‘Halo: Episode 5: Reckoning’ Review
Image Source: The Outer Haven
Well, if you wanted action in the Halo series, you got it. Episode five of the Paramount+ series finally delivers what looks and feels like Halo. It was a welcome break in the ongoing story and delivered everything a fan of the games would expect to see Master Chief do. The story continued to be average, which is mildly disappointing halfway through the first season.
Let’s get right to it. In the fifth episode, Halo delivers the first action sequence since the beginning of the series. UNSC against the Covenant. Spartans in action. Chief bringing down a dropship by hijacking a banshee. For the first time in the series, despite previous mention, viewers saw Jackals and Grunts, and the biggest surprise, a Brute, in action against the UNSC. The fight was solidly shot, with plenty of exciting moments and the right escalating beats that amp the battle up from moment to moment until the end. The reveal of a singular Brute tossing Chief back like he was a toy was a perfect setup for a later showdown. I hope there’s more of this to come.
Image Source: IMDb
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That said, the story elements that have unfolded so far became glossed over and rushed in this episode. The evolving search for more information about his past, and now Halsey’s link to it, deepens Chief’s story this time until he’s needed to take on the Covenant. Until then, it’s quick and dispersed among the other narratives. The Halsey-Keyes family dysfunction was revealed further this week, but it was treated with such indifference it was ignored and lost within the larger scope of the episode. I say repurposed because, in the game, he’s ship bound, commanding the Pillar of Autumn. In the show, he seems to primarily be working in an intelligence capacity since he’s been seen in the command center on Reach.
Despite the blasé approach, it’s no doubt the writers are trying to allude to some big conspiracy behind Chief and his childhood. Whatever it is, it implicates not just Halsey, but Captain Keyes, Halsey’s assistant, Adun, and, I suspect, Admiral Parangosky. But the problem here is Keyes and Halsey’s secrecy regarding Chief’s childhood. Why? Was it to hide their involvement? Is there something bigger and deeper? The issue is the latter because there’s been no indication of this. What could be the big, deep secret that they don’t want Chief to know? Any guess is as good as mine.
During this episode, he uses the second Artifact to see more and realizes Halsey kidnapped him from his parents. Was that it? That’s all they were worried about? My response to that is: so what? Yeah, he legit gets mad about it, lunges at Halsey, and Cortana shuts down his nervous system. But why did they need such secrecy? Aside from Chief, who are they worried about finding out about this because of how they act? It’s a secret that could bring the entire UNSC down. But from where the viewer is sitting, there’s no indication of this threat. It’s disappointing and a distraction.
There are interesting subplots that deserve more attention. One of those, so far, is Miranda Keyes. Also repurposed for the show like her father, her interactions with Dr. Halsey indicate a deeply painful history of neglect and broken promises. She clearly favors her father over her mother. So much so that when her father is the one to betray her and take her off the Artifact research, it hurts her more, but it fails to garner any sympathy and care because there’s been so little attention given to this dysfunctional family that is in constant contact with each other that I don’t see why viewers should care.
Image Source: IMDb
The other is Chief’s relationship with his fellow Spartans and Cortana. Kai-125’s secret, the removal of her emotion-suppressing chip, becomes known to Chief, and interestingly he sidelines her, deeming her unfit for duty. She displays more of this new cognitive independence when she fires back at Chief and accuses him of hypocrisy. Kai tries to reach her other squad mates, asking them deeper philosophical questions, only for them to look at her like she’s losing her mind. It deserves greater screen time and would do more to flesh out the Spartans more. It’s unfortunate because those two stories could really deepen the story.
That screen time would be a better use to the overall story than this Kwan Ha side arc. Five episodes in, and I’ve completely lost interest in her story. Each week, questions pop up by the end of the episode. Why do I care? What does this have to do with Chief and the greater plot? It continues to feel like an entirely separate story that should have been given its own show if the writers insist on including it. Instead, it seems hell-bent on adhering to a story — the insurrection against the UNSC — that, within the greater narrative of Halo, becomes irrelevant after the discovery of the Covenant because they represent a greater threat to them all.
The Covenant is another area that’s starting to make me torn. This week, the taste of conflict between the UNSC and the Covenant was good, but I’m afraid that may be all the show gives. Which begs the question I started to ask last week: why have the Covenant at all? I get they’re a threat to humanity, but their threat seems insignificant until this week. They’ve given these little snippets of the urgency of finding something to take on the Covenant, but with Chief being a soldier, he’s spent surprisingly little time dealing with the Covenant, and they don’t strictly come off as this looming threat. The Kwan Ha side arc highlights that, as she’s on this quest to avenge her father and gain independence for Madrigal.
Image Source: IMDb
They even brushed over the Cole Protocol in the previous episode. For the uninitiated, the Cole Protocol is the emergency wipe of any and all records for the location of Reach and Earth to prevent any Covenant access of human computers and networks from discovering the location of these precious human population centers. But to anyone who hasn’t read the books, would they have even put that together? That little detail is potentially enough to drive home how scared humanity is of the Covenant, and the only mention of it is when the captain of the UNSC ship shouts it as they flee the Covenant ambush led by Makee.
I know this seems mostly negative, but let’s keep in mind a few things. For one, it’s the first season, and I think they’re still finding their feet and what works. Further, they are doing a lot of things right. Chief’s story is one of the best things about the show. The effects of that and the subplots that come to light due to what Chief’s actions cause are great areas to explore. Halo could be great, they need to develop their strengths, and if they do, they could have a serious contender.
Rating: 7/10
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Source(s): Paramount+
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