I just watched the third episode of Lanterns and was struck by how it attacked themes with a hammer instead of other tools at their disposal. The themes they covered were quite interesting but the manner they illustrated them left me largely bored and searching for aspirin to calm my headache.
The fact that Lanterns understands the various themes is a good thing. It is the manner in which these themes were addressed that I thought left something to be desired. There’s an old adage that when your only tool is a hammer, every problem is a nail. That’s what I thought about Lanterns in this episode. Bang, bang, bang!
What were the Themes?
The themes predominant in the episode included the racial biases black men face, the theme of following orders, patience, fearlessness, the differences between an alien culture and our own, and even vegetarianism although the later was barely addressed at all. Let’s address each one and see how Lanterns handled it and how I might have done it differently.
Racial Bias Theme
Black men do face challenges that white men do not, that black women do not. It’s an interesting and important theme to address but I think it was handled poorly and fed into anti-woke talking points.
John is a young black boy who is being watched by the Guardians as a potential Lantern and replacement for Hal Jordan. The way this is addressed in the episode is that John’s mother explains to the Guardian that black boys have a disadvantage in this society. Then she explains it again. And again. We never actually see John facing racism, just exposition from mom.
A better way to attack this theme, in my opinion, is to show John actually facing racism. A perfect opportunity for this came when his parents dropped him off in a dangerous part of town to see if he could make his way home. Why not drop him off, in broad daylight, in an exclusive, wealthy, white neighborhood where the neighbors immediately assume he is a thief. Confront him, call the police. This is an excellent way to show the difficulties of a young black man in society without resorting to useless exposition from mom.
Another opportunity might have been a scene in basic training where his vegetarianism would probably be a bigger problem than his race. Show white officers taunting him with fried chicken or something of the sort.
The Theme of Fearlessness
This theme was badly handled all the way around. Fearlessness is not lack of fear, it is management of fear. The way this theme was handled was largely to show John being stoic, fearless, when a variety of things are done to him or he is forced to do. The apple being the primary method. The problems here are many. First, John comes across as robotic, inhuman, and the last person we the audience thinks should be given the powers of a Green Lantern. Secondly, they returned to the apple and the gun again and again to the point of tedium. I’m not afraid he says again and again in a flat, monotone. I’m never afraid, it’s ludicrous and boring.
Patience
Here they did show some deftness, John sits in a chair overnight, stalks a target for nine months. He displays patience but we don’t see him becoming a patient man.
John’s artistic ability is key to him becoming a good Lantern but it’s not addressed at all other than when his mother dismisses his Mary Sue like natural talent. Why not show him learning to draw, mixing colors over and over, sketching a human figure a hundred times at the behest of a strict teacher, learning a musical instrument and playing the same tune over and over until he has it perfected. This illustrates his patience beautifully and dovetails with the requirement for artistic talent.
Following Orders
John merely states that if given an order, he follows it. He says the same thing over and over. Again, why not show this? John on the sports field, perfecting his throwing motion, which then explains how he could instruct Noah in a previous episode. Audiences like this sort of connection, it makes a character real and serves the thematic element in this case.
Perhaps we see the superior athlete John trying to do everything for the team. Why not have a coach explain John must stay in his position, do his job, that is the only way the team can succeed. This illustrates the importance of following orders and explains why John slavishly follows this theme.
Aliens are Alien
Aliens are not human; it’s a good theme. Unfortunately, the only way Lanterns addresses this is having the Guardian speak in an affected way, again and again and again and again. Once or twice makes sense but by the tenth time I was totally zoned out.
An opportunity was the ridiculous diamond offered to mom. Use that to show the aliens understand value but don’t understand how this gift is useless; that they needed to create a bank account with a million dollars or something. Show us aliens are alien, that they don’t understand our culture.
Vegetarianism
This theme was barely addressed at all but sort of thrust upon us with the cheeseburger reward. We never actually see John looking at a cheeseburger distastefully, a half-eaten burger on his plate. Why is John a vegetarian? Health reasons? Animal cruelty? Environmental concerns? Why not address this?
Perhaps we see John in a hunting stand with his father, waiting for a deer to appear. John’s father has a gun, John has a paper and pencil. John sees the deer and begins to draw it, feels an emotional connection. Boom, the deer is dead. John is horrified. John’s father orders him to start cleaning it. This addresses patience, artistic talent, following orders, and vegetarianism all in one scene.
Themes are Good
The thematic elements here are all good. They are just handled horribly, repetitively, unimaginatively. The episode was sheer boredom. After thirty minutes I couldn’t believe it was only half over.
I am curious, what did you think of Episode 3?
Tom Liberman