Lanterns Season 1 Episode 2, “Trust Fall,” wastes little time expanding the mystery surrounding Rushville. What looked like an alien murder investigation is suddenly connected to the Manhunters, the Guardians of the Universe and one of Hal Jordan’s most dangerous former allies: Sinestro.
Kyle Chandler’s Hal and Aaron Pierre’s John Stewart spend much of the episode separated, but both discover pieces of the same increasingly disturbing puzzle. Hal learns that the supposed metal detectors surrounding Rushville are actually identifying aliens, while John encounters another group of extraterrestrials who claim something far more dangerous is hiding in town.
And by the time Hal travels off-world to confront Sinestro, “Trust Fall” has introduced an even bigger mystery: John Stewart may possess an extraordinary ability that even experienced Green Lanterns shouldn’t have.
The episode follows the events of the Lanterns series premiere, while our Episode 2 “Trust Fall” photos offer another look at Hal and John’s investigation.
Hal Jordan Runs Out of Power
For a man whose job depends on one of the most powerful weapons in the universe, Hal Jordan has a surprisingly mundane problem at the beginning of “Trust Fall”: his Green Lantern ring needs charging.
Hal sends John back to Coast City to retrieve his power battery. He presents the errand as another piece of John’s training, but John immediately suspects Hal mostly wants him out of the way.
John nevertheless follows orders.
At Hal’s home, he gets another glimpse of the life his reluctant mentor has been keeping at arm’s length. He discovers Hal’s old Green Lantern uniforms, retrieves the battery from a hidden pocket dimension and even meets Earl, Hal’s carnivorous alien plant.
The sequence is funny, but it also reveals something important about Hal. For all his cynicism about being a Green Lantern, his home is filled with evidence that this identity once meant considerably more to him than he admits.
John Stewart Creates Something He Shouldn’t Be Able to Create
Before John leaves, Hal attempts to teach him how to fly using the Green Lantern ring.
John doesn’t fly.
Instead, something much stranger happens.
He creates a tiny green bird.
At first, the construct looks like another failed training exercise. But the bird continues to exist after John removes the ring. It follows him, behaves independently and even attempts to protect him when he’s attacked.
Hal clearly realizes that isn’t normal.
John doesn’t yet understand what he’s done, but “Trust Fall” quietly establishes the bird as one of the episode’s most important clues about his potential.
Whatever power John possesses, it may extend beyond simply learning how to use a Green Lantern ring.
Hal Discovers What Rushville’s Metal Detectors Really Do
Back in Rushville, Hal continues investigating the football-field massacre.
His attention turns to the metal detectors used during the attack. Something about them doesn’t make sense, so Hal conducts a particularly macabre experiment.
He removes the bodies of the dead aliens from the morgue and brings them through the detectors.
The result confirms his suspicion.
They aren’t metal detectors at all.
They detect aliens.
That means Macon and his people weren’t indiscriminately firing into the crowd during the massacre. They had technology capable of distinguishing extraterrestrials from humans.
And someone supplied it to them.
The discovery points Hal back toward William Macon and the mysterious Benefactor behind his operation.
Hal Confronts William Macon
Hal and Sheriff Kerry Kane confront Macon, but the conversation quickly becomes another battle for control.
Macon refuses to reveal who is financing his militia or explain where the alien-detection technology came from. Hal pushes anyway, increasingly convinced Macon knows far more about what’s happening in Rushville than he’s willing to admit.
The confrontation ends violently when one of Macon’s men shoots Hal.
Without a properly charged ring, even Green Lantern isn’t bulletproof.
Hal survives and wakes in the hospital with Kerry nearby. Their relationship has been antagonistic since he arrived in Rushville, but “Trust Fall” begins turning that hostility into something closer to an alliance.
Kerry has her own reasons for distrusting Macon, her father-in-law, and she increasingly understands that whatever is happening in her town is bigger than an ordinary criminal investigation.
We also learn another intriguing detail about Kerry: she previously lived in Gotham City.
Who Is Antaan in Lanterns?
John’s trip back to Rushville takes a much more dangerous turn when he is abducted by a group led by Antaan.
Antaan and his people aren’t human.
They have come to Earth hunting something they call a Manhunter, and they believe one is hiding somewhere in Rushville.
Rather than simply asking John to believe him, Antaan forces him to experience what happened to his people. John is overwhelmed by the memory of a civilization destroyed by the Manhunters.
Antaan gives him an ultimatum.
Hal and John have 48 hours to find the Manhunter and turn it over.
If they fail, Antaan’s people are prepared to destroy themselves — and much of Rushville with them — to make sure the creature dies.
What Is a Manhunter in Lanterns?
The Manhunters are ancient enforcers with a devastating history.
According to Antaan, they were responsible for destroying his people and entire civilizations in the name of their own brutal version of justice.
Even more disturbing is the claim that the Guardians of the Universe were involved.
Antaan tells John that the dying Green Lantern Abin Sur helped hide the Manhunter in Rushville, suggesting the mystery reaches all the way back to the organization Hal has spent his life serving.
The Manhunter can apparently conceal itself within society, meaning the creature John and Hal are hunting could already be someone they know.
William Macon immediately becomes an obvious suspect.
He possesses unexplained alien-detection technology, commands a heavily armed force and works for a mysterious Benefactor.
