Lanterns’ Kyle Chandler & Aaron Pierre on the E07 Moment That Changed Everything

Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre opened up about the Lanterns Episode 7 moment that changes how fans see Hal Jordan forever. The stars explained how one devastating revelation reshapes Hal’s story and his bond with John Stewart ahead of the finale.

Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre discuss Lanterns Episode 7’s emotional turning point

Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre told Deadline that Lanterns Episode 7 reframes Hal Jordan through a revelation about his family. The penultimate episode reveals that Hal’s father, a test pilot, died by suicide. He left behind a note telling Hal he would be better off without him.

The episode opens with a 1975 flashback showing Hal refusing to hand the ball to his baseball teammates. In the present day, John Stewart exhumes Hal’s body and retrieves the decommissioned power ring. The ring awakens the Halogram, which helps John open a lockbox containing a dark matter manhole.

The Halogram calls this repeating generational cycle the Jordan boys’ legacy. “I’m not fearless because I’m brave. I’m fearless because I’m broken,” the Halogram tells John. Chandler described the scene as a “heartfelt moment” built into the scripts. “That’s not information that someone just throws in there. That’s a detailed storyline that is also meant to manipulate an audience’s emotions and bring them that much closer into the whole story,” Chandler said.

Earlier, Kerry tells John that Hal compared his trainee to someone’s favorite football team. Later, the Halogram saves John from the gas that made Anton’s people kill themselves. Pierre said John’s perception of Hal shifts throughout the show. “I think his understanding of who Hal is certainly evolves over the course of the series,” Pierre said.

The episode ends with Hal and John facing Sinestro, who has been hiding on Anton’s planet. Pierre also addressed the partners’ bond heading into the finale. He said Hal and John trust each other with their lives by the end. “You don’t always need to love each other for that to be a truth, and I think that’s something that this series explores,” he said.

Lanterns concludes next Sunday at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO.