TV Review: HALO Season 2

Melody McCune

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Master Chief John-117 wears a suit of armor and a helmet while walking through a smoke-filled battlefield with a soldier slung over his shoulder in Halo Season 2 Episode 1, "Sanctuary."

Admittedly, video game adaptations are a breeding ground of contention on social media, and Paramount+’s Halo series is no exception. It’s a polarizing subject. Either you’re an avid longtime player who loathes the live-action show or are unfamiliar with the IP and merely enjoying it as a sci-fi series. As for yours truly, I fall in the latter camp. Try not to hold it against me. 

I had the privilege of watching the first four episodes of Halo Season 2. Having found Season 1 to be an entertaining (if imperfect) watch, I was curious to dive into the show’s sophomore season. 

James Ackerson sits on a ship while wearing a suit and looking pensive in Halo Season 2 Episode 1, "Sanctuary."
HALO Season 2. Photo Credit: Adrienn Szabo/Paramount+.

About Halo Season 2

Here’s a synopsis of Season 2 per Paramount+:

“In season two, Master Chief John-117 leads his team of elite Spartans against the alien threat known as the Covenant. In the wake of a shocking event on a desolate planet, John cannot shake the feeling that his war is about to change and risks everything to prove what no one else will believe — that the Covenant is preparing to attack humanity’s greatest stronghold. With the galaxy on the brink, John embarks on a journey to find the key to humankind’s salvation, or its extinction: the Halo.”

Halo stars Pablo Schreiber, Natascha McElhone, Bokeem Woodbine, Shabana Azmi, Kate Kennedy, Natasha Culzac, Olive Gray, Yerin Ha, Bentley Kalu, Fiona O’Shaughnessy, Tylan Bailey and Danny Sapani. Joining the cast in Season 2 are Joseph Morgan as James Ackerson, Cristina Rodlo as Talia Perez and Christina Bennington as Cortana. 

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What Doesn’t Work 

It’s challenging to critique a season when you’re only given half of it, but one thing I noticed instantly was the overall tone. Season 2 feels stiff and rigid, almost like it doesn’t know how to recover after the Season 1 cliffhanger. Narratively, there’s stumbling. The pacing is off. Maybe this is the show’s “sophomore slump,” but the awkwardness takes a hot minute to overcome. 

Additionally, the creative team makes strange storytelling choices. With those weird decisions comes the Game of Thrones problem, where there are too many characters to juggle, and the plot feels spread thin. A good chunk of the main cast is spread out in these first four episodes, too. There’s not as much of a tight-knit dynamic as in Season 1. In general, everything feels a bit unfocused, with the show trying to do too much. 

Talia Perez wears a tan shirt with her hair down while sporting a facial injury in Halo Season 2.
HALO Season 2. Photo Credit: Adrienn Szabo/Paramount+.

Character-wise, Master Chief fans might be disappointed that there’s less focus on him in the first half of Season 2. That said, it is nice to get to know the other Spartans. For example, the narrative zeroes in on Riz as she navigates life without her pellet and the new emotions that entails. Natasha Culzac does solid work here. The series also experiments with new character dynamics. 

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Performances 

Pablo Schreiber steps up to the plate, exploring new facets of Master Chief. Good ole MC struggles with PTSD and his overwhelming emotions. However, he’s still a born and bred soldier through it all. Schreiber delivers a measured, nuanced performance. He steers the ship with capable hands. Newcomer Joseph Morgan basks in the narrative spotlight quite a bit. We get to know Ackerson, a muddy, morally questionable character with plenty of secrets. 

Morgan offers a calculated, layered, gripping performance. He holds your attention whenever he’s onscreen. I’ll admit, it was difficult for me not to see Ackerson as a significantly toned down, less mercurial, human version of Klaus Mikaelson, but elements of him exist in Morgan’s performance. That said, Morgan does enough to differentiate between the two. 

With his gruff sandpaper charm, Bokeem Woodbine adds levity and comedic relief as Soren. He has a few delightful one-liners. Fiona O’Shaughnessy gets more time to play onscreen, and she rises to the challenge. She conveys so much with her eyes and churns in compelling work. Of course, Danny Sapani and Natascha McElhone are terrific, as always, even though they’re woefully underutilized in these few episodes. Cristina Rodlo is another standout as Talia. She’s a vibrantly emotional scene partner for Schreiber, with whom she predominantly works. 

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What Works 

Halo Season 2 addresses the harsh realities of soldiers with PTSD and how damaging wartime can be on the psyche. While it occasionally feels more like a war drama than science fiction, the moments when the series leans into those sci-fi elements are the most entertaining. Like last season, an obvious highlight of Season 2, besides the performances, is the intricate action. It’s as high-octane and propulsive as ever. There are many fun human/alien fight scenes as the Spartans battle the Covenant. 

Soren wears a brown leather jacket and black undershirt while standing in his home on an asteroid in Halo Season 2.
HALO Season 2. Photo Credit: Adrienn Szabo/Paramount+.

Additionally, the action picks up significantly in episode four. Remember when I said the characters and their stories feel spread out and too isolated? They start to converge in episode four. It also feels like the show finds more of its heart in this outing, of which it’s sorely bereft in the first few episodes. 

Overall, Halo Season 2 isn’t without its flaws. My hope is these wrinkles will smooth out in the later episodes. That said, there’s still plenty to love in this immersive world, from the supercharged performances and the action to the incredible set pieces and the special effects. Give it a few episodes to overcome these bumps, and watch it start to come together in a potent, full-throttle way. 

Halo Season 2 premieres with two episodes on Thursday, February 8, only on Paramount+

https://www.geekgirlauthority.com/februarys-most-anticipated-video-games-2024/

Melody McCune
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