Halo Season 2 Episode 1-4 Early Review

The following is a spoiler-free review of the first 4 episode of Season 2 of Halo, the first 2 episodes premiere this Thursday on Paramount Plus.

For our review of the last episode of Halo, click here.

The first season of Halo, a live action adaptation of the highly popular video game series and subsequent book series, debuted to mixed results both with critics and audiences back in 2022. As with most adaptations of popular properties go, they come with an even higher level of scrutiny that it couldn’t quite escape. An overall mixed bag full of highlights and lowlights, the biggest standout was the lead performance of Pablo Schreiber as the titular Master Chief. With so much source material to lean on. one of the biggest flaws with the first season was its messy narrative that appeared to be more interested in delivering a sufficient number of references to the video game series to keep fans engaged rather than telling a somewhat coherent story. That being said, another point of contention with viewers were certain narrative choices they did not agree with, primarily the decision to have Master Chief remove his infamous helmet. However, if the series was to succeed giving the character in the armor more depth, the helmet arguably becomes an obstacle in portraying the emotion needed to create a connection with viewers. By making him, and the other Spartans, into a more developed characters, instead of blank, emotionless slates, it gives the series more freedom in terms of storytelling. It may not have all worked the first time around but Schreiber is more than enough of a reason to keep going.

Inspiring the other Spartans to take steps towards regaining their humanity, Master Chief and the rest of team were left on the sidelines as other units took over for them for combat missions. Having their pellets removed along with he having Cortana removed from him, there was perhaps some uncertainty there among to top brass at the UNSC as to if they could still be trusted. In a position where they had to prove themselves to regain the trust that was lost, they grew restless until Master Chief stumbled upon suspicious Covenant activity while on a mission but new head of the ONI James Ackerson (Joseph Morgan) appeared to not take that threat very seriously as he did. Taking over for the now fugitive Dr. Halsey, he clearly had unknown motives of his own as he worked to swipe the incident under the rug. Somewhere in between was Parangosky, deemed as the sacrificial lamb as the result of the events of last season. Now on the outside, she posed as a potential ally. However, everyone had an angle and could not necessarily be trusted. In the end, in the face of plenty of doubt, Master Chief did not give up and as much as Ackerson tried to downplay the Covenant threat, it was only a matter of time until the truth came out and that threat showed up on their doorstep.

As the threat moved closer to Reach, it was also clear that Ackerson knew more than he was letting on as he appeared to have already planned for what he deemed to be an inevitable outcome in advance, leaving the remaining soldiers to fight the incoming battle. Looking for Halsey, Soren followed what looked to be a promising lead and found himself in trouble. In his absence, the Rubble became unstabilized and his fortune was now left unguarded, which left those in his inner circle vulnerable and forced to try to escape. Meanwhile, Halsey found herself trapped in a room and stuck in some sort of loop. However, it was only a matter of time until she would find a way out. Once the battle eventually arrived to Reach, it was up to the forces who remained to defend it from the Covenant. Though not without its casualties, the end result creates the potential for a possible reset.

On a technical level, this season offers up more of the same. While the production of the first season was hampered by the recent COVID-19 pandemic, this season provides more consistency. Through the first four episodes, the season may not be nearly as vast as the first but it still does a solid job at bringing its world to life once more. For the most part, it’s all production design and score, which were fine, to create Reach among other places and bring some intensity to the action. However, one flaw that does carry over from the first season is instances of spotty VFX be it with the design of the Covenant and how they interact with the live action world, or to over the course of certain action sequences. Though just enough to notice, they are somewhat easy to look past. There is still a long way to go, however, the season’s focus so far on characters and story over flashy yet empty spectacle is reason for confidence. From Master Chief and the other Spartans, to Halsey and Ackerson, and a few other new additions, that focus and character development made them more compelling to watch and added stakes.

In terms of acting, Schreiber continues his strong run as John/Master Chief as he brings even more life to the character. Still very much the imposing presence that the original character was made to represent, he gives him so much more depth and emotion, making him a more interesting character to watch and one better suited to build a narrative around as opposed to his video game counterpart. While the first four episodes didn’t tap into the dynamic between the Spartans, it did offer them a chance to start to grow as individuals beyond Kai’s arc from last season. New additions Morgan as Ackerson and Cristina Rodlo as UNSC Corporal Talia Perez made an impression over their short time thus far but they figure to play a large role over the remainder of the season. The chemistry between Schreiber and Rodlo was a major highlight.

At the end of the day, Halo Season 2 starts in a better position than the first, employing a methodical narrative that better leans on its characters.

still courtesy of Paramount+

If you liked this, please read our other reviews here and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter or Instagram or like us on Facebook.

Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.