Deron Generally
Deron GenerallyHALO
Paramount Plus
Season 1 Episode 2
Unbound
John takes Kwan to an old friend and learns more about the mystery object, which the Covenant and Makee are determined to steal. With the alien threat growing, Dr. Halsey has a plan to deal with John’s unpredictable behavior.
The episode starts with some backstory. It works because it showcases the origins of the character and one of his conflicts. It’s nothing profound, but it does work thematically. The first few minutes also showcase some impressive visual effects both in the world building of the series as well as the action. There is a visually impressive action sequence in the beginning with Master Chief navigating an asteroid field that was thrilling and fun to see.
As the UNSC schemes to retrieve Master Chief and the artifact the Covenant was searching for, Master Chief meets with an old friend who left the Spartan program and is living his own life. It’s an interesting scene with some parallels that will inform the character. I do wonder if there is going to be more of Master Chief being out of uniform in every episode because it’s going to be annoying to Halo fans if the actor’s ego trumps the character.
As Master Chief learns more about his former Spartan’s life outside the project, Halsey continues to champion her Cortana project as the remaining members of Silver team are in pursuit and wondering what is going on with Master Chief. A moment that teases more conflict on the series as the characters that are bred to follow orders start to question their mission. Master Chief is brought to see someone who survived being on a Covenant ship in order to get answers about the object. It’s a good scene that forces the character to confront his past again and we get a sense of the bigger plot of the series.
Master Chief makes a decision about his future as well as what he plans to do with the artifact. A scene that will send him back into the lion’s den as well as add some interesting tension.
Episode 2 of Halo definitely improves on the first episode in keys ways. My biggest concern from the premiere was that the show would not find its voice and this episode assuaged some of my concerns. While the episode is short on action, it makes up for it with great world building and character development. The characters have me intrigued and I look forward to what comes next.
HALO S01XE02
