Recap: Green Lantern: TAS "Green Lantern's Light"

Much like Ultimate Spider-Man, it takes two episodes before we arrive at what essentially becomes our status quo, give or take a few details down the line.

Previously, on GL:TAS. 
Green = Good 
Red = Evil 
Space = The final frontier

Hal = Not the brightest bulb

Hal gets a transmission from the Guardians, opening up the episode. Before Appa Ali Apsa can read Hal the Riot Act, he summarizes the events of the last episode to them. Not the whole thing, just the parts that took place in Frontier Space.

Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?

Kilowog backs up Hal's claims of these strange Red Lanterns powered by anger, and also recommends that they get back to Oa and bring a Green Lantern army to Frontier Space. Sadly, luck is not in their corner as they are quickly attacked by a probe. Back at Oa, the Guardians discuss the problems with revisionist history. Apparently, there's some "truth" they've been keeping out of the Book of Oa, and it may become a problem soon.

Oh, what tangled webs we weave when we cover up genocide. ...whoops, spoiler.

Over in the Frontier, Hal and the probe have a dogfight through an asteroid belt. It goes poorly. Kilowog demands that they fly to Oa and get medical help for their Frontier Lantern passenger and maybe also pick up some reinforcements, but Hal's staying the course, despite some missiles.

Aya: "Shields degrading to critical. Please do not let that happen again."

But thanks to Hal demonstrating the ship's ability to make green energy constructs (like an asteroid-boring drill), they manage to finally blast the darn thing. Fronty the Frontier Lantern (as I have just named him) speculates that they're probably dealing with more than a couple thugs, before Hal tells Aya to head back to Oa. But it seems that the fight disabled their warp drive, thanks to a crack in the engine. Don't worry, the auto repair should fix it in about nine months. And making a replacement part with their rings isn't an option, what with how complex the part is.

Kilowog: "I make hammers."

To summarize, they're up diarrhea drive without a saddle. Fronty needs a doctor, too. Now. So they decide to head to Fronty's home colony, which is nearby.

Over in a redder part of space, a gigantic planetoid-ship flies through the inky redness. Zilius and Not-Batman are getting chewed out for their failure last episode by their big bad leader, Atrocitus. Zilius blames his partner (who is identified as "Razer") for the problem, because bad guys are petty, and willing to sell each other out. There is also a rumor being perpetuated that they're a superstitious and cowardly lot.

Razer defends himself by essentially saying they lost because the Green Lanterns were more experienced, which informs Atrocitus that the Guardians are moving against him. Again. Apparently, his planetoid ship is called "Shard," and it's the remains of his homeplanet, which was destroyed long ago by the Guardians. Razer vows vengeance, and reveals that the drone from earlier was designed to place a tracking device on the Interceptor, which tracks them down in a heartbeat. Atrocitus is looking forward to destroying these Green Lanterns so much that he shows his face to the audience.

Wait, I thought Two-Face was a Batman villain....

Meanwhile, Fronty's wife (she probably has a name, but I'm going to call her "Winona") heals him up with a phaser set to "fix fatal injuries," and we get the best part of the episode as Kilowog explains to Fronty what a "secret identity" is.
Kilowog: "That's Hal's hang-up. That thing on his face? It's a mask. He wears it in case some Earthling sneaks onto the Interceptor- while we're in space, mind you- and goes 'Ah-hah! The Green Lantern on my planet is Hal Jordan! I'm tellin' everyone!'"

They all have a good laugh, and Fronty's daughter, Amala, runs out and hugs her daddy, before Winona puts her to bed. Fronty and Kilowog look out over the blue crystals of the landscape, and Kilowog thinks about his own planet, destroyed long ago. Aya, who was napping this whole time, I guess, suddenly alerts the GL's that there's a tracking device on her hull. Hal busts it up, but Shard has already arrived, and deploys a tower into the ground which itself deploys a gigantic hologram of Atrocitus. Holo-Atrocitus declares that this colony is under his protection. Well, that sounds good! He also says that unless the colony gives up the Green Lanterns, the planet will be vaporized. Well, that sounds bad.

Shard leaves behind the doomsday device/hologram generator, and Hal decides to fight back against the massive weapon. Hal, Kilowog and Fr- Oh my gosh, they said Fronty's name. It's... "Shyir." Nope, I'm still calling him "Fronty".

Anyway, Winona offers another way while Razer begins to question his lord and master, Atrocitus. Apparently, destroying a planet in order to punish guys who work for the people who blew up your own planet sounds a bit hypocritical to Razer. The CGI on Zilius' face removes his wrinkles for a second while he tries to use this to curry Atrocitus' favor. Razer's questions, not the CGI.  Atrocitus convinces Razer that this is for the greater good, and Razer sets the countdown himself, even though it hasn't been close to an hour yet. Hal draws out Zilius and Atrocitus while Razer guards the controls, and Hal and Atrocitus spar.

Atrocitus: "I am wrath. I am hate. I am righteous vengeance!"

Hi, nice to meet you. I'm Newt. I'm doin' pretty good, thanks for asking.

Kilowog and Fronty enter the doomsday tower thanks to Winona's map of the underground lava tubes (it makes sense; she was established to be a geologist) and they fight off Razer while disarming the tower.

More Hal vs. Atrocitus, more Kilowog vs. Razer, and the Greens aren't doing too well. With brute force not working against the rage-powers of Razer, Kilowog manages to ask the armor-piercing question.

Kilowog: "We know what you're fightin' against kid, but what're you fightin' for?"

Razer quits the fight after that blow to his worldview, but Fronty only has 30 more seconds to disarm the weapon. Meanwhile, Hal gets his butt kicked before Zilius and Atrocitus begin to flee the planet. The weapon begins its process of detonation, so Fronty volunteers to stay behind and sacrifice his life to buy the planet enough time. Before Kilowog leaves Fronty asks him what he would do if he could go back to the destruction of his home.

He also manages to lay another talk onto the returning Razer, making him think about his life choices some more before telling him to skedaddle. The planet detonates, appearing to take our heroes to their graves in the process. Atrocitus and Zilius watch their apparent destruction and prepare their further plans.

Meanwhile, floating in the planetary wreckage is Hal, who is soon attacked by Razer. They fight, and Hal barely restrains himself from killing Razer with a giant drill. Because if you're going to break an oath against killing, go all out. Giant drills, snapping necks, be creative.

But Hal vows to bring Razer to justice, despite Razer literally begging for death. He takes Razer's ring, and Kilowog shows up, having saved the colonists in a bubble with his ring. They reboard the arriving Interceptor, after seeing Fronty's ring flying through space, and relocate the colonists to another planet. They say goodbye to Fronty's family, and set off for the reaches of Frontier Space. But back on the Interceptor, they think about their problems: How do they stop a Red Lantern army? And what do they do with their new prisoner?

We'll see next episode. For now, it's time to review the second part of the series premiere.