“Lanterns” Episode 5 is a big swing, and it mostly connects. The show kills a major character, hands over a key artifact, and sets up a final confrontation between Zoe and Hal. The episode moves between three timelines and three love triangles, and it lands on one note: Zoe is dead, and Hal is captured.
Kerry’s 2007 Flashback
The episode opens with a flashback to 2007, where Kerry is running from two thugs who have killed her father. She pushes her broken-down car to a diner in Rushville, and the two men flank her at the counter. One of them says her father was a snitch, and that makes her a snitch by association. They plan to kill her and take her pinky finger as proof.
Zoe shows up just in time. She snaps one man’s neck and grabs the other. She questions the thug, learning that he was ordered to kill Kerry, take her pinky, and bury her. Zoe offers Kerry a knife to sever her own digit and send it back to his boss. The thug leaves with Zoe’s threat to kill his whole family if he ever tells anyone the truth.
Kerry pledges loyalty to Zoe, who promises her a simple, safe life. Zoe says she will protect Kerry like Kerry protected her, and she jokes about growing a new pinky. The scene is tense, but it is also oddly tender, a reminder that Zoe is capable of warmth when she wants to be.
Hal Takes John Off The Board
The present-day action picks up with John trapped in a crashed car while Hal gloats outside. Hal explains that he had to take his trainee “off the gameboard” because John has been working to replace him. Hal plans to let Anton’s group and Macon’s militia fight each other while he goes after Zoe. “You were never going to replace me, Junior,” Hal says. “Here endeth your training.”
John yells at Hal to eff himself, and Hal walks away. Then the car catches fire. Zoe appears, thanks to intel from Will, but she just stands there and watches John burn. It is a brutal moment, and it sets the tone for the rest of the episode.
Hal’s Chase For Kerry
Hal finds Kerry and yells at her about the wild Manhunter chase from the previous episode. Kerry tells him to chill out, explaining that Zoe has eyes on them at all times. Zoe can’t hear everything, which means she didn’t hear Kerry explain to Hal why she has been covering for the Manhunter in their midst.
“I f**king owe her! You can never understand what she gave me,” Kerry says. “A miracle.” Hal counters that she is protecting a war criminal. Kerry begs him to leave, warning that Zoe will destroy the town to get to Hal. Hal refuses to move. “Then everything that happens next is on you,” she says. “Are you willing to accept those consequences when they come?”
Zoe’s Deal With John
John wakes in the hospital, completely wrapped in gauze. Zoe is by his bed. When he calls her “f**king inhuman,” it confirms things. “So you know what I am,” she says. “Manhunter,” he croaks. He says he didn’t tell the Guardians about her because he doesn’t trust them, and he doesn’t trust them mainly because of how duplicitous they’ve been with Hal.
Zoe also clears up what Anton told John — that the Manhunter was under the protection of the Guardians. She says that is bunk. The Guardians created the Manhunters, she explains, to enforce justice. When they were deemed too brutal, every Manhunter but Zoe was destroyed. Anywho, Hal’s gonna die, she says, but “I can heal you. I can protect you.” However? “My protection has a price.”
The price is simple: John has to make sure Hal dies, and he’ll get the ring “that is rightfully yours.” She puts a drop of her blood in his eye and tosses him in a scanner that regrows his skin. She monologues about why she chose the human persona she did — being at a disadvantage in society can be an advantage when it allows you to observe, unobserved. When the machine finishes, John’s body is completely healed.
Will’s Sacrifice
Will is ready to make the ultimate sacrifice. He speaks to Zoe in Manhunter language, thanking her for the extra time she gave him. “I’ve loved every minute of it,” he says. The episode cuts to Anton and his men breaching Macon’s estate, with Anton standing in Will’s office.
Anton tests Will, speaking Zoe’s language as he quizzes him about stuff only the Manhunter would know. It is revealed that Anton and the Manhunter were together at some point. Will eventually fails the test, because Zoe “would never welcome death.” So he stabs and kills Macon, ripping out his heart to be 100 percent sure. “Human,” he sneers.
Then, via one of Will’s zillion cameras in Rushville, Anton sees Hal standing outside the cafe, saying, “Come get me!”
Zoe Dies For Real
The episode ends with chaos. Red beams from the sky start blowing up the town, destroying buildings and taking out the townsfolk. There is only so much ring-assisted blast-blocking Hal can do. In the middle of the chaos, the Halogram pops up to alert Hal that Zoe’s chopper touched down by the water tower.
The Lantern gets there quickly and handcuffs the Manhunter to the ‘copter. But not before she gives an order that changes everything. Zoe is dead, and Hal is captured. The red beam attack continues, and the town is falling apart.
What The Episode Proves
This is the breaking point for our central heroes. Three messed-up love stories come to an end in this episode: Zoe and Will, Zoe and John, and John and Hal. Only one of these left me feeling any kind of anything. I’ll let you guess which.
The episode ties the show’s lore together in a satisfying way. The Guardians created the Manhunters, and Zoe is the last one alive. The others were destroyed because they were deemed too brutal. Zoe’s deal with John is a callback to her earlier bargain with Kerry — she offers protection in exchange for loyalty, and she always collects.
The performance is strong across the board. Zoe is a monster, but she is a monster with a plan. Hal is a villain, but he is a villain with a point. John is a hero, but he is a hero who is about to make a terrible choice. The episode does not let anyone off easy.
The Verdict On Episode 5
This is a dense, emotional, and often brutal episode. It kills a major character, hands over a key artifact, and sets up a final confrontation. The flashback to 2007 adds context without slowing the pace. The present-day action is fast and tense, with Zoe’s appearance at the crash site a particular highlight.
The episode earns its emotional payoff. Zoe is dead, and Hal is captured. The red beam attack adds chaos, but it feels earned after the destruction of the town. The show has been building toward this moment, and Episode 5 delivers.
The only complaint is that the episode runs long. Lots to cover, and my ring battery is running low, so let’s review the highlights. But the highlights are worth it.
Key Facts Box
- Episode: 5 of the season
- Killed: Zoe (for real this time)
- Artifact implied: The ring, to John
- Major event: Red beams destroy Rushville
- Flashback year: 2007
- Love stories ended: Zoe and Will, Zoe and John, John and Hal
The episode is a masterclass in setup and payoff. It takes three love stories and ends them in one go. Zoe dies, Hal is captured, and the town falls apart. It is a bold move, and it works.
See the video the story is built around at Tvline.