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I\u2019m still not sure what to make of HBO\u2019s latest DC Comics series, Lanterns<\/a>. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s necessarily bad, and I\u2019m pretty sure that at least some of my issues with it are because I\u2019m not a fan of Green Lantern the character or the comics. I\u2019m not anti-Green Lantern, I just have never been interested in Green Lantern, so I suspect that I\u2019m missing things that more avid fans are spotting.<\/p>\n Then again, I didn\u2019t know a thing about the Guardians of the Galaxy before seeing that film and I loved every second of it, and that\u2019s been the case with plenty of other shows and movies and adaptations from comic books or novels that I hadn\u2019t already read. So is the show simply not accessible to those of us who aren\u2019t really into Green Lantern, or is it something else?<\/p>\n Check out my weekend streaming guide right here<\/a>.<\/p>\n ForbesPlayStation Plus Free Games September 2026: Predictions, Rumors, Leaks And MoreBy Erik Kain<\/a><\/p>\n I already discussed, at length, the problem with expectations last week. The comparisons to True Detective and so forth. This week, I went in with those expectations solidly shelved away. It was incredibly clear that this was not on that level or even remotely close. So I can\u2019t say that I was disappointed with the second episode. I was just . . . bored.<\/p>\n The stakes simply haven\u2019t materialized for me. There are aliens and they\u2019re searching for some powerful cosmic being known as the Manhunter who long ago brought ruin to their civilization and was taken into custody by a Green Lantern and then . . . never brought to justice. They think this being is in Rushville, NE and they recruit John (Aaron Pierre) to help them track it down. This is just one of many Manhunters, synthetic shapeshifters with enormous power. This particular one might just be part of a much larger threat, but right now Hal and John have to figure out who it is in the first place, and they\u2019ve got their eyes squarely set on the ranch, which could be a misdirect.<\/p>\n My guess is that it\u2019s the wife of rancher William Macon (Garret Dillahunt), Zoe (Poorna Jagannathan). She seems very untrustworthy and if film and literature have taught me anything, it\u2019s that you should always pay close attention to the woman standing behind the powerful man. The Manhunter can take any shape. Why not a seductive woman who had absolutely no problem bedding our young protagonist last week. Or it\u2019s Kerry, because she seems so out of place and just way too nice (the tough mom cop from a Coen Brothers movie) to not be a secret villain.<\/p>\n Whenever it\u2019s a shapeshifter mystery-type situation, it has to be someone introduced in the very first episode. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s either of our heroes, and I think Macon is too obvious. So it\u2019s either Zoe or Kerry, or possibly Billy Macon (Jason Ritter). I\u2019m curious, but not edge of my seat curious.<\/p>\n Scattered thoughts about this week\u2019s episode:<\/p>\n In the end, after Hal is shot and arrested for trespassing and stealing bodies from the morgue, John rejoins his mentor in Rushville (after going to Hal\u2019s mansion to get the Green Lantern to charge the ring) and tells him about his encounter with the aliens and their pursuit of the Manhunter. John also brought the Green Lantern suit and after \u201cJunior\u201d goes to bed, Hal dons the classic green suit (after acting like he\u2019d never wear the thing again) and flies off into space, finally coming to a distant space prison where the old Green Lantern, Sinestro, is imprisoned.<\/p>\n Lanterns<\/p>\n Screenshot: Erik Kain<\/p>\n Sinestro tells him that the Manhunter is the second most important thing Hal should be worried about. Now tell me about John Stewart, he says ominously, and the credits roll.<\/p>\n I admit I might have rolled my eyes a bit at this point. It\u2019s played like a cliffhanger but I just don\u2019t really care enough to feel any suspense or thrill. I don\u2019t know enough about this Sinestro to feel anything one way or another about him. I don\u2019t particularly even like John, who is too serious and flat (Pierre isn\u2019t the problem, it\u2019s just the character. In fact, check out the Netflix Original movie, Rebel Ridge<\/a>, which Pierre stars in. It\u2019s basically a Reacher story but it\u2019s much better than Amazon\u2019s Reacher series and Pierre is fantastic in that movie).<\/p>\n I usually love it when shows release week-to-week because it gives me time to really sit with each episode, write a recap \/ review of each episode over the course of several weeks or months, and dive into all the fun fan theories and whatnot. <\/p>\n But this show feels like it should have been a binge release, or at least had three episodes out to begin with, because after two episodes I have essentially zero investment in the characters and story. It\u2019s fine. It\u2019s not horrible. It\u2019s entertaining enough. There\u2019s just not much of a hook. Perhaps it\u2019ll reel me in eventually, but for now I remain unimpressed.<\/p>\n I did do some homework, of course, and learned all about Sinestro and his significance to the Green Lantern stories, but I won\u2019t share any of that here. It\u2019s too spoilery, I suppose. But somehow this show needed to make that moment land for non-fans also and it just didn\u2019t at all for me. I\u2019ll try to be patient, but I don\u2019t think I should have to go read wikis after an episode to enjoy an episode of TV.<\/p>\n Even the episode\u2019s somewhat contrived stakes \u2013 John has to find the Manhunter within 48 hours or the aliens are going to suicide bomb Rushville \u2013 fails to move me. Rushville hasn\u2019t made itself or its citizens very likable and if they were all blown to smithereens by aliens trying to exact revenge and get justice, I wouldn\u2019t bat an eye.<\/p>\n Read my review of Episode 1 here<\/a>, and watch my video review below<\/a>:<\/p>\n Stay tuned, I\u2019ll have another video up about Episode 2 soon.<\/p>\n What about you? Are you enjoying this one more than me? Am I just being too impatient? For those of you who are big Green Lantern nerds, is it working for you? Let me know on Twitter<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, or Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n