Steam Lantern (episode)


 * This article is about the sixteenth episode of the series. You may be looking for the character by the same name, Steam Lantern.

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- Top floor, Mr. Jordan. Topcoats, top hats, various dry sundries, and the gateway to your universe.

"Steam Lantern" is the 16th episode of the first season of Green Lantern: The Animated Series. It was scheduled to air on October 13, 2012, but was pushed to a later date in a last minute schedule change that preempted the entire schedule of October. However, on October 14, the episode was made available for purchase on iTunes, but one day later it was removed. The episode was rescheduled and officially aired on January 5, 2013.

Overview
Knocked into the Antimatter Universe, Hal lands on a steampunk world. There, he meets the idealistic Steam Lantern, who patterns himself after the Green Lanterns. With help from his new allies, Hal must find a way back home before the Anti-Monitor destroys his universe.

Synopsis
Hal awakes to find himself plummeting towards a planet, quickly burning up in re-entry. He uses his Power ring to protect himself just as he violently slams into the middle of a city. He tries to use his ring to contact his teammates, but he gets no response. He looks around to discover that pedestrians are wearing 19th Century Victorian clothing. A woman is stationed in the middle a road—protesting against a man named Nigel Fortenberry. An assembly of Mechanoids march down the street, Nigel is conducting his wishes through the small screen on the giant robots, and insists that he saved the planet and that everyone will be fine if they do what he says, much to the woman's disagreement.



The drones lurk forward to apprehend Catherine. However, a man wielding an industrial armored suit, suddenly descends from the skies, and begins combating the droids. The bystanders cheer for the "Steam Lantern". The grounded robots get up and advance on the man. Hal helps battle the opposition and single-handedly dispatches the bot. After the robots are defeated, the man talks Jordan to follow him and whisks damsel, Catherine, away with him. Hal follows the two.

They fly up into the air, into the clouds to a giant floating base suspended from a dirigible. The woman introduces herself as Lady Catherine and her associate as Gil Broome. Gil dumbfounded to see that Hal is a real Green Lantern. He tells Jordan about him being a "Steam Lantern," and modeled himself after another one. Gil informs Hal that Catherine built the dirigible and the suit that Gil wears, and they're all powered by an ore named Hardtofindium.

Hal questions the material the Gil's suit is made out of and Catherine tells him that they had to make it so that they could fight against Duke Nigel. She explains to Hal that the stars in their world have been winking out one by one and that Duke Nigel promised that he could save their world if they did everything he said, and soon became a tyrant and turned their world into a industrial nightmare ever since. Gil and Catherine led a rebellion from their dirigible, which they named Battling Bathilda. Catherine mentions that Nigel tried to intimidate them by allying himself with a "space dragoon" called the Anti-Monitor.



Hal tells them that he recognizes the Anti-Monitor and brings up his very recent battle with it. Catherine revels in that Gil defeated the Anti-Monitor, hitting it so severely that it sent it through a rip in the space/time continuum. Hal comprehends that he is in another universe and Catherine suggests that with the access to the electric power in Nigel's lab could make it so that he can contact his friends in the other universe, although he is warned that it will be no small task.

The two Lanterns and Catherine fly to Nigel's lab and they discover that Nigel has been doing a great deal of research on the sun. Catherine then accesses the communication systems which will amplify Hal's ring signal transdimensionally.

In the other universe, aboard the Interceptor, Kilowog insists that Hal must be alive, while Tomar-Re is dubious after seeing how powerful a blow the Anti-Monitor had struck against Hal. On cue, Hal then succeds in making contact with them and explains the situation. Hal suggests that they re-use the rip in the sky to cross back over into their universe. Tomar-Re warns that he will need monumental power to go through the portal, but Hal alludes that an unknown Green Lantern was able to do it. He tells his comrades to contact him in twelve hours, and the conversation is abruptly stopped when Nigel's robots attack and capture the three. Nigel comes in and insists that he only wants credit for saving their world, blaming Steam Lantern for stealing his glory.

Hal regains consciousness and blast Nigel in mid sentence. He then frees Catherine and Gil from the Mechanoid's hold, before threatening Nigel to stay away from the two lovers. They all then depart from Nigel's laboratory. They return to Catherine's dirigible and Catherine adores Gil for being a hero, though Gil disagrees and states that Hal was the true hero. Catherine leaves the two and Gil confesses to Hal that Nigel was indeed telling the truth about saving his world.



