Lanterns may have been a ratings hit for HBO, but the DC Studios TV series continues to divide opinions. The finale has proven particularly controversial, with the reveal that Sheriff Kerry killed Hal Jordan ultimately falling flat.
That's not a great outcome for a series that set out to be the DCU's answer to True Detective, and the main sticking point is that John Stewart allowed Kerry to go free (apparently, it's what Hal would have wanted). John also chose to allow Noah, a Manhunter with a very real desire to conquer the planet, to remain out in the world so he can go to college and play football.
Comic book writer Grant Morrison has previously clashed with Lanterns executive producer Damon Lindelof, but had a change of heart about the series after initially criticising the premiere. Now, though, he joins the chorus of voices expressing dissatisfaction with the finale, "Dirt and Stars."
While it was easy to dismiss artist Ethan Van Sciver's take given past controversies, Morrison is one of James Gunn's favourite comic book writers, so these complaints, published on his Substack, have to sting...
Lanterns worked as a show and it’s mostly down to the two leads, particularly Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan. They have a great supporting cast which helps, but it’s the two principals and their chemistry and charisma that sells the whole thing – so maybe those True Detective comparisons had some basis after all!
Having said that, I didn’t really like the ending, although it was all neatly put together. I found it hard to accept that the Kerry Kane character played by Kelly McDonald shot Hal Jordan in the head, and everyone seemed fine with that psychotic break. There should probably have been some response to that, because otherwise it makes it really hard for the audience to work out what makes the Green Lantern Corps an intergalactic law enforcement agency at all. The Guardians are now fine with their operatives being murdered while other officers simply ignore the fact and let the perps walk free?
I read writer Tom King’s explanation for why this choice was made – she killed the man she loved and was suffering enough – and wondered how that defence would fly in a court of law after some ghastly crime of passion.
‘The horror of murdering his wife in cold blood is punishment enough for this man, your honour. Let him walk free with a gun in his hand, and we’ll just hope it never happens again, okay?’
I watched the show; Kerry lost her shit in a way that made her seem unhinged and she shot a superhero in the head out of pique. John Stewart also let the Manhunter go free, knowing that he could one day destroy the world. For a show that’s not about masked vigilantes with their own personal code but deals with weird space policemen working for an interplanetary judiciary, it was a morally and legally incoherent conclusion that backed out of its own implications and the basic premise of the franchise.
There are rumours of a potential second season but even with the compelling Aaron Pierre, it’s hard to imagine the formula working as well without Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan, and they’d have to find a way to recreate the partnership (Sinestro did say he could bring Hal back to life, so maybe Hal as Parallax would be good, with John having to save him). We’ll see.
It will be hard for even Lanterns' most ardent supporters to argue with anything Morrison says here. The justification that positive reviews (critics were only provided with seven out of eight episodes) and strong viewership invalidate these complaints is debatable, and DC Studios will need to take note if Season 2 does happen.
"Lanterns' leads shine bright," we wrote in our Season 1 review, "but even they can't save this abysmal adaptation of the comics that, embarrassed by the source material it's based on, delivers a woefully bland and uninspired take on Green Lantern that's another miss for the DCU."
Lanterns follows new recruit John Stewart and Lantern legend Hal Jordan, two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland.
Alongside Kyle Chander and Aaron Pierre, Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, Poorna Jagannathan, Nicole Ari Parker, Jason Ritter, J. Alphonse Nicholson, and Jasmine Cephas Jones round out the cast.
Lanterns is now streaming in its entirety on HBO Max.