The Guardians try to make amends in the Forgotten Sector, but bigger problems are afoot.
What They Say:
Loss
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
With the introduction of Sinestro in the previosu episode, we got some good hints about what’s to come in the future. Spending time with Sinestro and his sense of style and how he approaches things again shows just how varied the Green Lanterns can be. At the same time, it was welcome to have the influence of Razer back in the show, giving us a touch of Red Lantern who is learning to master his abilities in new ways. So when this episode shifts us to Ysmalt where we see one of the Guardians has come in order to help start reparations and fixing relations with the Red Lanterns and the Forgotten Sector overall, it’s surprising how much you realize you missed all these deep, red hues that populated the show for so long in the first half of the season.
What makes the time on Ysmalt so much fun is that Zox has taken a commanding role in things here and prefers to be called the Prime Magistrate as he does what he can to get the world moving again in a new way. He’s still a Red Lantern to his core, but he’s also using their loss in the war as best as he can in order to milk the Guardians for all their worth. While the Guardian knows she’s being played on some level, they are going with real intent here to try and make amends. But she’s curious in that when she sees a Manhunter struggling under some rubble, reawakaned by the beam that was sent out a couple of episodes ago elsewhere, she just tries to move the discussion elsewhere so that the things presence doesn’t set off Zox and create a new problem between the two sides.
Running in parallel to this, we get some good material showing us the trip that Hal and the others are on, at least for a little bit. Razer’s growth has been a high point for me in the series and seeing him coming to grips with his feelings towards Aya. The two of them coming back into orbit with each other again after being apart for a bit is definitely fun since he’s found a new way to channel his rage. Razer also tries to make some amends with her, and himself, by going to his home planet where a touch of his past is shown to us once more. Not surprisingly, Aya is right behind him and it ends up allowing him to make things clearer to her about his feelings. It almost gets to the right point and once again I really hate that they can’t seem to not do these kinds of almost-kissed scenes. Let it happen, let it progress already!
While we do get this good character material, we also get a good deal of action. I love the Red Lanterns as presented here as it’s one of the few places on TV where we get really alien looking aliens, and with the revival of a Manhunter, it’s intent on taking down as many as it can. The battle does get a little comical at times with how Hal and Kilowog go at it, but the end result gets the job done, albeit in a way that’s not going to please the Guardian. And honestly, with her attitude, half the fun is watching her get more and more peeved over what’s going on and what her Lanterns are doing.
What’s surprising is that the show pivots to the larger problem of Manhunters in general, showing us a growing number of them that are now active in the Forgotten Sector. This is something that helps to shift Zox’s position on things and gives us some of the background on the Anti-Monitor, including making it clear that Krona created it ages ago and is infinitely powerful. The fact that it’s eating the Maelstrom pretty much cements what’s going on and is the kind of change to ones perception of how everything is working that will get even someone like Zox to realize what needs to be done. Zox’s fear and paranoia over the Guardians and what they’ve done for so long is certainly warranted but getting seeing what the Anti-Monitor is capable of just makes it all the worse. Of course, it’s kind of glossed over that yet one more Guardian created thing is what’s going to potentially destroy everything.
The show gives us some good action in its third act since the number of Manhunters out there provide plenty of fodder to deal with. I liked the way that it was all because the Anti-Monitor realized he was being observed, all Eye of Sauron in a way, and the ensuing fight lets it be clear that the Red and Green can work together to the Guardian since she sees Razer working with them. The arrival of the Anti-Monitor raises the stakes nicely though and his presence has a great kind of feeling to it with how powerful he just from scale alone, never mind the way he carries himself with all the Manhunters he’s pulled into his service.
In Summary:
Green Lantern establishes a few things going on here that are pretty useful in the bigger picture sense. Spending more time in the Forgotten Sector is fun in general, but seeing the Guardians working to fix things on some level adds nicely to it and shows them following through on promises, as much as the beings there distrust them. The growing bond between Aya and Razer is the big selling point for me to see since I’m rooting for them in a lot of ways and having it all play out amidst the action in the third act just ramps it up several notches. The action is good throughout here, even when comical, and the third act raises it up a few notches. But it’s those final couple of minutes that just seals the deal in making this one of the stronger episodes for what it does with Razer and Aya.
Grade: B+