“Lanterns” Season 1 Episode 6, “Bad Optics,” takes the story in a slightly different direction after the events of the previous episode. Ten years have passed since the destruction of Rushville, and both Hal Jordan and John Stewart have gone down very different paths. Hal eventually returned to Rushville after spending years in an Earth prison, where he tried to repair his relationship with the people who never forgave him. He also became involved with Sheriff Kerry Kane, who is now the person trying to make sense of his murder.
John, meanwhile, built a life with his brother Marcus, using his experience in architecture and combat to design high-end bunkers and panic rooms. He also rejected the Green Lantern ring, a decision that ultimately helped Guy Gardner take his place. Guy is now a much more public figure, appearing on billboards and living the very different life of a celebrity superhero.
John returns to Rushville after Kerry asks him to look into Hal's death. The two men had not exactly ended things on good terms their final meeting in the diner was tense, and John has kept that detail from Kerry. He also has plenty of problems in his personal life, including his strained relationship with his family and his father, John Sr., who is now living in a care facility and causing trouble of his own.
Still, John stays in Rushville and temporarily moves into Hal's old house. He tells Kerry that he is only there to look after Hal's carnivorous plant, Earl, but he is clearly investigating the murder. Hal also left behind a locked vault that requires his voice to open, leaving John with another mystery to solve.
John decides to arrange a funeral for Hal, but there is more to the gesture than simply giving his former partner a proper goodbye. He contacts Guy Gardner, hoping he can help retrieve Hal's old Green Lantern ring from Oa. John eventually gets Guy's attention by using a beacon, although the move immediately causes trouble with the locals. A group of Rushville residents, including Kerry's ex-husband, confronts John, leading to a fight and eventually his arrest.
Guy has little interest in investigating Hal's murder, but John manages to convince him to retrieve Hal's decommissioned ring from Oa. He claims that the ring should be buried with Hal, and Guy agrees to help.
Hal's funeral is small, attended by John, Kerry and Carol, Hal's former partner. John is forced to read the elaborate eulogy Hal wrote for himself, which includes thanks to people who are not even there. The moment becomes surprisingly emotional when John reaches the more personal parts.
But the funeral was never really about saying goodbye. That night, John digs up Hal's body and removes the Green Lantern ring from his finger. His real plan is to use the ring to summon a backup projection of Hal, giving him a chance to speak with him again and hopefully uncover the truth behind his murder.
Meanwhile, the episode drops a couple of other problems into the story. Guy reveals that Sinestro has escaped from prison, although nobody knows who helped him get out. John also has another secret hanging over him - a girl he once tried to comfort after the Rushville disaster knows that John punched Hal shortly before Hal died. She is now using that information to blackmail him.
John has kept the incident from Kerry, and if the truth comes out, it could make him look much more suspicious in Hal's murder.
By the end of the episode, John has managed to bring the Green Lantern connection back into his investigation, while Hal may not be as gone as everyone thought.
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