James Oconner 
Anil Krishna 
Jonathan Millar 
Lanterns Episode 6 Review: “Bad Optics” Sets Up the DCU’s Biggest Murder Mystery Yet
© HBO
After spending the first five episodes building tension around Rushville, Nebraska, Lanterns suddenly jumps ten years into the future in Episode 6, “Bad Optics.” The story moves from 2016 to 2026, and it changes quite a lot for both John Stewart and Hal Jordan. More importantly, the episode finally starts connecting the small-town mystery at the center of the show to the much larger, stranger world of James Gunn’s DC Universe.
Instead of rushing to explain every unanswered question, the episode focuses on what happened to its characters after the events of 2016. Directed by Stephen Williams and written by Justin Britt-Gibson and Damon Lindelof, “Bad Optics” is easily one of the season’s most ambitious episodes so far. It’s also one of the saddest.
Ten Years Later, John and Hal Are in Very Different Places
When we catch up with John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) in 2026, his life looks almost unrecognizable compared to where he left off a decade earlier. After turning down the Green Lantern ring, John has built a successful career as an architect in Midway City. He now works with his brother, designing enormous underground panic rooms for a world that is becoming increasingly familiar with alien invasions and other intergalactic disasters. John is doing well for himself. He has money, a stable career, and, at least on the surface, a fairly peaceful life. Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler), meanwhile, has had a much rougher time of things.
Hal spent ten years in federal prison after taking the blame for the destruction of Rushville during the fight with the Manhunter. By the time he is released, he has lost his ring, his reputation, and pretty much everything else that once defined him. He eventually returns to Rushville, hoping to make up for the damage he helped cause, and begins a relationship with Sheriff Kerry Kane (Kelly Macdonald). Unfortunately, Hal’s second chance doesn’t last very long. The episode finally catches up with the dark flash-forward shown in the series premiere, revealing that Hal has been murdered. John is then forced to return to Nebraska and figure out who killed his former partner.
Lanterns Finally Opens the Door to the Wider DCU
For most of its first five episodes, Lanterns felt like a fairly contained mystery. “Bad Optics,” however, makes it clear that the show is part of something much bigger. There are several casual references to other DCU events, including the destruction of Metropolis in Superman and the giant alien Starro from The Suicide Squad. Hal also gets in a quick joke about Batman and the Bat-Signal, because apparently even Green Lanterns can’t resist taking a shot at Gotham’s resident billionaire.
The biggest addition to the episode, though, is Guy Gardner, played by Nathan Fillion. Guy is currently serving as Earth’s Green Lantern, largely because John decided he didn’t want the job. He shows up at Hal’s funeral with Hal’s decommissioned ring, which gives John another reason to be annoyed with him.
The chemistry between Pierre and Fillion is immediately fun. John sees Guy as an arrogant “gym teacher” who has no business carrying the Green Lantern mantle, while Guy seems more than happy to remind John that he is now just a civilian. Their exchange has plenty of bite, and it’s one of the episode’s more entertaining parts.
Guy also drops a fairly important piece of information: Sinestro, played by Ulrich Thomsen, has escaped from Oa’s space prison. Or, as Guy puts it, “Spazkaban.” It’s a ridiculous name, but the news itself could have some serious consequences going forward.
Hal’s Funeral Is Anything but a Heroic Sendoff
Hal’s funeral is a pretty miserable affair, and that seems to be exactly the point. Only John, Kerry, and Carol Ferris (Amie MacKenzie), a familiar name from the comics, are in attendance. There’s no grand ceremony or emotional celebration of Hal’s life. Instead, the episode gives him a farewell that feels awkward, personal, and painfully human. In a nice nod to Geoff Johns’ Blackest Night #0, John reads a self-deprecating eulogy written by Hal himself. It is titled “The Brightest Day,” which is about as Hal Jordan as it gets.
The funeral also sets up the next stage of the mystery. While trying to retrieve Hal’s ring from his body, John discovers a strange memory cube in Hal’s storage unit. When he activates the ring, it brings up a holographic AI version of Hal’s former mentor. That means John may not have to investigate the murder entirely on his own. He now has a “Halogram” to deal with, too—which sounds like a terrible idea for John’s stress levels, but a pretty entertaining one for the audience.
Who Killed Hal Jordan?
With the story turning into a more traditional murder mystery, just about everyone in Rushville could be considered a suspect. Hal was not exactly popular in town, and his role in the events of 2016 left plenty of people with reasons to hate him. Still, one person currently stands out: Billy Macon. Billy is Kerry’s ex-husband, and he lost both his father, Will, and his stepmother, Zoe, during the 2016 disaster. Zoe, of course, was secretly the Manhunter. Billy has spent years dealing with the fallout from that catastrophe, and Hal’s return to Rushville only made things more complicated.
Hal didn’t just come back to the town Billy associated with so much pain. He also started dating Billy’s former wife. That combination of old grief, resentment, and personal jealousy gives Billy a pretty strong motive. Whether he is actually the killer is another question. With only a few episodes left, Lanterns has moved far beyond its original small-town setup. What began as a strange science-fiction mystery is now shaping up to be an emotional murder investigation with much bigger DCU implications.
The suspects are in place, Hal’s ring is back in play, and John Stewart finally has a mystery he can’t simply walk away from.
About the Author
