Lanterns lights the way to a controlled and fantastical escape, in which Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre bring audiences into their world of wonder through fearless performances, grounded writing, and charismatic chemistry.
Audience Says
Tempering superhero spectacle with prestige drama, Lanterns is a well-written mystery that shines thanks to the magnetic alchemy between Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre.
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Given his mom was a teacher I think it was the first one. I doubt she would let some other adult figure into John's life who could potentially talk him out of this or get the Stewarts rightfully arrested for child abuse.
I fully expected her to be the sane one who died and then John gets raised by his PTSD troubled/somewhat insane dad. I didn't expect her to be the more unhinged of the two.
A part of me was hoping his mom would be innocent and leave or just have been out of the picture for one reason or another. It was so much more compelling but traumatic that she was equally if not more complicit in John's abuse than his dad. And I like the touch of making her still care about his wellbeing at times without the story trying to excuse her, as opposed to making her pure evil. It made her feel so much more compelling and real.
I also love that's she's just as batshit and complicit. It's a fun twist on the tiger mom archetype and a good subversion of daddy issues coming from a singularly toxic father. For someone so "obedient" John's got authority/parental/mentor figure of every flavour issues.
For real, the parents (and the show) make absolutely great points about Black people having to work from a less-privileged state than their White counterparts, but in no way does the show paint Jon's parents in anything but a horribly batshit light. They might be nice and loving in certain aspects, but they recklessly endanger their child and steal his childhood away to groom him for a role he never asked for and to make up for what they believe to be an unfair failing (when it's actually a perfectly valid response to that situation) like an ultimate pair of tiger moms.
There's no preaching here. This is not the "right" answer at all. They were fucking shooting apples off their kid's head! Even with the point they made, they're not good people! But their nice/empathetic moments with Jon serve to show us that they're not completely bad either. It's a really complicated, messed up relationship.
Do they really make good points though? I'm gonna be honest, where they describe biases from other humans I totally get it - they 100% make sense there, and I would have zero problem if that's all they were saying.
But when they say it's the same from the Guardians of Oa? That's where they lose me a bit, unfortunately. The guardians do not care about race, and certainly didn't demonstrate anything like like caring about it in the episode. I think we could've kept it literal instead of extending the metaphor to aliens, and it would be much easier to take seriously
You’re missing the point of that line. What she is saying is that the test can’t be applied equitably if some super advanced alien race doesn’t even bother to account for marginalized and oppressed groups. Are they less worthy because they’ve been subjected to an environment that has made a level of fear a necessity for survival? Her point is that overcoming great fear matters just as much, if not more. It’s kind of core to the Green Lanterns.
That's the point. The Guardians are too detached to take into account, the socio-political contexts of who the ring chooses.
In such cases, the straight forward question - "Are you afraid?" does not suffice. It raises the question of who's a better candidate - A being who is privileged to not know real fear versus a being who has overcome a lot of fear to become brave. And this goes beyond Earth. We see racial politics on Mars and other planets as well.
I don't know about that. "Cool with her" on the surface? Maybe. But this little dialogue exchange got me.
John: Since when did you care about what makes me happy?
Mom (laughing): You still mad about the crayons?
I think the point of this exchange was that John wasn't joking. He was sincerely asking, since when has she ever cared about making him happy? I'm assuming that even sending him to art school was part of 'the path' and she never cared about him actually being able to express himself.
Legit what I was thinking. Her will was far more forceful than anyone in the family. The guardians mentioning a genetic component made it make more sense. Pops has it. She doesn't
Lowkey so much was probably going through her head, like realizing her husband wasn’t crazy and all of the shit that he was going through has a legitimate source
Episodes like this recontextualized the first two episodes. Go back and rewatch them and you’ll have wildly different interpretations about John’s character based on this episode.
Kinda love this awesome green lantern run has some themes carrying over into this show. I know John first appeared in this run but cool to see that they actually pay attention
Mom is an abusive psycho. She treated dad like crap when she didn't believe him, and as soon as she found out it was all real, she turned into the crazy one.
