Lanterns Finale: Noah's Choice, Carrie's Confession and What Could Come Next

The Lanterns finale ends with Jon charging Hal's old ring with Sinestro's fear-powered lantern and taking flight as Earth's Green Lantern, after Noah turns down the ring and Carrie is revealed as Hal's killer. Along the way, the finale leaves open whether the hologram is really gone, whether Noah will break bad and whether Sinestro could escape.

Not every theory we had this season landed. We guessed Zoe might be Sinestro's daughter, for one. But a few calls did come true, and I'll flag them as we go.

Sinestro calling Zoe "the grandmother" could be a Grandmaster nod

Back in the present day, Sinestro gives Jon the full story on Noah. He says Noah broke him out of prison and brought him to this dead world using his grandmother's tech. Zoe built a portal to visit the world she destroyed because she felt guilty, which Sinestro calls a weakness. I saw a lot of similarities with Carrie, who also returned to the scene of the crime after killing Hal. I think it shows that not everything Zoe told Jon was a complete lie, but that she couldn't overcome her programming, and that she was ultimately a victim of the Guardians' negligence.

The way Sinestro calls Zoe the grandmother may have been a subtle way of putting the Manhunter reveal right in front of us. It works better if you write it with a space in the middle: grand mother. This could be a play on the Grandmaster from the comics, the leader of the Manhunter cult who came to Earth during the Middle Ages, secretly influenced the world, recruited humans and rebuilt the Manhunters' numbers to take revenge on the Guardians. That's clearly a path that could lie in front of Noah. She may even have created Noah as a fail safe in case she was caught.

Sinestro's fear lantern may be powered by Parallax

Sinestro explains that life and death are transactional to a Manhunter and that Hal must have stopped being useful to Noah. Jon gives him a taste of his own medicine and dunks him in the contaminated lake, and Sinestro reveals Noah broke him out to build a lantern. It looks pretty much like Hal's, but it's powered by fear gas. Sinestro claims fear can be the most powerful force in the universe if channeled correctly, and that it can recharge Jon's ring.

The hologram and Sinestro are basically the angel and devil on Jon's shoulders, and I think this is his biggest test. Charge the ring and he loses his positive mentor and completes his journey to the dark side. Don't, and the fight with the Manhunter could be very one sided. Sinestro calling fear the evolutionary intelligence feels like a subtle nod to Parallax, the entity of fear in the comics.

We theorized the fear gas could be some form of Parallax. In the comics it often appears as an insect monster, and its whole aim is to make planets destroy themselves out of fear and paranoia, which is pretty much what happened here. Parallax was originally imprisoned by the Guardians in the central power battery, causing the yellow impurity, and was later awakened after Sinestro's soul was banished there. The show could be playing off something similar, which may be why Sinestro seems to hold his breath as Jon goes to recharge the ring.

Hal refused to kill Noah, and the hologram says charge the ring or die

Sinestro reveals Hal followed Noah to the slaughterhouse, found the portal and refused Sinestro's advice to kill Noah, thinking Noah might not be a genocidal android. Sinestro then tries to manipulate the hologram and switches straight to Jon when that fails. I think it's so funny how transparent he is about it. Jon works out that Noah wants the lantern for revenge on the Guardians, and Sinestro says Noah didn't just kill Guy Gardner for his ring because he has feelings, the same weakness as Zoe. Jon refuses the lantern and leaves Sinestro to rot.

On the way back, the hologram changes his mind. He tells Jon Hal asked him to keep quiet about being in Rushville to protect him, because Noah would have assumed Hal told him the truth. Then he says it bluntly: "Charge the ring or die." It makes for a great dilemma, whether Jon gives into fear or appeals to Noah's humanity. I also love the shot of the two of them crossing the desert under two moons, which to me symbolize the conflict between who Jon is and who he's meant to be.

Noah takes the ring and stops at a crossroads

Jon steps through the portal and Noah immediately starts beating him, takes the ring and drives him off. I like how it shows straight away how much of a threat Noah is. He asks why Jon killed Zoe, and Jon says Zoe wanted him to, which could be why she smiled in the scope. It reminds me of Butcher and Hughie in The Boys. Noah calls that nonsense, and I agree with him. I find it hard to believe that conversation happened, especially since in episode 5 a character sniffed out a phony for being willing to accept death, something he said a Manhunter would never do. Still, I don't think Jon is fully manipulating Noah. It's probably what he's been telling himself for 10 years.

At a literal and symbolic crossroads, Noah chooses town. At the stadium he says he didn't burn Hal's house, then admits he killed Hal, nearly crying as he says it. He killed him from a certain point of view, potentially, but it shows he has a conscience. Jon tells him he once couldn't tell where he ended and his programming began. That's the parallel we talked about in episode 6, with Jon living up to the Guardians and Noah to his grandmother, and saving Noah relieving Jon's guilt over Zoe. Add it to the theory confirmed pile.

