Lanterns Episode 6 Review and Ending Explained: Why Does John Dig Up Hal Jordan’s Grave?

Lanterns Episode 6, titled Bad Optics, finally returns to 2026. Ten years have passed since the devastation of Rushville. Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) spent many of those years in prison and then he rented an apartment and began residing in the town, even though nearly everyone except Sheriff Kerry (Kelly Macdonald). John Stewart (Aaron Pierre), meanwhile, refused the Green Lantern ring in Lanterns Episode 5. Oh, and he followed the trajectory of his comic-book equivalent and became an architect.

Hal wants to apologize after John’s mother contacts him. The conversation goes about as well as you would expect. John breaks his former mentor’s nose. However, they have little time to address ten years of resentment before Hal is found dead (as we saw back in Lanterns Episode 1). The murder mystery introduced in the premiere has now caught up with the rest of the story. John in the end digs up Hal’s grave. Why? Let’s find out.

Lanterns Episode 6 Review: The Cost of Surviving Rushville

Episode 5 gave us the immediate consequences of the battle in Rushville. Episode 6 is interested in what remains after ten years.

Hal went to prison, and John became an architect. Noah, who we suspect is also a Manhunter, is now an adult. Kerry separated from Billy. Many of the townspeople have left Rushville to greener pastures. Nobody has emerged from the incident unchanged. The town still resents the Green Lanterns for their role in its destruction.

John seems to have created a good life for himself. The way John reconnects with Hal differs from their previous meetings because now he is not a recruit seeking validation from his mentor. He no longer has to feign respect. In addition, Hal does not have any power over John anymore. For the first time, they meet as equals. However, one of them leaves the place with a broken nose.

Hal wants to say sorry. As predicted, though, he is still bad at converting regret into sincere apologies. Chandler has always managed to demonstrate the decent man that hides inside Hal and his selfish nature really well. Being in prison has not necessarily changed Hal. It did make him more cognizant of the consequences of his actions on others.

Kerry later tells John that Hal came back for her. After she separated from Billy, she began a relationship with Hal. There are no witnesses to Hal’s death. John and Kerry therefore have little beyond the body and whatever Hal left behind. The autopsy produces a key, which takes John to a storage unit. Inside is a vault that cannot be opened without Hal’s voice. Another dead end.

The arrival of Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion) also offers an explanation for how Guy became the Green Lantern for Earth. John refused the position, giving the ring to the Guardians. Guy was the next choice. It wasn’t perfect, but it would do. And he knows full well that he wouldn’t have gotten the ring otherwise.

There are references to Metropolis and Batman in this episode as well. Indeed, Batman seems to already exist in Gotham. A tease for the The Brave and the Bold movie?

I would have liked some time spent with John and Hal before Hal’s death. However, the denial of reconciliation is deliberate. Hal’s death occurs as he begins trying to fix their relationship, leaving John with yet another conversation that he will never be able to have. This episode is definitely a quieter and more emotionally rewarding one than the last. Grief, resentment, and a personal mystery replace the action-packed nature of Episode 5.

Lanterns Episode 6 Ending Explained

John contacts Guy Gardner and asks him to bring Hal’s decommissioned ring and uniform to Rushville. John argues that Hal should be buried as a Green Lantern. Both the items should accompany him into the grave.

Hal’s funeral is sparsely attended. John and Kerry are present, along with Carol Ferris, who leaves soon. If you don’t know, she’s an important figure from Hal’s comic-book history. Guy doesn’t attend as it would be “bad optics”. Hal’s eulogy, written by Hal hinmself, is read by John and even though it is grandiloquent and boastful, it moves even John. John’s demand that Hal be buried with the ring appears sentimental and respectful. In reality, it is part of his plan to find out more about Hal’s murder.

After the funeral, John returns to the cemetery and digs up Hal’s grave. He removes the ring and uses it to summon the projection of Hal, or Halogram, stored inside, who utters a curse while looking at Hal’s corpse.

The Halogram is a backup version of Hal’s consciousness capable of speaking with his voice. That voice should allow John to bypass the vault’s security system.

The ring is decommissioned, but its stored projection remains functional. It retains Hal’s appearance, personality, and knowledge. This also explains why he goes through the trouble of bringing Guy to Rushville and arranging for Hal to be buried with the ring. Guy would not simply hand sensitive Green Lantern technology to someone who resigned from the Corps. By placing it inside the coffin, John ensures he can retrieve it without Guy knowing.

Oh, and we learn that Sinestro has broken out of his prison. It was hinted at already, and it may be related to Hal’s murder or whatever is concealed inside the vault.

John gave up the Green Lantern ring because wearing it left him feeling empty. He now takes up Hal’s ring for a very different reason. Even in death, Hal has found a way to pull John back into his world.

Does Hal’s Vault Hold Proof That the Real Hal Is Alive?

The vault could potentially settle another mystery in Lanterns. Several fans believe the Hal who died was a clone, while the real Hal Jordan is alive. The biggest evidence comes from the Spanish subtitles for Episode 5, which identify the injured man under the rubble as “Clone de Hal”, or “Hal Clone“. Earlier, Hal also chipped a piece from his ring and used it to create a younger projection of himself for reconnaissance. That projection was never shown returning.

However, the clone theory should not be confused with the Halogram. The Halogram is a digital copy of Hal’s consciousness stored inside the ring. For the corpse to be a clone, it would presumably need to be a physical duplicate capable of bleeding, aging, and remaining behind after death. Episode 6 does not confirm that such a duplicate exists.

The vault nevertheless makes the theory more interesting because reaching it feels like a trail Hal designed for John, whose origin we learned in detail in Episode 3. The vault is something that only Hal’s voice can open. John then has to retrieve the ring from Hal’s grave and summon the Halogram to supply that voice.

If Hal planned this sequence, the vault may contain evidence that the murdered man was not the original. It could explain what happened to the projection created in Episode 5 and why Hal apparently prepared a secure cache before dying. As of September 21, Lanterns has a 93% Tomatometer score.

What do you think Hal concealed inside the vault? Is Hal really dead or it’s a clone? Share your thoughts about Lanterns‘ latest episode in the comments.

Lanterns Episode 6 is now streaming on HBO Max.

Lanterns Episode 6 Review and Ending Explained: Why Does John Dig Up Hal Jordan’s Grave?