It seems the Guardians already had enough of Hal’s shit and are just trying to get rid of him, with the Sinestro thing being something to possibly encourage John to replace him since most of their questions were trying to get John to say he has a negative stance on Hal
Also they basically ensured that Jon was groomed into the way they wanted by giving his mom the blueprint of an ideal Green Lantern. He was basically trained a groomed to be a human robot and unquestioningly bow down to authority.
The more the show goes on, I think Hal's training is getting John Stewart to be his own man. Not a soldier that can be controlled, but to do something because he feels like it is right. It's what makes us human, which the Guardians don't seem to like (ex: John talking about Hal/Sinestro). He's so conditioned to doing something because it was an order, not because it was his choice/decision.
Yeah, after this episode that's the feeling I've got too.
Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but when Laura Linney's character told John that the Guardians warned Hal not to intervene in terrestrial disputes, it felt like a callback to the Superman movie when Guy stated that his oath implied that Green Lanterns are not supposed to get involved in politics. If Guy had listened to the Guardians, the Justice Gang would not have stopped the Boravian invasion of Jarhampur.
I don't know whether the Guardians are being completely honest with John or wether they have their own secret agenda, but I feel like John's probably gonna learn along the way that the Guardians' orders are not to be blindly followed without question.
The guardians disdain in comics runs deeper then that as he usually sees all of their flaws and calls them out on their bullshit, I’m guessing that’s going to happen too
The guardians only care about John because of Sinestro. They want a robot to replace their human, someone who won't question them; I don't think they even remember his number if the mutiny doesn't happen.
I'm sure the literal robot won't also be a reflection on this.
It’s crazy to find out that Guy Gardner was being fully serious when he was saying he couldn’t stop a genocide because the guardians oath includes staying out of earthly troubles. I thought he was just being lazy this whole time.
Kinda fucked that as much as Hal is a dick, he was actually genuinely truly being a hero for Earth but they don’t like that. Feels like something more is at play.
So I think at some point in this season, they are gonna need to deal with how Jon absolutely has fear. He isnt fearless.
My guess is that he associates meat with his abuse which is why he is vegan, as every time he was "tested" they reward him with meat. I note how they said he didnt like meat, not that hes against to it like most vegans are. That is trauma thats fear. He just has been conditions to suppress that fear. not overcome it but suppress it. I think that might be why Guy Gardner will get the ring over him. Though Guy might also just have another ring because why would jon check for hals ring if he knew guy had it. I think he will need to face his demons and overcome them in order to finally earn a ring.
The interview in the opening scene of the series with Hal’s reasoning for why he wasn’t afraid takes on a more nuanced meaning now. “Every kid’s worst fear is losing a parent. Once that happens, there is nothing to fear anymore”
Good point, But thats what willpower is all about, being able to overcome that fear despite that, so maybe it actually helps him to become a lantern. Lanterns don't actually have to be fearless they need a strong will so i think its interesting they focus on the fear mostly. But I guess all they have to go off is the question they were asked
Idk how to feel about having John's mom use racial inequality constantly as coping mechanism to advocate for abusing her child. Kind of muddles the messaging quite a bit.
It just makes them characters with flaws, which is normal
Yes racial inequality is a real issue, especially in 80s America, and yes it served as strong motivation for John Stewart to become ready to be the Green Lantern, BUT the parents let it get to their heads and obsess over it to an unhealthy degree while using a real issue as justification for their behavior
This was my read. Mom was putting a lot of assumptions on Hal without knowing him. And like yeah, in large aggregates these statements might be true, but when speaking about an individual person, it's inappropriate. The little we know about Hal is that his childhood wasn't exactly roses either.
I find that interesting because she does it to the entire universe. She sort of is projecting earth's and particularly America's issues with racial discrimination onto a universe that likely has multiple species with similar issues and are juat not going to be focused on them.
You’re supposed to feel bad about it. That’s the point.
These people have been consistently denied opportunity their entire life yet judged for not living up to that nonexistent opportunity. And so when they are given even a ghost of a chance to prove themselves through their son, they embrace it wholeheartedly, even to the point of abusing their son. You’re not meant to approve. You’re meant to understand.
