Lanterns Episode 5 was indeed a transitional point in the series, as it concluded the 2016 storyline. The fifth episode also explains why Guy Gardner is the Green Lantern in last year's Superman, which takes place in the 2020s. HBO released the promo for the sixth episode, which shows that the next episode will be set in 2026.If you remember, the premiere episode ended with the revelation of Hal Jordan's death in 2026. However, since then, the series has not returned to that murder mystery, and instead focuses on what happened in Rushville in 2016. But now that the Rushville storyline has wrapped up, Lanterns can return to solving Hal Jordan's murder mystery.Lanterns Episode 6 release date and time: View this post on Instagram Instagram PostEpisode 6, "Bad Optics", will air next Sunday at the same time as the first five episodes. However, the release date and time of the episode will differ across the world. Therefore, here's when you can catch the next episode in your country:Pacific Standard Time: 06:00 PM, September 20, 2026Eastern Standard Time: 09:00 PM, September 20, 2026Indian Standard Time: 06:31 AM, September 21, 2026Greenwich Mean Time +1: 01:00 AM, September 21, 2026Australian Eastern Standard Time: 11:00 AM, September 21, 2026Central European Time: 03:00 AM, September 21, 2026HBO released a short promo for next week's episode, and it seems that John will begin investigating his former mentor's murder. Today's episode ended with John Stewart refusing to become a part of the Green Lantern Corps, as he finally saw how the ring corrupted Hal Jordan. But it did not return to the 2026 timeline.But the preview confirms that the series is done with the 2016 timeline, as the teaser was focused on John trying to solve Hal's murder. We can also see that Rushville is not fond of the Green Lanterns, as the Lantern Signal (probably inspired by Gotham's Bat-Signal) is graffitied with9 pm NSFW artwork. We will also see Nathan Fillion's Guy Gardner in next week's episode.What happened in the fifth Lanterns episode? View this post on Instagram Instagram PostThe town of Rushville got wrecked in this week's episode. The most surprising aspect of this episode is that the town got torn apart by both Zoe and Antaan's groups. In fact, most of the destruction was carried out by Zoe's space laser, the same weapon we saw in last week's episode. But the most shocking revelation of this episode is when we see how low Hal Jordan has fallen.Lanterns has been hinting that Hal Jordan has nothing going for him, apart from being the Green Lantern. The fifth episode confirms this, as he doesn't realize that he doomed Rushville until the town is torn apart by the space laser. All that he cares about is preserving his status as a Green Lantern legend.Hal's arc in this episode culminates with John beating him in hand-to-hand combat, taking the ring, and trapping his mentor under the motel's debris, which was destroyed by Zoe's laser. As the motel is destroyed, John runs out of the rubble, and we don't know where he goes. Then, Zoe walks in to kill Hal Jordan who is trapped under the rubble and he has no ring, as John had taken it by then.As Zoe is about to shoot Hal, he describes the situation as a trap, and we see John with a sniper rifle targeting her. After he says that he sees her and Zoe smiles at him (which Stewart sees through the scope), John shoots her. After reaching the rubble of the Rushville motel, John takes out Zoe's heart, which crystallizes, confirming that she is dead.Then, John leaves Hal trapped under the rubble and heads to the bar, where he shows the crystal heart to Lianna, gives the ring to the Guardian, and walks out, refusing to join the Corps. Thus, the fifth episode closes the book on the 2016 portion and reveals why neither John nor Hal had the ring in 2026.What did you think about the fifth Lanterns episode?