Halo Just Set Up An Unlikely Allegiance That Has Huge Season 3 Implications

Spoilers are ahead for Halo season 2, episode 5, “Aleria.”

Halo season 2, episode 5, “Aleria,” just set up an unlikely allegiance that has huge implications for Master Chief’s (Pablo Schreiber) story — as well as Halo season 3’s larger narrative. The fifth episode of Halo’s sophomore outing chronicles what happens after the Fall of Reach. In contrast to the action-packed “Reach,” episode 5 is more contemplative and character-focused. John-117 and his fellow invasion of Reach survivors — including Riz-028 (Natasha Culzac), Soren (Bokeem Woodbine), Soren’s tough-as-nails wife Laera (Fiona O’Shaughnessy), and Dr. Catherine Halsey (Natascha McElhone) — all arrive on the titular Aleria.

While the survivors bury Vannak-134 (Bentley Kalu), one of the characters who died in Halo season 2, episode 4, Yerin Ha’s Kwan Ha experiences a prophetic vision about the galaxy’s future. Elsewhere, the Covenant-raised human Makee (Charlie Murphy) and The Arbiter, Var ‘Gatanai (Viktor Åkerblom), regroup. During the invasion of Reach, Var ‘Gatanai led his troops to victory, but failed to kill the “demon“ (John-117) or locate the second Forerunner keystone. While Makee insists that he should take pride in the Fall of Reach, the growing rift between the “blessed one” and The Arbiter is clear.

Related

The Meaning Behind The Bird In Halo Season 2, Episode 5 Explained

In Halo season 2, episode 5, “Aleria,” a shot of a bird holds significant meaning for both Master Chief (Pablo Schreiber) and another key Spartan.

Cortana Helps Makee When The Arbiter Threatens Her In Episode 5

After Halo season 2 reveals Var ‘Gatanai is The Arbiter, the show sets up a growing friction between the Elite and Makee. During the Battle of Reach, The Arbiter clashes energy swords with John, but, when Var Gatanai is about to strike a finishing blow, Makee tells him to stop. While both Covenant agents are dedicated to the larger cause of the Great Journey of the Covenant, they clearly have competing views on how best to complete the mission at hand. During the Fall of Reach, Makee steals Cortana (Jen Taylor; Christina Bennington) — a move The Arbiter doubts.

While it’s not yet clear why the Covenant wants Cortana, The Arbiter and Makee’s disagreement over the usefulness of the humans’ A.I. construct is just one manifestation of the conflict forming between them. Although The Arbiter listens to Makee, who’s still a “blessed one” in season 2, he also threatens her life by flying their ship to High Charity. Ready to turn Makee over to the Prophets, The Arbiter struggles to work outside the Covenant’s precepts, even if doing so would help him restore his lost honor. And, surprisingly, that’s where Cortana comes in.

2:05

Related

Onyx’s Importance & Secret Forerunner Connection In Halo Season 2 Explained

The glimpse of Onyx at the end of Halo season 2, episode 5 showcases its importance, but it doesn’t quite reveal the location’s Forerunner connection.

When The Arbiter & Makee Arrive At Halo, Cortana Will Learn Its True Purpose

Terrified at the prospect of returning to the Prophets without completing their mission, Makee struggles to convince The Arbiter of his higher purpose. The “blessed one” insists that he has a key role to play in finding the Forerunners’ Halo array and completing the Great Journey. Unfortunately, seeing is believing for Var ‘Gatanai. Prior to Makee and The Arbiter’s argument outside HighCharity, Makee activated Cortana and tried to interrogate the A.I. for information about John-117. While the two didn’t see eye-to-eye, Makee insisted that being useful was Cortana’s only means of survival.

Although Cortana initially balks at the idea of helping Makee — and even cracks a few jokes at the expense of the “blessed one” — the A.I. realizes that her only way forward is to form an uneasy allegiance with Makee. To sway The Arbiter to Makee’s side, Cortana projects an image of one of the Halo ring worlds around Makee and The Arbiter. It’s enough to convince The Arbiter to search for the Sacred Ring without alerting the Prophets. The turn of events sets up the trio’s discovery of Installation-04 — and the Halo array’s true purpose.

Related

We’re Finally Getting Spartan-IIIs In Halo TV Show: See Master Chief’s Replacements

The final moments of Halo season 2, episode 5, “Aleria,” teases James Ackerson’s Spartan-IIIs — the replacements for Master Chief and Silver Team.

Cortana Will Learn About The Flood Before Master Chief (Just Like In Halo: Combat Evolved)

Although the Paramount+ Halo show takes place in the standalone Silver Timeline, it still borrows heavily from the franchise’s core canon. In fact, the sophomore outing does a lot of work to more closely align the show’s timeline with that of the games. In the core canon, Halo‘s Fall of Reach leads directly into the events of the first-ever game in the series, Halo: Combat Evolved. During that game, Master Chief and Cortana team up for the first time after the Pillar of Autumn crosses paths with Installation-04.

Related

Riz’s Decision & Vannak’s Death Set Up Master Chief’s Original Halo Story To Finally Be Told

Master Chief’s original Halo story can finally be told now considering the various fates for the rest of John-117’s Silver Team in Halo season 2.

In Halo: Combat Evolved, Cortana learns about the Halo array’s true purpose before Master Chief does. Built by the Forerunners as a kind of superweapon, the array is capable of sterilizing the whole galaxy. This is so because the Forerunners needed a way to starve The Flood — a parasitic organism that will grow and consume until there’s no more sentient life to eat up. By having Cortana accompany Makee and The Arbiter on their journey to find the Sacred Ring, the Halo show will probably see Cortana learning about the history of The Flood long before the Chief.