'Halo' Episode 5 Review: Blitzkrieg chapter thrusts John and Spartans against the Covenant
This episode contains spoilers for 'Halo' Episode 5 'Reckoning'
After what were two really slow-paced episodes of 'Halo' that saw action take a complete backseat, Episode 5 'Reckoning' finally shows why Master Chief John 117 (Pablo Schreiber) was destined to be a Spartan, and what sets him apart from the other members of the program. In an episode that's pretty much 'lost the battle, but not the war', John and Makee finally cross paths. At 40 minutes, 'Reckoning' makes up for the action that was sorely missing, and, for once, the Kwan Ha's (Yerin Ha) storyline taking a backseat works tremendously well.
The story picks up from where it left off. It starts off with a younger Dr Halsey (Natascha McElhone) taking a tour of Eridanus II’s Reach for Life Installation. She sees a school where she encounters little John who's pretty much a Steve Rogers-type and a prime candidate for the Spartan program then. We also see Dr Jacob Keyes with Halsey. The present sees him interact with daughter Miranda (Olive Gray) to do her own research on the artifact. There's also that much-awaited confrontation between John and Kai (Kate Kennedy) who's removed her pellet and seeing things in a different light before the alien forces invade Eridanus.
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It's easy to see where the plot is going — the Spartan program is in danger of being terminated even as the supersoldiers are finding out more of their own. Kai isn't exactly battle-ready and it shows when she takes a beating at the hands of the grunts. Needless to say, the Covenant attack ends with the UNSC losing the artifact. But the fact that John is a killer is distinctly seen when he pummels an alien to death without a weapon.
'Reckoning' is perhaps the spark the series sort of missed and surely the game ardents will be pleased with the action sequences. John's killer persona is on full display, as is his vulnerability. He is, at the end of the day, a man who can be controlled, and that makes things interesting especially with Cortana in the mix. With Makee now with the UNSC, only time will tell what's in store. The sincere hope is for the action to continue the way it did in this episode.
'Halo' hasn't found its feet yet, but that doesn't make it a bad series. There's still faith that this sci-fi drama is worth a season 2 — a move that Paramount+ pulled even before the series release. For now, things are just getting interesting.
'Halo' Episode 5 is available for streaming on Paramount+