Predictably, a bird is not just bird. I guess it's a sense of safety since it means he's being watched. Or a sense of duty since he's fearless?

Last episode Hal told John to fly, but he subconsciously(?) disobeyed that order and instead created something to watch over him. He created a spy?

I also loved the line about how being programmed isn't the same as being raised. John's still human. He should be more of a mess of a person, but he's still deep down a person.

Also it sounds like Sinestro has only been imprisoned recently. At first it seemed like maybe Hal had done something back in 2006 (because it was our missing year) but instead it seems like it happened recently.

As much as I want the main story to move forward I hope next episode is all about Hal. Although we probably save that for later.