Who killed [Spoiler]? ‘Lanterns’ Episode 6 ending explained as the mystery deepens
The mystery is finally unraveling. Since ‘Lanterns’ debuted, one image has lingered: Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler), lifeless in the stands of a snow-covered football field, his ring missing and a bullet wound on his forehead. For five episodes, HBO’s DC Universe murder mystery held audiences captive in 2016, dealing with the Manhunter menace in Rushville, Nebraska, while that 2026 crime scene stayed untouched in the background. ‘Lanterns’ Episode 6, titled ‘Bad Optics’, leaps forward ten years and pulls John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) back to the town he tried to leave behind.
The episode starts with John presenting an idea. John is pitching underground panic shelters to Midway City’s council, a business born from the Rushville disaster trauma. But then his mom calls, revealing her secret communication with Hal over the years. Hal wants to meet John. Though hesitant, John goes back to that familiar diner where he and Hal once sat across from Zoe Macon (Poorna Jagannathan). There, he finds Hal waiting. John starts with, “Alright, let’s have it,” waiting for the apology his mom mentioned was coming his way. But that’s not why they are meeting today. Hal believes he has already made amends for what happened in 2016: he took the blame, served the time, and now thinks they are even. John isn’t buying it, though. He reminds Hal that he messed everything up in the first place.
The topic shifts when Hal starts teasing Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), the latest Green Lantern now in Rushville. Hal uses a nickname for Guy over a charity appearance and jokes that he is copying “that bat guy in Gotham” with his own town signal. Afterward, Hal confronts John, suggesting fear kept John from claiming the ring years ago. This comment provokes John, leading him to punch Hal and leave the diner. Just before John makes it to the door, Hal calls out to him. He doesn’t want to say sorry; instead, he pleads with John to keep quiet about them being there together or even speaking. Soon after, John heads home. Then, Sheriff Kerry rings him up with chilling news: Hal died. This ties back to the first episode of the season when John stumbled upon a body in the football stadium bleachers with no ring on its finger and a bullet wound in its head.
After this, ‘Lanterns’ Episode 6 explains what was missing since the beginning. Sheriff Kerry Kane (Kelly Macdonald) reveals that Hal returned to Rushville seeking forgiveness from residents and rented a place rigged with traps. Meanwhile, John lands in jail overnight after clashing with locals about the town’s Green Lantern beacon. During his time behind bars, Guy Gardner visits him. John shares the tragic news of Hal’s death and asks for Guy’s help to uncover the culprit. Yet, Guy refuses, worrying that getting tangled in a murder probe could tarnish the Green Lanterns’ reputation. This situation gives rise to the episode’s title, ‘Bad Optics.’
Nonetheless, Guy agrees on one thing: retrieving Hal’s old ring so that Hal can be laid to rest in his uniform as a fitting tribute to his heroism. Fans have been curious since the season kicked off: why does Guy’s ring look different from Hal’s? It’s pretty straightforward. When Hal stepped down as Green Lantern, his original ring was retired and put away. The Guardians, alien leaders of the Corps, decided to craft a fresh one for Guy instead of passing down Hal’s old ring.
Before heading out, Guy drops a big piece of news. Somewhere far away in the universe, Sinestro, a dangerous prisoner, has escaped from his space prison. While it does not link directly to Hal’s murder yet, it’s clearly setting the stage for some serious trouble in upcoming episodes. At Hal’s funeral, Carol Ferris, his old flame, appears and gives John an eulogy Hal penned for himself years ago. This moment is sad, suggesting Hal thought very few people were going to attend the funeral since he was disliked by many. Later that night, unable to move on, John returns to the grave and starts digging it up again. This is where ‘Lanterns’ Episode 6 wraps up.
Notably, Hal Jordan’s most well-known death in comics is not a murder mystery. In the 1990s, the ‘Emerald Twilight’ and ‘The Final Night’ storylines show him turning dark after Coast City’s destruction. He transforms into the villain Parallax and later sacrifices himself to reignite a dying sun, saving Earth. Afterward, he becomes the ghostly Spectre and eventually gets resurrected in 2004’s ‘Green Lantern: Rebirth.’ The show ‘Lanterns,’ however, does not touch on this storyline. It skips references to Parallax or Coast City and instead crafts a grounded murder mystery linked to its own Manhunter storyline. Episode 7 drops on September 27, with only two more episodes left to solve the mystery.
