‘Lanterns’ Episode 3 Turns Green Lantern Into Lecture on Race

Spoilers ahead for Lanterns. The first three episodes of HBO’s Lanterns have made one thing clear. This is not simply a superhero story about space cops, power rings, and the fight against evil. It is also a long argument about race, privilege, and the failures of America. For some fans, that message has already pushed the series too far. The show follows veteran Green Lantern Hal Jordan and new recruit John Stewart as they investigate a murder in rural Nebraska. The story moves between 2016 and 2026, with the premiere ending on the apparent murder of Hal Jordan. That mystery gives the series a strong hook, but the show keeps turning away from the adventure and back toward its political message. Hal Jordan, played by Kyle Chandler, is not introduced as the confident hero many comic-book fans know. He is cynical, worn down, and difficult to like. The series treats his past as a symbol of a broken system. By episode three, the message becomes even more direct. A character tells John that Hal only received his ring because he had been privileged enough not to understand fear. Is Hal Jordan being written as a flawed man, or is the show using him as a stand-in for everything its writers...