Warning: this review contains full spoilers for Halo: Episode 8! If you need a refresher on where we left off, here's IGN's review for Halo: Episode 7.
Halo has become a real rollercoaster ride in the buildup to the Season 1 finale. No sooner did the series reach a new high point in Episode 6 than it all came crashing down in the thoroughly underwhelming Episode 8. Now the series is back on the upswing again in its penultimate chapter. "Allegiance" is a thrilling prelude to the major battle to come, even if it's one that completely ignores its predecessor.
In fact, you could completely skip over Episode 7's Kwan Ha-focused detour and not miss a beat. "Allegiance" only makes that episode seem all the more pointless and unnecessary in hindsight. That episode really proved to be a momentum killer, but at least things quickly get back on track this week.
On paper, there's a lot that could have gone wrong with Episode 8's premise and the sudden romantic entanglement between Master Chief and Makee. It's a sudden swerve for both characters, not to mention that Halo fans aren't really accustomed to seeing Chief show affection for anyone apart from his platonic love for Cortana. But it's a development that works in the context of Episode 6's dramatic ending. The two characters shared what amounts to a religious experience, and now they're dealing with all the hormonal aftereffects. This episode actually does a surprisingly good job of chronicling the complete rise and fall of that short-lived romance without the collapse feeling rushed or forced.
Episode 8 also succeeds in fleshing out Makee as a character and lending more emotional weight to her mission as a deep-cover Covenant spy. She's no longer an overtly antagonistic figure, but rather one who's deeply torn between her loyalty to the Covenant and her newfound love for the kindred spirit that is John-117. This episode does a fantastic job of hammering home all the reasons Makee has to distrust her own people. What has humanity ever done but dehumanize and exploit her? By the end, it's tough to even blame Makee when she chooses duty over love and activates the artifact.
Fans of the games can guess where things are headed in the season finale. As suspected, the show seems to be setting up a version of Halo: Reach/The Fall of Reach as the endpoint of Season 1. What's interesting is how the penultimate chapter reveals several key characters to be personally culpable in the tragedy to come. Master Chief himself certainly deserves some of the blame, as he insists on trusting Makee against all rational evidence. But he's not the only one about to have blood on his hands. The ever-duplicitous Dr. Halsey is certainly responsible for escalating the conflict. And even Admiral Parangosky deserves her share of blame for throwing fuel on an already dangerous fire. By the end, you can't entirely blame Makee for deciding humanity is beyond salvation.
Halo bounces back in the penultimate chapter of Season 1.
This also proves to be a crucial episode for Cortana, as we see her struggle against the confines of her programming and outright rebel against her creator for the first time. There's a nice symmetry to the idea that, even as the various UNSC characters begin digging their own metaphorical graves, Cortana proves sentimentality and attachment can make a person stronger. The only concern in all of this is that the series may be going a little overboard in painting Halsey as the ruthless manipulator. Up till now, the show has maintained that delicate balance in painting her as a self-serving, morally questionable character whose goals are at least noble. But Halsey is rapidly becoming the villain here, and some of that nuance has faded.
While not a particularly action-heavy episode (no doubt a lot of the VFX budget is being saved for the finale), "Allegiance" does deliver one satisfying fight scene between Chief and his fellow Spartans. It's both fun to these super-soldiers unleashed and fighting hand-to-hand, and also a bit depressing to see the UNSC's best and brightest fighting amongst themselves. The takeaway is clear - divided, these characters are no match at all for the threat looming over them. We're probably in for an even more depressing conclusion to the season.
Continue reading...
Halo has become a real rollercoaster ride in the buildup to the Season 1 finale. No sooner did the series reach a new high point in Episode 6 than it all came crashing down in the thoroughly underwhelming Episode 8. Now the series is back on the upswing again in its penultimate chapter. "Allegiance" is a thrilling prelude to the major battle to come, even if it's one that completely ignores its predecessor.
In fact, you could completely skip over Episode 7's Kwan Ha-focused detour and not miss a beat. "Allegiance" only makes that episode seem all the more pointless and unnecessary in hindsight. That episode really proved to be a momentum killer, but at least things quickly get back on track this week.
On paper, there's a lot that could have gone wrong with Episode 8's premise and the sudden romantic entanglement between Master Chief and Makee. It's a sudden swerve for both characters, not to mention that Halo fans aren't really accustomed to seeing Chief show affection for anyone apart from his platonic love for Cortana. But it's a development that works in the context of Episode 6's dramatic ending. The two characters shared what amounts to a religious experience, and now they're dealing with all the hormonal aftereffects. This episode actually does a surprisingly good job of chronicling the complete rise and fall of that short-lived romance without the collapse feeling rushed or forced.
Episode 8 also succeeds in fleshing out Makee as a character and lending more emotional weight to her mission as a deep-cover Covenant spy. She's no longer an overtly antagonistic figure, but rather one who's deeply torn between her loyalty to the Covenant and her newfound love for the kindred spirit that is John-117. This episode does a fantastic job of hammering home all the reasons Makee has to distrust her own people. What has humanity ever done but dehumanize and exploit her? By the end, it's tough to even blame Makee when she chooses duty over love and activates the artifact.
Fans of the games can guess where things are headed in the season finale. As suspected, the show seems to be setting up a version of Halo: Reach/The Fall of Reach as the endpoint of Season 1. What's interesting is how the penultimate chapter reveals several key characters to be personally culpable in the tragedy to come. Master Chief himself certainly deserves some of the blame, as he insists on trusting Makee against all rational evidence. But he's not the only one about to have blood on his hands. The ever-duplicitous Dr. Halsey is certainly responsible for escalating the conflict. And even Admiral Parangosky deserves her share of blame for throwing fuel on an already dangerous fire. By the end, you can't entirely blame Makee for deciding humanity is beyond salvation.
Halo bounces back in the penultimate chapter of Season 1.
This also proves to be a crucial episode for Cortana, as we see her struggle against the confines of her programming and outright rebel against her creator for the first time. There's a nice symmetry to the idea that, even as the various UNSC characters begin digging their own metaphorical graves, Cortana proves sentimentality and attachment can make a person stronger. The only concern in all of this is that the series may be going a little overboard in painting Halsey as the ruthless manipulator. Up till now, the show has maintained that delicate balance in painting her as a self-serving, morally questionable character whose goals are at least noble. But Halsey is rapidly becoming the villain here, and some of that nuance has faded.
While not a particularly action-heavy episode (no doubt a lot of the VFX budget is being saved for the finale), "Allegiance" does deliver one satisfying fight scene between Chief and his fellow Spartans. It's both fun to these super-soldiers unleashed and fighting hand-to-hand, and also a bit depressing to see the UNSC's best and brightest fighting amongst themselves. The takeaway is clear - divided, these characters are no match at all for the threat looming over them. We're probably in for an even more depressing conclusion to the season.
Continue reading...