The season finale of Lanterns proved highly divisive for several reasons, but one of the most unpopular creative choices was the reveal that Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) really was dead dead.
Jordan's murderer was also revealed to be Sheriff Kerry Kane (Kelly Macdonald), who shot her lover for... promising to keep her, her Manhunter son, and all of the people of Rushville safe by relocating them while they figure out their next move.
Okay, so it wasn't quite that simple, and it's entirely possible that Kerry didn't exactly trust everything Jordan was telling her (he did almost kill his own partner in his relentless pursuit of Zoe, after all), but a lot of fans just didn't buy it - and the fact that Kane never faced any repercussions probably didn't help.
While speaking to The Ringer-Verse, writer Tom King explains why it was decided that Kerry wouldn't be punished for killing Hal.
"We had a big debate about this. We were stuck in that doubt: 'Should Kerry Kane be punished?' Nothing could punish her more than the fact that she did what she did and has to live with it. Prison isn't worse than the feeling of guilt."
Ehh, a lot of people would probably disagree with you there, Tom.
To be fair, from John Stewart's (Aaron Pierre) perspective, it did make at least some sense for him to let Kane off the hook, since sending her to prison would run the risk of Noah giving in to his genocidal nature. That said, one could argue that evil very much "escaped his sight" here. No wonder he changed the oath.
In a separate interview, showrunner Chris Mundy weighed in on the "is Hal Jordan racist" debate.
HBO in association with Warner Bros. Television and DC Studios. The pilot episode is co-written by Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and Tom King, who are co-creators for the series. Mundy serves as showrunner. The first two episodes are directed by James Hawes, with Stephen Williams, Geeta Vasant Patel, and Alik Sakharov also tapped to direct. The series is executive produced by Mundy, Lindelof, James Gunn, Peter Safran, King, Ron Schmidt, and Hawes. Based on the DC comic characters from Green Lantern.
The series stars Kyle Chandler, Aaron Pierre, Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, Poorna Jagannathan, Laura Linney, Jason Ritter, Ulrich Thomsen, Nathan Fillion, J. Alphonse Nicholson, and Jasmine Cephas Jones.
The series follows new recruit John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) and Lantern legend Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler), two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland.