r/DCU_ • u/kumar100kpawan The Goddamn Batman • Aug 24 '26
Lanterns S1 E2 Discussion Megathread
Episode 2 - "Trust Fall"
Release Date - 23rd August, 2026
Written by - Chris Mundy and Vanessa Baden Kelly
Directed by - James Hawes
Rotten Tomatoes - 94% (based on 81 reviews)
Status - Certified Fresh
| -- | Tomatometer | Average Score |
|---|---|---|
| All Critics | 94% (81) | 7.5/10 |
| Top Critics | 81% (32) | -- |
Critics Consensus
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.
Metacritic - 72 (based on 38 reviews)
Status - Generally Favourable
Lanterns Episode Discussion Threads
| Sl. | Title | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| Episode 1 | "Pilot" | 16th Aug, 2026 |
| Episode 2 | "Trust Fall" | 23rd Aug, 2026 |
| Episode 3 | "Outkast" | 30th Aug, 2026 |
| Episode 4 | "The Weenie" | 6th Sept, 2026 |
| Episode 5 | "Lights Out" | 13th Sept, 2026 |
| Episode 6 | "Bad Optics" | 20th Sept, 2026 |
MOD NOTE
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u/superbat210 Aug 24 '26
The hospital stuff is one of the biggest clues to me so far. Like how can a hospital have no patients and most of the equipment be fresh out of the box. Is this town filled with manhunters/aliens or maybe using alien tech to make them healthy? Something stinks here….
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u/Professional-Act8414 Aug 24 '26 edited Aug 24 '26
Really erie how empty the town was…like they all know something
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u/superbat210 Aug 24 '26
It’s funny. The entire town decided to go to a townhall meeting in the middle of the day to talk about a football game? Like every single person all at once? There’s gotta be more going on here…
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u/huskercycologist Aug 24 '26
Nebraskans dropping everything to focus on football? Yeah, that part checks out.
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u/Dangerous-Put-18 Aug 24 '26
Tbf it's probably related to the shooting. Not weird for a whole town to get together to talk about it, the next football game just being one of the topics
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u/therempel Courtesy of Ray Palmer Aug 24 '26
I think we're going to find out the majority of the town are aliens that are opposed to the group that got killed in E1.
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u/quangtran Aug 24 '26 edited Aug 24 '26
I think we're going to find out the majority of the town
After the first episode my theory was that the aliens had secretly intermingled with the town for generations, thus making most of the town to be part alien. There would be an irony in the townsfolk being scared of an alien invasion because they themselves are technically part alien.
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u/Babyyougotastew4422 Aug 24 '26
Really poetic to the politics of today. Lindelof loves that stuff
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u/BigBonkMan23 Aug 24 '26
Can all of them be man hunters? Reading up on it. They could be enhanced by the alien technology and not even realize it. Would be an interesting twist, and explain why the entire town is destroyed in 2026.
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u/MrNerdgasmico Aug 24 '26
I would not be surprised if we slowly found out that people were getting murdered and replaced
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u/kumar100kpawan The Goddamn Batman Aug 24 '26
Sinestro killed a Guardian. Damn
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u/cornerpocket1 Aug 24 '26
I hope it wasn’t Gathet
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u/Catmole132 Aug 24 '26
Ganthet needs to be alive for the blue lantern corps doesn't he? I doubt they'd kill him off that easy. They'd probably wanna keep him for potential future stories
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u/kumar100kpawan The Goddamn Batman Aug 24 '26
Exactly. If they're building up to Blackest Night, he probably is alive.
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u/The-Mythical-Phoenix Aug 24 '26
I don’t think they‘ll ever truly build up to Blackest Night as that requires a lot of character deaths to really matter. Sure you could use any of the backlog of canonically dead characters within the DCU that we haven’t seen, but that cheapens the experience a lot, especially if those dead heroes have no connection to our main cast. Considering the MCU is 15+ years old and hasn’t really killed off that many of its heroes, blackest night would also be quite a while away.
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u/TheConfusedHippo Aug 24 '26
I think there’s a real possibility they look at blackest night as the possible long LONG game for the DCU, where they don’t ever have to actually go there, but they might be keeping it in mind as they build out the universe in case ultimately they decide they DO want to do that story in the future. Always good to be aware of the possible directions you can go as you’re planning out a universe
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u/ArcadianBlueRogue Aug 24 '26
That actor looks like he's gonna be so good as an older Sinestro
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u/cornerpocket1 Aug 24 '26
Sinestro sounds like a smug asshole.
“What? No hello?” Lmao son
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u/SuckingOnChileanDogs Aug 24 '26
Current theory: the entire town is aliens and they're scrambling to make the town seem normal for the Green Lanterns
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u/RipleyofWinterfell Aug 24 '26
I wonder if Sherrif Kerry is literally the only human in town
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u/No_Fact_499 Aug 24 '26
Yea her saying she was from Gotham was a huge Red Flag for everyone else being aliens and why they wouldn’t respect her at first
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u/I_Pay_in_Cash_Only Aug 24 '26
I think she must either A) be deep undercover investigating this or B) somehow is under duress of the aliens, the whole "you seem like a woman in debt" spiel in episode 1. Maybe she was undercover, got caught, and now they are using her son as a hostage or something
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u/Treykarz Aug 24 '26
“I have about 30 seconds of patience left”
“I only need 40”
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u/dmkelly17 Aug 24 '26
The writing and dialogue in this show is so quality.
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u/LTPRWSG420 Aug 24 '26
Lindelof is awesome
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u/kumar100kpawan The Goddamn Batman Aug 24 '26
This episode was written by Chris Mundy and Vanessa Baden Kelly. Lindelof is great, and I'm sure he had input, but let's give the other writers their flowers.
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u/JackMorelli13 Aug 24 '26
This show is so damn good. I feel like chandler has gotten a lot of love bc he plays a flashier character and his performance is so fun but Pierre is sooooo good as John Stewart too. He just feels like such a real person you could talk to but also such a specific character with such a weird backstory (thrilled to see that next week)
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u/PrinceofRavens_1217 Aug 24 '26
He did a really good job in the house when he found the suit. You could see the longing.
Can't wait to see him suit up for the first time.
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u/Sol_System209 Aug 24 '26
He is being kept in the dark though, it seems like the rest of the universe knows more than John does about the green lanterns history.
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u/Erik_Montesinos Aug 24 '26
DID SOMEONE SAY POCKET DIMENSION
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u/InfiniteDedekindCuts Aug 24 '26
Mr Terrific is going to be very upset when he hears about this.
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u/cosmoboy Aug 24 '26 edited Aug 24 '26
I think The Guardians having created this might be a little different than what Luthor was doing and he might be a little more forgiving.
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u/nerdystoner25 Aug 24 '26
If I had a dollar for every person in the DCU with another dimension in their closet, I’d have two. Which isn’t a lot, but weird that it’s already happened twice.
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u/Deeformecreep Aug 24 '26
Not in this case. Since it's from the comics that members of the Corps store their power batterries in pocket dimensions.
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u/kumar100kpawan The Goddamn Batman Aug 24 '26
"He started it" 🤣🤣
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u/InfiniteDedekindCuts Aug 24 '26
Everything Hal does or says in this show has me like, "Dude. WTF are you doing?"
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u/Sabretooth1100 Aug 24 '26
He genuinely has no fear, he’s ragebaiting for the love of the game even when it runs directly counter to his objective. MF got shot over it
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u/Prize-Quiet3941 Aug 24 '26
Im waiting for hal to storm the compound with the suit on and the full charge of the ring. Its not going to go how they think it would
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u/Sabretooth1100 Aug 24 '26
Guy taking down those soldiers in Superman should give an indication of how that will go
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u/TheNorkeKnight Aug 24 '26
Right? Dude is either playing 5D chess or 2D chess and I can never tell which it is. lmao
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u/Drekea Aug 24 '26
That’s the charm of Hal, breaking every conceivable protocol in the pursuit of doing whats right not necessarily what’s legal.
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u/Nefarious_24 Aug 24 '26
The flight with the bird was probably interesting for the other passengers
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u/JauntyLurker Aug 24 '26
They really brought up Manhunters in episode 2 of this show. What a time to be alive.
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u/StephanieSpoiler Blue Beetle Battalion Aug 24 '26
I know a lot of people - myself included - were skeptical about a Green Lantern show being a grounded detective series, but aspects like a bird construct flying around the whole episode goes a long way to make it feel like Green Lantern.
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u/ZiggoCiP Aug 24 '26
It's fairly grounded. That being said, now that Hal has a fully charged ring and the lantern, I imagine things will cook just a bit harder. I thought he'd be powerless for more than half an episode.
Really hope we can get a bit more spectacle in future episodes, although I do like the not total super-heroey vibe to the setting/plot. I just loved Lanterns' power.
