A review of this week's Lanterns, "The Weenie," coming up just as soon as we agree that Set It Off is a great movie...
Alan Sepinwall
Before we get into the colorfully-titled "The Weenie," I wanted to acknowledge the differing reactions to "OutKast." Some of you agreed with me that doing a full backstory episode just as the story was starting to build momentum was frustrating, and that it repeated some thematic points too often, and/or didn't hit other ideas (being a fearless Black man in America) enough to justify a full hour. Many of you thought it was another classic example of a Damon Lindelof-produced character origin episode, and that it was worth it to see John Stewart (one of the first prominent Black superheroes, and a character who hasn't gotten nearly as much shine over the years as Hal Jordan) get such a spotlight. Fair points all around, and what fun would it be if we all agreed on the same things?
"The Weenie" takes us back to Rushville, and to Hal and John's search for the Manhunter. In some ways, it's much simpler and more straightforward than "OutKast." In others, it ties itself in knots trying to extend the mystery until the end of the hour, with characters keeping information from one another, and the show itself trying — and only sometimes succeeding — at keeping things from the audience.