If Lanterns on HBO was a rollercoaster, we’d be into the drop with Episode 5, “Lights Out,” which builds off the explosive finish of Episode 4, “The Weenie,” with even more explosions. And that means not just wholesale destruction of the town of Rushville, Nebraska, but also a showdown between Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and John Stewart (Aaron Pierre).
Before we get there, though, let’s do some precap before the recap and explain how we got to where we are when “Lights Out” kicks off. Lots going on, and spoilers for the series thus far past this point. But the short version is that we’ve mainly been following several mysteries happening in the town of Rushville in 2016, after four dead aliens were found on the high school football field.
Heading to Rushville, Hal and his ostensible trainee John figured out that the aliens were there to kill a Manhunter, a world-killing android who crash-landed near Rushville 30 years prior along with Abin Sur, the alien who gave Hal his ring. In 2016, the aliens — led by someone named Antaan (Paul Ben-Victor) — have told John that if he doesn’t deliver the Manhunter, they’ll blow up the whole town.
Complicating matters, that Manhunter is secretly Zoe Macon (Poorna Jagannathan), a woman John has been sleeping with, who is married to Will Macon (Garret Dillahunt). Will was healed by the Manhunter, and has spent the past three decades building an anti-alien militia using tech taken from the Manhunter. Zoe seemed to die in the previous episode blown up by a laser from space; but that was merely a trap for Hal and John, for unknown reasons.
Also complicating matters is Will’s son Billy (Jason Ritter) a local lawyer, and his wife Kerry Kane (Kelly MacDonald), the town’s sheriff who has a mysterious past in Gotham City. Hal has struck up a flirtation with Kerry, but she clearly knows more than she’s letting on, and also may or may not be Batwoman (though probably not).
But most complicated of all? John isn’t Hal’s trainee; not really… He’s Hal’s replacement, assigned by a Guardian named Lianna (Laura Linney) to take over since they’re tired of Hal going rogue. They’re also concerned about Hal’s relationship to Sinestro (Ulrich Thomsen), his former mentor who tried to throw a coup on the Guardians, killed one, and was eventually stopped by Hal. John also has a bone to pick with Hal, in that the former spent his whole life being trained to take over from the latter by his parents.
…and that’s just what’s happening in 2016, which ended last episode with Hal crashing his car into a telephone pole with John inside the car, without a Green Lantern ring. Hal felt betrayed by John not telling him he suspected Zoe was the Manhunter, and amping up the tension John called Antaan and told him they know who it is, so the aliens are headed to Rushville.
Meanwhile, in 2026, Hal Jordan has been found dead and frozen back at that football field, without his ring. John has a goatee, but no ring. And Kerry is still in town as sheriff. Will we get back to that particular mystery this episode? Let’s get to the recap proper and find out!
Manhunter: Origins
Things kick off in 2007 — odd for a show that has stuck with 1986, 1996, 2006, etc, etc. But we are in Rushville, population 1001, and it’s Kerry, back with her Gotham City bangs. Her car has stalled out, and she ends up pushing it over to the local Cafe, the same diner where Zoe and John chatted a few episodes back.
As soon as she hits the counter, two men sit down and explain that she didn’t try that hard to escape. She insists she’s not a thief, the man says it’s a shame about her old man — he could have been something “if he kept his mouth shut and did his time.” Kerry says her father didn’t have much “potential as a father,” and we discover these men killed her father. She wants him to tell her boss she’s not a threat, but he explains she’s a snitch “by association,” and they’re going to kill every “redneck” in there if she makes a scene.
…Which is when Zoe comes in, and almost breaks the man’s neck. Zoe talks to Kerry, and Zoe finds out what they need is Kerry’s pinkie, to fake her being killed. Kerry cuts off her own pinkie, and yowch, may I say.
We smash cut to Kerry bleeding profusely, and Zoe telling the men that they needs to sell the story to their boss, or she’ll kill him and his entire family. So why did Zoe help? She was on the run before, too, she was in Kerry’s shoes, and someone gave her a chance at a life. Now, she’s giving Kerry the same chance. The only catch? When the time comes, Kerry must help protect Zoe, the way she protected her. Kerry, of course, agrees.
“Let’s grow you a new pinkie,” she says, and we cut to the increasingly yellow title card.
Crash Test Dummies
Okay, back to the “present” of 2016, as John finds himself trapped in the rental car. Hal approaches, and “apologizes.” He won’t free John, he needs to take him off the “game board” for the moment, but he does want the credit for bringing in Zoe… His plan is to have Macon and Antaan distract each other, while he brings Zoe back to Oa — home planet of the Guardians — and they’ll be “lining up to kiss my ring.”
…and that’s it for the training. It’s also the end of John’s patience, as he calls “f**k you” and “piece of s**t” after Hal as he leaves. Then it’s over to Rushville, which is under a red alert, as everyone boots up protective measures.
