Warning!  This is a full episode recap, so if you don’t want to read any SPOILERS, please watch the episode before reading this.

In last week’s episode, ‘Invasion’, Atrocitus and the Red Lanterns successfully invaded Guardian Space, stole the Interceptor and reprogrammed Aya to suit their needs, leaving Hal, Kilowog and Razer helplessly stranded, unable to either stand against the Red Lanterns or reach Oa ahead of the Interceptor to help the Guardians stand against Atrocitus.  The heroes are desperate and trust Hal’s crazy plan.  Bravely, Kilowog remains behind to stand alone against the Red Lantern armada to hopefully buy Hal time.

Using Aya, the Red Lanterns fool Green Lantern Salaak into allowing them to land.  Tellingly, Aya sheds a tear after this duplicity, showing that Drusa hasn’t completely taken her over.

Mysteriously, Hal awakens in a park on Earth, in his flight uniform, not his Green Lantern suit.  He seems disoriented and at first, doesn’t recognize Carol Ferris when she walks past.  He then runs up to her and she asks why he’s there, and he replies “to take you to dinner.”

On Oa, Atrocitus makes his presence known, blasting Sayd, rendering her unconscious.  Salaak covers the Guardians ordering them to fall back.  Salaak seals himself and the Guardians in the most secure chamber on the planet, but Atrocitus and his forces are not dissuaded.  Though injured and cornered, Sayd tells Guardian leader Appa Ali Apsa, that she thinks their situation is probably much like those of the Forgotten Zone, when the Guardians’ Manhunter robots went berserk and murdered thousands.  Astonishingly, it seems that a lightbulb goes off in Appa’s head.

At a sidewalk bistro, Carol asks Hal about what’s been going on, but he’s in a stupor and simply tells her she looks gorgeous.  She asks him about the Red and Green Lanterns and he has no idea what she’s talking about, so she takes Hal to her base and locates his locker, where he keeps his Power Battery.  He doesn’t recognize it.  She takes his hand and presses his ring against the Battery.  “Will yourslf to remember,” she orders.

Somehow, Hal remembers the Green Lanern oath and his memory is restored.  He and Razer voyaged to Zamaron to beg Queen Aga’Po to teleport him  to Earth as she had done for Carol in the ‘In Love and War’ episode.  He learns that Ghia’ta, after encountering Hal and Carol, rediscovered the true meaning of love and has been helping to guide the Star Sapphires in a better direction.  Both women, however are cautious, as Earth is the fartherst place they have ever opened a portal to and there are side effects to the process.  (Namely, Hal’s amnesia.)  Hal knows there is no other option and is willing to take the risk.  Aga’Po opens the portal for Hal, on the condition that he and his allies make sure the universe is safe for love to bloom.

At Ferris Aircraft, Hal comes to.  Carol tells him to go, but he still owes her dessert.

In a seeming suicide mission, Kilowog takes on the bulk of the Red Lantern armada, but his constructs hardly scratch the enemy crafts.  He puts up a valiant fight, but soon finds himself overwhelmed, although he is at peace with “Goin’ down swingin.'”  Suddenly, he seems to be engulfed in green flame, super charging his abilities.  He creates a battering ram and takes out Skallox, Bleez and Veon, before being bathed in blue light.  He meets Saint Walker, the first Blue Lantern, whose powers of Hope amplify the Green Lanterns’ Will powers.  Kilowog comments that “One extra soldier ain’t exactly gonna turn the tide,” to which Saint Walker replies, “That’s why I brought a friend.”  Mogo the living planet appears and opens fire on the Red Lanterns.

Ghia’ta senses that there is still love in Razer’s heart and knows they can use that to help Hal Jordan’s plan.  (It felt like they were going to make him a Violet Lantern/Star Sapphire, but that wasn’t it.)

Back in space, the Red Lanterns are joined by their asteroid citadel, wrapped in a powerful forcefield.  Not even Mogo has enough power to penetrate it.  The base drops Liberators, which may spell the end for this small resistence movement.

On Oa, Atrocitus’ forces break through the Guardian’s last line of defense.  Salaak attempts to defend his masters, but Zox and Atrocitus are too much for him.  He does have the energy to perform one last act, opening the dome so that Hal can enter.  Once inside, Hal makes a surprising choice.  He tells Atrocitus he is right.  He admits that what happened with the Manhunters was a tragedy.  He asks Atrocitus to allow the Guardians and the Lanterns to help fix the problems in the Forgotten Zone.  But of course Atrocitus refuses and attacks.

On the Interceptor, Drusa is disabling Aya’s higher functions so she will “behave like a proper nav computer.”  She is interruped by a burst of violet light, as Razer steps out and takes her down, before scooping Aya up in his arms.  He removes Drusa’s control disc and smashes it in his hand.

Kilowog hatches an idea and flings Saint Walker to Mogo’s “Power Ring” the energy band around the planet.  Saint Walker’s powers boost Mogo’s making him able to destroy the Liberators and the forcefield around the Red Lantern’s fortress.  The Red Lantern armada is left floating defenselessly in space.

The Guardians stand around watching as Atrocitus beats the living crap out of Hal, but Sayd is confident that Hal has the will needed to win.  Of course he does.  (It’s his show.)  Zilius Zox orders a retreat, but Hal stops him and offers him the same deal; to let the Guardians and the Green Lanterns help rebuild the Forgotten Zone.  Appa even volunteers to go, having seen the error of his ways.

Later, Salaak takes Atrocitus away in shackles.  Zox has already started making demands of the Guardians.  Hal questions how Razer was able to get to Oa as quickly as he did.  (The power of love.)  But they are interrupted when Appa and the other Guardians say “Thank you.”  Hal then takes his leave.  Appa questions what could be so important and he replies, “Dessert.”  Cut to Earth and Carol looking out her window at a glowing green light getting ever brighter.

Aaaaaand curtain!  This brings the first season of ‘Green Lantern’ to a close.  This series started off a tad shaky and tended to be a little predictable and formulaic, but overall, I like it.  Hal can come off as a bit of an ass, but this episode actually reminded me that he’s a charming ass.  There’s not enough resolution for Razer… I really thought he’d wind up switching allegiances to either Green, Blue or even Violet.  He’s still a Red Lantern.  But they nicely set up the fact that he loves Aya, which is one of my favorite aspects of the show.

Also, the entire series has built to this war with the Red Lanterns, so I expected everyone from the last 12 episodes to pop up, Iolande, Ragnar, Galia… but they don’t.  At least we get Saint Walker, Mogo, Aga’po and Ghia’ta.  Honestly, it felt a tad rushed, but the fact that they wrapped up the threat of the Red Lanterns and still squeezed in a lot of character development makes this a great episode.  I’ll just consider the things that didn’t happen, teasers for the second season.

What did you think?  Comment below!