The workforce behind the polarizing Halo TV sequence on Paramount+ actually desires to vary your thoughts in season two. Within the lead as much as the newest season’s debut, everybody from producer Kiki Wolfkill to new showrunner David Wiener and even Grasp Chief himself (Pablo Schreiber) have informed us it is a special approach, not essentially a “reset” however definitely a reevaluation. The workforce’s makes an attempt to rejig the sequence primarily based on the iconic first-person shooter franchise are apparent simply moments into “Sanctuary,” the primary episode in season two.
Is it a very good episode? I’d say sure. It’s even a very good Halo adaptation, although a couple of of the primary season’s issues linger. However total, “Sanctuary” is strictly what it must be—a reintroduction to Grasp Chief and his workforce of Spartans, a reminder of the stakes, and a readjustment that appears to set the sequence on a stronger course. Let’s get into it.
Sangheili within the mist
The episode begins the place it ought to: with the core 4 that’s the Spartan Silver Staff—consisting of Schreiber’s John-117, Kai-125 (Kate Kennedy), Riz-028 (Natasha Culzac), and Vannak-134—embedded in a “babysitting” mission on the planet Sanctuary, which is mid-evacuation. They’re pissy, as a result of it is a mission for a workforce of lesser caliber than them, however they’re clearly being sidelined for a purpose.
From the outset, it’s apparent that season two received a visible improve—an early shot of the Spartans camped on prime of a mountain appears to be like stunning, from the striations within the sedimentary rock to the refined sheen of their Mjolnir armor. It’s just like the rework Halo Infinite’s visuals received after the primary have a look at the marketing campaign was met with middling reactions and the memeification of 1 particularly Playdoh-looking brute followers nicknamed Craig.
As John and Riz run off to assist the Marines diplomatically take away the planet’s residents, we get an opportunity to see extra of Vannak’s character—he’s eliminated the emotional inhibitor chip implanted within the Spartans, which Kai and John did final season. Although he stays stoic, and acts affronted when Kai asks him how he feels, he admits that these days, he’s been having fun with watching nature documentaries in his spare time. Just some moments later, because the workforce will get phrase of a lacking Marine unit and John rushes off to research, Vannak compares Chief’s hesitancy to scale the rock face to the convenience with which an ibex might pull off the identical factor. If this season simply featured Silver Staff bantering whereas coming to phrases with their personalities as full-grown grownup supersoldiers, I’d give it 5 stars.
Not like the video-gamey motion we noticed within the first episode of season one (which featured first-person views and a HUD nearly equivalent to the one within the Halo video games), “Sanctuary” offers us straight-up, no chaser motion from the bounce—and it’s good. Chief, after scaling the cliff face together with his grappling hook (he’s not an ibex), finds himself surrounded by soupy, dense fog. It’s blocking his comms, too, and the workforce is keen to extract everybody as a result of some Covenant ships have been noticed in orbit.
John finds the Marines, and what follows is a horror-tinged, action-packed scene that hits all the fitting notes for live-action Halo. A few of the Marines are yanked into the dense fog by invisible attackers, who’re revealed to be cloaked Elites. Kinetic, hand-to-hand fight between John and a number of other of the large baddies ends with him victorious (after all), till we see a number of power swords ignite on the horizon, adopted by a number of extra. It’s scary, and serves as a reminder that Halo is about humanity preventing in opposition to a beforehand unknown and terrifying alien drive. It helps that the scene is ready in fog, because the CGI reads a lot better than within the first season.
Chief will get again to the evac ship simply in time for the workforce to go away earlier than the Covenant glasses the planet, however he’s clearly shaken up by the ordeal. Not simply because the Covenant assault was huge in scope, however as a result of he possibly most likely positively noticed Makee (the human-turned-Covenant-sympathizer and his former lover) within the mist earlier than the alien troopers retreated into it.
Grasp Chief unmasked, however not unbothered
Again on Attain, Silver Staff is decompressing from the mission, which resulted within the deaths of all of the Marines, save for the one John helped to the evac ship. Throughout their debriefing, Captain Jacob Keyes (Danny Sapani) tells them that these sorts of assaults have been occurring throughout the outer colonies, however he doesn’t appear fascinated about John’s questions and issues. As his frustration grows, we get a mid-scene introduction to this season’s new bureaucratic bastard, James Ackerson (Joseph Morgan), who saunters in and takes a seat with the form of dickish swagger Morgan has perfected (have you ever seen The Vampire Diaries, c’mon now). He’s right here to switch Dr. Catherine Halsey (Natascha McElhone), who faked her personal loss of life final season to vanish after inflicting a little bit of a coup.
Morgan is great casting right here, an absolute scene-stealer, and a son-of-a-bitch in addition—any scene with him in it’s higher than half those from final season, and I’m certain that’ll be the identical going ahead. He grounds Silver Staff, refusing to deploy them into battle till he can log out on John’s psychological standing.
However then Halo begins to stumble once more. Although I am keen on Bokeem Woodbine and love his portrayal of Spartan-turned-pirate Soren-066, his B-plot feels much more flimsy than final season. It’s laborious to shift from the Spartans’ plight in opposition to the Covenant and Chief’s grappling together with his feelings to essentially care a few man making an attempt to keep up a maintain on his pirate empire—even with all the attractive issues Woodbine does with Soren, from the good manner he performs guarded and hyper-aware, like a giant cat on the open plains, to the softness clearly hiding behind that modded Mjolnir armor. I discover my consideration wandering each time the episode swaps to Soren’s story, although it does appear that he’s on a fast-track to getting wrapped up in the principle plot—as he goes on the lookout for Halsey to get the bounty on her head (and for a private vendetta he received’t admit to) however is betrayed and kidnapped by unknown attackers.
When Halo snaps again to John, I snap again to consideration, whether or not it’s his back-and-forth with Ackerson about what occurred on Sanctuary (Ackerson gaslights him) or the determined second through which he goes to, mainly, a VR escort that he makes take the form of Cortana (Jen Taylor). The nerds can proceed arguing amongst themselves about whether or not or not John ought to take his masks off, as a result of Schrieber is so good on this position, and an enormous a part of that’s with the ability to see feelings play throughout his face.
The episode ends with John envisioning Makee (who did seem to die within the final episode of season one) warning him that he “ought to have stayed with [her]” whereas a flashback exhibits Kwan-Ha (Yerin Ha) telling a scary story to Soren’s son, Kessler (Tylan Bailey) in a shadowy cave. “It’s very outdated, the monster. Older than the sunshine. Older than this rock. Older than your God,” she says. “It is aware of us. Inside and outside. Smells our worry. Sees our secrets and techniques. It’s been right here. All that point. Ready.”
Covenant ships rise from the clouds of an unknown planet. Attain is coming.
The second episode of Halo season two is out there now on Paramount+, evaluate to come back quickly.