Overview of The Watch
This episode of The Watch is a wide-ranging pop culture conversation that starts with major Star Wars franchise news, moves into a deep breakdown of the latest Lanterns episode, and closes with Van Lathan joining for a postmortem on the Lioness season finale. Across all three topics, Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald keep circling the same themes: studio caution, franchise fatigue, and the value of a show that actually commits to its ideas.
Star Wars: Another Skywalker Saga Chapter
The hosts react to the report that John Watts will direct the first film in a new Skywalker saga trilogy, with Daisy Ridley expected to return as Rey and Simon Kinberg attached as a key creative force.
Main takeaways
- They see the move as strategically safe, if creatively cautious.
- Disney appears to be doubling down on reliable, franchise-proven talent rather than chasing auteur prestige.
- The discussion reflects real skepticism about returning to the Skywalker storyline again, after the mixed results of recent Star Wars projects.
- They note that Andor showed the franchise can still be reinvented, but fear the studio may prefer the familiar instead of the bold.
Their broader point
The hosts argue that Disney seems to want a stable “floor” for Star Wars after years of development chaos, director turnover, and expensive false starts. But they also warn that “safe hands” may not be enough if the underlying story feels recycled.
Lanterns: A Strong, Strange, and Rewarding Episode
Chris and Andy spend a lot of time on the latest Lanterns episode, which they see as one of the show’s best expressions of what the series can be.
What they liked
- The episode balances:
- procedural detective work
- comic-book weirdness
- character backstory
- emotional payoff
- They praise the show for finally making the Hal/John dynamic feel like the real center of the series.
- The episode’s big sci-fi reveal — the storage locker portal and the strange alien planet beyond it — is described as the kind of bold comic-book idea the show does best.
- They think the series has done a great job using multiple timelines and different versions of John Stewart to make the characters feel lived-in.
Key observations
- The show works best when it doesn’t over-explain itself and instead lets the audience feel the scale of its strange ideas.
- They like the way the series combines “shoe leather” TV with genuinely bizarre sci-fi imagery.
- They note that the season’s structure has paid off, even if some of the setup felt like a gamble earlier on.
Finale setup questions they highlight
- Who killed Hal Jordan?
- Why was Sinestro trapped on Anton’s planet?
- What’s the deal with the waitress blackmail subplot?
- Are the Manhunters truly extinct?
- What does the show’s ending mean for the future of the series?
Lioness Finale With Van Lathan
Van Lathan joins to discuss the Lioness season finale, and the conversation turns into a lively critique of Taylor Sheridan’s storytelling style and the season’s political worldview.
Van’s overall reaction
Van felt the finale was somewhat underwhelming, especially compared with the stronger action and momentum earlier in the season. He thought the season had a lot of energy, but the last episode felt like it was trying to connect too many moving parts at once.
What worked for him
- The season leaned more fully into Joe as the central figure.
- The show did a better job than before of making the story about:
- her past
- the consequences of her operations
- the personal cost of espionage
- He liked the season’s two-timeline structure, which let the show maximize Zoe Saldaña’s presence and keep the tension high.
What didn’t land as well
- He thought the finale’s reveal — that Aaliyah from season 1 was behind the attack on Joe — felt like a bridge too far after all the plot machinery.
- He felt some of the twists, especially involving the intelligence community and the Ukrainian plotline, were too scattered to fully support the finale’s payoff.
- A few reveals seemed more like a setup for the next season than a satisfying conclusion on their own.
Sheridan’s Politics, Propaganda, and Worldview
A major part of the Lioness discussion is about the show’s politics.
Their read on the show
- The series presents a worldview where:
- America is under constant external threat
- shadowy foreign forces are always at work
- intelligence work is a necessary form of defense
- Van argues the show is honest about what it believes, even if he disagrees with much of it.
- Chris and Van agree that the show works best when it treats those beliefs as part of its characters’ psychology, not just as talking points.
Important insight
Van’s view is that the show is compelling because the characters truly believe they’re protecting something larger than themselves. That conviction makes the drama work, even when the politics are heavy-handed.
Big Takeaways
- Star Wars may be heading back into familiar territory, and the hosts are wary of that choice.
- Lanterns is emerging as a strong first season because it embraces both procedural storytelling and comic-book absurdity.
- Lioness remains effective as an action/espionage show, but the finale felt uneven and overstuffed.
- Across all three topics, the episode keeps returning to a core question: when does franchise caution become creative stagnation?
Notable Tone and Chemistry
- Chris and Andy’s Star Wars discussion is skeptical but playful.
- The Lanterns segment is unusually enthusiastic and appreciative.
- Van Lathan’s Lioness take is more pointed and critical, but still clearly engaged.
- The episode’s energy comes from that mix of analysis, banter, and strong opinions rather than formal review.