Throughout the season, ‘Lanterns’ constructed a mystery around Hal Jordan‘s death, making viewers wonder who could have had a strong enough motive to kill him.
The finale finally reveals that Kerry Kane, the sheriff and Noah’s mother, was the one who killed Hal Jordan. But for some viewers, the reveal creates more questions than it resolves.
The Hal Jordan Reveal Doesn’t Quite Add Up
The biggest issue is the sheriff’s motivation. Kerry loved Hal, but the end reveals that she killed him when he found out that Noah was a genetically engineered Manhunter hybrid. But Hal wasn’t threatening Noah. Instead, he attempted to save both of them.
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He begged Kerry to leave with him, arguing that they could disappear somewhere far away because he loved her. Then Kerry shoots him. It’s meant to be the emotional answer to one of the biggest mysteries of the season, but it becomes difficult to reconcile with another scene.
Later, when John Stewart confronts the sheriff and tells him that he knows about Noah, he is essentially saying that there may be something to be done about him. But she doesn’t panic and shoot John. She actually considers what John is saying. That’s a difference that’s difficult to overlook.
If Kerry’s reaction was genuinely driven by fear that Hal might expose or harm her son, why wasn’t John treated the same way? That’s where the end of the story begins to get confusing.
Too Many Questions Are Left Hanging
The frustration does not end there; the Hal reveal is just one of the many issues. The ending has left many questions to be answered about Sinestro, Noah, the Manhunters, and the Guardians.
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How did Noah break Sinestro out of Oa’s prison? How did he get him to the planet? Why does Noah want to take revenge on the Guardians? How can Sinestro forge a Lantern but apparently not create the ring Noah needs?
Then there’s Hal’s hologram. The show sets up the fact that the ring has only a few minutes of power remaining, but the Halogram keeps talking to John for hours. That’s the kind of detail that makes you pause and question the validity of the rules laid down earlier. The cast was great, and the story was thrilling, but a mystery this complex deserves more than a shocking ending.
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