TV
Lanterns Finale: TheWrap Review Calls It Quiet but Promising
TheWrap's review of the HBO series' season finale praises the character work but notes the lack of grandeur.
Spoiler warning: This story discusses plot points from the 'Lanterns' season finale.
TheWrap's review of the HBO series' Season 1 finale says the show powered down with minimal action, focusing instead on character resolutions. The publication notes that after belatedly delivering apocalyptic action and otherworldly visuals, the finale chose to let its characters walk toward closure without much bang-bang.
TheWrap highlights the teenage Noah (Shea Pritchard) as the most rewarding wrinkle, revealed to be part killer alien Manhunter and suicidally conflicted about it. Pritchard balanced menace with self-examination, keeping Noah's angst under control. The review hopes for a future series built around him.
The season's overriding mystery was solved logically when sheriff Kerry Kane (Kelly Macdonald) was revealed to have killed her lover Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) to protect Noah's secret. TheWrap says it should have felt more devastating but found mother and son's struggles as compelling as the Lanterns' own.
Chandler's flashback performances subtly expressed Hal's regret and gratitude. The Halogram incarnation, where Hal finally gives John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) his withheld approval, was played at perfect pitch by both parties.
TheWrap calls the show John's story, and the finale's key purpose was to show how someone who turned down the Lantern job could still become Earth's defender. Aaron Pierre brings out John's ruthless instincts in early scenes with Sinestro (Ulrich Thomsen), but resolves the moral dilemma with decent instincts and wisdom. The review says Pierre achieves this with cool command, injecting doubt and emotion.
The finale lacked a little grandeur and did not include a Guardian like Laura Linney's character. Instead it featured another appearance by Nathan Fillion's Guy Gardner. TheWrap notes that despite flirting with space spectacle, much of 'Lanterns' could fit into an episode of 'Fargo,' 'True Detective' or 'Friday Night Lights.'
TheWrap praises the performances of Chandler, Pierre and Macdonald and hopes that showrunner Chris Mundy and co-creators Damon Lindelof and Tom King can give them future adventures that truly soar. 'Lanterns' is now streaming on HBO Max. It has not been officially renewed for Season 2.
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