Zoe, who is very much alive, sends Billy to protect the town, while she tosses the old pigskin around with Noah (Cary Christopher), who definitely has “weird kid” vibes. She’s also honest with Noah, telling him that a lot of people will die, and that he shouldn’t forget everything she’s told him. What is that? We’ll likely find that out soon enough.
Macon calls Zoe, telling her that John has been located, and he’s starting to panic as the car catches on fire. Zoe pulls up, John yells, and the car explodes as she watches. He’s gonna be okay though, don’t worry.
Hal On The Attack
On the water tower, Hal pops off the front of his ring, and says, “Activate Sentry Protocol,” with the cheery Halogram showing up. He wants the Halogram to find Zoe, while the real Hal comes to confront Kerry. She fires multiple times at Hal, with Hal blocking with a energy shield.
She explains that Zoe can’t hear them talk, but she can see them; so she needs to keep firing or the Manhunter will know what’s up. Hal thinks she’s afraid, but Kerry explains it’s even more than that, Zoe gave her a miracle. What miracle? Well, it’s Noah, of course, though Hal doesn’t catch on.
Kerry is nearly in tears, because she knows if Hal pushes things even further, Zoe will go on the attack, firing on the town to get to him. Is he willing to accept the consequences?
John Feels The Burn
John is alive, by the way, and completely covered in bandages, high on morphine and burnt all over his body. Zoe is with him in the mostly empty hospital, and if there was any lingering doubt, yes, she is the Manhunter. John explains he didn’t tell the Guardians about her because he doesn’t trust them, because they didn’t tell Hal he was replacing him. He also explains that Antaan thought the Manhunter was under the protection of the Guardians…
…Which is when we get some DC Comics lore that hasn’t been stated on the show, but is well known to comics fans: the Guardians created the Manhunters. They were sent to enforce justice, but were too brutal. Only Zoe was left alive when the Guardians turned on them, and she swears that Hal is “going to die today.”
She explains that she’ll heal John, and in exchange, he just needs to tell the Guardians that he died heroically. In exchange, he’ll get the ring that “is rightfully yours.”
Showdown In Rushville
Back at the diner, Hal sees multiple men dead with gunshot wounds. He tries to figure out where the shots are coming from, and when he enters Antaan’s men fire at him repeatedly. “I’ve already been shot at once today, fellas,” Hal says, popping an energy bubble. He wants to strike a deal, and when Antaan asks where John is, Hal tells him that John is compromised, and offers to give them the Manhunter instead.
As a show of trust, Hal brings down his energy bubble, and tells them the Manhunter is William Macon… Which is, you know, not actually trustworthy, since Hal is lying. Hal tells Antaan where the Macon ranch is, and Antaan has just one question: did John have sex with Macon? Hal says yes, though he (meaning Hal) was the primary target. And when Antaan is surprised, that Hal has always presented as heterosexual, he says, “When you experience the pleasures of the galaxy as much as we have, it’s less about preference and more about opportunity.”
Antaan’s men agree, and head off to take out William Macon. Meanwhile, Hal waits for the Halogram to return.
Under Your Skin
John has clearly agreed to Zoe’s deal, which will take off his skin, and replace it with new skin. They joke about replacing him with lighter or darker skin, but the point of the scene is why Zoe chose to be a person of color: because the best way of finding out more about a world is through adversity, entering from a place of disadvantage.
Zoe takes a drop of her Manhunter blood and places it in John’s eye. A machine envelopes him, and he flashes back through his past (really, Episode 3 of this series) as he’s healed. And sure enough, the process does heal him, and his first order of business is laying out what happened 30 years ago: Abin Sur took Zoe to Earth to spare her, and Zoe killed him because “I couldn’t help it.”
John gets it, and Zoe explains that she’s drawn to him because “you really see me.” Is there indeed something real between them? I guess we’ll find out.
Assault On Macon Ranch
As Antaan’s team approaches Macon’s ranch, he calls Zoe, and they say goodbye… Clearly, he’s not expecting to get out of this alive, and given the multiple fake deaths we’ve already had this episode, this seems par for the course.
The man in the car says he just needs directions, but nope, he’s yet another humanoid bomb. And after taking out the entrance to the ranch, the full alien team enters fired on by Macon’s militia. Another one of the “men” heads to the cache of weaponry that Hal and John discovered last week, blowing that up, as well.
Meanwhile, Macon pours himself a shot of whiskey and sips, waiting for the inevitable. He presses a button on the underside of his desk as Antaan enters, and in an “alien language” he points one of those cow-cutters that were in “Hammond’s” slaughterhouse at him, and the two go back and forth… Which is when it becomes clear that Zoe was formerly with Antaan. You know, with him.
Antaan, not fooled, throws a knife at Macon, and carves out his heart. As we know, Manhunter hearts crystallize in the air… Which Macon’s heart does not do. So now Antaan knows Hal was lying.
Blow The Town
While Hal does a “what are you waiting for,” Zoe starts firing lasers, blowing up Rushville. And in the hospital, John tricks his guard, escaping, and calling his parents, demanding they call Lianna. His parents aren’t happy, they want him to take the ring.
