The third episode of Lanterns is expected to push the story beyond the strange events in Rushville and begin connecting them to the much larger history of the Green Lantern Corps. Episode 2 ended with Hal Jordan travelling to an intergalactic prison to confront his former mentor, Sinestro, after learning that a Manhunter may be hiding somewhere on Earth. Sinestro's warning that the Manhunter is not the greatest danger Hal faces suggests that the investigation is about to become much more complicated. (EW.com)
One of the biggest developments we can expect is a deeper look at Sinestro and his complicated relationship with Hal. The creators have described Sinestro as a character who can see through Hal in a way that few others can. Rather than simply functioning as a traditional villain, he appears positioned as someone who knows Hal's weaknesses, his history and perhaps even the things Hal refuses to admit about himself. It is especially important, because Sinestro may know far more about the current crisis than he is willing to reveal. (EW.com)
John Stewart is also expected to move much closer to the center of the story. The trailer for Episode 3 reportedly shows John confronting parts of his past, suggesting that the episode will spend more time exploring the experiences that shaped him before he became a Green Lantern; his military background has already influenced the way he approaches Hal's authority, but the next episode could reveal why John reacts so strongly to certain situations and why his connection to the ring seems different from what Hal expected. (Popped)
The strange green bird John created could become another important clue. At first, it looks like an accidental construct produced by an inexperienced Lantern, but the fact that it continued to exist after John removed his ring makes it difficult to dismiss. Hal already recognizes that something unusual is happening with John's abilities. As John receives more training, there is a strong possibility that his unusual connection to the ring will become relevant to the larger mystery.
The Manhunter investigation should continue hanging over everything Hal and John do. The aliens have given them a limited amount of time to find the creature before they attack Rushville, while Hal now has reason to question what the Guardians may have been hiding. The established mythology says the Manhunters existed before the Green Lantern Corps and were connected to a catastrophic failure involving the Guardians. It means the creature hiding in Nebraska may not simply be another alien hiding from justice, but, it could be evidence of an old secret that the Corps has spent years trying to bury. (EW.com)
William Macon is also unlikely to disappear from the investigation after shooting Hal; his access to technology capable of detecting disguised aliens raises too many questions. The next episode could begin connecting Macon's operation to the deaths at the football field and possibly to whoever has been supplying him with extraterrestrial technology. Hal's discovery that the equipment was specifically designed to identify aliens makes Macon one of the most important pieces of the Rushville puzzle.
Kerry Kane may find herself increasingly caught between Hal's investigation and the strange events happening around her town. Hal has already crossed several boundaries while trying to solve the case, but the discovery of alien survivors and the threat against Rushville could force Kerry to reconsider how seriously she should take him. The local investigation and the cosmic mystery are beginning to overlap, and that could make it impossible for her to treat the case as an ordinary series of murders.
The episode could also begin showing why the series keeps moving between 2016 and 2026. The opening episode established that John eventually returns to Rushville after Hal's apparent death, while Hal remains alive during the events currently unfolding in 2016. As the younger Hal and John get closer to the truth, their discoveries may gradually explain what eventually drives them apart and how Hal's story leads to the events seen in the future timeline. (Men's Health)
The most intriguing possibility is that the Manhunter mystery may be only shows what is happening. Sinestro's warning strongly suggests another threat is already moving behind the scenes. If he knows that the Manhunter is not the biggest danger facing Hal, then the question becomes what he knows about the forces manipulating events on Earth. Episode 3 could therefore end with Hal and John believing they have finally identified their enemy, only to discover that they have been looking in the wrong direction.
Episode 3 is scheduled to arrive on August 30, the story appears ready to widen the world of Lanterns without abandoning its grounded detective mystery. The trailer has already teased John's past, a meeting with a Guardian played by Laura Linney and more of the cosmic side of the Green Lantern mythology. (Popped) If those clues are any indication, the next episode could be where Hal and John finally realize that the strange events in Rushville are connected to something much older, much more powerful and much closer to the Green Lantern Corps than either of them expected.
Watch the trailer here:
Read more: Lanterns Season 1 Episode 2 Recap: John Stewart Learns the Terrifying Truth About the Manhunter
