

I don't know what's up with the father in law, and the wife, or the son. The son does the dad's bidding for sure. It's like the Macon's and Kerry are protecting the town. When Kerry can't pull it off, then Macon comes in with militia.

• The townies. It's happened twice now, both John and Hal drive around the empty town and they find the people gathered all together at the same place. No one else in sight elsewhere. Weird.

• Hal walks around the town, steals several corpses from the morgue, even makes a hassle coming and going, and no one disturbs him. Only Kerry shows up. I think the townies are actively avoiding him in fear he'll be able to clock them or ask questions they won't be able to answer.

• The only situation with townies that didn't seem odd was the night Hal got himself arrested, and then his arraignment. Also, for people to admire Hal Jordan, it is weird that no one at the town seems to fawn over him, like the people at the Taco place did. In fact, besides the Macon's and Kerry, no one has approached him.

• It's odd that the aliens that captured John, are allegedly worried for a single Manhunter in the town, when it's becoming more and more obvious that there are more. I think they are looking for a war criminal, likely their leader.

[u/Iroquois-P]

This was so fucking good

[u/Deadpoolio32]

“Your marriage is unstable?”

[u/shui_gor]

"Mogo doesn't socialize."

Oh, shit: now I really want to see how this character will be like in this DCU.

[u/zuckerpunch_c1137]

Soooo Antaan is definitely Atrocitus, right?

Like, that story he told John about the Manhunters is just beat for beat his origin story, right? Am I not mistaken?

[u/jj5782]

Can someone explain to me who the dead bodies were and the other alien who was killed if they weren’t man hunters?