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Lanterns - Midseason Trailer & My Impressions Thus Far



"The blackest night is yet to come."
The Mood-season trailer for "LANTERNS" have arrived, for the last remaining 3 episodes, currently streaming Sundays on HBO Max.



BELOW: Episode 6 Preview



BELOW: "Weeks Ahead Trailer" from a moment back, but showcases scenes/images yet to happen FTW.





So I binged 5 episodes of "LANTERNS" in a single day, and here are my personal thoughts;

DISCOURSE
The social media discourse had been undeniable, with the flood of commentary delaying my watch, truth be told. I had felt everything was "spoiled" by the multiple commentary, but in reality after watching all 5 episodes, the show needed to be experienced in full and with context, and I am glad I bit the bullet to do so, instead of letting social commentary disparage me, which I hope would not be the effect will have on folks on the edge of watching, IMHO.

FANBOY
I am not a full-fledged fan of the Green Lantern characters, as much as I had enjoyed their comicbook stories, which on hindsight had me enjoying the usage of powers, rather than the characters themselves. But reading folks' explanations on socials also helped me get into the characters more, be it "negative" or "promotive", it provided me a depth I had not expected and I am somewhat thankful, cheers.

INFLUENCED
Folks impressions of the Green Lantern-lore is largely coloured by (1) The Comicbook source, (2) The 2011 live action feature film starring Ryan Reynolds and (3) The various animated series, and they judge the show based on these influences, while instead this is the first live-action television/streaming series compared to everything else that had gone before.

Personally for me, I had always viewed all these are separate elements from each other, with their own distinct styles and intents, while utilising the same characters ... maybe because I am "greedy" for more stories, but also would keep my sanity intact, and not be too disappointed if the medias did not align.

I could love the cartoon but not need to like the life-action. I could love the comicbooks and not need to like the cartoon. Everything need not be wholly linked for me to have to either "like" or "hate" them all, but thirty's just me, and my way of coping ~ LOL

That said, I do not need this to be "perfect", and I just want to be "entertained", and I am hioghly entertained thus far...!

FLAWED HEROES & VILLAINS
The flawed nature of the characters had been the undeniable draw for me personally. Neither Hal, John, The Guardians and everyone else were portrayed to be "perfect" nor perfectly in line with their previous media counterparts, with the standout (for me) being Sinestro.

Judge not the heroes portrayed, but by their enemies/villains, and Sinestro has been brewing thus far in a single episode, and looks to shine more in the coming episodes (if the trailer is any indication).

The Manhunter(s) were but a "tool" used and discarded, as were the Green Lanterns, with Hal being discarded right now, in favour of John, and the irony being the Guardians could not do it themselves, and needed John himself to do it?

Reminds me of Satan/The Devil, whom can influence you to sin, but could not enact the sin upon you. The ring is the contract for your soul, and how you react interact with the king determines your (unseen) contract, bound by guilt and conscience?

The Manhunter(s) have been presented as the series "villains", but I'm placing my bets on the "intrigators" of this situation, "blue-skinned" or otherwise.



If Hal was "perfect", there would be no reason for John to replace him, unless you are talking about age and durability. The average mortal life-span no doubt is different than that of Guardians and even Manhunters, so this is an interesting foil to the proceedings. Imagine if an immortal "Duncan MacLeod" (Highlander) wields the ring? Let man standing at the edge of the death of the Universe, innit?

So Hal had spent 4-5 decades being Green Lantern, and John has forgo'd a decade of being GL. With age comes wisdom to be able to use the ring, which has a dire battery charge like a iPhone FFS LOL

John feels like the "new tech" waiting to replace the old GL battery, but the Guardians are keeping that at bay, stemming the tide of evolution with age old rules. I've always felt that it might not be "rules are meant to be broken", but instead "rules can be improved". John's manifested bird is a very interesting advancement, which no one could fathom or deduce, and I appreciate that development in the plot.

I had not imagined myself to go on so much, no doubt spurred by the social discourse online, and perhaps that is one of the "success" of the series (thus far), to have the viewers engaged in public discourse, IMHO.

"No evil shall escape my sight. Beware my power, Green Lantern's light."



PREMISE: Green Lanterns are interstellar peacekeepers who wear rings that give them extraordinary powers. The series follows experienced Lantern Hal Jordan and new recruit John Stewart as they investigate a murder in Rushville, Nebraska, which Hal believes is an extraterrestrial incident and leads them to darker mysteries and reckonings.

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