Every superhero show must explain itself at some point.

It must show its logic, enforce rules, develop characters, and generate conflict.

Lanterns, while entertaining in its own right, has not explained much to the viewer, and if you’re not a comics nerd, well, this is just another show.

(John Johnson/HBO Max)

Since we met Hal and John, they’ve had quirks as individuals and as a pair.

It has been an interesting dynamic to watch two superheroes who seem to lovingly disdain what they do.

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Lanterns Season 1 Episode 3 “OutKast” focuses on John Stewart, filling in the gaps between the decades-long jumps introduced in the pilot episode and what was added in the second one.

Much of what happens in this hour, we caught glimpses of in the Lanterns series premiere. We saw the somewhat bizarre relationship between John and his father.

(HBO/YouTube Screenshot)

This episode reveals how we got here, and the results are mixed.

On the one hand, we finally have a better understanding of who John Stewart is. It explains a lot about his behavior, including his daredevil attitude and his soft but dangerous demeanor.

We know why a teenage boy would have his father shoot an apple off his head and smile like it’s the greatest thing to ever happen to him.

Everything takes place against the backdrop of John’s Lantern interview, revealing how, throughout his entire life, he’d been prepared for this role.

The amazing Laura Linney plays the alien interviewer with a peculiar weirdness that makes her character both disarmingly nice and scary.

The smile and mannerisms separate the character from its human form, and it’s a fascinating thing to see.

(John Johnson/HBO Max)

And while Linney has played a range of characters over the years, something about her trustworthy appearance can be weaponized by a good showrunner or casting agent.

This is where the suspicions begin.

For one, I don’t trust the guardians and what they purport to be doing. An entity that can change appearance at will is the definition of untrustworthy.

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Somehow the ring knows the right person, but when it became John Sr.’s turn, it malfunctioned, and his boy was next in line?

Why are they seeking to remove Hal from his position despite him being good at his job by most accounts?

Could he have proven uncontrollable, and now they’ve created the perfect bot to take him out and take over?

(John Johnson/HBO Max)

John did not grow up with fear, so he doesn’t know suspicion or instinct. He just knows threats and how to neutralize them.

He might be strong and dangerous, but he is no less gullible than a baby.

And maybe the biggest mystery of them all is not the aliens and the manhunter, but what the guardians have planned for Hal and John.

But even more fascinating is John’s entire life.

Now, many might think fear is bad, since we have been trained our entire lives to conquer it.

And that’s a good lesson to some extent, but fear also has its utility, as it helps us detect dangerous situations.

(John Johnson/HBO Max)

But too much of it can also become paralyzing and stop us from achieving our full potential. This means a balance is necessary, and John’s parents simply couldn’t find it.

As a Black man in America, John Sr. had known fear since he was young. It has done a number on him, and when he fails his Lantern recruitment, he and his wife swing to the extreme end with their child.

We trace decades of the character’s life as he is prepared for his destiny, and that is where this hour falters.

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Fleshing out a character over decades in one episode is dangerous because it risks repeating the same point until it becomes boring.

At some point, the episode has communicated that the Stewarts want John to never be afraid, and then it indulges in extra scenes without escalation or substance.

I nearly screamed “we get it” at the TV because the point had surely been communicated.

(John Johnson/HBO Max)

A montage would have done a great job, leaving more runtime to make John seem like a person, not a robot.

Maybe that’s the point, but I think the conflict would be elevated if John were as complex as Hal.

By the end of the hour, we have learned some things about the character, including why his construct was a bird.

We also get some lore behind the ring and the lantern, but I still don’t understand how this entire thing works, and that should be the next mystery to explore.

The ring is presented as having some kind of sentience where it chooses the person who will wear it next.

It’s interesting, but it doesn’t make sense because I still don’t know what it is made of or why it has so much power.

(HBO/YouTube Screenshot)

And why a ring and a lantern?

Gut Check

“OutKast” speed-runs decades of a character’s backstory to try to build an interesting character. It succeeds, but it also risks becoming a convoluted story that is hard to keep track of.

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Intrusive Thoughts
  • Really great performances from the Stewart family, especially Cairo Cash Lee.
  • Cue the inevitable crashout from a section of viewers repelled by anything that explores Black issues.
(HBO/YouTube Screenshot)
  • Bernadette Stewart proves that moms can make good villains too.

Over to you, Lanterns fanatics. What did you think of John’s backstory? Is there something the bosses are hiding?

Let’s keep the conversation going — it’s the only way the good stuff survives.

Say something in the comments, share if you like, and keep reading. Independent voices need readers like you.

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