Following its standalone origin-story episode, Lanterns returned in full-force this week. After Hal’s conversation with Sinestro, he and his trainee begin their mission to identify Rushville’s alleged manhunter. Their hunch about the Macon compound is confirmed, but their infiltration is interrupted by the mysterious man himself.
Face-to-face, they learn William Macon’s benefactor saved his life and the town in exchange for protection. At the peak of the sword-swinging contest, Sheriff Kane arrests John and Hal for trespassing, saving them from her father-in-law’s punishment. Later that night, expecting an assassin, John finds Zoe Macon at his motel room door. Their intimate exchange reveals she knows more than she’s putting on, which John is fully aware. As she departs, her car is blown to bits by a satellite missile.
John, Hal and Kerry quickly decipher that the attack wasn’t a warning, but an invitation from Macon’s alleged benefactor. They uncover Hector Hammond, an arms dealer with Atlas Inc. who signed a contract with Macon nearly 20 years ago. But during a tense showdown where the man threatens John’s family, Hal unearths he’s a decoy. He denies being the benefactor and IDs Macon as the manhunter.
Both Hal and John think Macon is a misdirection from the actual perpetrator, which they both surmise must be Zoe! Hal admits she probably survived the explosion, and John reveals he held reservations about her identity. With this truth in the air, the episode ends with another signature Hal move — abandoning a moving car as it careens John right into a pole.
Episode 4 is a riveting display of tense action and mystery building as the alleged manhunter reveal — while suspected — feels too early to be fact. In all honesty, the more we learn about the who, what and why behind Rushville’s connection to a galactic-sized threat, the more remains unknown. This is in large part to the incredible writing that has viewers questioning everyone. No one can be fully trusted: from Lianne coercing John into stealing Hal’s role from under him, to Sinestro wanting Hal to save the world and disgrace John in the process. Despite both men’s justified disdain for the other, neither of them wants to see the other fail. This is what makes their dynamic so interesting.
Apart from the writing, both Aaron Pierre and Kyle Chandler remain fun on screen as their character’s trust grows stronger at every turn. Regardless of Hal’s antics, John is a good soldier and appears willing to withstand the hazing. And their scene with fake Hammond was incredible, eliciting the heroic moments fans want to see. Garrett Dillahunt eats the scenery as William Macon, though it may seem all his pompous arrogance isn’t hiding what we were to believe. And Laura Linney’s Lianne is as equally diabolical, as many question whether she is who she claims.
Not only is “The Weenie” a worthy follow-up to “OutKast,” it escalates our story to new heights, activating the couch potato sleuths in all of us.
Rating: 9/10