With a beat drop, some “Gasoline Dreams,” and a touch of the classic Hal Jordan snark audiences have come to identify with the first Green Lantern from Earth, the credits rolled on a thorough, layered, and difficult episode of television, one that will most assuredly become one of the most important pieces of media ever made. Taking it’s name from the greatest Hip Hop duo OF ALL TIME, ‘Lanterns’ gets at the meat of who John Stewart is while also shining a much needed light on the black experience in America. That experience, like with many young Americans, shapes who they are and how they approach their place in life and the world. ‘Lanterns’ continues to grow and get better as the narrative around John grows thicker and the relationship between Hal and John becomes clear. The series is simply outstanding, continuing to be can’t miss TV from week to week.
Becoming the Green Lantern wasn’t a choice for John Stewart, it was destiny. His father, having failed the test before him, set John on this trajectory, guaranteeing that he would have a childhood that was far from common. ‘Lanterns’ has built a complex, yet hidden backstory for Stewart over the previous two episodes that was brought to light this episode, giving deeper meaning to who Stewart is, what drives him and what becoming the Green Lantern means to him. Good storytelling and a layered narrative are the hallmarks of an exceptional series and ‘Lanterns’ has it all in spades. The show continues to get better and better with each week and the story arc becomes more and more compelling.
Layers
What makes ‘Lanterns’ such a compelling show is it’s ability to have multiple layered and nuanced characters existing at the same time. There are no characters on screen that are flat, each has a layered backstory, history, and motivation for whatever their goal may be. “OutKast” takes things a step further, taking an already rich universe of characters and packing more into their complexity specifically John Stewart. Multiple layered characters and backstories can often times become confusing or too much, but ‘Lanterns’ never quite reaches that level. Each character stands on their own quite well, never feeling too much, overdone or unrealistic.
WATCH MORE: “Nerd Initiative ‘Lanterns’ Post Show – Ep. 3”
The level of detail that is given to each character would not be effective if not for those that are portraying them. Aaron Pierre truly embodies the stoicism and no nonsense that permeates off of John Stewart. Kyle Chandler has Hal Jordan’s cocky bravado down to an art. Both characters, however, have developed and become thicker with life with each episode that airs. This episode establishes the sordid history that exists between Stewart and Jordan, creating the why that explains their actions over the previous episodes and the episodes to come. That jumping off point connects a multitude of strings that will most assuredly be utilized during the midseason episode that airs this Sunday.
With the addition of The Guardians this week, portrayed by the incredible Laura Linney, a new character and layer was added. Linney’s ability to portray a non-human who speaks in an almost robotic manner is magnificent. The character by it’s nature is flat, but Linney gives her life and oxygen. The Guardians exist as the hand that guides the universe. They are the ones that are pulling the strings when it comes to the Green Lanterns. Everything that has happened thus far in ‘Lanterns’ has been a direct result of the choices of the Guardians. It’s safe to say that their role in the events that are taking place in Rushville are not over.
Representation Matters
‘Lanterns’ is groundbreaking TV. Not simply because of the characters they’ve chosen, but how they’ve chosen to give them representation. It is no secret that the Black experience in the United States has been beyond difficult, traumatic, and brutal. In less than an hour, ‘Lanterns’ turned that experience into a moving and brutal lesson. Juxtaposing the experience of Hal, who becomes the Green Lantern, and John Stewart Sr, who does not, dissects American society and experience on a micro level. Turning societal drama into drive as they force their son down the path of no fear. Stewart’s parents aren’t driven by malice or spite, but genuine love, despite appearances. Whether Stewart was the Green Lantern or not, they knew that life was going to be stacked against all of their sons, not just Stewart.
Stewart’s story is not unique in experience. Young people and children of color from coast to coast experience it throughout their entire lives. ‘Lanterns’ finally allows them to see something they can relate to on TV in a big budget way like never before.
Their stories.
Their faces.
One of the greatest heroes of all time.
That representation is invaluable and is something that gets discounted by an American White majority that views their experience as the only experience. The episode in that sense serves as a lesson for that portion of America too. Society isn’t cut and dry. There are experiences that deserve equal representation in media, in society, and in life. My true and selfish hope is that this episode creates conversations, understanding, and learning.
The performances from J. Alphonse Nicholson and Jasmine Cephas Jones had to be pitch perfect for Stewart’s backstory to work in this manner. They had to believably be loving monsters. Nicholson and Jones had to be likable and unlikable, portraying a vulnerability and a love for their son, while doing things that should have had their children taken away in most cases. This may be news to some, but shooting an apple off of your child’s head is not a legal method of child raising. Of course, they established a stand offish, brutal, almost abusive father figure in the first episode, but when the show peels back the layers, it is so much deeper than his father wanting his son to be the Green Lantern. In most cases, Stewart Sr was not the one pushing for John’s training, it was his mother.
Final Thought:
Oftentimes series take risks and end up punished for it. For ‘Lanterns,’ the exact opposite is true. The show told a complex, deep and difficult storyline while making a covered statement about the American experiences. ‘Lanterns’ continues to be appointment viewing that not only entertains, but challenges it’s viewers to think.