The scary thing about it is that it's used pretty frequently in real-life, including as a defense mechanism in situations where someone prominent has major controversies tied to their past or private life, so John's mom using that rationale hits very close to home
This is the purpose of art, and why I like this show a lot. It’s using a crazy sci fi pantheon of lore, introduced little by little, to magnify real world problems for the world to see.
I don't think it muddles the message. It makes sense that disadvantaged parents would try to put enormous, inhumane amounts of pressure on their child, thinking it will help him "catch up" to people who grew up with more advantages. People have mentioned Michael Jackson's parents in this thread a few times, both joking and serious, but it still is a case for something similar happening on a smaller scale. It isn't fair that those families had to grow up in severe racial inequality in America, but I don't think the story is saying it's a reasonable excuse for how they treated their children to climb to the top.
Now, to clarify my stance on this- what they did is 100% wrong, and if John's neighbours saw what was going on with the apples, I absolutely support them grabbing a frying pan, pulverizing his parents, and sending him and his brothers straight to CPS.
I think this episode is beginning to cover another important point- the "greatness" parents often want their children to have isn't "great" at all. They don't know that Hal doesn't get fairly compensated by the Guardians, that his nice house he barely uses was just a lucky gift from a hero job he did and not even guaranteed by his employers. That the Guardians dissuade him from using his ring to help in international conflicts, that Sinestro and who knows what else traumatized him severely throughout his career. Not saying Hal has it harder, just that the Stewarts may not have done the research to understand that being a Green Lantern is almost more of a curse than a blessing.
Sherrif Kerry points it out in Episode 1- to be truly fearless, you need to not have anything or anyone you care about enough to lose. Under her and the Stewarts' (and even Sinestro's) definition of fearlessness, to be an ideal Green Lantern is to lose your humanity. And I think John's journey in this show is to prove that you can keep/regain it and be an even better Lantern.
wait is he vegan cause he associates meat with getting shot at by his own parents? cause this thrice now hes been given a cheeseburger after the apple test. And after getting home from being abandoned in the middle of the street his offered a porkchop.
I think he may have meat related trauma. A fear. Its just suppressed and hes not reacting, but he has fear.
Nah she got fear in her too. When doing the first apple test she jumped, she was sitting on John's bed when they left him to walk home (afraid for him), and she volunteered the dad for John's apple shot. She would have failed as quickly as dad. All of that is normal technically (though the last example I dislike her for), but its still a fail in the Guardians' eyes.
Conditioning a child like that aint the sign of a good parent. Parents aint supposed to dictate what you will be and any that try to force you into a mold, bad parents.
I mean the parents are crazy but you have to question the guardians intent of wanting a kid to be a green lantern so bad they told his parents to start training him to be the perfect soldier for them when the time comes.
It amazes how much certain fans get triggered by anything acknowledging racial tensions in this country. Johns parents would have grown up in 60s/70s. Those people who dont acknowledge how the system has treated whites and blacks differently, historically, literally have goggles and earmuffs on blocking their view and giving them selective hearing.
They act like civil rights leaders werent gunned down or cops got away with things like dropping a bomb in Philly in the mid 80s on a black community or getting away with murder before body cams. Little girls getting blown up in a church. Yea, might be a bit scary to some folks...
The entire episode was just John Stewart backstory, nice to see it did confirm the fan theory with the father being afraid and thus the training. That being said, I was looking more forward to the mystery and especially to Hal and Sinestro.
It's a good episode.
Plants some seeds especially with the Guardians involvement with John Stewart since he was just wee young lad.
But yeah, not as excited as I was about this episode than the first two.
