The Weenie
Hal Jordan and John Stewart learn much more about the Manhunters, including the revelation that they both know who is responsible. However, their inability to trust one another could ultimately destroy their relationship.
Warning: Spoilers Below
Meeting Sinestro
The episode picks up where episode two left off, with Hal Jordan meeting his former mentor and intergalactic criminal, Sinestro. That Sinister Sinestro (as the old SuperFriends cartoon used to call him) tells Hal about the Manhunters while also questioning the situation involving Hal allegedly training John Stewart. Hal admits that he knows Stewart is being trained as his replacement, and Sinestro advises him to be friendly toward Stewart so he can find a way to stop those replacement efforts.
Hal wonders if that’s how Sinestro once tricked him, but Sinestro displays far more self-awareness than most villains when he points out that he never hid who he was. Hal was simply blind to it.
Photograph by John Johnson/HBO Max
Back in Nebraska, John Stewart takes it upon himself to investigate William Macon’s farm. The residents make it clear that the Lanterns are no longer welcome in town, treating John poorly when he attempts to buy a scope. Eventually, he buys a gun with a scope (apparently without a background check being performed). He removes the scope, leaves the gun sitting on the counter, and walks away seemingly unbothered by how he was treated.
Using his elite sniper training from the Marines, John determines that there is a location on the farm that can’t be seen from anywhere on the ground. The only way to spot it is from the sky, which is exactly where the Lanterns need to start looking.
Infiltrating the Compound
Hal and John loop Sheriff Kane into their plan and explain the Manhunter situation. The alien tech won’t allow them to detect the Manhunter, so they need to get into the compound. Sheriff Kane doesn’t know who William Macon’s mysterious benefactor is, despite being married to his son, Billy. She gives them her blessing but warns they will only get one chance.
Photograph by John Johnson/HBO Max
Meanwhile, the Guardian who recruited John to become a Green Lantern pays him a visit. After investigating how much John knows about Hal’s past adventures, she informs him that Hal visited Sinestro in violation of the Guardians’ rules. She advises John to recite the Green Lantern Oath the next time he gets his hands on the ring, allowing him to take over the position from Hal. However, John makes it clear that he won’t allow Hal to stand in his way when the time comes.
At the compound, John reveals his artistic skills and shows Hal a drawing of the device they need to burrow beneath the area where the helicopter lands. Hal gives the ring to John, who constructs the device and gets them where they need to go. During this time, John chooses not to recite the oath, meaning Hal remains the Sector’s Green Lantern.
Photograph by John Johnson/HBO Max
Instead of finding the Manhunter, they discover a cache of advanced weaponry, and Hal accidentally sets off an alarm. Macon’s men use a darkness gun to capture the Lanterns, leaving the pair to wake up in a very precarious situation.
To the Rescue
The pair are sitting in front of William Macon, who asks John if he’s an artist. When John confirms that he is, Macon disrobes and asks him to sketch him. It’s definitely a strange situation for both Hal and John. Macon’s wife and John’s former fling, Zoe, walks in and tries to get him to stop, but he continues to needle them. He talks about the Manhunter almost as if it’s his savior.
Sheriff Kane eventually arrives and takes Hal and John with her, although they aren’t under arrest. She drops them off at the hotel and gives John a rifle to protect himself. She also reveals that Zoe contacted her about what happened.
Photograph by John Johnson/HBO Max
Zoe later shows up at the hotel to talk to John. At first, it seems like she wants to discuss what happened at the compound, but it quickly becomes clear that she has something else in mind. After their dalliance, John asks why she remains with Macon. She explains that Macon stays with her because he owes her, suggesting there’s far more to their relationship than meets the eye.
Zoe then leaves, but in a surprising twist, her truck is destroyed by a laser fired from the sky.
Manhunter Revealed
Hal, John, and Sheriff Kane investigate the companies that signed NDAs with William Macon as they search for whoever attacked Zoe’s truck. They find a promising location and enter, discovering a man sitting at a computer. He immediately gives them the address of John’s parents’ house and claims to be the Manhunter. He threatens to kill them while playing audio of John’s conversation with the Guardians about replacing Hal.
John does everything he can to convince the man to stop, but Hal calls his bluff. He points out that if the supposed Manhunter kills John’s family, he’ll have no use for him and will simply kill Hector. Hector quickly admits that he’s human and calls off the attack. He then claims that Macon is the real Manhunter.
Afterward, Hal and John drive back together, and Hal tells John to contact the aliens about the Manhunter. John apologizes for his conversation with the Guardians, explaining that he never intended to take over Hal’s position that way. Hal accepts the apology but points out that John has been lying about something else.
Photograph by John Johnson/HBO Max
John tries to use Hector’s claim that Macon is the Manhunter to point Hal to Macon, but Hal has already figured out the truth: Zoe is the Manhunter. He asks John when he realized she might still be alive. John showed genuine fear when his parents’ lives were threatened, but he displayed no emotion when it appeared that Zoe had been killed. John admits that he suspected she survived.
Hal then apologizes for the rental car before bailing out as the vehicle crashes into a pole, bringing the episode to a sudden end as the credits roll.
Final Thoughts
This episode was filled with twists and turns that seem destined to put our heroes on opposite sides, at least until they inevitably find a way to come together by the end of the season. Hal has developed a working relationship with Sheriff Kane, while John has a romantic relationship with Zoe. Meanwhile, the aliens are hunting Zoe, putting all three of these relationships on a collision course.
But plenty of questions remain. Did Zoe kill Abin-Sur? Is she somehow responsible for Hal receiving the ring and John’s parents raising him to live without fear? Or is there something else going on behind the scenes? And what role do the residents of Rushville, Nebraska, play in all of this?
There are still plenty of pieces to put together, and it looks like it’s going to be a wild ride getting there.
Check out Lanterns, streaming exclusively on HBO Max.
Article Written By: Jeremy Brown for Stelmach Brown Media 2026
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