Abhiroop Das
Co-created by Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and Tom King, HBO’s ‘Lanterns‘ ditches the large-scale intergalactic sagas in favor of a rural mystery where Hal Jordan and John Stewart secretly vie for control. After episode 3 reveals John’s backstory and how he and his mentor have been at odds since before they even knew each other, episode 4 amps up that rivalry, while also revealing that the Manhunter is none other than Zoe. Though we see her seemingly get zapped by a satellite laser beam, that death scene turns out to be a fakeout. However, with the Manhunter’s identity out in the open, a war awaits the town of Rushville, with Hal, Jordan, and Zoe at the center of it all. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Zoe the Manhunter is Killed For Good by John
At the end of ‘Lanterns’ episode 5, John outsmarts Zoe once and for all, killing her with a bullet to the head. If that’s not all, he then heads down with a knife to rip her heart out of her body, and sure enough, it crystallizes, confirming that the last known Manhunter has died for good. Though this is meant to be the defeat of the big bad, at least for the first half of this season, John, much like the viewers, is left with a sinking feeling, where the lines between good and evil begin to blur. He also knows, however, that without her death, the alien forces will likely never stop going after Rushville, and if the day’s events are anything to go by, that can only mean further doom.
The fact that Zoe is able to fake her death in episode 4, despite being blown up with a car, suggests that she probably has extreme healing abilities. This is further proven by how her blood, combined with some tech, manages to give John a completely new skin. However, it is that same set of supernatural abilities that makes it hard to believe that Zoe was simply sniped by John without having a moment to react. Instead, the more likely scenario is that Zoe allowed this to happen, and her smile at the end proves that as well. Having lived as a human for three decades, she likely feels emotions as well, and this becomes her way of accepting what her life, for a machine-like entity at least, has to offer.
Poorna Jagannathan Has Bid the World of Leftovers Goodbye
With Zoe meeting her end in episode 5, Poorna Jagannathan’s time with the show has most likely come to an end. While there is room for her to appear in the form of flashbacks, which the show uses frequently, or even dream sequences, it won’t be in a major capacity. For Poorna, who herself didn’t know of the Manhunter reveal until she read the script of episode 4, filming Zoe’s final appearance was a rather unique experience. In a conversation with AV Club, she talked about how the reveal affected her take on the character. When Zoe asked series co-creater Chris Mundy about whether she should tweak her performance to feel more robotic, however, she learned that she didn’t need to.
“He just said no because she has taken on a completely human form,” Poorna recalled Mundy’s words, adding, “he’s been here 30 years. She’s integrated, and to have a great cover, it has to be very real. Not only that, she feels emotions like regret, and she’s torn about what she has to do.” This recontextualizes Zoe’s actions throughout the first five episodes, as she is not necessarily acting out of malice, but due to a desire for self-preservation. Poorna initially thought that her character would die in episode 4, and was pleasantly surprised to bring Zoe back for a climactic finish. “It was a massive honor to be in half of the episodes. I feel like I’ve died in worse ways on the screen before,” the actor jokingly said.
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