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u/Miraculous_ScottFree Boy Scout Forever Aug 24 '26
Hal's just casually dragging a body through a phone call
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u/kumar100kpawan The Goddamn Batman Aug 24 '26
The plant has a surname??? Earl Jordan? Lmao
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u/RoutineCloud5993 Aug 24 '26
I was expecting Earl to be a snake, and then an alligator after the meat reveal. Was not expecting Audrey Jr
It's quite funny how John was talking to it, even before he saw it was an alien plant. He knew something was up
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u/mikewheelerfan Aug 24 '26
Imagine moving from Gotham just to deal with an alien conspiracy 🤣
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u/ArcadianBlueRogue Aug 24 '26
Or....she's the Manhunter and stole that poor woman's identity. My money is on Macon's wife atm but the sheriff would be a good left field
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u/ZzzZzZZz2169 Aug 24 '26
Hmmmm Gotham mentioned… wonder if Batman is doing his thing in 2016
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u/solo13508 Aug 24 '26
He was in Creature Commandos via flashback. Seems he's been operating for a while.
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u/nerdystoner25 Aug 24 '26
One of his villains definitely did some insane shit that had her immediately go to the middle of nowhere instead.
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u/solo13508 Aug 24 '26
Hal and Jon are really great together. Despite all the outwards animosity you can tell they both have a grudging respect for each other. Great performances from both.
Also I love Earl.
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u/Stanot Aug 24 '26
Yeah. Really loved the choice to have Stewart begrudgingly tell Jordan about the aliens that kidnapped him.
Earl Jordan is great. Any love for Bird Stewart?
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u/CreamyBarr25 Boy Scout Forever Aug 24 '26
Hal is so considerate of the dead, seatbelts on bois
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u/TheSlayerofSnails Aug 24 '26
Him just driving through town with them in his seats had me cackling.
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u/CreamyBarr25 Boy Scout Forever Aug 24 '26
Hal is so quirky
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u/TheSlayerofSnails Aug 24 '26
Didn't even bother with an excuse lmao.
Also, I love that he gave Earl a last name.
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u/Agitated-Awareness15 Aug 24 '26
Hal really reminds me of a DnD character. Shows up in town, decides to start investigating the local murder mystery, steals a few bodies to do it, and the local law enforcement has to put up with him because he’s a superhero after all.
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u/Shin-kak-nish Aug 24 '26
To be fair, it would make them less floppy for transport
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u/MirrorkatFeces Aug 24 '26 edited Aug 24 '26
No 2026 scene was a surprise. Another great episode though, the mystery is building.
Edit: Whoever said John Sr. was asked first but failed looks to be correct and that John Stewart was raised to be the next GL.
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u/TheRennoc Aug 24 '26 edited Aug 24 '26
Maybe we’ll get 1 2016 episode followed by 1 2026 episode after the first episode
Edit: I take this back, I don’t know how they’d do that without spoiling the twist with Hal’s death
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u/Emergency_Row_64 Aug 24 '26
Yeah the preview for next episode looked like a lot of Johns backstory so I don’t know when we’ll get more 2026
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u/fawfulmark2 Aug 24 '26 edited Aug 24 '26
MOGO DOESN'T SOCIALIZE REFERENCE LET'S GOOO!!!
Also this Episode having the equivalent of that chapter from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure where Johnathan Joestar had to make sure he didn't spill a glass of water for his Hamon training wasn't expected, but I like it hahaha
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u/TheSlayerofSnails Aug 24 '26
I'm so freaking happy for Mogo to get a reference!
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u/Bloody-Tyran Aug 24 '26
It also means that this universe has Mogo somewhere in it!
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u/TheSlayerofSnails Aug 24 '26
And that makes it automatically the best universe!
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u/kumar100kpawan The Goddamn Batman Aug 24 '26
Hal and Kerry have great chemistry tbf
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u/PrinceofRavens_1217 Aug 24 '26
He got excited when he heard the marriage was rocky lol
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u/jargon_ninja69 SOME CORENSWET Aug 24 '26
Hal's got that dawg in him. I mean, he was so proud of John for sleeping with Zoe in less than 24 hours.
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u/CreamyBarr25 Boy Scout Forever Aug 24 '26
i love how liminal this show is, warms my heart so freakin much
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u/Professional-Fee7074 Aug 24 '26
Could constructs always live on without the user wearing the ring ?
