I Think That HBO's Lanterns Is A Very Good Show

 

In the war over shows like Lanterns there are two sides and you have to decide which you are on.

On one side is, of course, the fanboy culture who have elected themselves the sole arbiters of what it is acceptable entertainment. They think that Hollywood has been taken over by a radical leftist elite who are somehow simultaneously covertly and overtly using their shows and their platforms to put a woke agenda that violates everything that they 'the fans' want and by definition all of America, if not humanity, wants from their entertainment. They believe that the masses are with them and they will defend their position to the death.

On the other side is Hollywood. They consider themselves purveyors of a noble craft whose purpose is to speak truth to power and shout to the rafters for equality, even though most of them are multi-millionaires and billionaires. They believe that they are handlers of a sacred calling and that their projects are weapons in the battle against an increasingly fascist society of which the fanboys themselves are the most critical part of it. They know they are on the right side of history and that they are a beacon in a world filled with darkness. They believe that the masses are with them and they will defend their position to the death.

So which side am I on, you ask? Easy. I'm part of the masses who doesn't care about these wars and just wants to be entertained after a long day.

My readers know that I can see both sides of the issues and know that both sides are completely clueless. Hollywood is a business and the films and TV shows it makes are products of that business. The actors and talent are employees, albeit much better made that the overwhelming majority of us. And at the end of the day the business side of Hollywood doesn't care why people watch a show like Lanterns. If you're watching it because you're on side or the other or if you're just watching to be entertained, the industry absolutely doesn't break its viewership down that way. Either way, you're helping them make a profit. I have no doubt the executives really wish both sides would just shut up about it and be entertained but they know that's not the world we live in and they've accepted it.

Now my readers know that I personally have little use for shows that are based on franchises such as Star Trek, Star Wars or comic books. In the 21^st century in particular shows like these are the most extreme version of the capitalist intent of Hollywood. They are safe properties designed to make money and they leave little, if any, room for creativity or imagination. This is true, to be clear, whether it is film or TV but for me as I rarely willingly go to any of these films it only applies to television.

The reason I tend to dislike most comic book adjacent shows is simple: they're not for viewers like me who don't look comic books. All I care about is seeing a good story well told, written and acted and to be clear I've never gotten that from shows like The Mandalorian or Star Trek: Discovery or Secret Invasion. These are shows that are there to do fanservice and I am not a fan. I don't begrudge the people who are fans of these shows, I need to be clear on that, but they are not my cup of tea.

It is almost unheard of for a show based on a franchise to be able to transcend the shackles that bind it and a formula that it can't escape. I think that's the reason Andor resonated with so many people (myself included). It was a Star Wars show for people who might never have liked Star Wars or more importantly might know very little about it.

Television has been shifting quite a bit in the last decade and every so often you can see a comic book show trying to break away from the shackles of the format to actually tell a different story. For the MCU that series was WandaVision, which used the mantle of television to tell a story about how grief can do much to destroy you. For DC, that show was The Penguin which used the origin story of Oz Cobb to tell a very much antihero based drama that seemed to have more Easter eggs to The Sopranos and Breaking Bad that the world of Gotham.

Lanterns is not quite at the level of either of these series. But having watched the first three episodes you get an idea that Chris Mundy and Damon Lindelof are trying their hardest to break against the shackles that hold a comic book in place and try to tell a different story. For Lindelof this is familiar territory: he was one of the creative forces behind Watchmen one of the greatest limited series of the 21^st century that deservedly won eight Emmys.

As someone who knows very little about comic books and almost nothing about the Green Lanterns I was drawn to it because the show seemed to be pitched very much closer in spirit to True Detective. That plus the presence of Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre as Jon Stewart. Chandler, of course, has been one of the great forces in 21^st century TV, most notably for playing Coach Taylor in Friday Night Lights and to certain viewers for his work as a cop in the underrated Netflix series Bloodline. Pierre has increasingly become something of a force in film and TV the last few years, most notably for his work in the Emmy nominated TV film Rebel Ridge.

