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, titled ‘The Weenie,’ takes things up a notch. As the duo decides to storm the Macons’ secret hideout in search of the Manhunter, they are ambushed, only to be rescued by Zoe Macon. Soon, however, she gets caught up in the mystery in a twist that no one could have predicted. There might be more to the tale than what’s on the surface, though, and Hal and John seem to have realized as much. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Zoe is Not Only Alive, But Also Implied to be the Manhunter
Despite being blown up by what appears to be an extraterrestrial laser beam, Zoe Macon is implied to have survived and escaped, for now. The explanation for that is rather simple, and also connects to the other, bigger mystery of the show: Zoe possibly being the Manhunter herself. Although Hal is the one to bring this up on screen, it’s actually John who connects the dots first, but keeps it under wraps because of his feelings for her. Avid viewers have been pointing out since the first episode that something is amiss with the Macon family, particularly in how Zoe feels too young to be a grandmother. This detail led many fans to believe that she might be the secret Manhunter, and this episode certainly fuels that theory more.
While Zoe’s survival all but confirms that she is of extraterrestrial origin, it might be too easy to just assume that she is the Manhunter. There is still half of the season left to unpack, and for the central threat to be resolved so early is not the style of any of the writers involved. Instead, this seems to be a misdirect of sorts, with Zoe likely being in contact with the Manhunter rather than being one herself. For one, she hints at having information that could change everything he knows about the world, which doesn’t exactly sound like a confession that she’s the person of interest. Secondly, William refers to his benefactor, AKA the Manhunter, as “he,” which doesn’t align with Zoe being the person. As such, her being alive is tied to a much larger mystery, one that is far from being solved.
Poorna Jagannathan Didn’t Know About Zoe’s Fate Until She Read Episode 4’s Script
With the show hinting at Zoe being alive, fans can rest assured that Poorna Jagannathan’s time with the show is far from over. Given how tightly knit the cast of ‘Lanterns’ is, every actor brings a lot to the table, and Poorna is no different. In a conversation with Associated Press, she described the script as the best thing she has seen in the superhero genre. Interestingly, she also described screaming in disbelief after reading the last page, and while her “death” sequence in episode 4 technically warrants such a reaction, it’s likely she’s referring to some other event further in the story. It’s possible that we might see Poorna as early as the very next episode, as Hal seems determined to capture her and end his conflict with the aliens.
In a conversation with Decider, Poorna also revealed that the Manhunter reveal was kept from her until she read the script for the episode. “Did I know that was happening? I don’t think when I was shooting Episode 1, I don’t think we had the writing for Episode 4,” she wondered. While this seemingly confirms that Zoe is indeed the Manhunter, there might be more at play here. Furthermore, we have yet to receive confirmation of whether Zoe is still alive in 2026, that is, ten years after the events of the current story. On top of Hal’s death being teased in the first episode, we also see what appears to be the aftermath of a bloody battle, with bodies frozen in ice and strewn all around town. Given how important Zoe has become to the world of ‘Lanterns’, we might see Poorna stick around all the way to the very end.
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