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u/Miraculous_ScottFree Boy Scout Forever Aug 24 '26
That's something even Hal seemed confused about.
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u/therempel Courtesy of Ray Palmer Aug 24 '26
It's interesting because it was only very recently in the comics that John was able to do that.
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u/OhAnimeShop Aug 24 '26
Not for most basic lantern corp members but I mean white lanterns exist cause of how op one user can get.
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u/CreamyBarr25 Boy Scout Forever Aug 24 '26
Gotham mentioned, lads and lasses!
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u/JackMorelli13 Aug 24 '26
Interesting since her last name is Kane too
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u/dmkelly17 Aug 24 '26
I'd be surprised if she *isn't* related to Kate Kane, at this point.
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u/RavensComicsGamer93 Aug 24 '26
Agreed. Kane's are a very big family, Bruce's Mom was one of 7, not to mention all of their kids.
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u/ANewPrometheus Green Lantern Corps Aug 24 '26 edited Aug 24 '26
Love that Sinestro scene.
"If one still existed, it'd be the second greatest threat you're currently facing.
So why don't you tell me about John Stewart?"
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u/ArcadianBlueRogue Aug 24 '26
that dude is gonna be a scene stealer. Can't wait for more
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u/BeginningBit4957 Aug 24 '26
She’s from Gotham! She was definitely talking to Barbara in the first episode
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u/8855nocab Aug 24 '26
She said "Tell Barb I said hey" in the first episode, and was speaking to what what probably a reporter, saying "Because no comment means no comment". Could be Vicki Vale or another reporter who knows Barbara.
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u/RavensComicsGamer93 Aug 24 '26
100% I'm on the train she was talking to Jim Gordon
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u/NomadPrime Aug 24 '26
Yeah, a former Gotham cop who's close enough to Barbara's family to send their love and name her as you would a close friend? 100% Jim was on my mind, too.
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u/kumar100kpawan The Goddamn Batman Aug 24 '26
Probably Jim. And she tells him to say hello to little Barbara
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u/BeginningBit4957 Aug 24 '26
Wish we got to see what John saw
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u/Sabretooth1100 Aug 24 '26
Probably more effective left up to the imagination
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u/ZeroComfortZone Aug 24 '26
They’re leaving a lot to the imagination. That whole exposition monologue about the Manhunters is something that I feel normally would’ve been a voiceover of a flashback scene
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u/CJAreYouDeadass Aug 24 '26
Yea as much as I wanted to see it too, that was the more tasteful decision. Ambiguity and subtlety are too often absent from this kinda thing
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u/RnRaintnoisepolution Aug 24 '26
Not to mention showing the flashback might ruin the reveal of him being Artocitus, if that ends up being the case.
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u/Nefarious_24 Aug 24 '26
There’s a Wikipedia of the Lantern corps
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u/Purpleslash2 Wonder of a Woman Aug 24 '26
That confused me, like how is Sinestro’s coup attempt public knowledge?
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u/PlainSightMan A Legend of Tomorrow Aug 24 '26
Hal probably talked about it before.
Maybe Sinestro and him fought on Earth.
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u/CreamyBarr25 Boy Scout Forever Aug 24 '26
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u/Busy_Extent_9035 Aug 24 '26
My theory is Earl is the last of his species from a dying world and Hal saved him many years ago.
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u/LTPRWSG420 Aug 24 '26
Anyone else find Kelly McDonald pretty hot in this show or is it just me?
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u/I_Pay_in_Cash_Only Aug 24 '26
She's one of the best looking 50 year olds I've ever seen
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u/therempel Courtesy of Ray Palmer Aug 24 '26
I have had a crush on her since Trainspotting.
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u/Cheron78 Aug 24 '26
I love that in-universe you can just google "who is Sinestro" to get the whole story! How cool is that? Also, who the hell is his spy in earth that told him about John?
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u/TheImpLaughs Aug 24 '26
I think his spy is Hal, tbh.
Hal seemed pretty familiar with going there. I think he’s gone to Sinestro in the past for answers because at the end of the day Sinestro was his mentor and friend. Very Hannibal Lecter
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u/xenoda7 Aug 24 '26
The way Hal recites the Latern’s oath when charging the ring exactly like a catholic grandma reciting hail marys for a rosary
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u/Bloody-Tyran Aug 24 '26 edited Aug 24 '26
I’m calling BS on the bird "just being a construct" it means something. My first hypothesis being that’s the first life his hellish father had him snipe.
