Lanterns Recap: Episode 6 - Bad Optics

Ash Walker • 22 Sep 2026 Features

“Then consequences it shall be.”

Speak to the team about Sky Ultimate TV on 0330 165 6733

SPOILERS AHEAD!

Who killed Hal Jordan? That’s the question we’ve been asking since that shocking coda at the end of Episode 1, and that’s the question the show will be finally getting into for its remaining few installments.

After last week’s epic climax to the 2016-set storyline - which felt a lot like a season finale - Episode 6 feels like something of a reset. Almost like the first episode of a new season, in fact, with a few returning faces, some new characters and a whole new mystery to explore.

We open with John Stewart (Aaron Pierre), now freshly goateed, giving an impassioned pitch to a group of Midway City councilmen, which also happens to double as some helpful exposition to catch us up on the past 10 years. John is now an architect - putting those drawing skills to good use - working with his brother to build panic rooms and emergency shelters.

They’re up for a big contract, but a badly-timed call from his mother sends John right back to Rushville, Nebraska, where Hal (Kyle Chandler) is now living after spending 10 years in federal prison for his part in destroying the town. John goes looking for an apology, but of course Hal doesn’t offer one, and the brief meeting ends with John punching Hal in the face.

Some things never change.

Later that night, though, John gets a call from Sheriff Kane (Kelly Macdonald), with the shocking news that Hal has been murdered. John is once again drawn back to Rushville to take part in the murder investigation, settling right back in and even moving into Hal’s crappy rented house.

There is no shortage of suspects - the entire town, it turns out, hated Hal. It makes sense, since - in their eyes - he killed their alien saviour/protector, Zoe (Poorna Jagannathan) and destroyed half of Main Street. Hal has been living there for a while, trying to make amends in his own way and striking up a relationship with Kane.

We also meet a few new characters, namely a now-grown-up Noah Macon (Shea Pritchard) and Maggie (Hannah Christine Shetler) - that little girl whose parents were killed when the motel exploded. Both are highly suspicious right off the bat, and Maggie even demands reparations from John.

First though, there’s the matter of Hal’s funeral. John draws in the current Green Lantern, Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), and implores him to retrieve Hal’s ring from Oa so it can be buried with Hal. Guy agrees and, after a brilliantly funny eulogy - written by Hal himself - Hal is put into the ground…

…and then dug right back up again by John, who nicks the ring and keeps it for himself. Miraculously, it still has a 5% charge, enough to activate the Halogram which will presumably get John access to the mysterious vault in Hal’s storage lockup, and hello John get to the bottom of this mystery.

Random Thoughts:

• We’re in the present day now, which means a load more references to the current DCU. John name drops Superman - not to mention the Fortress of Storage - and Hal talks about that ‘bat guy in Gotham’. Always nice to see.
• Speaking of the broader DCU, it’s great to see Guy Gardner make a lengthy appearance, and it’s especially interesting to see just how different he is with the ring, and what the others think of him. Not a lot, apparently.
• We also had another major GL character introduction in the form of Carol Ferris (Amie MacKenzie) - Hal Jordan’s love interest in the comics and, eventually, a superhero in her own right. It was another understated intro, but not quite as anticlimactic as Hector Hammond, at least.
• I’m really intrigued to see where everyone will end up after the season finale. Will we have two Green Lanterns, one sanctioned by the Guardians and the other a renegade? We know already that John Stewart will make an appearance in the upcoming Man of Tomorrow. That would actually make a lot of sense, and be very cool going forward.

Verdict: A bit of a reset after last week’s barnstorming midseason finale, but we’re finally getting into the most compelling mystery so far: who killed Hal Jordan?

Lanterns is available to stream every Monday from 2am on HBO MAX, available now as part of Sky Ultimate TV.