Halo TV Series Season 1, Episode 2 Review: Sudden Breaks and Introspection

The second episode of the Halo TV series is here. Taking a break from the fast-paced, gory action of the pilot, this episode opts instead to focus on world-building and character dialogue, with fairly mixed results. While this would like Being the perfect opportunity to let the show’s stars shine, the plot tries to fall into place a bit, which means a lot of the conversations don’t pan out the way they should.

In Breathing Time there are some interesting character examinations, but that’s diminished by the emphasis on exposing almost every conversation. Not every episode of a show can be a knockout because even the best shows of all time have to take a moment here or there to prepare for the future. Hopefully this turns out to be the exception and not the rule in the future.

Note: This review contains spoilers for Halo Season 1, Episode 2, “Unbound”.

If you haven’t already, be sure to check out our Halo Season 1, Episode 1 review, “Contact.”

The episode opens with a flashback to 22 years earlier, as we see the much younger John-117 following his friend Soren (Jude Cudjoe) outside of the Reach military base. Despite Soren’s pleas, John is unwilling to follow him in abandoning the UNSC and only reluctantly gives Soren a five-minute head start before sounding the alarm.

Back in the present day of 2552, Master Chief unsuccessfully attempts to explain the science of Slipspace travel to Kwan. It’s a beautiful scene and one of my favorites in the entire episode, as it’s clear that Chief’s awkward and stilted explanations are his attempt to connect with the clearly overwhelmed and somewhat scared Kwan. The leader may not be in touch with his own humanity, but he’s trying to reach out, and it’s nice to see.

On planet Reach, we are introduced to UNSC Fleet Admiral Lord Hood (Keir Dullea), who discusses with Halsey how to deal with the Master Chief going AWOL. Halsey hints that she has a solution in mind, which Hood says will have to be carried out by the rest of the UNSC command. Meanwhile, the members of Silver Team — Kai-125 (Kate Kennedy), Riz-028 (Nathasha Culzac), and Vannak-134 (Bentley Kalu) — also discuss the fallout of Master Chief going rogue.

Chief and Kwan arrive at The Rubble, a libertarian dream of a pirate colony based in an asteroid cluster, with no rules or regulations. After an easily defused tension, Chief reunites with a much older Soren (Bokeem Woodbine), bringing the unlikely pair home.

The scope of The Rubble is deceptive, with masses of buildings and houses stacked on top of each other, making it clear that this is not just a seedy spot for criminals, but where to live. of a dense population. The rail system that connects the asteroids is inventive and overall the idea of ​​this anarchic hub away from the prying eyes of the UNSC is interesting, but we don’t see too much of it, which, I hopefully will be fixed over the rest of the season.

On High Charity, we see the human traitor and a council of Covenant prophets chat with the only elite survivor of the raid on Madrigal, in the previous episode. What would otherwise be a fascinating moment – ​​an in-depth look at the Covenant discussions is appreciated and the CGI used on the aliens is very well done – is undermined by the way almost every line reaffirms what should be established knowledge in the universe. Explaining things to the audience is fine, but the majority of this episode suffers from “As you know…” and this scene is one of the worst offenders.

Despite the Prophet of Mercy’s hesitation, this human ally of the Covenant finally obtains permission to go in search of the relic taken by Master Chief.

At a UNSC strategy meeting, the repercussions of a new allegiance to Madrigal’s leadership are weighed by Captain Keyes, while Halsey carefully maneuvers her earlier discussions with Lord Hood to finally give the Cortana program the green light, surpassing Admiral Parangosky. Halsey explains that Cortana is meant to be a fully functional artificial intelligence, allowing complete control of the Spartans and avoiding future situations like with Master Chief. However, Halsey noticeably brushes off questions about flash cloning.

We get a very quick look at Vinsher (Burn Gorman), Madrigal’s new leader, who ruthlessly executes several people before pulling out a drone recording his actions.

We at The Rubble have some interesting conversations between Master Chief and Soren, as the latter points out how much life has improved since removing some of his Spartan augments, being able to relax more and enjoy the taste of food. The chef’s struggle to understand what it even means to be human is on display again here, a consistent guideline that’s appreciated.

Soren also takes Chief to a survivor of the Covenant burial, a nervous man who is clearly not well but who also understands Covenant technology and culture when lucid. The man isn’t much help, but hints at a mysterious ring, more powerful than anything the Covenant currently have. This revelation is enough to shock Master Chief into duty-first mode, and he leaves the station to be picked up by Silver Team, but not before getting Soren to promise to take care of Kwan.

At the end of the episode, we see Halsey talking to a strange human being in a pod.

All things considered, this episode was definitely a step down from the solid premiere, though some slowing down was only natural. No one expects the quick firefights of one of the mainline games like Halo Infinite, but fingers crossed we’re getting a little more action in the next installment.

Halo Season 1, Episode 2 is available now, exclusively on Paramount+. For the best experience, watch it on one of the best 4K TVs available.