Episode 4 of the science fiction series Halo follows Master Chief as he travels to Eridanus II in search of his childhood house while Kwan Ha plans to resurrect the resistance on Planet Madrigal against Vinsher. The series is currently streaming on Paramount+.
Recap
In a flashback, a young John is seen exercising with the other Spartans. Later, a brief conversation follows between him and Halsey where he asks whether he was forced to come to the training centre. However, John doesn’t seem to have any memories of the said event.
In the present time, Master Chief continues on his journey to Eridanus II in search of what once used to be his home. On Reach, Kai, who had previously witnessed John taking out the pellet from his back, takes out the pellet, which suppresses the Spartan’s emotions, from her own back.
Meanwhile, Soren, on the promise of money, has taken Kwan to Planet Madrigal on her repeated insistence. On Madrigal, she finds out that most of her father’s supporters are dead and Vinsher has suppressed the resistance. But, Kwan remains convinced that she can revive the revolution.
At the UNSC headquarters in Reach, Miranda Keyes looks to test the artefact’s effects on the rest of the Silver team members but ends up without any results.
On Eridanus II, Chief digs up an old box based on the memory flashes he has been seeing and discovers the drawings of the artefacts he had drawn in his childhood.
He then heads inside his house where Cortana helps him visualize his house from his memories. He is able to conjure up more memories of his parents and his childhood. In his memories, he remembers interacting with another artefact, based on which he made the drawings when he was a kid. He also remembers himself interacting with Halsey in the house in his childhood.
On Madrigal, Soren finds out his ship has been taken by scrappers. Kwan takes Soren to her aunt, Soojin. Soojin reveals to Kwan that her father believed in something he was told by some mystics he met in the desert which motivated him to raise a revolution on Madrigal.
This raises curiosity in Kwan Ha, who had no idea of such a motive behind her father’s actions. At this moment, Franco, an assassin sent by Vinsher, kills Soojin before Soren appears and rescues Kwan Ha.
Master Chief confronts Halsey about what he saw in his memories. Halsey denies it and blames it as an effect of the keystone and touts it to be unreliable. While Master Chief doesn’t seem to be convinced, he tells Halsey that the second artefact is on Eridanus II.
On Reach, Kai, who’s familiar with the Covenant tongue, helps Halsey in interpreting the intercepted message sent by Makee in the previous episode. They discover that the Covenant has been talking about something called ‘Halo’.
Miranda asks Kai to keep this a secret between them which Kai promises to do. Kai is slowly beginning to grow human bonds. On Madrigal, Kwan Ha and Soren embark on their journey to escape from Vinsher’s jurisdiction. On Eridanus II, Master Chief leads Halsey to the location of the second artefact.
But, Halsey’s concerns regarding Master Chief’s behaviour continue to grow. Miranda Keyes, in a conversation with Kai, reveals that she knows about Halsey very well and if there is one thing Halsey doesn’t tolerate, it’s a deviation from the plans drawn by her.
Review
- The episode finally brings the focus back to Kwan Ha’s preoccupation with Planet Madrigal and General Vinsher. While her character arc remains constant, a newer dimension is added by her aunt’s revelation. Kwan Ha, who’s been believing her father completely, now faces a new conflict emerging within her.
- Master Chief’s background is becoming clear. This episode sets up the ground for tensions to rise between John and Halsey. Kai has also taken a more active role.
- Unfortunately, Makee who was revealed to be the ‘Big Bad’ of the series in the previous episode was nowhere to be seen.
- This episode is an improvement over the previous one with a balance of action and character and story development taking place.
- It’s about time for the story to weave together all the various threads it’s been teasing for quite some time. The conflict is evolving and it’s time more action ensues.
Rating: 3.5/5
Also Read: Halo season 1 episode 3 recap & review: Emergence