The penultimate episode of HBO's Lanterns sees John Stewart and a digital echo of Hal Jordan delve deeper into the mystery surrounding Hal's demise. Episode 7 picks up with John utilizing the Green Lantern ring, retrieved from a recently exhumed Hal Jordan, to activate a "Hal-ogram" – a backup of Hal's consciousness from 2006.
Hal Jordan's Vault and Family Legacy
Their investigation leads them to a storage unit rented by Hal, containing an alien vault that initially resists opening without Hal's direct identification. The Hal-ogram agrees to cooperate after requesting to meet Kerry, John's partner. Inside the vault, they find a packed bag with survival supplies, including a handgun and a canteen, along with a black sphere capable of creating portals.
Flashbacks reveal a more profound context for this "vault." In 1975, a young Hal Jordan receives a key from his father, Martin Jordan, a tradition of passing down a "failsafe" for military men facing potential death. However, the episode later discloses the tragic truth: Martin Jordan died by suicide several months after giving Hal the key, a struggle with pain Hal inherited, as his grandfather also died by suicide. This "Jordan boys' legacy" is a painful cycle of inherited suffering, casting a grim shadow over the contents of the storage unit.
Journey to Antaan's Homeworld
Using the portal sphere, John and the Hal-ogram travel to an alien planet revealed to be the destroyed homeworld of Antaan. John recognizes the desolate landscape, having experienced fragmented memories of the planet's destruction when Antaan abducted him in episode 2. Antaan had injected John with the collective memories of his dying civilization, a population driven to madness and self-destruction by a gas that induced extreme fear. John now understands the terrifying events he witnessed, where the inhabitants of a sky-city attacked each other and leaped to their deaths.
The gas, a remnant of the genocide orchestrated by the Manhunter (who had a romantic relationship with Antaan and failed to conceive a child), still pollutes the planet's atmosphere and water. While crossing a lake, John hallucinates, confronted by visions of his abusive father and a younger self. The Hal-ogram intervenes, saving him from the water.
Sinestro's Captivity and Hal's Connections
Upon reaching an island on the planet, John and the Hal-ogram discover Sinestro trapped within a building that appears to be emitting the fear-inducing gas. This raises questions about how Sinestro arrived on Antaan's planet, especially since he was last seen imprisoned in "Spacekaban." Guy Gardner had mentioned Sinestro's escape prior to episode 7, suggesting that Hal Jordan may have been involved in his release. Hal's possession of a portal to this hidden location, coupled with his subsequent murder, suggests a complex connection between him, Sinestro, and the events on Antaan's world. While Sinestro might not have directly killed Hal, his knowledge of the Manhunters and the Guardians' past could be crucial to understanding Hal's fate. The episode sets up a compelling narrative thread, linking Sinestro's escape, Hal's secret access to Antaan's planet, and the overarching mystery of who killed Hal Jordan.