IR TV Review: HALO - EPISODE 5 (“Reckoning”) [Paramount+]
The relevance of choice made by emotion is in many ways in HALO is what the doctors were trying to get rid of when they created the Spartans. Master Chief was initially an anomaly. But his actions in a way might encourage free choice when in some other time frame it might not have been considered. With Episode 5: "Reckoning", the idea is who dictates such choice is the rub...or is it just a matter of circumstance. Again the parallel stories between the approach of John is balanced by Kwan Ha who convinced Soren (Bokeem Woodbine), a former compatriot of Master Chief to take her to reclaim her planet/birthright with varying letdowns and results. Again the Ha storyline is meant to build but the character comes off more as bratty. If one is trying to build her into a Chosen One motif (or a dark lord aka Anakin), there needs to be more subtlety at play.
That is more in tandem actually with Cortana as her influence grows. She has the ability to shift and as she is basically part of Dr. Halsey (Natasha McElhone) yet voiced by Jen Taylor (from the video games), so in a way that seems to be the bigger McGuffin by design. However the approach does need to make the storytelling balanced to some of the action sequences (which right now it really isn't compared to earlier episodes). The choices at the conclusion of this episode plus decisions based throughout its progression show the disconnect of the characters but perhaps the rebellion that is to come if some don't listen to their instincts or the actions in front of them. B-
By Tim Wassberg
