Halo delivers a bombshell episode with "Reach"

Today we round the halfway point on the second season of Halo, Paramount+'s adaptation of the legendary sci-fi action video game franchise. The first season of Halo had its ups and downs, and that has remained true throughout its sophomore season. But with "Reach," Halo finally delivered on the promises that it's been setting up all season. Yes, it still has its rough spots, but on the whole this was one of the best episodes in Halo's entire run to date.

From the chaotic battle through the streets of Reach to the heartbreaking final showdown, there's a lot to cover in this episode. Beware SPOILERS beyond this point.

Halo Episode 204 review: "Reach"

We're finally here, the "big one" that Halo has been setting up throughout the entirety of its second season. Since the premiere, we've been getting hints that the alien Covenant forces had set their sights on the major human planet of Reach, home to millions of people and the closest thing the UNSC has to a capital beyond Earth. Over time, it became clear that forces within the UNSC were already aware of the Covenant's actions, and — thanks to Cortana's (Jen Taylor) computational analysis — had decided that there was nothing they could do to save the planet. Rather than warn everyone, several key leaders, including the loathsome Ackerson (Joseph Morgan) fled the planet, leaving it to its fate.

This sets the stage for a devastating battle which kicks off right at the top of the episode, as John-117 aka the Master Chief (Pablo Schreiber) and Corporal Perez (Cristina Rodlo) fight their way toward the rest of the UNSC military while Reach is bombed from above. Halo has focused quite a bit on quieter character-driven stories during its first few episodes, and now it's pretty clear that was because the show was saving its budget for the Fall of Reach. The destruction of the cityscape is breathtaking and terrifying; more than once I caught myself swearing under my breath because of how effectively the show depicted the city's explosive fall.

"Reach" was an extremely action-driven episode of Halo, which felt just right for where we are in the story. There's great variety in the set pieces, from soldiers engaging in firefights in the streets to heroic last stands and frantic close-quarters scraps. A particular highlight happens early in the episode, when cloaked Covenant warriors descend on the unsuspecting humans in a loud market district, and Master Chief tackles one of them through a window and subsequently fist-fights it to death. I gasped, I cheered, I fist-pumped as he grabbed makeshift weapons from his surroundings and Corporal Perez saved him at a key moment. It was exhilarating.

The action in this episode was by far the best that Halo has delivered, full stop. The Fall of Reach is a hugely important moment in the video game mythos, and it's clear that the show wanted to make its own version of the Fall of Reach equally important. I'd say they succeeded, even if it ended up being quite different from its video game counterpart.

Halo remains strongest when it's focused on the fight

This wasn't a flawless episode of television, however. A consistent qualm I've had with Halo is that many of the human stories it adds to flesh out the series often come across as forced. Generally speaking, when Halo keeps the Master Chief and the struggle against the Covenant at the forefront, it's often very engaging. When it shifts to its personal stories of tertiary characters, it often flags.

"Reach" does have some solid personal moments, especially those that revolve around the Master Chief, Perez, Admiral Keyes (Danny Sapani), and the Spartan Riz (Natasha Culzac). Other moments fall a bit flat or play awkwardly enough that they knocked me out of the immersion. It's obvious that Halo wants to tell these character-centric stories, but until it gives them the same love and attention to detail as it does to its military action scenes, the problem may persist.

On the whole, I found those issues to be pretty forgivable considering all of the episode's merits. "Reach" is a compelling hour of television. Since it's a huge battle that involves the fall of a planet, the body count is just as high as you'd expect. Some deaths, like the fridging of newly-introduced couple Danilo (Christian Ochoa Lavernia) and Louis-036 (Marvin Jones III) bordered on cringeworthy. Others, like the shocking death-by-Needler of Vannak (Bentley Kalu) hit like a Covenant warrior punch to the heart. I wish Halo could be a little more consistent, but it's hard to be too mad about it when the episode is as good as "Reach."

Halo Bullet Points

• We got a lot of Soren (Bokeem Woodbine) and Doctor Halsey (Natascha McElhone) in this episode. Their buddy team up was fun if a bit awkward at times, and paved the way for Woodbine to drop some of his funniest lines of the season. We also learned a few key details about their past together, which was welcome.
• Makee (Charlie Murphy) stole Cortana on behalf of the Covenant, which is probably not a good thing.
• Speaking of Makee, this is the second time she ordered the Covenant to back down rather than kill the Master Chief. While it was still effective because of the sudden death of Vannak, I do hope this is the last time it happens. Any more and it'll start to feel a bit too convenient.
• This also means that everyone now knows Makee is alive. Hopefully we can dispense with the "Master Chief is imagining things" plotline now.
• I appreciated how "Reach" had a very believable reason for John and his fellow Spartans to be without their suits, since Ackerson stole them before the battle. After how much bellyaching fans have done over John-117 taking off his helmet, it almost felt like a great reversal of that issue to have an episode where John was denied the suit when he needed it most. Seeing how his humanity influenced the soldiers who were expected to follow him was an enjoyable touch.
• Kai (Kate Kennedy) was conspicuously absent during the Fall of Reach. Presumably she left with Ackerson. Kai has been a standout of the series, so I'm very curious to see how she reacts to everything that happened in this episode.
• A final nod must be given to the fight scenes, which really were some of Halo's best. The final duel between the Master Chief and the Covenant general managed to keep things unpredictable, which is always something I like in fight scenes. I doubt I'm the only one who cheered when John picked up the Covenant blade weapon, only to have the rug pulled out from under me when he was immediately blasted down by a random foot soldier interfering in the duel. It was a brutal sequence.

Verdict

"Reach" was an action-packed, emotionally devastating episode of Halo and easily one of the best of the series. It's obvious that the show was betting big on this one, and despite its flaws, those bets paid off. "Reach" is entertaining television, and since most of the season so far was building toward this battle, that leaves a lot of room for the back half of season 2 to explore unknown territory. I'm curious to see where the show goes from here.

Episode grade: B+

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