According to Gil, while the Anti-Monitor feed on his universe, Nigel told the people that he had a plan to save them, but never went into detail on how. Nigel had made a deal with the Anti-Monitor. Promising, that if the Anti-Monitor had mercy on their planet, he'd invent a ray to transport him to another dimension; giving him a whole new universe to feed on. Under Nigel's guidance, the planet turned into an industrial transformation and the citizens lost their freedom. Gil decided to fight the tyranny of Nigel, becoming the Steam Lantern. Unaware of Nigel's deal with the Anti-Monitor, Gil arrived to confront the Anti-Monitor. Gil pushes his suit to the limit, though the Anti-Monitor doesn't even react to his attempts to stop him. At that precise moment, Nigel activates the ray and send the Anti-Monitor away to another universe just as promised. The people misunderstood the event and believed Gil had defeated the Anti-Monitor and saved their world. Gil asks Hal to stay and help fight the Duke, but Hal refuses, saying that he has his own universe to save. Hal tells Gil that he's doing a good job as a hero.

Lady Catherine returns, declaring that the airship is ready. The dirigible reaches its flight ceiling and the two bid Hal farewell. Hal flies up to the rift and hits it with a power blast, apparently to no effect. Then a second green blast hits the rift, which begins to open. Hal looks around to see Gil, flying to his aid and using his energy projector on the rift. In the other universe, Aya announces that the rift is opening, and Kilowog hits it with a blast of energy from the Interceptor, which makes the rift wider.



At that moment, Duke Nigel flies up to the dirigible in an ornitopter, announces over a loudspeaker that they are under arrest, and orders them to land the airship or be subjected to gunfire. Gil, seeing this, urges Hal to get home while he deals with the Duke. Gil the ornihopter is aback by Gil's hit at it. Nigel fires his gun, shooting holes in the airship and exploding its power plant in flames. Hal's eye catch wind of the air balloon nose-diving towards the ground below. He immediately abandons the widen rift, causing it to close. Hal brings the airship to a safe landing using a catcher's mitt construct, and extinguishes the fires. Duke Nigel arrives in his ornithopter, threatening to fire on the couple if Hal uses his power ring, Hal immediately stands down.

Back at Nigel's laboratory, the three are restraint by Mechanoids. Nigel states that with Gil's and Catherine's resistant will never stop. Saying "As much as it pains [him], [he] has to think of what's best for the world", to which Catherine announces that he may do his worst to them though he'll never be half the man Gil is. Gil pleads that if Nigel releases Catherine, he'll confess that his heroism is a lie to the public. Catherine protest, worrying that Nigel would be forcing Gil to lie. Gil truthfully admits to Catherine that Nigel actually did save the planet.



Gil prompts himself in front of the camera, broadcasting live to the planet's population through the Mechanoids. Gil turns from the camera and faces Catherine. He states that he like that she had been proud of him. She enthusiastically declares that she was proud to be his girlfriend since they were "sweethearts". The populace being to cheerfully chant Gil's name. Nigel is enthralled with confusion at this unexpected turn of events. Hal concludes that the people recognize the true hero and frees himself from the Mechanoid's grasp. Hal continues to explain that the people appreciate Gil's opposition to Nigel. Nigel defends his actions by stating that he is not the villain and that his Mechanoids were created to bring news to the people in a timely manner. Nigel gazes around and sees Lady Catherine struggling in one robot's grasp, and then watches on the video monitors as the citizens retreat in fear from the other robots. He realizes his wrong doing after all. He releases Lady Catherine from his robot's pincers and declares that everyone is free to go.

Suddenly, the planet's sun goes dark. Nigel explains that the Anti-Monitor tricked him by eating most of the sun's fuel before it left. Dooming the planet and jeopardizing the lives in the other universe, making him a despicable in two universes. Nigel asks for forgiveness in the short time that they have left. Lady Catherine suggests there is time for one last tea, but Hal protests that there is no time for tea. Gil realizes that although the planet is doomed, Hal Jordan should not share their fate. Nigel believes that he can send Hal back to his own universe using the remaining power in the electric grid before the planet freezes. Gil states life would not be worth living on a planet with no sunrise, and Lady Catherine agrees. Hal then responds that he will save them.



Charging upward through the atmosphere in the repaired airship, Hal's ring flutters; signaling it's low on energy. Nigel, communicating from his laboratory, recites his calculation on where the new rift must be opened. Hal flies up and reports that he is in position. Nigel fires the ray and the rift opens. Hal flies to the rift's edge, fires his ring at it, and begins to open the rift wider. Battling Bathilda flies through the rift, Gil and Lady Catherine gasping in wonder as new stars appear. Hal flies completely around the planet, pushing the rift's edge ahead of him and opening it wide enough for the planet to go through. The planet's starless, black skies are suddenly filled with dazzling stars. On the planet's surface, the citizens and the Nigel are amazed at what they see. Hal's ring flickers, dying in the mist of his triumph. His powers fade and his scorches down into the sky. Upon his descent, Gil quickly rescues him in midair.



