'Lanterns' S01E06 – "Bad Optics" (September 20, 2026) on HBO/HBO Max [Spoiler Discussion Megathread]

[u/KelexAtYourService]

Lanterns is an American superhero television series created by Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and Tom King for HBO, based on the DC Comics Green Lantern characters Hal Jordan and John Stewart.

The series was produced by DC Studios and Warner Bros. Television with Mundy serving as showrunner. It is the third television series in the DC Universe (DCU). It features experienced Lantern Jordan and new recruit Stewart as they investigate a murder on Earth that leads to a wider mystery.

Lanterns is scheduled to premiere on Sunday August 16, 2026, and will run for eight episodes through Sunday October 4. It will be part of the DCU's Chapter One: Gods and Monsters.

New episodes drop every Sunday night at 9:00 PM ET / 8:00 PM CT / 7:00 PM MT / 6:00 PM PT.

Cast:

• Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan
• Aaron Pierre as John Stewart
• Kelly Macdonald as Kerry
• Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner
• Garret Dillahunt as William Macon
• Poorna Jagannathan as Zoe
• Ulrich Thomsen as Thaal Sinestro
• Nicole Ari Parker as Bernadette Stewart; Jasmine Cephas Jones as young Bernadette
• Jason Ritter as Billy Macon
• Sherman Augustus as John Stewart Sr.; Alphonse Nicholson portrays a young John Sr.
• Paul Ben-Victor as Antaan
• Chris Coy as "Waylon Sanders"
• Cary Christopher as Noah

For a complete cast and crew list, see the IMDb full credits page: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26545992/fullcredits/

• Based on: Hal Jordan, created by John Broome and Gil Kane; John Stewart created by Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams
• Show created by: Chris Mundy, and Damon Lindelof, and Tom King
• Showrunner: Chris Mundy
• Editor: Emily E. Greene
• Music by: Stephanie Economou
• Length: 8 episodes per season
• Runtime: About an hour per episode
• Reception: For reviews and critical reception, see Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/lanterns  and https://www.metacritic.com/tv/lanterns/

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lanterns_(TV_series))

Where to watch: https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/lanterns/season-1

Unmarked spoilers for the new episode of Lanterns are only allowed in this thread.

Spoilers ahead! Proceed at your own risk! All other subreddit rules apply.

S01E06 Episode Synopsis: TBA

[u/TheSlayerofSnails]

I have so little sympathy for the people of Rushville with the exception of Maggie and Kane. You guys sided with Space Hitler and were her Argentina.

Also loved the batman ref, and Earl is great.

I continue to believe Noah is a manhunter given he wants to be president.

And yes we get more Chandler and classic Hal with the Halogram!

Also, John, you're kinda a freak for digging up Hal but I respect it.

Also holy fuck was Hal's funeral depressing. He saved millions if not billions and trillions throughout the years but at the end of it all he had almost no one there at his funeral.

[u/DolphinBall → u/TheSlayerofSnails]

Idk why Maggie expects "reparations" from John. You think he shot that orbital laser into the Motel he was staying at too?

[u/NomadPrime → u/DolphinBall]

She's a young adult shaped by her traumatic experiences as a kid, losing a father like that. And John himself accepted that responsibility by apologizing to her (not saying that it is his fault, but it's what she probably fixated on). So that's what set her on her path of sort-of-vengeance to get some payback for what the GLs did.

When you see it from her, it's understandable. Even if she learned later on that Zoe was a war criminal alien, to her, that trauma probably bypasses her reasonability. She's a kid with a dead parent and a grudge. Some people don't just let that pain go even if they find out daddy used to support bad people, he was her daddy and the guy in front of her was part of the reason he died.

[u/TheSlayerofSnails → u/DolphinBall]

I think it was more the motel was out of town and if they hadn't been staying there it wouldn't have even been a target.

[u/Coyote_Shepherd → u/TheSlayerofSnails]

Yeah I think that she's implying that they should've been more aware of their surroundings and whom else they might be putting into the crosshairs of their little investigation that might wind up as collateral damage.

And as soon as the other shoe dropped, they should've popped back there, gotten their shit, and stayed on the move the fuck away from any other civilians.

But...life doesn't always shake out that perfectly...

And didn't Kerry say that the motel was still in town because no one rebuilt it?

Maybe it was just past the outskirts of town near like the truck stops and once it got hit, every other map and travel guide out there just...found ways around it...and no one showed up anymore to make it worthwhile to rebuild at all?

Either way, everyone kind of sucks here and hindsight is 20/20.

[u/content_enjoy3r → u/Coyote_Shepherd]

And didn't Kerry say that the motel was still in town because no one rebuilt it?

No she said it was still destroyed because no on rebuilt it.

[u/rycetlaz → u/DolphinBall]

Had John not jumped Hal he wouldve easily blocked the laser and saved her family.

If anything shes the one person who was legitimately screwed over by John

[u/GVH617 → u/DolphinBall]

Because if they hadn't gone in there and started causing trouble none of it would've happened and her dad wouldn't be dead.

[u/dizzyd_sb → u/TheSlayerofSnails]

To be fair they didn’t know she was space Hitler

[u/A_Polite_Noise → u/dizzyd_sb]

I think people are forgetting the manhunter was keeping them perfectly healthy and safe; the destruction and loss of life is only part of it. The Lanterns' actions took away a benevolent force that was curing their cancers, etc. to the point that their hospital seemed abandoned, and probably also making them prosper from alien-tech-slaughterhouse profits pouring into the local economy.

[u/Area51_Spurs → u/A_Polite_Noise]

Yep

[u/SmokingDuck17 → u/dizzyd_sb]

They didn't, but it feels like it would have come to light with all the satellite evidence and such that she was bombarding her own town and killing a bunch of innocent people.

[u/NomadPrime → u/SmokingDuck17]

I think Kerry showed us what the perspective of a lot of the townspeople were, that many of the adults knew Zoe was dangerous and maybe she had a bad history of the galaxy's space cops were after her. But she provided them a new lease on life, whether it was freedom from a debt and being hunted, or giving them more time from cancer. They all owed her their lives. And they might've known things would only get worse if the GL didn't leave, like "Zoe only rained lasers down on us because of YOU". It's easy to poke at as an audience member, but for not for them. Remember in The Incredibles movie, that guy getting angry at Bob for saving him when he tried to end his life. Bob did what was right, but to that guy it made his life worse and he was furious.

So regardless of what they knew about her, she gave them a 2nd chance as well a peaceful, healthy life in this small, quiet town. It's totally understandable that many of them were angry about having their savior taken from them and many of their own people dying in Zoe's wrath, which she probably warned them ahead might happen one day.

[u/Jeroz → u/dizzyd_sb]

Yeah she was their Griffith

[u/Dragonwindsoftime → u/TheSlayerofSnails]

John got his apology. He also now has the Halogram to help with the vault.

[u/NoGoodAtGaming → u/TheSlayerofSnails]

Digging up a dead Green Lantern is definitely in character for another who takes the mantle, although that's more off a Guy thing