‘Halo Episode 7: Inheritance’ Review
Image Source: The Outer Haven
When it comes to writing things for public consumption, it’s always somewhat of a gamble. The risks are high when it comes to trying to adapt a beloved franchise to television or film, especially with a passionate, and some of which toxic, fanbase. The writers and showrunners knew this was going into production for Halo on Paramount+, and for the most part, the show has worked. Television is a far different medium than a first-person shooter video game, and the focus on Chief’s humanization has been the show’s strongest element.
Every week, however, a consistent addition to the show has felt off and takes away from the show’s potential. If you’ve been following along each week, you know by now the Kwan Ha tangential arc continues to befuddle each episode. And this week, she was the focus of the entire episode. This gamble on her story is just not paying off, and they bet everything on her taking the helm this week completely. It’s like the writers keep pulling the lever and hoping for a jackpot, only to receive mismatched pairs each time.
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Let’s take the episode isolated by itself first. Does it work? Yeah, technically, it does. From beginning to end, it makes sense for her story. She seeks out the mystics in the desert her father found that apparently made him a legitimate leader. Visions come to her as she ingests a liquid that can be lit on fire, which is supposedly the fuel source that makes Madrigal so important. She has to prove her worth to something standing in her way in those visions. This happens to be Chief in his armor, and she gets soundly trounced each time until she breaks down. Apparently, that’s enough to meet her ancestors, who tell her she’s a protector. She announces as much to the mystics, who tell her to go back to where it all began. Vinsher tracks her down, a battle ensues, and she succeeds, becoming the leader she wants to be.
The episode’s standout performance belongs to Burn Gorman as Governor Vinsher. Gorman’s typical type-casting as the villain plays off as he shines in the episode hunting down Kwan Ha. His obsession with her is a little cliche and hollow, as it’s hard to believe a 16-year-old poses a threat to a man with a private army, but he does a stellar job at portraying it. If the Madrigal arc is to continue, as all signs indicate, I sincerely hope he survives his fate at the end of the episode. He’s by far the most interesting part of the arc and should be utilized more to improve this arc should it continue.
Image Source: IMDb
Aside from seeing a plasma grenade used for once — triggering nostalgia for every sweet stick frag in Halo multiplayer games — there’s not much else that works in this episode, however. Kwan Ha’s path through the episode smacks as a copy of the Black Panther plot, as for Kwan Ha to get where she wants to go, she has to go into a trance to talk to her ancestors by drinking a strange substance. Again, there’s a lot of this reliance on tropes and other films to drive the story. Can’t know the secret until she goes through a trial? Check. Has to face down her demons before she can be ready? Check. Where’s the secret? Oh, gotta go back to where it all began. Check.
Some of these things don’t make sense, though. Why is Chief the one she has to fight and kill in her vision? It is a desperate attempt to keep her relevant and part of the story. She hadn’t mattered since episode one when he was bringing her in for an execution, but his interaction with the Artifact brought memories back, and keeping her alive was his first independent action among his revelations. The mystics tell her Chief will return to Madrigal, and I’m left asking why? Remove Chief from her arc, and you would have no indication that this arc even belongs in the Halo universe. Just because they’re fighting against a government called the UNSC? It’s so loosely connected to what makes something Halo that it could run as a standalone sci-fi show, and no one would be the wiser.
They set out to answer the question of Kwan Ha’s purpose in this show, only to have it even more ambiguous. She’s a “protector” of some portal that Chief will need, but they don’t know where it leads, and they won’t until Madrigal is safe. So, if this is the secret that her father was tasked to protect, and Chief needs it, how does that fit in with their narrative of fighting against the UNSC? Chief is literally used on recruitment posters for the UNSC, but sure, that tracks with a group fighting for independence from the UNSC. Chief’s going to have to come back to Madrigal for this portal, which would be like inviting the UNSC to dinner. Furthermore, if Chief needs this portal, I won’t be surprised if they use this as the means for him to get to the ringworld we saw him and Makee experience. It’s a predictable and forced plot point that I genuinely hope they don’t use.
Image Source: IMDb
By now, you may be asking, what about Soren? The former Spartan who swore to Chief that he would protect her has a “profound” change of heart when he goes home to The Rubble and deals with rivals to his power in a place that touts its eschewing of rules. He shows up on Madrigal just in time to save Kwan Ha and helps her with her plan to take on Vinsher. It’s tried and true, and of course, he doesn’t really have a change of heart. He came back for his ship and his money she owed him. Soren plays his part and leaves, everything about it entirely forgettable and disappointing, relegating him to a role as nothing more than a tool.
We’ve all seen this one before, which helps further emphasize how uninteresting and how much the writers have failed to signal how this arc has any consequential part of the larger story. Instead, it feels forced and ultimately hollow and fails to justify why Kwan Ha’s inclusion was needed. If this portal is the justification for why it was necessary, it would be such a stretch of the definition of necessary. Hopefully, the show gets off this side road next week and back to what was working for it.
Rating: 5/10
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Source(s): Paramount+
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