Lanterns Episode 3 Trailer Breakdown: John Stewart's Childhood, Laura Linney's Guardian Twist and the Hunt for Hal Jordan's Killer

The trailer for episode 3 of Lanterns has dropped, clocking in at roughly 43 seconds, and it actually gives a lot of ideas about what the episode is going to be about. Carrying the tagline "John Stewart was born for this," it seems to be showcasing more of his childhood, including his mother, and I'm guessing it will focus on how he was raised and how that built up to him getting this position.

The episode is titled Outkast with a K, which is obviously an ode to the hip-hop group that had hits with Ms. Jackson, So Fresh, So Clean, Roses, and Rosa Parks. I have some of their albums and I really love them, they were bangers. I'm guessing we'll hear some of their songs in the episode, but the band's name likely also plays into how John feels.

John Stewart Falls Through a Wall as Laura Linney's Guardian Watches Him

The trailer begins with John falling through a wall onto some mattresses. This seems to be set around 2016 by his look, and I'm guessing this is part of the Guardians' recruitment. Heights are a big thing to be afraid of, and I'm genuinely terrified of them myself, so him being able to fall from one shows he has no fear. Jumping from a height, even onto mattresses, could be something they decided to do as part of his training.

We then go to a pretty dilapidated office and see the wife from The Truman Show asking John if he knows who she is. This is Laura Linney, and if you've seen The Truman Show, Mystic River, Ozark, or Primal Fear, you know she often plays duplicitous and manipulative characters. Her look is clearly part of a facade, and John answers that she's a Guardian. Guardians are the founders of the Lanterns and often appear big and blue with long red gowns, so I'm guessing they've shapeshifted here to be less unnerving when recruiting humans, and also because it saves a lot of money on the CGI budget.

A Baby John, a Green Light and a Father's Resentment

We cut to what I'm guessing is a baby John with a bright green light beaming over him at night, then to his dad in bed being woken by that same light. If you saw the episode one breakdown, you'll know I thought John senior might have been recruited by the Guardians and ultimately failed, being looked over in favor of Hal. That built-in resentment within the character means he basically dedicated his life to making sure his son was ready if he ever got the call.

We get shots of John as a baby held by his mother, sat next to John senior, and I think his father's rejection from the Corps caused issues within the family, including violent outbursts like shooting the TV. In a blink and you'll miss it moment, you can see a news report with Hal as the story, wearing a suit that looks a lot more like the classic look, and I think John senior is clearly angry that it isn't him. That also explains why his sons didn't want to be caught watching the 60 minute interview.

I love that Hal is shown in the full Green Lantern uniform complete with a classic comic book domino mask. The show has kept the suits relatively restrained and focused on civilian clothes, so this tells us Hal at some point wore the classic costume, and I feel that appearance matters. It nicely contrasts the more world weary and cynical Hal we meet later and shows he was once much more idealistic, which speaks to his past and how he lost his way.

Why Me Becomes I Know Exactly Why Me

The Guardian asks, "May I ask you a question?" and says this is when most candidates ask why me. John replies, "Oh, I know exactly why me." It's clear he's well aware this is what he's been trained for his entire life, which reframes his recruitment not as some random ring selection event but as a deliberate process he's been raised his whole life for.

In the comics, John Stewart was chosen by the Guardians as backup for Hal Jordan because of what he'd been through, and because he was an architect who could build the complex constructs required of a Lantern. This trailer confirms the Guardians' involvement with John predates 2016 and that John is well aware of things. I also think the line plays in opposite to most superhero origin stories, where characters usually ask why me, whereas John believes he already knows why it's him and that it's all part of his destiny.

A Costume, a William Tell Stunt and a Ticking Clock

We see John's mother come in with a holdall, clearly shocked at something Senior has just done, and the episode will clearly have lots of time jumps, since we then see a slightly older John getting a costume presented like a gift, with his parents clearly involved in pushing him toward this goal. We even see his mother standing beside Senior as he reenacts William Tell, and the bullet holes marking John's height on the garage wall show this has gone on for a while.

There's a ticking clock in the trailer's score that builds and ramps up throughout, showing how his entire life has been a series of moments building toward him becoming a Lantern, and there's an odd tick replaced by the sound of a gunshot that hammers home his violent upbringing. Around the 21 second mark we get shots of his military career, jumping out the back of a plane with a parachute, hitting the water and climbing the shore, which makes me think this is very much going to be a flashback episode detailing all of John's life leading up to his recruitment.

Did John's Mother Die, and Are the Guardians Fallible

We did think his mother might be dead in episode one, and I do wonder if there's some accident that makes him lose her. The 60 minute segment even had Hal saying losing a parent is the worst thing that can happen to a child, and I even think the death of John's mother could be at his hands. She might not die, but I think that could be what they're doing, since the family constantly goes around shooting at each other, so it's easy to see how an accident could happen.

I think this trailer also highlights that the Guardians have likely been watching the Stewarts for a long time, since the fact they tried to select John senior in the first place shows they kept their eyes on the family, and the Stewarts potentially even know it. They could be deliberately going to extremes to show how much they wanted John, but that's clearly left him with a pretty rough childhood. I also wonder if seeing the Guardians like this will show how fallible they are, since rejecting John Stewart senior so harshly and ruining little John's life would further show the group is fallible, which is clearly what the series is doing so far by presenting John's upbringing as pretty tragic because of them.

Could John's Parents Be Behind Hal Jordan's Death

I really like this trailer, and the ticking clock sound is even similar to what they did in the trailers for Watchmen. In the end, though, the trailer leaves several questions open, and I am wondering if we'll get much resolution on who killed Hal and what's happening with Sinestro and who the Manhunter is, since it's everyone. This may set up the building blocks for that, and potentially John's parents are even the ones who pulled the trigger on Hal, maybe like they made him sit with an apple on his head and shot him by accident or on purpose. I don't know, but I think the pair will likely resent him for all they've gone through, and I feel episode 3 is going to explore the resentment that put them on this path.

What do you think really happened to John Stewart's mother, and could his parents be tied to Hal Jordan's fate?