'Halo' Episode 4 Review: Of Master Chief's memories, Kai's 'glitch' and Halsey's vision
This review contains spoilers for 'Halo' Episode 4 'Homecoming'
What made 'Halo' remarkably different was the fact that it humanized the Spartans — cold and efficient killing machines designed with the sole purpose of saving mankind. If it was Master Chief/John (Pablo Schreiber) who removed the emotion suppressor to unlock his memories, Kai (Kate Kennedy) follows suit in Episode 4 only to understand the true purpose of Dr Halsey (Natascha McElhone) rather than experience the same level of exhilaration that John did after removing the pellet.
The action takes a backseat again in 'Homecoming' with the storylines focussing on John and Halsey's trip to his homeworld Eridanus II to find the second artifact, Kwan Ha (Yerin Ha) and Soren (Bokeem Woodbine) arrive at Madrigal to discover a horrendous secret, while Kai and Miranda (Olive Gray) decode the language of the Covenant. There's immense attention paid to John's past as he seeks to uncover more about the artifact even as Halsey reluctantly plays along to all that he does when they find his old disheveled home.
RELATED ARTICLES
'Halo' Episode 3 fan review: 'Not exactly Halo, but can't wait to see what's next'
'Halo' Episode 3 Review: Action takes a backseat as Cortana makes much-awaited appearance
Back on base, the Silver Team works with Halsey’s daughter to uncover the truth about the artifact, and why John appears to be the only one capable of activating it. None of them have the ability to activate the mysterious object, but the Spartan helps Miranda decrypt the language where the first utterance of Halo is heard. It's in the Covenant language, but the episode shows that major breakthroughs have been made even as one party searches for more information.
It makes sense for 'Halo' to take the route that it chose. From unmasking John to introducing storylines of betrayal and grim humor, the Paramount+ series, despite the criticism, seems to actually have an interesting story to tell. Schreiber embraces playing John as one of the more complex, yet compelling protagonists and shoulders the load in every frame he's in. McElhone's still a mystery and that inevitable showdown with John is delayed although Miranda foreshadows it pretty early in the series. 'Halo' is still riveting and honesty doesn't deserve the scathing criticism.
Episode 4 of 'Halo' is available for streaming on Paramount+