Halo, Paramount+’s streaming series based on the iconic video games, follows the legendary Spartan super soldier John (Pablo Schreiber), A.K.A. The Master Chief: the green, mean, alien-slaughtering machine as he travels the galaxy and, you know, slaughtering aliens. At least, that’s what fans were expecting, based on the games.
The series disappointed more than a few as the show progressed, being filled with inconsequential side-plots, little and underwhelming action, and confusing canon changes. Many point out that the show did not fulfill any of its roles as a sci-fi show, an action show, or even a Halo show. Though some fans did appreciate aspects of the series, such as humanizing John and the Spartans instead of letting keeping them the emotionless killing machines they are in the games.
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Even with varying reviews and plenty of criticism, Halo was Paramount+’s most successful show, and a second season is reportedly already filming. Fans have been quick to point out what worked and what didn’t work with the first season, and hope that the second season can improve the show, so here’s what we want to see most in Halo Season 2.
More Time with The Covenant
Paramount+
The Covenant is a religious union of different alien species united under the Prophets, driving humanity to extinction in the name of their gods. They’re merciless in Halo and even more brutal than in the games, but time with the Covenant was limited in the first season, with the main focus on Makee, a human member of the Covenant raised by the Prophets, and very few aliens are ever shown. Many fans felt this absence, as the core nature of the franchise is battling aliens.
Showing more of these complex and unique creatures will greatly improve the second season. The most praised aspect of Halo 2 is how the game expands the story of Halo through the Covenant’s perspective, specifically through the eyes of the Arbiter Thel ‘Vadam, and though the series is not supposed to be a direct adaptation of the games, it could follow in the game’s footsteps.
More Focus on Lore
Halo actually does a good job incorporating the lore of the Halo universe, where we see the true nature of the UNSC hidden in the games and meet little-known characters like Admiral Parangosky from the novel tie-ins, yet these aspects feel very token, even the Spartans themselves. In an interview with Variety, showrunners admitted that they “didn’t look to the games” when creating the show, and it’s obvious. The names and locations are true to the source material, but the planets and the characters aren’t real, they’re just fill-ins for different things the showrunners wanted.
While Doctor Halsey is even more of a despicable monster than she is in the lore, the show lost her care and connections to the Spartans. And though the Spartans themselves are the ultimate warriors who sacrificed everything to save humanity in the games, they don’t really do anything but rebel like teenagers in the show. Especially with the seemingly random canon changes all throughout the first season, there’s little to make this a Halo show and little cohesion in the show itself. Staying true to the lore will help not only add cohesion to the show but help make this actually feel like a Halo show.
It Needs More Action
No matter how one feels about the canon changes and directional production, the one thing fans and critics agreed on was that Halo definitely needs to pick up on the action. Advertised as a sci-fi/action show about a galactic war for the survival of humanity, fans were surprised to find that Halo was actually a space drama. The action almost disappeared entirely after the very first scene where the Chief and his fellow Spartans battled the Covenant Elites for twenty minutes in the premiere, a proper battle worthy of the legendary franchise. But this scene was just to get viewers hooked as the action wouldn’t happen for the next four episodes, and every action sequence afterward was bland and suffered from poor effects.
The show’s focus was to humanize the Chief and the Spartans, which was well done, but at the expense of everything else in the series. While getting viewers to relate with the Chief was important, given that the Spartans are humanity’s greatest weapon, and the Chief is the greatest of them all, it’s important also to see the action that the Chief and the franchise are famous for.
The Halo Rings Need to Appear
Halopedia
Even though it’s in the name, the actual Halos don’t appear until the finale. The Halo Array are the giant rings seen only briefly in the show but act as the setting for many of the games, and can wipe the galaxy clean of all sentient life. The Prophets seek the rings, believing these mysterious artifacts of the Forerunners are the key to godhood. The Halos are teased throughout the season, and their location is learned in the last episode. One of the core aspects and most exciting parts of the games, the show should reveal these vast superstructures which sustain worlds in them soon, giving the name Halo meaning.
Less of The Chief’s Face
It’s almost impossible not to compare The Master Chief to another famous masked sci-fi warrior: The Mandalorian. Unlike the Mandalorian, however, the Chief shows his face constantly, revealing his face in the first episode and every episode forward whereas Mando only shows his once a season. Fans were extremely divided by this because, in all the games, the Chief’s face is never shown, which has been the mark and persona of the character for decades. When the Mandalorian takes off the helmet, it’s important, it’s earned, and it means something. When the Chief shows his face, it’s too soon, it’s underwhelming, and just confusing. It’s not the same Chief that has been loved for decades, and we’re supposed to care for this stranger. In the second season, we want to see less of Chief’s face and see him be true to the character and to the audience.
Viewers were very divided by the show all the way through, and many long-time fans gave up on the series before it finished the first season. Though Halo was a very mixed bag, given that the show takes care of the characters and stays true to the core aspects of the franchise, it still has plenty of potential to become even better than the games.
