Lanterns: In Brightest Day, In Blackest Night, HBO Delivers a Superb Sight
To say I was curious about this show is an understatement. I had no idea what a Green Lantern show set on Earth and supposedly going to be in the vein of True Detective would even look like. And the attachment of Damon Lindelof didn’t do much to alleviate any fears. He’s one of the guys that came up with the ending of “Lost.” No, I’m still not over it. You add the casting of Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre as John Stewart, and then you’ve got my attention. So, how was it?
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It has been an absolute joy watching this show every Sunday night for the last 8 weeks. I’ve enjoyed the writing, the chemistry of the leads, the quality of the cinematography, and the production design has been off the charts. As someone who grew up in a small Midwestern town not too far away from western Nebraska, I have to say I got a kick out of a major HBO production getting the aesthetic of small-town America correct. But the first thing that comes to mind when talking about this show is the writing. I found myself getting actively engaged more and more as the weeks went on, and I kept trying to predict how this season was going to end. And speaking of that ending, I’m very happy to say that unlike Peacemaker season 2, Lanterns ended perfectly for the kind of story that it was trying to tell.
Aaron Pierre gives us a wonderful version of John Stewart that brings layers to this character that I’ve never really seen before. It’s an understated performance where he’s able to deliver so much with very few words, and that is just full credit to his performance. There’s always something going on behind his eyes, and more times than not, you know exactly what he’s thinking. But for me, Kyle Chandler is easily the standout, shining as a disheartened, disillusioned Hal Jordan, a man who has been on the job for too long and burnt out. We get glimpses of this from his snarky, sarcastic dialogue, but it’s most spelled all over his face from a magnificent performance coming from underneath. He’s given the perfect chance to show us that he’s still one of our most underused and underrated performers to date, Friday Night Lights notwithstanding. And these two personalities clash in just about every way that you would expect. It’s the kind of push-and-pull combination we’re used to seeing in buddy cop films, but here we’re given enough insight on both of them that just when you think you’re ready to morally side with one over the other, you find yourself having to stop and think long and hard about it. And that’s where this show has a card up its sleeve: its ability to have a nuanced conversation and that while a lot of things on Earth are indeed black and white, chances are there are levels of nuance we don’t want to see or even try to see.
The show does more for the superhero genre than try and just be exciting. It’s got something on its mind and has universal themes at its heart. Even if you aren’t someone who would normally watch a show like this, it gives you something to think about. Because at the end of the day, this is a detective story first and foremost, and it has way more in common with the aforementioned True Detective than I would’ve ever thought. It takes itself seriously enough without ever crossing the line of being pretentious. It’s got a beating heart at its core and has a morally nuanced soul and asks you to ask deeper questions about fear, belonging, and finding your own voice. I was surprised just how much this show had on its mind, though that’s not too much of a surprise as this is being showrun by the guy that gave us HBO’s “Watchmen.” It always brings a smile to my face when I’m able to say nothing but kind things about a piece of entertainment from a genre I love so much!
I’m now saddened that I won’t be able to watch new episodes of this show on Sundays now, but I am looking forward to rewatching this season again and again until the inevitable second season arrives!
