‘Halo’ season 2 first impressions: Frustrating but signs for optimism

February 5, 2024

The battle between humanity and the alien threat known as the Covenant continues in the new season of Halo. When we last left off, Master Chief Petty Officer John-117 and the other Spartans of Silver Team went deep behind enemy lines to retrieve the highly sought after keystones. Though they are successful, John is changed by the experience.

John’s unsettled feelings continue in season two. He believes the tide in the war is about to turn with an attack closer to home. However, no one within the United Nations Space Command (UNSC) will believe him. He takes up the mission find the Halo to protect all of mankind.

The second season of Halo is as frustrating as its first. On the plus side, the action sequences are even better than before. Gone are the gimmicky shots from a first-person shooter perspective to match the video game. There is a grittier and more raw tone that complements the war-time feeling as these two sides collide. The show also sometimes leans into the elements and environments of the various locations creating edge of your seat suspense.

But it can’t be non-stop shootouts and fights, and the more dramatic parts are a slog to get through and lose much of the momentum. Pablo Schreiber’s John can come off as a whiney, angsty teen when being ignored by his superiors. The actor is better suited on the battlefield carrying out the heroic moments.

Season two does expand on other characters in interesting ways. We dive deeper into Silver Team member Kai-125. More enjoyable is the journey of Kwan Ha, the lone survivor of the Covenant attack in the series premiere. She’s not as helpless or naïve as before, and she even has a nice full circle moment with the family of her previous protector, Soren. Despite her subplot still feeling disjointed from the main story, there is a lot to like about her growth.

Joseph Morgan as James Ackerson in Halo episode 1, Season 2, Streaming on Paramount+. — Photo: Adrienn Szabo/Paramount+

Some of the new characters of Halo disappoint. Joseph Morgan plays James Ackerson, an ambitious intelligence operative who has been climbing up the UNSC ladder. He comes off as very one dimensional, and when the series tries to give him depth, it only further accentuates how deplorable he is.

In addition, the new narrative can feel inconsistent to what came before. Some characters are in entirely new situations from when we last left them and there’s no real explanations to how they got there (at least from the first four episodes supplied for review). Others act out of character at key moments.

Halo did change its showrunner between seasons and it shows. Although David Weiner is clunkily moving separate pieces of the story around, he begins to have a grasp on things later on. There are signs for optimism at the midway point, where it ratchets up significantly creating a level of urgency and excitement. There is finally a sense that the show is moving in the right direction.

The new season can be as frustrating as the last, with exciting action but run of the mill narratives outside of that. At least the change in the status quo during the midpoint has lots of potential moving forward signaling that Halo may have finally turned the corner.