Carl Roberts 
The Master Chief is back in the second season of the Paramount+ series, Halo. But can the new season match or exceed the fun of season one?
Stand by your beds, the Master Chief is back in season 2 of Halo. Once again played by Pablo Schreiber, Master Chief Petty Officer John-117 (or Spartan-117 if you prefer), the series continues the story six months after the climax of the first season. With the return of the principals once more alongside some new cast members and the departure of showrunner, writer and executive producer Kyle Killen and co-showrunner Steven Kane, can the series be as good as, if not better than the first season? We have seen the first four episodes. And the answer may upset you.
PREMISE
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 are 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.
THOUGHTS
Sadly, based on what we’ve seen so far, no it can’t. Don’t get me wrong, the series is still very good. Action-packed, dramatic, and with a heart beating underneath the armor. But with the changes behind the scenes and with a few questionable story choices, this second season is playing catch-up and not in a good way. Apart from the fourth episode (which goes a long way to dragging the season back onto its feet), the opening three episodes, although filling us in with what’s happened between seasons, are not a patch on the first season. That’s not to say there isn’t anything to like. Far from it. The opening to the season is exciting, emotional, and humorous. It does lay the foundations of what MAY come further down the line, with questions being thrown at us that we await the answers to.
New characters are introduced, some of whom we find ourselves becoming fond of alongside a new villain who will have us wanting to throttle him through the screen. New opening credits and a new theme tune have us thinking we are in for a season that will exceed the first. It is a false dawn, however. After a superb opening, the first episode brings us up to date with the proceedings. And it is a slog, to be honest. The next two episodes go in almost the same way before episode four has us hooked from the start. The season takes its time in setting things up in the first three episodes, but this has us showing frustration.
PABLO SCHREIBER AND NATASHA CULZAC
Pablo Schreiber grabs our attention from the start, as he should do. And once again, the actor has us eating out of the palm of his hand as the Master Chief. Despite being kept quiet for the majority of the first three episodes, Schreiber still has enough of a presence to keep our attention fixed firmly on him. No one else can fit into John’s armor other than Schrieber, he is that good in the role. But as we find out during the opening episode, John has been forced to allow Cortana to be removed from his body. And for some reason, this almost makes the character become uninteresting. But Pablo Schrieber has the power to keep us watching and invested in the show.
The surprise is Natasha Culzac as Riz. Anyone who enjoyed the first season would have thought that Kate Kennedy as Kai would be front and center. Not so. Natasha Culzac gets a large amount of screen time as Riz alongside her own side story. All four of the Spartans have removed their chips and Riz is starting to show signs of strain. We follow as she tries to regain herself, to return to who she used to be before she removed her chip. And it is this storyline that we find ourselves following during the season alongside the main plot. Natasha Culzac has us hooked with her vulnerability in her role, making her a worthy character this season.
KATE KENNEDY AND BENTLEY KALU
Kate Kennedy returns as Kai. And she again has us in raptures in her role. After the events of season one as a basis, Kai is John’s go-to confidante. She knows what lies beneath his helmet, what is going through his mind, and what he is feeling, despite John trying to shut himself off. Kai does play a vital role in what we’ve seen so far but not as much as we would have thought. But Kate Kennedy makes Kai a compelling character once more and one we will follow as the season progresses.
Bentley Kalu as Vannak-134 sees his character develop a welcome comedic side. He too has removed his chip and this makes the character a more humanised version of what we’ve seen of him before. Of course, he still is tough as nails and has a mean streak to him. But with a scene that sees him talking to birds with love and affection, we are amazed that the character endears himself to us. Kalu, with the help of the scripts, brings Vannak out of his shell in a wonderful performance.
THE SUPPORTING CAST
The supporting cast, so far, are with us in fits and starts. Bokeem Woodbine as Soren-066 appears in the first episode, only to then vanish until the climax of the third. This is a distraction for the audience, who are expecting to see the character throughout. Natascha McElhone as Dr. Catherine Elizabeth Halsey returns in a diminished role until the fourth episode. Again, we expect to see more of her than we do. Her fate after the climax of season one is revealed but the actress has very little to do in her role.
Danny Sapani as Captain Jacob Keyes also doesn’t fare well until the fourth episode. He does play a part during the opening three but it is very little, and few and far between. Shabana Azmi as Admiral Margaret Parangosky fares little better, reduced to a mere cameo here and there. Some other returning characters do cause a surprise or two (I’m not revealing who though), but it is a case again of few and far between.
JOSEPH MORGAN
Joseph Morgan as James Ackerson, a formidable intelligence operative who has spent his career climbing the ranks of the UNSC’s secretive Office of Naval Intelligence is the season’s big bad. And he gives a slimy, vile, boo-inducing turn as the villain. Almost from the second, we meet him, Ackerson is a character we will hate with a passion. We know that he’s up to no good, that he’s got an ulterior motive for his actions. And when this is revealed, we are shocked. We can understand some of his motives but he is a dastardly villain who would be twitching his moustache if he had one. Morgan gives a brilliantly evil performance as Ackerson, one that will have us desperate to see him get his comeuppance sooner rather than later.
VERDICT
It will be interesting to see where the season goes after the climax of the fourth episode. We can imagine how certain characters will react and exactly how much action and violence they will bring to the Covenant and Ackerson. And it will be in droves. If the writers have been smart, they have lulled us into a false sense with the first three episodes and will go in the same direction as the fourth. What they have done well is bring a sense of high emotion from the climax of episode three and throughout episode four. No spoilers but you will need to bring tissues during episode four. It is action-packed, exciting and highly emotional.
Hopefully, they haven’t slowed things down again from episode five. That would be a travesty going forward. We have come to expect a certain sense and standard from the series during the first season. This second season doesn’t bring that until the midway point. It does show signs that it’s again becoming the series we have come to know and love. Hopefully, they’ve got the slow-moving and story-building aspects out of the way now, meaning the rest of the season will be at full tilt as we expect. While by no means a poor season, it isn’t what we want from a second season. It can only get better from this point on. If not, then the Covenant won’t defeat the Master Chief. It will be the boredom of the audience and the resulting abandonment of the series. And then the series will need a Halo of its own.
Halo Season Two is currently streaming on Paramount+ with the first two episodes available to stream now.
Introducing Carl! As the News Editor at Future of the Force, Carl has been an invaluable member of our team since early 2016. His expertise and dedication have made him an integral part of our editorial staff. Beyond his professional role, Carl is a fervent supporter of Liverpool F.C. and an avid follower of pop culture. He has a deep passion for Halloween, Friday the 13th, and the iconic movie franchises Star Wars and Star Trek.
He can be found either at his neighborhood cinema, enjoying the latest releases on the big screen, or at home streaming the newest blockbuster movies.
