It’s turn into more and more clear that the Halo TV present has a villain downside. This will likely appear unimaginable for a collection that’s speculated to be a couple of hostile race of aliens led by liars who exploit spiritual fanaticism, however as an alternative the present can’t cease specializing in human bickering, bizarrely relegating the galaxy-conquering aliens to an afterthought for each the characters within the present and the viewers.
I might discuss how Halo’s centering of people because the dangerous guys behind each plot cheapens one of many few fascinating ethical complexities of the Halo video games and books — that the Spartans had been constructed for basically inhumane therapy of insurgent fighters after which unintentionally discovered justification in a shock alien invasion. But it surely’s extra honest and much more damning to speak about all of this on the Halo TV present’s personal phrases. And on these phrases, I merely haven’t any fucking concept why there are even aliens on this present to start with.
In an effort to underline the badness of humanity, Halo has fully sidelined the Covenant, throwing the whole showcase course and spinning wildly into house. Even the Covenant’s grand invasion of Attain within the present is simply one other human plot, one in all a thousand methods the TV present desires to show that the human bureaucrats are evil, one thing we’ve identified for the reason that earliest moments of the present’s first season.
However all this emphasis on humanity’s sins begs a crucial query: Virtually two full seasons into Halo, what level is it attempting to make, precisely? Season 2’s seventh episode, “Thermopylae,” appears to supply some try at answering that query, when Makee (Charlie Murphy) pleads with Chief to cease serving to humanity in order that the 2 of them can settle Halo on their very own and make it a paradise, somewhat than letting both aspect use it as a civilization-destroying weapon. Setting apart the silliness that’s this model of Halo being so continuously tempted to recast Grasp Chief (Pablo Schreiber) because the lead of a home drama, Makee’s assertion nonetheless leaves a spot in our understanding of what this present is doing. If the purpose is “battle makes monsters of us all,” then shouldn’t we see that equally in each the human and Covenant factions? And much more pressingly, why gained’t anybody acknowledge that the Covenant are those who threatened extinction first and based mostly their complete galactic conquest on the Prophets’ lie a couple of Nice Journey that might take them from the galaxy?
![John (Pablo Schreiber) out of his armor and choking James Ackerson (Joseph Morgan)](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/EOHL6pHVqJ1c-tOJHKTCeSRHXZY=/0x0:9499x6336/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:9499x6336):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25336781/Halo_207_AS_0414_1812_RT.jpg)
Picture: Adrienn Szabo/Paramount Plus
We’re subjected to half a dozen scenes every episode of humanity’s reckless and evil leaders making civilization-shaping decisions — significantly the continuing machinations of Admiral Margaret Parangosky (Shabana Azmi), one of many worst and least compelling characters in current TV reminiscence, because of her constantly baffling selections and seemingly lack of technique and communication. (Put merely: She’s right here to antagonize each different character, with no actual character of her personal.) In the meantime we solely get to see the Covenant’s aspect from the viewpoint of Makee and the criminally underdeveloped Arbiter. Certain, we hear them say that the Prophets may be filled with shit and that the Nice Journey may be a lie, nevertheless it stays an entire thriller why the alien’s genuinely compelling similarity to Earth’s personal corrupt and mendacity authorities is drawn with such a faint line. Maybe drawing these connections extra clearly would assist us make sense of why Grasp Chief has fought extra people in Halo season 2 than he has Covenant.
Regardless of the moment-to-moment battle hardly ever making sense, or seeming to guide anyplace, it hasn’t stopped the present from introducing extra plot threads or drip-feeding longtime collection followers with new bits of recognizable lore. As an illustration, this newest episode gave us our most significant look but on the Forerunners, although they haven’t been named fairly but. It additionally hinted at yet one more alien faction that would quickly arrive, however we’ll have to attend and see if that thread goes anyplace.
All these new introductions do little to reduce the sensation of narrative cheapness that surrounds Halo, nonetheless. As extra concepts and plots get launched, it solely serves to underline how little sense any of this actually makes. Certain, we all know the Covenant are knocking on humanity’s entrance door, however the sudden diversion of each character within the present now converging on a must seize “the Halo,” as they hold calling it, feels prefer it got here out of nowhere. Which is a fairly astounding feat of messy storytelling contemplating it’s the article the whole franchise is known as after.
Halo season 2 is now streaming on Paramount Plus. The season finale shall be launched on Thursday, March 21.