The following contains spoilers for Lanterns Episode 6, “Bad Optics,” which debuted on HBO September 20, 2026.
After the shocking quasi-finale to Lanterns‘ 2016 story, the sixth episode warps ahead ten years and goes in a surprising new direction. The final scene of the series premiere introduced the death of Hal Jordan, but “Bad Optics” doesn’t quite pick up its story from there. HBO’s newest DC Universe show continues to surprise and delight by wasting none of its potential.
Lanterns Episode 6 inextricably linked it to the present day and the larger DCU. The main reason is the arrival of Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner, the Green Lantern of Earth as seen in Superman and Peacemaker Season 2. In the comics he’s an outlier compared to Hal Jordan and John Stewart. Yet in this continuity, it seems that being a bit of an asshole is almost a requirement of the job.
Lanterns Episode 6 Is A Shocking Look At Life After The Rushville Disaster
The episode opens with the next phase of John Stewart’s life since rejecting the Green Lantern job. He reconciled with one of his brother, remains estranged from his parents, and is finally an architect, one of his monikers from the comics. In a presentation that references the events of Superman, it’s revealed that he has designed panic room-style “arks” to protect people from the kind of paranormal threats found in a superhero universe.
The previous Lanterns episodes was deliberately disappointing, showing Hal Jordan’s fall from grace and John’s rejection of his life’s goal. However, 2026 John is far more like Hal than he’d care to admit. Meanwhile, fresh off doing a dime in prison, Jordan is less caustic and more at peace than one might expect. John swears a lot more, and he is no longer vegan (which itself was a rejection of his father’s habit of getting him cheeseburgers after shooting apples off his son’s head). Yet John continues to live in the pain he felt after rejecting the ring and killing Zoey Macon.
While “Lights Out” showed Hal’s greatest failure, “Bad Optics” shows he is still the hero he always was. Partly to act on his romantic feelings for Kerry Kane, Hal moved to Rushville to do penance. Even though the people in the town hate him, he spends his days going “door-to-door” trying to do acts of service, even those as menial as yardwork or grocery shopping. Yet one of the most inspired details is that Hal became friends with John’s mother Bernadette. He knows its his fault that John dashed her dreams for him and all but cut her and his father out of his life.
The Addition of Guy Gardner Is A Joyful Look At The Bad Optics Around The Green Lantern
Hal and John brutally fought each other the last time they met, and before leaving his former mentor, John breaks Hal’s nose for good measure. Instead of reacting with anger, Hal expresses concern and, yes, fear for John’s safety. This is why he insists John say nothing about their meeting; a promise John keeps when Kerry tells him about Hal’s murder mere hours later. The new Green Lantern, Guy Gardner, “ripped off that Bat-guy in Gotham” with a signal beacon in the town, which John activates.
Gardner’s inclusion puts Lanterns more firmly in the larger DCU, and his first scene even handles some nerdy fan questions. Primarily, it explains why Gardner’s ring is different. The Guardians forged him a new one, which conveniently leaves Hal’s ring up-for-grabs. Despite Hal’s mistreatment of Gardner, he did honor his fallen comrade. Guy allowed Hal to be buried in his uniform and with his now-depleted ring. There is also an appearance from Carol Ferris, a character Green Lantern comics fan know was Hal’s love interest from before he got the ring.
The funeral scene in Lanterns Episode 6 is a perfect example of what makes it possibly the best new DC TV series in a decade. Hal’s self-written eulogy is the perfect mix of humor and real emotion. He legitimately thought his funeral would be a major event, rather than a sad affair attended by three people, two of whom Hal disappointed. The last line of his eulogy (written by series co-creator Damon Lindelof) is a gut-punch. He writes, “I hope I mattered,” because for all of his flaws, Hal Jordan cared about being a hero because he cared about making a positive impact on Earth and its people.
Just 10 years into his tenure as Green Lantern, Guy Gardner is abrasive and even more of a sellout than Hal. While they are polar opposites in the comics, the similarities between the two suggest the kind of fearlessness needed for this job demands a certain kind of personality. Even though John rejected the ring, his anger at Hal, his parents, and his brother Aaron shows he always had it inside of him. John and Hal were at their best in Episode 4, because being Green Lantern is perhaps not something one should do alone. This may be why Gardner is so eager to build up “the Justice Gang” as seen in Superman.
The Future Of Lanterns Is Still In Its Characters’ Pasts, And It’s Not Done With Hal Jordan Yet
Those who’ve seen the mid-season trailer for Lanterns likely knew that John’s request for Hal to be buried with the ring had little to do with honor. Rather, it relates to the Green Lantern canon change introduced in this series, specifically the uploaded consciousness of its wearer. To solve the murder of the Earth’s first Green Lantern, John Stewart wanted to team up with the Hal Jordan who likes him.
Lanterns Episode 6 also calls back to the detail from Episode 2 where striking a depleted ring against a flat surface recharges it back to five percent power. At the very least, the Hal-ogram can help John open the pocket dimension vault that used to store his power battery. This “backup” Hal Jordan, from a time before the job turned him so cynical, will also allow John to work through his anger and grief at Hal’s loss. It could even lead to reconciling with his parents.
As the flesh-and-blood Hal noted, calling Bernadette by her first name is disrespectful, and that’s why John does it. He also sent his father off to a nursing home and no longer has a relationship with him. Even his relationships with his brothers are a mess. Both call him “Chosen,” a reference to their upbringing that clearly bothers him. And by blowing the deal to build those “arks,” John even let down the brother who isn’t angry with him. The Hal-ogram isn’t just there to help solve the murder, he’s there to heal John and likely get him to accept the ring he once said “was always mine.” (It also allows Guy to keep his power ring, too.)
Still, Lanterns isn’t done with Hal Jordan. The mid-season trailer clearly shows scenes from Hal’s youth — sitting with his father in a baseball uniform and saluting at his funeral — scenes from the aftermath of the clash with Zoey and him getting out of prison. The penultimate episode of the series will likely be similar to “OutKast,” with a focus on Hal’s journey to and with the ring. It will also lead up to what every DC nerd is excited to see, a showdown with Sinestro and John finally becoming the Green Lantern he was meant to be.
Rating: 4.9/5
Lanterns debuts new episodes Sundays at 9 PM on HBO and HBO Max.
