Did Hal leave John to die? ‘Lanterns’ Episode 4 ending explained as the Manhunter mystery takes major turn
Three episodes of ‘Lanterns’ were leading up to one question: who is the Manhunter in Rushville, Nebraska? The answer was provided in the fourth episode, ‘Weenie,’ although it creates more questions than it answers. The hour begins with a flashback where Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) pays a visit to his jailed mentor, Sinestro (Ulrich Thomsen), to learn about Manhunters’ behavior patterns after they shapeshift. The latter warns Jordan against making the same mistake with John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) that he did with him. In the present day, the Green Lanterns track down Will Macon (Garret Dillahunt) and the shadowy benefactor behind his rural empire, discovering that there are four sniper positions surrounding the property, protecting some object at the center.
The two Lanterns storm the compound, trying to get to it but get captured. They are rescued by none other than Sheriff Kerry Kane (Kelly Macdonald), who shows up to arrest them for trespassing, holding them off until Macon’s men can do worse. Not long after, Zoe Macon (Poorna Jagannathan), Will’s daughter-in-law and John’s love interest, pays a visit to John at the motel where he is temporarily staying. She informs him that she does not have any loyalty to Will, having rescued him when he was dying of cancer. She speeds off in her truck, only for it to be destroyed by a laser beam aimed from an orbiting satellite. Hal tracks the mysterious vessel to a man named Hector Hammond, who claims to be the Manhunter but is revealed to be just a human, hired by the real one to pretend and draw attention away from them. Hammond tries to frame Macon for the murder of Zoe. Hal, however, does not believe him.
While driving back, Hal connects the dots in his mind. John never showed any signs of concern regarding Zoe’s supposed death the way he demonstrated anxiety when his family was threatened. That means John was not grieving since he already knew Zoe was alive. “I don’t know how she managed to get out of that alive, unless she’s a Manhunter,” Jordan says, having identified the shapeshifter that they have been looking for in the past three episodes. John says he had “a feeling,” but not enough of one to suspect her before.
So does Hal actually try to kill him for it? Well, no. The two Lanterns have a tense conversation where they both apologize for what they said about each other before. John revokes a previous insult about Hal being too old, and Hal responds, saying, “I’m sorry about the rental.” At this very moment, he jumps out of the car, letting it crash into a pole at the end of the road. It is unclear whether or not he meant to kill John. In the meantime, John isn’t shown hurt by the crash. The main unresolved mystery left by ‘Lanterns’ Episode 4 is not just the fate of one vehicle. John had a chance to give Zoe to Antaan and his alien team, who threatened to destroy Rushville if they couldn’t find the Manhunter before a specified deadline. This means that John considers Antaan, not Zoe, to be the true threat, despite his compromised relationship with Hal.
