Paramount Settles States’ Antitrust Lawsuit. Plus, ‘Lanterns’ Episode 6.

Key takeaways

• Paramount reached a settlement with a coalition of state attorneys general, led by California's Rob Bonta, that had been investigating the Warner Bros. Discovery merger; the hosts note the deal came together fast after weekend leaks about penalties tied to releasing 30 movies a year, and after reports that several states simply lacked the funds to keep fighting a wealthy opponent through a March trial.
• Andy argues industry contraction is bad for workers regardless of which companies merge: fewer buyers means less leverage for creatives and crew, citing Mike Schur's Hollywood Reporter op-ed opposing the deal and warning that consolidation lets studios suppress pay by pointing to "market rate" rather than competing for talent.
• Both hosts express unease about the lack of real regulatory teeth in these situations, noting oversight now runs through lawsuits and negotiated settlements rather than a Federal Trade Commission willing to check a White House-aligned dealmaker, leaving DavidEllison's stated devotion to theatrical film and Los Angeles jobs as essentially unverifiable promises (undercut by his threat to relocate Paramount to Nashville if he doesn't get concessions).
• On "Lanterns," the hosts praise Aaron Pierre's physical and tonal transformation playing Jon Stewart ten years later, now an architect estranged from his parents, bankrolling one brother's album, and hardened enough to curse and blackmail witnesses to keep the Rushville massacre secret.
• The episode reveals Hal Jordan went to federal prison for the destruction at Rushville, surrendered his ring to the Guardians, and declined reinstatement, a twist the hosts felt was earned even though the show's fragmented, non-binge structure sometimes makes weekly viewing frustrating compared to how well the connective tissue might play on rewatch.
• They discuss how the show retrofits Guy Gardner into DC continuity by having the Guardians simply hand him a ring after John and Hal are unavailable, and debate whether Noah, the well-adjusted Nebraska quarterback, is secretly a surviving Manhunter given the species' pattern of seducing an "alpha" in each town.

Notable moments

• Andy on suppressed pay under consolidated studios: "you kind of can't have a healthy business run on handshakes, backslaps... but we're going to sign you to an overall deal" versus paying straight union scale.
• Chris on the settlement dynamic: state AGs "don't have the money to fight this," turning oversight into "a pissing contest with the richest man in the world."
• The pair riff on HBO's new straight-to-series Javier Bardem show "The Spread," mocking billionaire-centric premium dramas with the joke subhead "Billionaire Boys Club" and Andy's complaint that "visionary billionaire" are "two words that make me less interested in something."
• Andy admits missing that Hal Jordan's consciousness inside the ring (the Sentry) was the mechanism for keeping Kyle Chandler on the show, calling it a loss of "velocity and command."
• The hosts debate whether Rushville's small-town setting realistically allows John Stewart to sneak in, punch someone, and leave undetected, joking about flock cameras.
• A running bit about the word "Spazkaban" (a play on Azkaban) as an obvious Damon Lindelof room placeholder that stuck in the script, which Chris calls "proof of life of Damon."
• Discussion of Kelly Macdonald's standout performance as Sheriff Carey and how her romance with Hal humanizes his downfall through "a personal story" rather than just spectacle.
• Comparison to "Watchmen," with Andy conceding "Lanterns" is a good-faith, thoughtful show tackling race and family dynamics through the Stewart family, but not operating at the same singular purpose or depth as Lindelof's earlier HBO series.

Time saved: 1 hour, 2 minutes.