Halo: Season Two-Pt. 4 “In Conclusion…”

• 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
• Commander Miranda Keyes-Olive Gray
• The Monitor-Harry Lloyd

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
• Captain Briggs-Anna Koval
• Lt. Mullins-Dani Klupsch

Religiously zealous aliens threaten human existence as they search for artifacts which they believe will help usher in a new existence for them by leading them to a powerful device.

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Halo

• Directed by Dennie Gordon
• Written by David Wiener
• March 21, 2024

My expectations for the season finale were rather low. After all Halo has not been a banger of a series in my opinion. I have stated multiple times to the point it’s even bothering me when I do it that Halo: The Series has often felt like a big budget show written for The CW. Rather than focusing on a large-scale war and all the deep human questions that can come from that the creators focus on petty squabbles and multiple unimportant personal goals. 

Yet all those petty squabbles and personal goals are barely even considered in this episode making it a standout of not only the season but the series. This episode demonstrates there is potential for quality programming from the Halo game concept despite what we have been getting in this show. The action finally has moved to the Halo ring-largely. There’s some of the usual petty crap shown elsewhere, but even that’s not nearly as important or uninteresting as it previously has been. Though not the sole driver of the story Master Chief (Pablo Schreiber) is much more involved in the narrative but then again, a large portion of this episode is focused on the Halo ring.

The acting is much better and honestly my perception of Pablo Schreiber’s performance is improved with a helmet on. He delivers his dialogue the right way, but when he has his helmet off the constipated look/the look of uncertainty on if that was just a fart on his face really hinders any impact it could have. Seriously. The man looks like he is trying to pass the 5 pounds of shredded cheddar he snacked on while waiting for dinner and realizes just how seriously binding of a mistake that was. Not so much in this installment. 

If I had any complaints it is about how they handled the introduction of The Flood. First of all Kwan Ha (Yerin Ha) has been given some psychic connection to the whole Flood issue because of space magic and that old woman that wanted to stay on that planet that the Covenant was going to wipe out. Kwan Ha went from super awesome revolutionary girl to super wise and spiritual young woman connected to the Akashic records, well, because. Don’t feel bad if you don’t get what those are. 

The presentation of The Flood comes off as any number of victims from your average zombie movie. In the games The Flood is much more like body horror than a zombie threat. Heck if you weren’t really knowledgeable they may even think it resembles The Last of Us a bit. In the games you often see victims of the Flood seriously infected but here they just stand differently and do nothing until it’s time to attack and then they go all Resident Evil.

There is also Kai-125’s (Kate Kennedy) sacrifice. It actually had some impact but not nearly as strong as it should have been based on previous stuff. The character had not been really well done until this episode. Makee (Charlie Murphy) is back and front and center. While she doesn’t come off as a teenager about to stomp her feet and throw a tantrum she does come off as if she’s about ready to burst into angry tears sobbing. Murphy is just not a good villain actress. She is almost laughably bad. 

I’m still confused exactly whether or not the Spartan-III Program is all voluntary or it’s a mix of voluntary and kidnapped kids and this episode does nothing to clear that up. Kessler (Tylan Bailey) is stated to have been kidnapped and forced into the program yet Talia Perez (Cristina Rodlo) is stated to have volunteered.

It would seem like a bad idea for it to be a mix. It’s not something you can necessarily keep quiet about once the old and new soldiers started mixing. I bring this up because Soren (Bokeem Woodbine) with the help of super awesome Kwan Ha finally rescues Kessler but Kessler‘s wife sacrifices herself-I hope. A boring character helmed by an unexpressive actress. Botox is not good. 

Yet none of this hurt the episode. Well, maybe it did but not to the point that it was as bad as anything else the show has thus far presented. This was a definite upturn. The show managed to end on a high note that I dare say will give some hope to Halo fans. And the tease throughout was just excellent with a fantastic payoff for gamers and a big yet intriguing question mark for the uninitiated. 

Much of the season was pretty weak but the show ended on a high note in comparison to the rest. Not perfect, but good and worth your time.

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To me to the ultimate problem of Halo: The Series is in the first two seasons there is very little to differentiate it from any number of dramas where the characters bicker and quarrel with each other and get involved in petty squabbles or outlandishly complex mechanizations other than the science-fiction aspects.

We have a science-fiction series set against the backdrop of the entire galaxy with humanity in a war against a religiously zealous foe. Plenty of room for commentary of all types yet the war and the alien race can barely register in an episode if they register at all. Aside from some adequate special effects and some costuming choices there’s nothing that makes this special in comparison to anything on The CW which I have often compared the show with. It does not help that Joseph Morgan who was on two CW shows was cast as Ackerson.

I have to admit the summation of my feelings of Season Two was largely written in my mind by the time of the second or third episode. Character growth is minimal. Events and changes of perspective are abrupt as if they occurred off camera. Master Chief is less a character than he is a plot device to tell multiple other narratives. The best-known figure from Halo is reduced to a plot device in much the same way as Robert Downey Jr. was in many of his later MCU appearances. 

And yet based on this last episode I may give the show one more shot should it get Season Three. It finally started digging into more of the lore than it had before that I think it may have redeemed itself just enough to warrant me giving it one more try. While the show has largely been weak, the finale pointed to a possibility of things improving. I can’t necessarily recommend this season, but I can say there is hope for the future by the end. At least the future of this show.