The two head back to the blimp, where they join Catherine and the Duke, serving tea through a Mechanoid drone, for a cup of tea, revolving in their success. Nigel reports that he has made contact with an "angry fellow"—Kilowog. Kilowog speaks with Hal, obviously worried for his safety. Hal delightfully remarks with cryptic, that he made it back to their universe along with a few billion friends.

Cast
For full credits click here.

Heroes

 * Hal Jordan
 * Kilowog
 * Aya
 * Tomar-Re

Villains

 * Duke Nigel Fortenberry
 * Anti-Monitor

Other characters

 * Steam Lantern
 * Lady Catherine
 * Alan Scott

Locations

 * Steampunk Planet
 * Biot

Items

 * Green Lantern Power Ring
 * Steam Lantern Suit
 * Hardtofindium

Vehicles

 * The Blimp
 * Interceptor

Quotes

 * Kilowog: Come on, Jordan!
 * (seeing that Steam Lantern is in trouble, Hal Jordan leaves)
 * ​Kilowog: Jordan, what are you doing?


 * Steam Lantern: We named it "Hardtofindium" because it's really, really...
 * Hal Jordan: Yeah, I get it. So, you're basically wearing a nuclear reactor you cobble together with chicken wire and string?


 * Nigel Fortenberry: Can you ever forgive me, in the short bit we have left?
 * Steam Lantern: Of course.
 * Lady Catherine: Time for one last tea, then?
 * Nigel Fortenberry: Quite.
 * Hal Jordan: Whoa, whoa! There's no time for tea now.
 * Steam Lantern: Of course. How selfish of us. Our world might be doomed, but out friend, Hal Jordan, need not share our fate. Professor, your machine sent the Space Dragoon to his universe. Can it do it again?
 * Nigel Fortenberry: Draining the remaining power from the world gridiron should be enough to cut through the fabric of the universe one more time... before our world freezes into a lifeless ball of ice.


 * Steam Lantern: For the best then. I don't think I want to live on a world without sunrise.
 * Lady Catherine: Me, neither. How would we know when it was time for tea?
 * Hal Jordan: Oh, enough with the stiff-upper-lippery. No one is going to die on my watch.

Series continuity

 * This is the first time Steam Lantern, Lady Catherine and Nigel Fortenberry are seen.
 * This episode takes place a few hours after "Reboot" ended, and continues several events of that episode, such as Hal's "death" and the Anti-Monitor revelation.

Trivia

 * Steam Lantern mentioned being saved by a Green Lantern in a red shirt and a cape, likely a reference to Alan Scott.
 * Nigel Fortenberry's name is very similar to Nigel Thornberry, a character from The Wild Thornberrys. Though Giancarlo Volpe stated this similarly was a pure coincidence.
 * The material Hardtofindium is based on the real-life idea of Unobtainium.
 * Catherine's blimp slightly resembles a flagship used by General Grievous in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. In the film, the flagship crashes into a city, much like the one here. This maybe a call back to producer Giancarlo Volpe's previous work on the Star Wars: The Clone Wars television show.
 * It was Geoff John—a writer for the mainstream Green Lantern comic books—who suggested that Hal bring the entire planet back with him.
 * When we see the sun through Nigel Fortenberry's telescope, the sun was red. The red star is the last true living phase of the sun.
 * Gil Broome (Steam Lantern) is obviously named after Gil Kane and John Broome, creators of Hal Jordan,

Reception
"Steam Lantern" received mostly positive reviews from critics. IGN reviewer Jesse Schedeen gave the episode nine point three out of ten rating, commenting that it was "This episode really made the most of the weird new setting. As mentioned, the unorthodox design really was a breath of fresh air for the series and for superhero animation as a whole." and "The writers managed to carry over some of the sillier, more carefree tone of the previous episode while still dealing with a fairly dark conflict." Schedeen praised the episodes romantic relationship between Gil and Catherine, thought felt the episode made a fairly abrupt shift from Gil's situation to saving the planet. Schedeen enjoyed the visuals towards the end of the episode calling them "spectacular" and that the sequences similar to that one showcase what CG animation can accomplish that 2D animation might struggle with.