Season 2, Episode 3 of Paramount Plus’ Halo is far more compelling than episodes 1 and 2.
This is a recap and review of episode 3. Spoilers to follow!
Recap and Review
We begin where episode 2 left off, where Master Chief admits to Silver Team that he’s going off orders in taking them to Visegard. They enter the station to find it abandoned and a strange sound coming from the equipment, a noise that John recognizes. As they approach a jammed auto door that keeps thudding, Briggs from FLEETCOM shows up to arrest Master Cheif. He pushes past her to enter the door, only to find nothing.
Meanwhile, Ackerman is shaving the beard of an older man, presumably his dad. He tells him he might have to leave and can’t take his father with him. We see a surprisingly human side to Ackerman here, especially when he talks about losing his mother and sister.
Back home, Keyes tears into the squad, telling them they are grounded from missions. John pushes back, asking about Cobalt. Keyes explains that Cobalt went to Aktis IV, and John tries to argue that the flight plan had been changed. Even his squad seems to think he’s lost it, so Keyes relieves him of duty until he undergoes a psychiatric evaluation. Clearly, this is a set-up from someone, probably Ackerman, but for what purpose?
John heads to his psych evaluation with a pair of guards, both of whom he punches out in the elevator in order to escape.
Meanwhile, Riz goes back to the doctor she visited in the last episode, only to find Louis at the door. They insist she says for dinner. During the meal, she asks what Louis meant about “other ways to live,” clearly wondering if she might enjoy life as a civilian.
Kai attempts to explain to Ackerman how the rest of the team wasn’t aware of John’s deception and that she wants to be deployed solo. Ackerman replies that John has deserted, then accuses her of knowing about John’s mental state from the get-go.
Later, in the morgue, Briggs explains to Ackerman and Keyes that Cobalt Team was found dead 80 meters from the relay, surrounded by plasma scarring (suggesting it was the Covenant). Keyes tears into Ackerman, demanding the truth. Ackerman claims that Command already knows that the Covenant is on Reach. Keyes wants to initiate their civilian evacuation plan, the Winter Contingency, but Ackerman says that would cause chaos. He asks for Keyes’ support in a plan to fight the Covenant but not win, though he doesn’t go into detail what this means. He claims the old adage, “Those who fight and run away, live to fight another day,” to which Keyes replies with a good old, “Go f**k yourself.”
John runs to Parangosky to tell her his intel about the coverup of the Covenant on Reach. She advises him to go back to FLEETCOM and suck up his punishment, revealing she had been working for ONI the whole time.
Next on his list of goodbyes, Ackerson talks to Halsey, reminding us how she conditioned and controlled the spartans. After telling her that though she’ll soon be gone, her work will carry on, he turns to leave. She stops him by telling him about his sister, Julia, who was also apparently a spartan who failed the augmentation. She throws his pithy words back in his face, then adds that Julia loved Ackerman very much. In response, he brings Soren into the “room.”
Later, Ackerman sits with his dad. He gives him a pill, presumably cyanide or some sort of death-inducing chemical.
In the final scene, John finds Perez in a church. He explains how, in the fog, he saw Makee, and Perez explains how the sound she heard on Sanctuary gives her insomnia because it’s a Sangheili prayer informing them that they’re about to be attacked and that this battle will pave the way for some sort of Covenant ascension.
As John nods, an explosion rocks the church.
Obviously, unless the explosion was from something else, the next episode will be the event that takes place right before the start of the first Halo game. As a word of advice, if you haven’t played the games or read the books, and you want to avoid spoilers, don’t google “Halo” and “Reach.”
There’s also the side mission on The Rubble happening concurrently with the events on Reach.
Laera is told by Kwan that Ruby Ann, the contender for leadership of The Rubble, bought off her crew, so she and Kessler are in danger. She returns home to find the crew there. They tell her the ship is fixed, and they can leave, but Laera doesn’t trust them, of course.
Kwan takes Laera and Kessler to the port. She tells Laera about her past on Madrigal and the guilt she carries over being the sole survivor. They sneak onto Soren’s ship. Laera almost makes it out of the hanger, but Antares closes the doors. Laera asks Kwan to take Kessler onto a transport ship and protect him.
Laera is interrogated by Antares, claiming she and Soren were ripping him off. A strange sound draws away most of the crew, and the situation gets very tense. When Laera refuses to tell, claiming ignorance, Carina throws her into the airlock. Before she passes out, blood splatters the door. Kwan has rescued her, having killed everyone. Kessler had still been put onto the transport, though.
Overall Thoughts
This episode was a lot more compelling than the previous two. While the action was minimal, the story moves at a quicker pace, and the vulnerable side of Ackerman makes him a more interesting character than just an ambitious douchebag. The episode also released a hidden side of Laera. Previously, she seemed like a scared waif, but in this episode she shows she can and will fight. This episode has left me waiting for Thursday to see what will befall Reach. Will it match the game and/or book storyline, or will they take it in a new direction? I like when shows and movies divert from their source material, so I’ll be happy as long as we see some more battles!
The next episode airs on February 22 on Paramount Plus.
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