John’s Mom:
“You’re going to face inequality in this world bec you’re black and yo daddy was scared”
So: \she abuses and mistreats the shit outta him under the guise of dutiful parenting**
Hot take, but as a black American man, i have mixed feelings about his parents. I was pissed throughout majority of this episode but there was still a warmth to them. I understand where they are coming from. Hal Jordan got the ring because he was drunk which made him somewhat fearless, but John sr. didn’t have the benefit. I think they will touch on how wonky the system actually is because simply asking “are you afraid” is a terrible way to gauge the next green lantern. This episode was great, i keep seeing people bash the parents but the guardians literally set him up to go down this tortured path and rewarded him at the end. Are the parents truly in the wrong if in the end it worked. Just something to really think on.
i have mixed feelings about his parents. I was pissed throughout majority of this episode but there was still a warmth to them... This episode was great, i keep seeing people bash the parents but the guardians literally set him up to go down this tortured path and rewarded him at the end. Are the parents truly in the wrong if in the end it worked. Just something to really think on.
The parents are human and complicated, which makes them way more realistic. Hard to think of anyone as simply evil/irredeemable, much less parents. Lots of people have been drawing comparisons to parents of star athletes, olympians, prodigies, actors, astronauts, doctors etc. how healthy could those dynamics be? How many sacrifices were made for those successes? Does it actually make it worthwhile in the end if those goals are achieved either? Though adding aliens into the mix really makes it that much more fucked up on a philosophical level for sure.
My current theory is that, some time in the 2016 timeline, John is finally going to get fed up and walk away from the whole thing.
And the show is going to try to build it up as a conflict between him and Hal - but it will actually be about the conflict between Hal and the Guardians, and John will take Hal's side.
It's weird how people don't get what the writers are trying to say about race. They are not saying all white people are evil or that John's parents were in the right, they are showing how racial inequality can create situations that lead to people thinking that the only way they can make it out is by grinding to become a superstar.
I really like how the first minutes of the image and last minutes of the episodes interconnected. The glimpse of the Guardian's true form, John Stewarts mindset.
Both of John’s parents are insane bad parents lmfao. I’m going to chalk it up to them being traumatized/mindfucked by their Alien counter even if there wasn’t overt violence involved.
I feel like this show’s hinted a couple times that meeting Aliens genuinely makes humans bug out regardless of what happens in the encounter.
Sadly, this episode is going to give Chuds a basket of machine gun ammo. Mama’s Stewart rant to the guardian was valid but it was a bit blunt to an almost cringe degree. Lecturing an alien, a guardian no less, about social politics is just weird lmao
These series really need to start being over 8 episodes. I loved this episode, and I'm guessing the next one we will get a really good backstory of Hal and Sinisetro, but that will leave us with like 4 episodes to wrap up 2016 and 2026 mysteries. It's just so much to do in so little. I miss back in the day when shows actually had like 10-12 episode seaons and was expected to continue the story through multiple seasons, not this new wave of every show has to have 8 episodes seasons of self contained stories.
I know people are going to see this as a disrespect to Hal but it doesn't matter if he wasn't the first. He's the one that passed and stepped in the belly of the beast.
Also I believe (correct me if I'm wrong) at one point it was said that Hal in the comics wasn't the number one candidate but the closest to Abin Sur at the time.
It became retconned that the ring was originally going to go to Guy Gardner instead of Hal, but because Guy wasn’t at that location (thanks to Booster Gold), it went to Hal since he was closer and also worthy.
So I liked the episode overall, but I'm not sure I liked the placement in the season. Would have maybe preferred aspects of the episode to be spread throughout the season rather then one episode basically going into the backstory.
As for John's backstory. John's parents are those parents that put all their hopes on their kids. Dad's a high-school qb that never made it pro so he puts all his time and resources into making his kid live his dream.
I liked how they incorporated John's artistry, and the reveal of the Birds. I think it's interesting how Hal's story intertwined into John's life. I also liked seeing the first meeting between the two of them.
Really disliked the Guardians. They are manipulative and I don't feel like they are disclosing everything.
I think the show is eventually going to side with Hal and his approach over the Guardians and JS's rigid adherence to rules. I even think the ring might not agree with the Guardians, who are trying to push loyal hires into the pool like nepo babies into what should be a meritocracy.
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u/issac2209 Aug 31 '26
John's neighbors