But “Trust Fall” stops well short of confirming that Macon is the Manhunter.
John Tells Hal the Truth
When John finally reunites with Hal, he makes a decision that says a great deal about the kind of Green Lantern he may eventually become.
Antaan told him not to reveal their conversation.
John tells Hal anyway.
His explanation is simple: Hal is his superior, and John reports to him.
That commitment to honesty becomes especially important because Hal isn’t offering John the same transparency in return.
The moment John says “Manhunter,” Hal’s demeanor changes.
He knows exactly what the word means.
And rather than explain everything to John, Hal leaves.
Hal Jordan Finally Suits Up
After spending most of “Trust Fall” dressed like a particularly stubborn private investigator, Hal finally puts on his Green Lantern uniform.
He recharges his ring, recites the Green Lantern oath and blasts away from Earth.
His destination isn’t Oa.
It’s a remote prison where someone from Hal’s past is waiting.
Sinestro.
Ulrich Thomsen makes his first full appearance as one of the most important characters in Green Lantern mythology, and the reunion immediately establishes that Hal and Sinestro have a complicated history.
Hal wants information about the Manhunters.
Sinestro wants to talk about John Stewart.
Lanterns Episode 2 Ending Explained: Why Does Sinestro Care About John Stewart?
The final conversation dramatically reframes John’s strange green bird from earlier in the episode.
Sinestro knows what John did.
Creating a construct is normal for a Green Lantern. Maintaining something that appears to possess independent life after removing the ring is not.
John’s bird continued flying without the ring on his finger.
That suggests his willpower — the fundamental force behind Green Lantern abilities — may be extraordinarily powerful.
Sinestro recognizes the significance immediately.
Hal came looking for information about the Manhunter hiding in Rushville, but Sinestro suggests that creature isn’t the greatest danger Hal is facing.
John Stewart is.
That doesn’t necessarily mean John is evil or destined to become Hal’s enemy. The warning may instead reflect the magnitude of John’s potential. Someone capable of doing things experienced Lanterns cannot do could transform the balance of power within the Corps.
It also provides another possible explanation for Hal’s strange behavior toward his new recruit.
Hal may not simply be a reluctant mentor nearing the end of his career.
He may already understand that John is capable of replacing him.
And after the premiere showed us Hal Jordan dead ten years later, Sinestro’s warning makes the question of John’s future considerably more ominous.
Who Is Sinestro in Lanterns?
Sinestro is a former Green Lantern and one of the most important figures in Hal Jordan’s past.
“Trust Fall” establishes that Hal once trusted him, but something happened between Sinestro and the Green Lantern Corps that eventually left him imprisoned.
Hal’s reaction makes clear that this isn’t simply another criminal he has encountered during his career.
Sinestro knows Hal personally.
He understands the Green Lantern Corps.
And, perhaps most importantly, he seems to know considerably more about John Stewart than John knows about himself.
That makes Sinestro’s arrival much more than a fan-service reveal.
He may hold the answers to both mysteries currently driving Lanterns: what is hiding in Rushville and what John Stewart is becoming.
Final Verdict
“Trust Fall” is where Lanterns begins showing how big its seemingly small-town mystery can become.
The premiere established Hal Jordan and John Stewart as an entertainingly mismatched pair. Episode 2 separates them and, in doing so, gives each character room to become more interesting.
Kyle Chandler continues making Hal's exhaustion and cynicism feel like something deeper than superhero fatigue. There is clearly a version of Hal Jordan buried beneath the leather jacket who still believes in the Green Lantern Corps, even if he doesn't particularly want anyone to know it.
Aaron Pierre has the more intriguing trajectory. John's discipline initially makes him look like the straight man opposite Hal, but the green bird changes everything. His ability isn't simply another superhero trick; it's the first indication that Hal may be training someone far more powerful than either of them expected.
The episode also does a much better job blending the grounded detective story with Green Lantern mythology. Alien detectors, Manhunters, the Guardians, Abin Sur and Sinestro all enter the story without abandoning the strange Western-noir atmosphere established in Rushville.
And Sinestro's final warning gives “Trust Fall” exactly what a second episode needs: an answer that creates a much bigger question.
Lanterns Season 1 Episode 2 FAQ
Who plays Antaan in Lanterns?
Paul Ben-Victor plays Antaan, the leader of the alien group hunting the Manhunter believed to be hiding in Rushville.
Who plays Sinestro in Lanterns?
Ulrich Thomsen plays Sinestro, the imprisoned former Green Lantern whom Hal visits at the end of “Trust Fall.”
Is William Macon the Manhunter?
Episode 2 does not confirm that William Macon is the Manhunter. His access to alien-detection technology and mysterious Benefactor make him an obvious suspect, but the creature’s true identity remains unknown.
Where is Sheriff Kerry Kane from?
“Trust Fall” reveals that Kerry previously lived in Gotham City before making Rushville her home.
When Does Lanterns Episode 3 Air?
Lanterns Season 1 continues with Episode 3 on Sunday, August 30 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.
More Lanterns Coverage
- Lanterns Series Premiere Review & Recap
- Lanterns Season 1 Episode 2 “Trust Fall” Photos
- Complete Lanterns Coverage
Thomas Miller is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Seat42F, covering television, movies and streaming entertainment. He launched Seat42F in 2007 and has spent nearly two decades covering the entertainment industry.
