Lanterns Episode 4 Review: Strong Hal-John Dynamic Undermined by Wasted Villains

Lanterns returns from its flashback detour with Episode 4, "The Weenie," finally delivering the long-awaited reunion between Hal Jordan and his former protégé Sinestro. The episode picks up from the Season 1 Episode 2 cliffhanger that introduced Ulrich Thomsen's Sinestro, before Episode 3 pivoted to a flashback storyline. For viewers who have been waiting to see how the show handles one of Green Lantern's most iconic relationships, this episode offers a tantalizing but frustratingly brief taste of that dynamic.

At the heart of Lanterns, the clash between Kyle Chandler's gruff veteran Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre's driven rookie, John Stewart, keeps the narrative alive. This dynamic shines through, blending lighthearted banter with underlying conflict across Rushville. The biggest disappointment comes from how the episode handles key Green Lantern adversaries—Sinestro and Hector Hammond slip off the scene abruptly, dropping a sour bite in an otherwise character-focused episode.

The Sinestro Problem: Hannibal Lecter in a Green Lantern Suit

The series dives deep into its 1986 Manhunter and Red Dragon roots, positioning Sinestro as a Hannibal Lecter–type antagonist to Hal's Will Graham. Thomsen nails the first prison set, delivering a palpable threat while still highlighting the long‑standing bond and shared past between the two. Fans of Geoff Johns' Green Lantern canon will see that Sinestro still brands himself as Hal’s ally—albeit with hidden agendas, he genuinely wants to help Hal chart a perilous path. That dynamic gives the show a tense, almost psychological edge. It also keeps the stakes high while letting each character’s motives gradually unfold.

That dynamic works beautifully in the few minutes we get. The problem is how quickly it ends. Sinestro is too key a character to the Green Lantern mythos to be treated as such a small supporting player. The episode even references an important conversation about Manhunters struggling to replicate human hearts — information Hal relays secondhand rather than letting the audience witness the exchange directly. Why couldn't we have seen that portion of their conversation? The series may bring Thomsen back in a more substantive role later in Season 1, but right now it seems just as likely this is all we'll see of the character.

Hector Hammond: A Major Villain Wasted as Misdirection

If the Sinestro situation is disappointing, the Hector Hammond introduction borders on insulting to longtime fans. Jason Manuel Olazábal's Hector Hammond gets one solid, tense standoff sequence against Hal and John before the rug gets pulled — he's actually Hector Gutiérrez, another fakeout deployed by the Manhunter to throw our heroes off the scent. Unlike Sinestro, there's not even any prior history between Hal and Hector in this universe to give the fakeout emotional weight.

This is a major DC villain who's being effectively wasted as a one-off misdirection. Up until now, the series' decision to downplay some of the franchise's more fantastical trappings felt necessary from a practical TV-making perspective and suited the grounded story being told. But seeing such major GL characters introduced and then whisked off the board so unceremoniously is harder to stomach. It raises questions about whether the show understands the weight these characters carry in the source material.

Hal-John Chemistry: The Only Bright Spot

Fortunately, Lanterns still has its biggest selling point to fall back upon. The eternal friction between Hal and John remains the series' strongest asset, and Episode 4 deftly balances the inherent comedy of this pairing with the simmering tensions within Rushville. We get plenty of fun banter between the two characters, including good jokes regarding John's dour, stoic demeanor. The heightened awkwardness of their meeting with a proudly naked Will Macon (Garret Dillahunt) — investigating Macon's "Weenie" indeed — provides genuine levity amid the darker investigation.

More importantly, Episode 4 highlights the growing fracture between the two Lanterns. Both men are increasingly at odds, each hiding things from the other, and each has received clear advice to betray the other and elevate their own station. The question of whether John will backstab Hal and claim the ring hangs over every scene following his conversation with Guardian Lianna (Laura Linney). We've seen that years of abusive parentage and single-minded training have molded John into a man who follows orders without question. Is that blind obedience what the Guardians crave more than fearlessness? What happens when John is inevitably forced to choose between his desire for the ring and his loyalty to Hal? Does that loyalty even still exist following this episode's dramatic final scene?

Zoe’s Shocking Twist Ruins Kane’s Threat

The mystery of the undercover Manhunter gets resolved with Zoe's reveal as Macon's mysterious benefactor. Despite the giant red herring of Zoe's "death" scene, the twist is fairly obvious — as far as twists go, this one is pretty obvious, so it's just as well the writers didn't drag things out any longer. Predictable or not, it's a reveal that works, and the stakes are now clear: the Lanterns and Antaan's crew know who their quarry is. The 2016 conflict is heating up at the season's halfway point.

One final sidebar worth noting: Sheriff Kerry (Kelly Macdonald) is a former Gotham City native whose last name is Kane. That Gotham/Kane connection can't be mere coincidence — is she somehow related to Kate Kane, and by extension Bruce Wayne himself? Presumably we'll get more on Kerry's backstory before Season 1 concludes, but it's an intriguing thread in a show that has otherwise been reluctant to lean into its broader DC connections.

Lanterns Episode 4 earns its 7 out of 10 by doubling down on what works — the Hal-John partnership — while frustrating viewers with what doesn't. The Sinestro and Hector Hammond missteps feel like missed opportunities rather than fatal flaws, but they're missed opportunities that loom large for a show adapting one of DC's most villain-rich franchises. If the back half of Season 1 can course-correct and give these characters the weight they deserve, the series could still deliver something special. For now, it's a solid episode carried by its leads, haunted by the ghosts of villains it didn't know how to use.