The biggest complaint (that's a euphemism) has been in the first three episodes we've seen very little of the famous ring, the uniform, and even the lantern is almost considered a throwaway. The origins of Hal Jordan getting the ring have been very vague and the few times the ring has been used, it really seems like Hal isn't taking it seriously. (When he chants the famous pledge to charge the ring, he says so quickly and in a monotone that it almost seems to bore him.) What Lanterns really does seem like is a buddy cop drama where the two partners can barely tolerate each other and there's a decent chance they'll kill each other before greater forces can.

It has none of the tones of a comic book movie, none of the lightness of the MCU or of the most recent DC films and it barely seems interest in paying lip service for the fans. In short it barely seems interesting in telling a story about a comic book at all and its for that exact reason that I admire and find it fascinating, even if after three episodes it has yet to reach a level of brilliance.

Chandler plays Jordan with a mix of weariness and arrogance. The story is he got the ring because he knows no fear. Chadler plays him as if the rules shouldn't have to apply to him and it annoys the hell out of him when he goes to a small town in Nebraska and the local sheriff (Kelly MacDonald) shows him nothing but contempt when he openly breaks the law. Her husband (Jason Ritter, the comic relief in this series) actually does seem to have respect for Hal but its worth noting that may be because he's under the influence of the local billionaire landowner who seems to worship Hal but doesn't respect him. The fact that he is played by Garret Dillahunt makes you know he's up to no good.

Aaron Pierre plays Stewart as someone who is determined to follow the chain of command and show respect no matter what. In the third episode, by far the best to this point, we learn that Stewart's father was considered to be the Lantern and as a result of not being picked went into a spiral. His mother had a meeting with one of the Guardians (Laura Linney) who tried to apologize but said that one day her son might have that potential. We then see that the Jordans essentially raised their child so that he would know no fear and that led to them engaging in behavior which is clearly abusive but that Hal has compartmentalized so much that he doesn't want to think about it. He is laser focused on getting the ring and being able to follow Jordan.

This episode has been talked about because of the obvious racial undertones (which I found too blunt for my liking) and the very real sense of what it means to be a symbol to your people. I actually found a different level. Ever since Lost Lindelof has been an expert at telling story about destiny and free will and whether our actions are shaped by forces beyond our control. So I found myself wondering: Did Jon ever have any choices? I don't just mean by how his parents have decided to shape him but by the Guardians own remarks. We know that they never liked Hal being one of them so is it possible this Guardian planted the seeds in Mrs. Jordan so that her years of training would eventually make Hal the man the Guardians wanted him to be?

If you're a fan of Lost you will remember the sage of how Eloise Hawking chose to shape the life of her son Daniel based on events that happened before he was even born. She took away all of his choices because she said he had a gift that needed to be nurtured. We saw the cost of that gift on Dan throughout his life and we see something just as similar out here. Hal seems to have taken a life where he will respect the chain of command no matter what, so that means he's basically outsourced his free will to other people.

Hal, it's worth noting, has similar issues. We know about how his mentor Sinestro (Ulrich Thomson) abused his trust and tried to lead a coup against the Lanterns. Hal still has a very close relationship with him that clearly bothers the other guardians. 'Daddy Issues' are a big thing about Lindelof dramas as well and we can see that both Hal and Jon have those in spades.

And there are conflicting missions. The Guardians consider Hal reckless and they want Jon to replace him. However they've told Hal that he's a backup in case something goes wrong. Hal doesn't want a backup and he's very clear on that and we all know eventually he's going to find out the truth.

As someone whose always cared less about fidelity to source material and far more about just being entertained on a technical level Lanterns more than checks every box. The writing and directing are masterful, the performances from Chandler and Pierre on down are superb and technically its as well shot and filmed as any HBO project. In short it is a comic book series that can be loved if you never read a comic book in your life which is, of course, why the fanboy culture hated it even before it debuted.  Of course it has very quickly become a ratings success for the network which means the business of Hollywood could give a damn why people are watching it and even less what the fanboy culture thinks.

I acknowledge this has not been a typical review but Lanterns is not a typical show. I write this review for my readers who know what I think about the business. For those who will argue that this is just the woke personification of an industry that is trying to destroy the world – well, I have to be honest I think the writers knew this going in. All of the action in the main story takes place in 2016. You just know that this was a town that was going to be holding MAGA rallies in the near future.

My score: 4.25 stars.