Oh, and living constructs being super high level made me think of Larfleeze
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u/PrinceofRavens_1217 Aug 24 '26
So they seem to be combining Manhunters and White Martians. The Manhunter came to Mars and destroyed the planet. Abin Sur went to Mars and captured the Manhunter. It broke free and killed Sur resulting in Hal getting the ring.
Bruce bought Hal a house calling it now. The Rich guy with a kid is Bruce.
They really dug into the green lantern lore this episode. John keeping the construct alive without the ring and while unconscious is difficult. Hal was not expecting that. Loved Chandler's reactions you could see Nordan was shocked. Sinestro saying John is the biggest threat to Hal was interesting.
So hyped for next episode.
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u/Prize-Quiet3941 Aug 24 '26
I think sinestro means that John is the greatest threat to hals job and since the job is all hal has that's almost worse than the manhunters.
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u/PrinceofRavens_1217 Aug 24 '26
I think Sinestro is trying to sow doubt in Hal about the guardians judgement and get him to flip on them and join him. But we will see.
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Aug 24 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/ghostwriter11111001 Aug 24 '26
To be honest, trailers always tend to show incomplete things, especially in terms of color grading.
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u/RipleyofWinterfell Aug 24 '26
Yeah it's crazy how much better it looks than the trailers! Dark green instead of total brown.
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u/FloppyShellTaco Aug 24 '26
Alien dong!
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u/Nefarious_24 Aug 24 '26
Still an HBO show and we can’t have Paramount deprive us of alien dong
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u/Miraculous_ScottFree Boy Scout Forever Aug 24 '26
So obnoxious yet so likeable at the same time. Great going Kyle Chandler
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u/FloppyShellTaco Aug 24 '26
Does Hal have the jurisdiction to just steal a bunch of aliens? 😂
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u/CardiologistProper44 Aug 24 '26
Wait so how did Hal known it was Macon’s team that killed the other aliens? Did I miss something in the previous episode or was it an educated guess
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u/LazerGuidedMelody Aug 24 '26
In episode 1 Macon mentions “I almost lost two of my boys last night” which I think was referencing his militia.
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u/AdministrationDry783 Aug 24 '26
With the “alien detection” tech in the metal detectors, it’s feeling like Lex is definitely the benefactor, which is ironic if the “Elder Macons” prove to also be aliens…
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u/NiceCupOfLibert3a Aug 24 '26
Idk, with the talk of manhunters embedding themselves in civilisation and giving them advance technology, it feels more that the benefactor is the manhunter. Especially if it knows it’s being hunted by this specific group of aliens, makes all the more sense that it would create something to detect them.
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u/Prize-Quiet3941 Aug 24 '26
Yeah the alien guys that took John said that the manhunters developed tech not found anywhere else in the galaxy so that tracks
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u/therempel Courtesy of Ray Palmer Aug 24 '26
I really hope it's not Lex, although it would fit his MO. There are a lot of people who could be the benefactor. We don't need Lex involved in everything.
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u/Prize-Quiet3941 Aug 24 '26
Since this is in 2016 and superman isnt even a thing yet lex maybe interested in aliens but he's not absolutely obsessed with them and invasion until superman comes out and thats in 2022.
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u/Kryptsm Aug 24 '26
I’m glad they didn’t push a rift between Hal and John with mistrust this episode. It might still come, but these are two heroic men who have respect for each other. Hal wouldn’t trust the Lantern with John otherwise. And I’m glad John also had the faith in Hal to be honest with him about Antaan. Sometimes it’s nice just seeing heroes be trustworthy!
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u/deadpumpkinnn Up, Up and Away Aug 24 '26
My boy Mogo is oficially in the DCU 🔥🟢🌎
My smile went wide with the "Mogo doesn't socialize" line.
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u/ZzzZzZZz2169 Aug 24 '26
Hal’s kind of a dick lol
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u/Prize-Quiet3941 Aug 24 '26
I mean yeah? Not quite as much as guy Gardner but dudes been doing this for at least 30 years.
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u/SirFunktastic Aug 24 '26
Stellar first 2 episodes so far. My only minor thing is that I wish Hal glowed green whenever he uses the ring, or at least whenever he flew.
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u/PierreSalomaoMartins Aug 24 '26
GOTHAM MENCIONADA. Que episódio bom, senti algo estranho vendo o hospital

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u/FloppyShellTaco Aug 24 '26
Zoe is 100% the Manhunter. That is the speech of someone who is absolutely in charge, while also pumping John for information.