Ninetoes vs. Lanterns

Ninetoes has always been a Green Lantern fan. He was not sure if HBO could do the source material justice. The question is, how was this the best season of True Detective since season one?

Lanterns follows recruit John Stewart and Lantern legend Hal Jordan, two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, Earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland.

Created by Tom King, Damon Lindelof, and Chris Mundy

Starring Kyle Chandler, Aaron Pierre, Nathan Fillion, and Kelly MacDonald

Hey there, television lovers. It is your old pal, Ninetoes, coming to you from Ninetoes HQ. Today I am looking at the first season of HBO’s Lanterns. I have coffee in my system, and my thinking cap on, so let’s get to it!

I am just going to come out and say it: Lanterns is the best season of HBO’s True Detective since the first season of that show. It is the ultimate anti-buddy-buddy show out now, and it has something for everyone! Want proof? My wife is not so much a comic book nerd, but she likes the shows and movies that come out. Each Monday evening (we are old, we go to bed early), she will ask, “Was Lanterns on last night?” THAT is my litmus test right there. She got into the show, not for my sake, but because she liked it.

The story this season was absolutely stellar (pardon the pun). An incident that warrants a Green Lantern’s attention happens in a very small town in the middle of nowhere. Hal Jordan (Chandler) suspects aliens. His trainee, John Stewart (Pierre), is not so sure, but then again, he is a trainee. (As the series unfolds, you find out he has been trained his entire life for the mantle of a Lantern) As fast as you can say “howdy”, they are at odds with the locals and the sheriff. Now we have a mystery that is like an onion; it has layers, and each week another layer is peeled back.

The acting went far beyond your “superhero” fare. You see Hal Jordan and John Stewart’s humanity. They are fallible. In Jordan’s case, he is overconfident, abrasive, and an all-around asshole. Sorry, but there is no other way to put it. Stewart is just itching to take on the role. He is the sidekick waiting to break out into his own. Add the sheriff (MacDonald), who does not know what to make of anything going on and is maintaining the peace by her fingertips (and each week they slide just a little bit more), and the appearance of Guy Gardner (Fillion), and you get a banger of a show! Oh, and whoever cast Ulrich Thomsen as Sinestro, you deserve an award!

The season finale is the perfect example of how it should be done. The major questions of the season were answered, and the major plot lines were wrapped up. This is the way to wrap up a season, especially if you are not sure there is going to be a following one (which, as I write this, I found out we will be getting another season). One thing was certain at the season finale, and that is the Rushville storyline is finished.

Thank you, HBO, for bringing Green Lantern to life! You made this fan very happy!

Darren “Ninetoes” Perdue is a book and media reviewer. When he is not reading, he is watching true crime shows, cooking for his family, or working on a plan for universal domination. If you see him on his porch, say hi. He does not bite…much.

PLEASE NOTE: The views and opinions of the staff of Memento Mori Ink do not necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or Crystal Lake Publishing, nor do the views or opinions of Crystal Lake necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or its staff. Thank you for understanding.