The Halo TV series stumbled quite a bit in season 1, and season 2 will need to see some meaningful improvements if the show hopes to match the impact of the games. One glaring issue is how far the series was willing to take the story away from its source material. From Master Chief’s helmet debate to the show’s focus on underwhelming subplots, Halo struggled to live up to its video game origins.
The good news is that there may be light at the end of the tunnel thanks to glimpses from the Halo season 2 trailer. As the narrative begins focusing on the canonical destruction of Reach, there’s renewed hope that the series will finally center on the Halo rings. With what appears to be improvements to the visuals and further development of its characters, Halo season 2 can answer questions and correct some of the first season’s bigger issues.
10 Reach’s Destruction Should Lead To The Halo Rings
Season 1 barely covers the Halo Rings
It’s high time for the TV series to recalibrate its focus on the franchise’s titular Halo rings, and in the games, humankind discovered them almost immediately after the destruction of Reach. Season 1 centered on establishing origin stories for the series’ unique timeline, but the games followed the discovery and exploration of the rings–and for good reason. With Halo season 2 covering the fall of Reach, the show can finally begin peeling back the layers behind the Covenant-human conflict and lead its characters to understand why defeat isn’t an option.
9 Master Chief Needs To Wear His Helmet More In Halo Season 2
Master Chief rarely wore his helmet in Halo Season 2
Considering he refused to wear his helmet–even in hostile and volatile territory, the argument over Master Chief’s helmet bears repeating: his helmet is an integral part of his character and its development. While it might be unreasonable to expect him to wear his armor at all times, Master Chief is deeply uncomfortable without his helmet in the books and games. Given how wildly successful Padro Pascal’s performance has been in The Mandalorian, the argument against the helmet in favor of conveying emotional nuance is flimsy. Even Darth Vader conveyed emotion, and it was well over six hours before anyone saw his face.
8 Halo Season 2 Needs The Real Master Chief
The show’s main character could be closer to the games
Master Chief in Halo season 1 felt extremely different from the source material. What makes Master Chief so extraordinary is his development arc. His stoic attitude and ever-present armor perpetuate the stigma that Spartans are more machine than human, but his gradual reawakening to the idea that he is permitted to be human, especially in Halo 4, is incredible. Season 1 tried and failed to capture this depth in a handful of episodes, and the result was a Master Chief that little resembled what fans of the game were used to.
7 Halo Season 2 Needs To Fix Kwan Ha
Kwan Ha repeatedly got people killed in Halo Season 1
Halo season 1 had a multitude of issues, and while its take on Master Chief remains the worst of them, Kwan Ha was also a very flawed character. From the beginning, her attitude is more congruent with a spoiled child than the disaffected youth she’s purported to be. Despite her penchant for waxing poetic over Insurrection ideals, her actions are nearly always at another person’s expense, with the worst offenses leading to a sizable body count of passersby by season’s end. Using Kwan Ha’s age as an excuse is cheap and tiring storytelling, so hopefully, the character improves by season 2.
6 Halo Season 2 Needs Better Subplots
Season 1 focused on a succession of boring subplots
It might have been more palatable for Halo season 1 to focus on origin stories than the eponymous rings if the subplots it offered in their place were more engaging. Instead, the season rambled on about Miranda’s mommy issues, the puzzling existence of the keystones, and a love affair that even Master Chief’s actor disagreed with. A massive chunk of the entire season devoted itself to fleshing out Madrigal with Kwan Ha and Soren. While these subplots have potential, their execution rarely provided enough gravitas to make the events truly compelling, resulting in an initial season that couldn’t end quickly enough.
5 Halo Season 2 Needs To Treat Supporting Characters Better
Halo Season 1’s supporting characters seemed misplaced
Similar to the issue with lackluster subplots, Halo season 1 overflowed with supporting characters that were not used correctly. One example is Dr. Halsey’s perverted assistant, Adun, whose inappropriate behavior felt out of place and led nowhere. Several characters were underdeveloped, like Captain Jacob Keyes, who mostly stands around, and Margaret Parangosky, who is a pushover in a position of authority. These characters felt more tangible in the games but may as well have been ceiling tiles for all the presence they evoked. Halo season 2 should approach its supporting characters more thoughtfully, with special regard toward franchise staples.
4 Halo Season 2 Should Finally Introduce The Arbiter
The Arbiter is Master Chief’s antithesis, with both characters reflecting each other’s best qualities
The Arbiter holds pivotal importance in the Halo franchise as a symbol of redemption and unity, and season 2 seems like a great time to introduce him to the TV series. Originally an antagonist, the character undergoes a profound transformation before playing a key role in bridging the gap between the Covenant and humanity. With a complex background and rich narrative, he contributes to the franchise’s depth but also serves as a significant fulcrum to Master Chief’s development. The Arbiter adds a unique layer to the overarching narrative, and the sooner Halo begins unpacking his dense story, the better.
3 Halo Season 2 Needs To Correct Its Representation Of Dr. Halsey
The UNSC is evil, but Dr. Halsey is not
Dr. Halsey is a divisive character, even in the Halo games, but she always existed in the morally gray rather than the outright evil. While it’s true she was a driving force in the Spartan program, Dr. Halsey genuinely loved the children who joined in the games. Although she remains conflicted over the necessity within the context of the demands of war, she continues to care about the Spartans and expresses guilt for what she and the UNSC put them through. By realigning Dr. Halsey to moral ambiguity, Halo season 2 will have the perfect character for exploring controversial plotlines.
2 Halo Season 2 Must Get The Halo Rings Right
Revealing the existence of the Halo rings as a threat in Season 1 should be retconned
In Season 1, episode 2, the Halo TV series reveals the eponymous rings and the threat they pose, and it’s a shame since that revelation is part of what made the end of the first Halo game so poignant. The mystery of the Halo rings is a massive contributor to the franchise’s wonder, exhilaration, and foreboding. To give that away so soon in the series was a real headscratcher. The series could have enjoyed unfolding that mystery for multiple seasons, so hopefully, Halo season 2 will find some way of restoring the wonder that was robbed in its first season.
1 Halo Season 2 Needs Better Visuals
Halo season 1 didn’t have many remarkable sequences
Halo‘s first season suffers from subpar visuals in some sequences, including during important fighting scenes that were supposed to be pieces of visual storytelling. Sadly, none of the fighting scenes or “money shots” stood out and lived up to the sense of scale of the games. Considering the significant budget that went into this production, the bar for what Halo can offer is very high, not to mention the expectations fans of the games already have. Based on the trailer for Halo season 2, it seems like the show has improved on that matter, which is great news.
Watch Halo on Paramout+
- Release Date
- March 24, 2022
- Cast
- Jen Taylor , Bokeem Woodbine , Charlie Murphy , Shabana Azmi , Kate Kennedy , Natascha McElhone , Yerin Ha , Bentley Kalu , Pablo Schreiber , Danny Sapani , Olive Gray , Natasha Culzac
- Seasons
- 2
- Where To Watch
- Paramount+
