- Also known as Halo: The Series
- Developed by Kyle Killen and Steven Kane
- March 24, 2022 to Present
- Paramount+
- Based on the Halo game series by Xbox Game Studios
Main Cast
- Master Chief Petty Officer John-117/Spartan-117-Pablo Schreiber
- Admiral Margaret Parangosky-Shabana Azmi
- Riz-028-Natasha Culzac
- Kwan Ha-Yerin Ha
- Vannak-134-Bentley Kalu
- Kai-125-Kate Kennedy
- Makee-Charlie Murphy
- Admiral Jacob Keyes-Danny Sapani
- Cortana-Christina Bennington
- Soren-066-Bokeem Woodbine
- Dr. Catherine Elizabeth Halsey-Natascha McElhone
- Laera-Fiona O’Shaughnessy
- Kessler-Tylan Bailey
- Colonel James Ackerson-Joseph Morgan
- Talia Perez-Cristina Rodlo
Recurring Cast
- Prophet of Mercy-Julian Bleach (voice)
- Louis-036-Marvin Jones III
- Danilo-Christian Ochoa Lavernia
Guest Cast
- The Mother-Olwen Fouéré
- Antares-Ivanno Jeremiah
- Julia-BronteCarmichael
- Ackerson’s Father-Bill Paterson
Religiously zealous aliens threaten human existence as they search for artifacts which they believe will help usher in a new existence for them.
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Reach
- Directed by Craig Zisk
- Written by Tom Hemmings
- February 22, 2024
These characters, largely military that see combat, sure do cry or just break down a great deal in this show. In this episode it is Perez (Cristina Rodlo) who breaks down repeatedly at the slightest difficulty. If she cannot handle conflict how is she even in the military? She is like a teenager after a tough day at school. Then that goes with the simplistic level of writing we often get in this series.
This episode, like others, gives the characters personality quirks rather than actual personalities. Take for example Vannak-134 (Bentley Kalu) and those very Earthly wild pigeons he is seen tending to on Reach. He named them and tended to them like they were people. It felt random rather than based on elements that have been shown in previous episodes. This pigeon thing is an oddity rather than an outgrowth of his personality.
Character deaths fall flat because there are so many characters in this show clamoring for time and none were developed to the point we could really care about them. Vannak-134, Louis-036 (Marvin Jones III), and Danilo (Christian Ochoa Lavernia) all bite the dust in a fashion that if they had sufficient screentime would be moving but the characters were so poorly done with some barely in the preceding episodes that their deaths had no impact at all.
If there was a big reveal in this, it’s that Dr. Halsey (Natascha McElhone) claimed to have let Soren-066 (Bokeem Woodbine) go rather than force him to stay in the program. She also said his Spartan augmentations failed. She also says she let him go because he was a leader and everybody was looking towards him. I guess she wanted Master Chief (Pablo Schreiber) to blossom but that little reveal kind of knocks him down a few pegs. And makes him a little bit of a second banana to Soren. Speaking of Master Chief…
As I have mentioned concerning this show’s effects previously, they can be a bit uneven waffling between convincing and laughably bad. There is a scene here where Master Chief tussles with a Covenant soldier which is one of those things that would be good to see more of. If he were in his suit it might have looked better but as it is Master Chief and the soldier do not always blend together.
They really go out of their way in Reach to keep John-117 out of his armor. At least here it makes a little more sense than it previously did since his armor is an important military asset and Ackerson took it off planet. Not like other people can actually use it unless this does not follow the mythology established on why the Spartans are the only ones that can handle it. Anywho…
The action is good-for the most part. I think it could’ve been a little more brutal, but everything considered an episode of almost endless combat was a welcome change of pace. And it was mostly done well in that aspect. It went more towards action and less into the personal agendas. Dare I say it benefited from the lack of Ackerson? I dare. There isn’t too much story here. It’s all their version of the Fall of Reach. Not much of the series story gets advanced.
If Halo keeps up keeps with episodes like Reach, I could find myself in the future being much more forgiving of the show than I have been.
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Aleria
- Directed by Otto Bathurst
- Directed by Basil Lee Kreimendahl
- February 29, 2024
So Master Chief (Pablo Schreiber) essentially gets the crap beaten out of him while something knocks him aside regularly in the beginning of Aleria. During that time the camera focuses on Master Chief looking like he is constipated nearly beyond comprehension and trying to pass the goods. Not only was this a choice by the actor but also by the director to showcase the expression.
Delving into a dedicated mother storyline we have Soren (Bokeem Woodbine) and Laera (Fiona O’Shaughnessy) searching for Kessler (Tylan Bailey). Now remember Kessler would be under somebody’s protection if Kwan Ha (Yerin Ha) had not abandoned him completely in order to save Laera. But does she suffer any kind of wrath or consequences from this mother who made her own Neegan bat and beat a guy to get some information out of him? Not at all.
This episode continues to push Master Chief further and further into the background as other storylines come into the forefront. He makes it into a scene here or there though as it benefits another character’s storyline. His special connection to the artifacts are the only thing that keeps him mattering to anything that occurs. Beyond that he is a nearly superfluous.
And Kwan Ha is becoming even more important. She gets involved in a little bit of space magic armchair spirituality at Vannak’s funeral. An event that should’ve been about the assorted characters mourning becomes about making her more important to the show. I can see no path how it connects to the rings or the war with the Covenant.
And Makee (Charlie Murphy) is back. Can we have a show without an episode without her showing up. She’s basically a whiny teenager despite being an important religious figure of the covenant whether they want it or not. Why is she even in the show?
The dialogue is absolutely atrocious. It’s simplistic and superficial. It is supposed to be people going through emotional pain, but it’s just trite. No thought was put into it. Nobody talks like they do nor can you picture these characters talking like this in a drama. If this were a daytime soap maybe.
Despite having complex mythology from which to draw, this continues to be something written by children who think they’re doing good work. Visually good more often than not but storyline wise not so much.
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Halo the Series continues to mistake stories about emotions as emotional/dramatic storytelling. Emotional storytelling puts your characters through the ringer but doesn’t focus on their emotions. Science fiction shows such as Farscape and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine could do that on a regular basis.
Emotions were caused by the larger story and not the larger story being about emotions. It’s a distinction that the people behind this don’t understand or don’t know how to do. Despite an amazing mythology the show continues to be simplistic. I have low expectations for the remaining episodes.
Warren Watched A Movie 