Noah turns down the ring and asks Jon to kill him

Noah admits he wishes he could just play football and have a normal life, but the other side of him gives him ideas about power. With a ring and lantern, no one could stop him. Then he sets the ring on the dashboard. We've talked a lot about The Lord of the Rings: Hal was a lot like Gollum and Jon was Frodo. Noah turning it down maybe makes him Gandalf, though I don't know which character fits.

Then he asks Jon for the same mercy he showed Zoe, after his last game, and warns Jon not to let him see it coming. Jon calls out to the hologram, which to me shows how much he's still seeking mentorship. Noah accepting death shows he's more human than Manhunter, at least for now, a nature versus nurture idea, and I think it's one of the most original ways to defeat a comic book threat we've seen.

Carrie confesses to killing Hal

At the game, Carrie stands alone facing the bleachers where Hal sat, which symbolizes her pride in Noah and her grief. Jon quickly glances up at the sky, which I think calls back to him believing birds were the Guardians checking on him. Carrie mentions satellite camps, an interesting choice of words given Zoe's satellite lasers, though I'm definitely overthinking it. Jon tells her how terrified his mother was while making him fearless, and Carrie admits she was terrified too.

In the flashback, Hal confronts her about Noah. Carrie says Zoe regrew her pinky and she came out pregnant, and believed if she loved Noah enough he wouldn't turn out like Zoe. It's a bit like Looper, and seemingly implies Noah is at least somewhat human. Hal mentions a friend in Guadalajara, which could be a subtle nod to Kyle Rayner, whose grandparents came from Mexico, though there's also a luchador there who goes by Green Lantern, and I feel that's more likely. When Hal insists their life in Rushville is over, Carrie shoots him. It's a gut punch, and it confirms what we talked about about her episode 6 conversation being a confession.

There could be more Manhunter babies in Rushville

Putting on our theory hat, Hal asking if there are more Manhunters could hint at other babies, with satellite camps maybe being where they learn their programming. That's pretty out there given Carrie hid the truth from Noah, but who's to say Zoe wasn't giving babies to everyone who wanted one, building an army and putting people in her debt? Maybe that's why the football team is so good.

Carrie says she called Jon back because she needed to know if she was raising a monster. I feel she secretly hoped Jon would stop Noah if he was too far gone. Jon says Noah's fear of what he might become shows he could be good with the right guidance. I think it's such a poignant way to reflect how bad Jon's parents' parenting was. He refuses Carrie's offer to turn herself in, and she watches Noah throw the winning touchdown, letting go of her guilt.

Jon breaks the chain of command with Guy Gardner

Jon lights Guy's signal, which still has the graffiti we spotted a couple of episodes back. When Guy says, "That's an unsanctioned lantern," Jon challenges him to take it, and Guy backs down, which surprised me after Superman. It could show Guy knows Jon is the better Lantern. Jon tells him he'll protect Earth without the Guardians, which is why the episode is called The Stars and the Dirt. His message about searching their hearts refers to the Manhunter's crystallized heart, exposing their mistake.

The hologram says goodbye and Jon takes flight

The hologram returns, reminding Jon he manifested him from his own subconscious. He warns Noah is a massive risk, but says Jon will be better at the job than he ever was. His last advice, not to be afraid of being afraid, is the final lesson we theorized. When he asks about Carrie, Jon tells him Hal's last words were "I love you," and he replies, "I love you too, Junior." It felt like the perfect final words.

Jon locks something in Hal's vault, gives Maggie her cash with a note reading "I'm still sorry," and reunites with his family, who have inherited Earl. Then comes the oath: "In brightest day, in darkest night, I'll embrace my fear. I'll do what's right. I choose this ring. I choose this fight in service to this lantern's light." After a season of falling, Jon flies, and I thought it was an excellent way to bring him full circle.

The hologram, Sinestro and Noah could all return

I don't think the hologram is gone. We can't trust Sinestro, and Jon made a bird construct without the ring in episode 2, so he will most likely be able to bring Hal back with his own willpower. In Green Lantern War Journal, Jon recharged a dead ring and created a fully sentient construct of his sister, which could be how the show brings Hal back permanently.

If the lantern holds Parallax, Jon charging it could free it, maybe with Jon as its host, as Hal was in the comics. Sinestro has a forge and could make a new yellow ring and use Jon's battery to escape, or infiltrate Jon's mind. I'd be shocked if he isn't Jon's main threat. I'm assuming Jon put the portal in Hal's vault. As for Noah, I don't really have a good theory, but never trust a robot. He still has the healing cocoon, the satellite lasers and Hammond are unaccounted for, and while the Guardians might honor Jon's deal, I think they'll have something up their sleeves.

I actually really enjoyed this finale. I didn't really like the start of the season, but I think I'll enjoy it more on a rewatch, and Kyle Chandler was awesome as Hal. Jon and Hal are now my two most anticipated characters to see again, and it's my favorite DCU project so far.

Which open thread from the Lanterns finale do you most want answered: Sinestro, Noah or the hologram?