We review the first two episodes of Halo: Season 2

I'm part of what seems to be the vocal minority when it comes to the Halo TV show. I'm a firm believer that while the first season of Paramount's live-action take on 343 Industries' iconic video game did have its vices (including that awfully forced sex scene and a large amount of Kwan Ha's narrative threads), generally speaking it was also quite an interesting and entertaining adaptation. It's precisely this that has made me so enthralled by the second season of the show, as it's the showrunners chance to adjust to feedback and to really make the fans proud. From what I've seen so far in the first two episodes of Season 2, this has been achieved.

If you've seen any marketing material or trailers, you'll know that Season 2 is looking to adapt the fall of the planet Reach. Depending on who you ask, this is one of, if not the most important events in the entirety of Halo lore, so there is a lot riding on this season to hit the mark. The first two episodes haven't really delved into this moment as of yet, instead the focus has been on setting it up, teasing the Covenant's plans and sowing the seeds of doubt into Pablo Schreiber's Master Chief's mind. The first two episodes feel like that moment in an Olympic stadium when everything goes silent as the athletes and crowd await the starting gun signalling the commencement of action. There are key plot points being explored in these first two episodes, plot points that are largely continued from Season 1, but everything is seemingly insignificant while having very serious undertones, and it works wonders for the pressure and suspense that is building up.

The hours of character development from Season 1 have also done wonders for allowing Season 2 to shine out of the gates. You know these characters, so here it's about getting to know them better, which opens the door to more emotional storytelling, exploring the human weaknesses of being a Spartan and the challenges of standing alone in the wake of overwhelming danger. These are all areas that Master Chief and Silver Team face from the first minute of this new season.

As for the additional cast members, it's already clear that Season 2 will focus more on Chief than it did before. Natascha McElhone's Dr. Halsey, Jen Taylor's Cortana, Yerin Ha's Kwan Ha, Bokeem Woodbine's Soren, they're all back and facing their own challenges, but Halo is the story of Master Chief, and it's Schrieber who gets the most screen time alongside his Spartan squad. And yes, with a more focussed screen time this does mean that Chief takes his helmet off a lot, and even spends less time in his Mjolnir armour, but that's not a bad thing. There's still plenty of CGI suited-up action (which looks good in practice), however it's supported with greater emotive effects as you get to see that Chief is more than just a suit of armour. He's a living, coherent person, and not a soulless, apathetic, robotic killing machine as he is in the games, which is a necessity because this Halo story isn't your Halo story as is the case in the immersive first-person shooter series. We need emotion to connect with Chief, and emotion comes primarily from a person's face. The Mandalorian is a key example of this in practice too, as in that show, Katee Sackhoff's Bo-Katan does wonders to keep viewers emotionally connected when Din Djarin chrome-plated helmet isn't enough.

I am a little concerned with the pace of the second season of Halo, so far. This season has a total of eight episodes, and already a quarter of those have been used up and taken the story in a very limited direction. The fall of Reach is coming, that's mighty clear, but will it get enough time to adapt this monumental occasion by the time we reach it, all while tying up and progressing other and seemingly disconnected narrative threads? I really hope so, but only time will tell.

As a final couple of thoughts, some of the new characters are wonderfully portrayed. Joseph Morgan, for example, has joined the cast to portray the new Spartan programme boss, James Ackerson, and he does a brilliant job of making you loathe his face and presence every time he pops up. But at the same time, Cortana seems to have had a face transplant, and while I'm not usually one to pick apart and whine about minor aspects like this, I can't help but feel that this new appearance makes the famed AI look too animated, almost as though she just rolled off the Pixar conveyor belt.

I have no doubt that the rabid fanbase will continue to pick apart this show because Master Chief doesn't conform to the hyper masculine power fantasy that he is in the games, but none of that will change my optimism with this series. After two episodes, Halo already feels more real and enthralling, and it's clear that there has been a step up in not just quality but reverence and appreciation for the game series. Whether this will be my same opinion in six weeks time when the show concludes its second season run, time will only tell, but so far, I'm enjoying Halo once again.