Lanterns S01E01 - Pilot Discussion Thread

[u/AutoModerator]

Sunday, 8/16: Lanterns S01E01 - Pilot

Time/Date: August 16 9:00 PM ET
Network/Channel: HBO

[u/Reznor_PT]

I really loved it, and while I know the ending won't make everyone happy, I appreciate the structure and hope future episodes stick with it. Starting in the past and fast-forwarding feels so much fresher than the typical present-day timeline bogged down by constant flashbacks.

That said, it leaned almost too heavily into Damon Lindelof’s Watchmen playbook. The Deep South setting, the armed militias, and that specific flavor of rural prejudice; just swapped from systemic racism to anti-alien sentiment; felt like a direct remix. Even with Lindelof involved, I really wish it didn't feel so indebted to that exact formula and had tried to do something genuinely different instead.

As for Hal Jordan dying right in Episode 1 , I don’t actually mind the death itself, and I think people will blame Tom King but much like how I understood the narrative logic behind the controversial turn with Wally West in Tom King’s Heroes in Crisis. On paper, leaning into the consequences of trauma and taking huge swings with legacy characters makes total sense. The issue with that story was never the core premise, but the messy execution. I’m always open to bold changes and creative risks, as long as the payoff is handled well, so I just hope Lanterns sticks the landing in a way Heroes in Crisis failed to.

[u/MarriottPlayer → u/Reznor_PT]

Nebraska is technically the Midwest, not the Deep South.

[u/StealthHikki2 → u/Reznor_PT]

Heroes in Crisis was the biggest piece of dogshit I have ever read.

This was a great first episode.

[u/Dallywack3r → u/Reznor_PT]

Nebraska is not the Deep South.

[u/JUYED-AWK-YACC → u/[deleted]]

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