In Review: Lanterns (S1 – EP3) OutKast

Synopsis: “OutKast” sees John Stewart’s father misinterpret a Guardian’s contact. John becomes the next choice for Green Lantern. After years of preparation, he finally gets to interview with the Guardians.

The Story

This episode reveals John Stewart’s origin story, up to the point at which he is recruited by the Guardians to eventually replace Hal Jordan. The story begins in 2016, when John receives word of his recruitment and meets a Guardian in human form, who leaves him waiting in an office for an entire night. From there, the story flashes back to John’s childhood and upbringing.

We learn that the Guardians initially tried to recruit John’s father, but he ultimately failed their test and became so obsessed by the encounter that even his wife wouldn’t believe him. A few days later, the same Guardian knocks on the door, hoping to see John Stewart Sr. and make amends. Instead, she meets his wife, Bernadette, who defiantly insists that the Guardian reveal her true alien form before she will speak with her.

Once the Guardian has proven herself to be an alien, Bernadette invites her into the family home to discuss what happened. The Guardian, whose name is Lianna, suggests that their youngest son, John Stewart Jr., could be raised in such a way that he would have no fear and therefore be able to pass the Guardians’ test. Before leaving, Lianna gives Bernadette a precious stone as compensation for the family’s troubles.

Wanting to see her son eventually become a Green Lantern, Bernadette works with her husband to train John to fear nothing by placing him in increasingly stressful and dangerous situations. The worst of these involves dropping him off in a rough neighbourhood and making him walk home alone. There is also the disturbing sight of John standing against a wall with an apple on his head so that his father can shoot it off.

These experiences help shape John Stewart Jr. into the man he eventually becomes. The flashbacks are interspersed with scenes of John undergoing a probing interview with Lianna, the same Guardian who met his mother all those years earlier. By the end of the episode, we see John’s first meeting with Hal Jordan.

Acting

Laura Linney puts in a fantastic performance as Lianna, the Guardian who recruits John Stewart. I loved the backstory and felt that its comments about Black people having to deal with fear daily were handled well without being overly heavy-handed. Linney portrays the mysterious Lianna brilliantly and convincingly conveys the Guardian’s alien understanding of humanity.

I particularly loved the moment when John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) tells her, “We raise our children; we don’t program them.”

Also impressive was Jasmine Cephas Jones in the role of John’s mother, Bernadette, who continually shows her youngest son tough love. The scene in which he receives a Green Lantern outfit and a gun for his birthday is both darkly funny and heartbreaking, given that all the young John wanted was a set of crayons to draw with.

I felt sorry for the kid, but I also found the scene quite funny because I can imagine a lot of children being thrilled to receive a Green Lantern outfit and a gun for their birthday. Overall, though, the acting was strong throughout the episode.

Overall

This was a fairly enjoyable episode, offering valuable insight into John Stewart’s character and why he is the way he is. However, there was not a great deal of progress in the overall series arc, which might have been a problem had the episode not landed as well as it did.

I also think it was a fun idea to show audiences John Stewart’s origins. Only dedicated comic-book readers are likely to know much about his backstory, whereas I think most people know at least a little about Hal Jordan’s origins.