John lays out what’s been happening to them, breaks into the gun store, and tells them once he figures out what’s going on he’s going to “take that ring clean off that motherf**ker’s finger.”
Hal, meanwhile, is trying to protect the citizens from Zoe’s attack — and Antaan’s — while the Halogram tells him where Zoe is located. Hal flies to her location, grabs her, and one of Zoe’s flunkies blows the water tower… Which isn’t full of water, it’s full of the black smoke that disables Green Lanterns. Hal grabs some glasses the block the smoke, and we get a neat video game-esque POV fighting sequence. Fun!
Antaan approaches, ready to blow, and Hal comes out, throws him in the air in a tornado of his creation, and Antaan blows up, RIP, classic character Antaan, who was not, in fact, actually classic comic book character Atrocitus as fans speculated.
Hal Vs. John: Dawn Of Lanterns
Hal takes a helicopter to the motel, his ring almost depleted, and grabs his lantern to recharge… But before he can, John punches him in the face and takes the ring. They proceed to fight, really ruining the deposit on the motel room.
Hal is defiant until the end, but before John can finish the job, one of Zoe’s lasers targets them. Hal, using the last of his ring energy, puts up a bubble to protect both of them, and John stumbles out of the new hole in the wall.
The fight (mostly) over, we get scenes of the wreckage of Rushville, with Hal lying on the ground, John gone.
“Where’s your trainee?” Zoe asks. She explains that she promoted him, and Hal laughs, knowing that if John wanted him dead, he’d be dead.
Zoe pulls a gun on Hal, asking why John left him alone in the rubble. “My gut…” Hal says. “Bait.”
And yep, sure enough, John has his sniper rifle on Zoe, and shoots her through the head. Will that kill a Manhunter? I guess we’ll find out.
The Ruins Of Rushville
John finds a watch in the ruins, and in the town children cry. He hands the watch to one of the girls, as he empties out a backpack and takes it with him. Reentering the motel room, he looks at Zoe, who hasn’t moved. He takes out a knife, and pulls out her heart (lots of heart pulling this episode, and one could argue he’s metaphorically removing his own heart). Sure enough, this heart does crystallize. Zoe was indeed the Manhunter.
John then walks over to where Hal lies, unconscious, and takes the lantern. He then pulls the ring off Hal’s hand.
“Was it worth it?” Hal asks.
John puts the ring on his finger, trying it on, and a bird arrives. If you’ll recall, John was told the birds were watching him and judging him most of his life. They were not! But maybe this is all the confirmation he needs… He leaves with the lantern and ring as Hal shouts, “They replaced me… They’ll replace you, too.”
John exits out of the wreckage of Rushville, dogs wandering the streets, as the people take care of each other…. And John is surrounded by men with guns. Is this the remains of the Macon militia? More than likely. He spins, looking at them… And Kerry tells them to stand down, it’s over. She wants to know where Hal is, and John answers, “He’s at the motel.”
John wanders off as Bon Iver plays in the background… Entering the bar where John, Hal, and Kerry met, Lianna is waiting, and refers to the day as a “s**t storm.” She tells him the ring looks good on him, and John gets himself a drink — remember, John is sober, so this is a big deal.
What’s in the bag? “Your sins and consequences,” aka the Manhunter’s heart. Lianna explains that even the Guardians make mistakes, they just need to “correct them.”
John, though, muses about what the ring would have meant to him, how he would have felt about getting this job, his entire life. But when he put it on? “I just felt empty,” John says. Hal, he explains, broke everything to keep the ring, and it broke him in turn. So what can he do, other than give it back to Lianna. He doesn’t want it anymore. he doesn’t know why he would want it.
And with that, John leaves the ring behind, and exits the bar. Next episode? Perhaps we’ll find out why the Guardians chose a doofus like Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion). But as for now, we’re done with our 2016 timeline, and on to the mystery of who killed Hal.. Finally. And based on the promo? It sure seems like it’s tied to whatever was going on with Kerry in Gotham. We’ll see you next week for more; same Lantern time, same Lantern place.
Lanterns Premiere Dates And Episode Guide:
New episodes of Lanterns premiere Sundays on HBO and HBO Max at 9 p.m. ET. Here’s what we expect from the full list of episodes in Lanterns with premiere dates.
- Sunday, August 16, 2026: Lanterns, Episode 1: “Pilot“
- Sunday, August 23, 2026: Lanterns, Episode 2: “Trust Fall“
- Sunday, August 30, 2026: Lanterns, Episode 3: “OutKast“
- Sunday, September 6, 2026: Lanterns, Episode 4: “The Weenie“
- Sunday, September 13, 2026: Lanterns, Episode 5: “Lights Out”
- Sunday, September 20, 2026: Lanterns, Episode 6
- Sunday, September 27, 2026: Lanterns, Episode 7
- Sunday, October 4, 2026: Lanterns, Episode 8 *Season Finale*
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