Halo Season 2 Simply Killed Off An Iconic Character

The most recent episode of the Paramount+ Halo sequence is an action-packed throat punch from the second it begins. That punch to your windpipe will sting somewhat extra for those who’re an enormous fan of a sure character from the video games, who bit the proverbial mud this week.

Halo season 2 episode 4, titled “Attain,” marks one of many greater deviations from the sport’s established canon for the reason that sequence introduced it created its personal timeline. This deviation doesn’t essentially detract from the episode, because it’s maybe the strongest but, however the particular manner through which it opts to eliminate a widely known Halo determine is strikingly unceremonious. If folks had been mad about Grasp Chief taking his helmet off (and it staying off within the second season), in the event that they had been irate about him getting his gravity hammer moist, they’ll be angrier than a freshly kicked hornet’s nest about what occurs in “Attain.”

Spoilers for Halo season 2 episode 4 and the Halo recreation sequence observe.

This episode kills off Commander Keyes (Danny Sapani) in the course of the Covenant’s invasion of Attain. Within the first Halo recreation (which takes place after the Fall of Attain within the sequence’ timeline), the Commander is captured by the Covenant, tortured, rescued by Grasp Chief, after which contaminated by the zombie-like Flood. Grasp Chief mercy-kills Keyes when he discovers that the Commander has been subsumed together with different human minds into what would ultimately change into the Gravemind, a Flood with near-omniscient powers. It’s a brutal demise for a beloved character, however the Halo sequence actually stated, “nah, let’s have him die as a result of he forgot gas up a ship.”

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Sure, Commander Keyes, within the midst of making an attempt to evacuate Attain with others, realizes that the ship they’re on remains to be linked to the dock through its gas line. Though Keyes knew that the Fall of Attain was nigh, he didn’t get a getaway automotive prepared. And for that planning error, he obtained smoked. No less than he obtained a terrific speech beforehand, delivered with spectacular gusto by Sapani, and a humorous, ultimate one-liner.

However Keyes’ demise sucks as a result of he isn’t practically as compelling right here as he’s within the video games, primarily as a result of sequence’ laser-focus on the Spartans. Whereas I preserve that the Halo present is strongest when it focuses on John and the Spartans’ wrestle to each defend the human race and reckon with who they’re and what the UNSC made them, that selection signifies that different characters get much less fanfare. Much less fanfare means deaths are much less impactful, and when a beloved recreation character unceremoniously dies at some extent when he’s, canonically, not imagined to, it stings.

Except for Keyes’ premature demise, “Attain” is a badass, action-packed episode. There are some nice nods to the video games, together with an enormous Covenant Wraith tank decimating the town streets, a crunchy, messy hand-to-hand combat between an armor-less Chief and an Elite, and some messy, goopy explosions courtesy of some good ol’ UNSC frag grenades.

“Attain” additionally doesn’t shrink back from killing off characters prefer it’s a spherical of Halo 3 Staff Deathmatch. From Vannak-134 (Bentley Kalu), whose love for animals made him one in all my favourite folks on the present (and whose demise despatched me right into a hysterical spiral for a couple of minutes), to Louis-036 (Marvin Jones III) and his accomplice, “Attain” racks up a reasonably excessive physique rely. The emotional beats hit, even for those who’re sad with who didn’t make it off Attain alive. Regardless of the adjustments, regardless of the Spartans actually shedding their armor this episode (lol at how the Mjolnir fanboys should really feel), I’m nonetheless firmly on the facet of “Halo TV sequence good.”