Lanterns Episode 2: Trust Fall

John Stewart and Hal Jordan are still in Rushville, Nebraska, where the investigation into the dead beings from the football field is continuing. Hal’s ring is nearly out of power, so he sends John to Coast City to retrieve Hal’s Lantern so he can recharge it while Hal keeps probing the town’s strange alien-related activity.

At the start of the episode, Hal tries to teach John how to fly with the ring, but the lesson goes badly and mostly serves to show how little patience Hal has for careful instruction. Hal then sends John on the Coast City errand, which also involves going into Hal’s home and taking care of his pet plant, Earl. In Hal’s house, John finds the Lantern and also discovers a Green Lantern suit among Hal’s things.

While John is away, Hal continues investigating the Rushville shooting and learns that the stadium’s metal-detection system is tied to alien-detecting technology. He uses that discovery to confront William Macon, hoping for answers about what happened and what the town is hiding. The confrontation turns dangerous, and Hal is shot by a sniper after refusing to back off. He later wakes up in the hospital, where Sheriff Kerry Kane tends to him and the two share a quieter conversation that gives a little more of both of their backstories.

John’s trip to Coast City becomes much more complicated when he is intercepted by hostile aliens connected to the Rushville dead. They reveal that they are searching for a **Manhunter**, an artificial being they believe is hidden somewhere in Rushville, and they blame this being for the destruction of their people. They force John into a crisis, give him an ultimatum, and threaten Rushville if he does not help identify the Manhunter within 48 hours.

Back with Hal, John relays what happened and the two finally begin to compare what they’ve learned. During this exchange, John shows that he can maintain a green construct in the shape of a bird even when he is not wearing the ring, which surprises Hal. Hal does not have a clear explanation for it, and John treats the ability as if it is not a big deal.

By the end of the episode, Hal decides he needs more information about the Manhunters and makes a covert trip to an off-world prison to question a prisoner who knows about them. That prisoner turns out to be **Sinestro**, and Hal’s visit sets up a new line of inquiry as the episode ends.