By Fatal Jay
Spoiler warning: This review discusses Lanterns Episode 8 and the Season 1 ending. Adapted from my video reaction.
My Lanterns Season 1 review comes down to a C+. The mystery and parts of the writing kept me interested, but the Episode 8 finale did not deliver the Green Lantern action, constructs, or character payoff I wanted. Guy Gardner ended up being a highlight. John Stewart’s choices, Hal Jordan’s characterization, and the lack of superhero spectacle left me disappointed.
What up, everybody? It’s your boy Fatal Jay, and we need to talk about this Lanterns finale.
I wanted this show to be good. I saw the potential. I appreciated that they were trying something different. But after Episode 8, I cannot sit here and pretend the whole thing came together for me.
They threw the alley-oop and missed the dunk.
That is how I feel about Lanterns on HBO Max. There was enough here to get me interested, but when it was time to deliver, the show did not go far enough.
My Lanterns Episode 8 reaction: Where was the payoff?
My biggest disappointment with the Lanterns finale was the lack of extended action. The powers and fighting we did get felt too brief for the buildup.
I was watching Episode 8 thinking, are we about to get Guy Gardner versus John Stewart? Are we finally going to see John Stewart face Sinestro in a proper fight?
I was hyped for those possibilities. Those were my expectations, and the finale did not satisfy them.
Now, let me be clear. I am not saying every minute needed to be somebody throwing a punch. But this is Green Lantern. At some point, I want to see what makes these characters different from the people in any other mystery drama.
Give me the powers. Give me the constructs. Give me a confrontation that has room to breathe instead of being over almost as soon as it starts.
The finale needed to make the wait feel worth it. For me, it did not.
Lanterns worked better as a mystery than a superhero show
The way I see it, Lanterns leaned heavily on the mystery surrounding Hal Jordan. That was the engine of the season, and parts of that story worked for me.
I described it in my reaction as True Detective with a sprinkle of comic book. And when I say a sprinkle, I mean a sprinkle.
I appreciate the attempt to do something different. A grounded mystery can work with these characters. I do not need every Green Lantern story to look exactly the same.
But the mystery and the superhero side needed to come together. By the end, I wanted more than an interesting setup with a little bit of ring action attached.
That is why I can give parts of the writing credit and still say the season disappointed me. The mystery gave me a reason to watch. The finale did not give me enough of what I had been waiting to see.
John Stewart letting the sheriff walk away bothered me
John Stewart had so much potential, which made his choices even more frustrating to watch.
I did not like the way the ring and lantern storyline played out. In my reaction, I called out what I saw as John stealing the ring and lantern. That was already making it difficult for me to get behind his version of becoming a hero.
Then we get to his decision involving the sheriff.
My problem with the ending is that John lets her walk away after the shooting, using what Hal supposedly would have wanted as the justification. I did not buy that reasoning. I wanted accountability, and the scene did not give me a convincing reason to accept his choice.
That is why I said, “John Stewart, you need to go to jail, boy.” It was my frustrated reaction to a character I wanted to root for making another decision I could not support.
Guardians, come get your boy.
A flawed hero can be interesting. But I still need to understand why I should believe in him. By the finale, too many of John’s decisions were pushing me in the other direction.
Hal Jordan’s characterization did not work for me
Hal Jordan also left me frustrated. I wanted more of a hero to connect with, and this portrayal did not give me enough of that.
There is plenty of discussion about race, the tension between Hal and John, and how viewers interpret their relationship. But my disappointment with this season does not stop at that debate.
I wanted stronger character choices. I wanted a reason to care about these men beyond the mystery surrounding them. And I wanted the superhero part of the story to actually deliver.
By the end of my reaction, I said Hal should stay dead. That is how disappointed I was with the characterization by that point. I was not sitting there excited about another twist bringing him back. I wanted the show to have done more with him in the first place.
Guy Gardner surprised me by being a highlight
Guy Gardner was the character I expected to be the weakest link, and he ended up being one of the strongest parts of Lanterns for me.
I did not go into this season expecting to say that. But here we are.
The problem is that liking Guy made me want more from him. I wanted the show to take advantage of that character and deliver a bigger confrontation, especially with John Stewart.
That is part of why I was disappointed by the finale. There were ingredients for something exciting, but I did not feel like the show followed through.
At the end of my review, I said Guy deserved to be the Lantern in the DCU. That is my opinion about who worked best for me here, not an announcement about what DC is doing next.
The ring charge, flight scene, and constructs needed more
The final charging sequence should have been a big moment. Instead, I was still thinking about how long the show had stretched out getting there.
