By Dan Skip Allen

After the cliffhanger of an ending to episode one of “Lanterns” episode two starts off in a very similar way as the last episode. With Hal (Kyle Chandler) and John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) bickering about John’s training and Hal not having to answer anymore questions about what is going on in the small Nebraska town. Hal sends John on a mission to Coast City, California, to get his lantern so his ring doesn’t run out of charge. A lesson about learning how to fly is a basic gist of how these two act towards one another. That’s why they are such an odd couple, as I mentioned in my last review in the title.

The mystery of what happened in this town continues to baffle Hal, who has seen and done everything in his line of work. Which is that of being a superhero by trade, not a pilot anymore. Being separated bears some fruit as Hal starts figuring out what is going on in the small town, but John isn’t as lucky as he’s attacked and held captive by 2 strange men. Which, in turn, leads to a chase on foot on a highway. That doesn’t include a plant he was supposed to feed. Throw in the mad but spunky Sheriff Kerry (Kelly McDonald) into the mix, and things start to get very complicated for Hal and John. Her father in law (William Macon) makes things worse for everyone involved. 

Tom King is a comic book writer. He wrote the script for “Supergirl” which came out earlier this summer. He has a way with writing comic book stories for the big and small screen. Like his “Supergirl” script, his “Lanterns” story is grounded in reality while also involving superheroes. King knows the backstory of the Green Lanterns, and so he knows how to start an original story of one of their big villains. I would have preferred to have a more cosmic story and villain, but for the lamin, this is a good way to start teaching them about the beginnings of the “Lanterns”. For long-term fans, I don’t know how much more patience they will have. I don’t have much more myself.

Episode 2 expands on what has come before, but it also makes things more complicated. Because word has it, this show is great. I will keep watching it and hoping for the  big revelation to happen.The cliffhanger complicated things further, but that was enough for me to be very intrigued by what may come in the future. Chandler and Pierre continue to grow into their characters in episode 2. The banter and arguing will get old if it continues again and again, episode after episode. Also I wish there was more green than has been shown thus far in the 2 episodes. This true detective style storytelling is only good for so long. I’m starting to get impatient very quickly.

🌟 🌟 🌟 stars