I even joked about the ring seeming to stay at one percent for two days. That was my way of saying the wait felt dragged out.
Then came the flying sequence, and it did not give me the excitement I wanted either. I missed the green glow and the stronger visual presence I associate with Green Lantern.
For me, the constructs were another missed opportunity. A ring powered by imagination should give the show room to do something memorable. I wanted more of that creativity on screen.
It was almost there. That is what makes it frustrating. I could see what I wanted this moment to become, but what I watched did not get me there.
The Manhunter storyline did not rescue the ending for me, either. I did not come away feeling that it delivered the payoff the season needed.
Why my final Lanterns season rating is a C+
I gave Lanterns Season 1 a C+, and I said that was being gracious.
The mystery and parts of the writing are why I did not grade it lower. I was interested enough to keep watching, and I could see the potential in the approach.
But I am not giving every writing decision a pass. John’s choices bothered me. Hal’s characterization bothered me. The finale did not deliver enough action, and the visual payoff was too small for what I wanted from Green Lantern.
Then there is the rewatch question.
Do I want to watch this season again? No. That was my answer in the video. I do not feel a pull to sit through it all a second time.
For me, that says a lot. A mystery can get you to the ending once. The characters, the moments, and the overall experience are what make you want to come back.
What this means for my confidence in James Gunn’s DCU
In my reaction, I called Lanterns the best thing James Gunn’s DCU had given me so far. That does not mean I thought it was great. It tells you how I feel about the other projects I discussed.
I have not been happy with the overall direction, and Lanterns was the project I hoped would change that. The finale left me with even less confidence.
And to my Snyderverse people, pop your brakes. Being disappointed in this DCU does not mean I am treating a Zack Snyder return as the answer. I said in the video that I do not expect him to come back. That is my expectation, not a confirmed studio announcement.
I still believe DC has the characters to give us something incredible. That is why this frustrates me. I am a comic book head to the core. I want to get excited about this stuff.
Am I going to keep watching? Yes. But I am going to keep telling you exactly how I feel about it.
Did Lanterns waste its potential?
For me, yes. The potential was there in the mystery, the characters, and the possibilities for Green Lantern action. The season just did not bring those pieces together strongly enough.
I did not need this to be nonstop fighting. I needed the finale to deliver enough action and character payoff to justify the buildup. That is where it lost me.
Did Lanterns Episode 8 work for you? Did John Stewart’s decision make sense? And was Guy Gardner the best part of the season? Let me know in the comments.
Watch my full Lanterns finale reaction on the Fatal Jay YouTube channel for the complete breakdown. Make sure to like, subscribe, and hit that notification bell.
You know how we do. Peace.
Lanterns Season 1 review FAQ
What did Fatal Jay rate Lanterns Season 1?
I gave Lanterns Season 1 a C+. The mystery and parts of the writing kept me interested, but the lack of extended action, disappointing character choices, and weak finale payoff brought my grade down.
Why was Fatal Jay disappointed with Lanterns Episode 8?
I wanted the Lanterns finale to deliver more Green Lantern powers, constructs, and substantial fights. I was especially excited by the possibility of John Stewart facing Guy Gardner or Sinestro. The action I got felt too brief to satisfy those expectations.
Why did Fatal Jay criticize John Stewart in the finale?
I disagreed with John Stewart’s choices involving the ring and lantern, and with his decision to let the sheriff walk away after the shooting. The explanation about what Hal would have wanted did not convince me that John was making the right call.
Who was Fatal Jay’s favorite Lantern in the season?
Guy Gardner was the standout Lantern for me. I expected him to be the weakest link, but he ended up being one of the season’s strongest parts. I still wanted the finale to give him more action and a bigger payoff.
Did Fatal Jay like the Lanterns mystery storyline?
I appreciated parts of the mystery and the attempt to tell a different kind of Green Lantern story. My problem was that the superhero side felt too limited. I wanted the mystery to build toward a more satisfying finale.
What was missing from the Green Lantern action?
In my view, Lanterns needed longer fights, more inventive constructs, and a stronger visual payoff when John finally charged the ring and flew. I also missed the green glow I wanted from that moment.
Does Fatal Jay think Lanterns has rewatch value?
No, not for me. I said in my review that I do not want to watch the season again. The mystery held my interest the first time, but the ending did not leave me wanting to return to it.
Is this a review of the finale or the whole season?
Both. This article covers my Lanterns Episode 8 reaction and my overall Season 1 verdict, including the mystery, character choices, Green Lantern action, and final C+ grade.
