Halo Season 2 Double-Episode Premiere Recap

The Spartans are back for the fight of their lives. Halo season 2 premieres almost two years after the first season left us with that cliffhanger. Master Chief John-117 and his crew are in for more high-octane action as the threat of an invasion from the Covenant lingers on the horizon. John knows something’s afoot, but the higher-ups continue to stick their fingers in their ears while humming to drown out his legitimate concerns.

James Ackerson is a compelling, complicated figure, played to perfection by Joseph Morgan. He’s so good at playing nuanced villains. Pablo Schreiber steers this ship with a steady hand, diving headfirst into John’s messy mental state as he navigates the new world order.

“Sanctuary and “Sword” are two solid episodes that combine to make a strong jumping-off point for season 2. This season certainly boasts a different tone. It feels more like The Expanse, which isn’t a bad thing. Here’s hoping season 2 can maintain the momentum established in this double-episode premiere.

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Season 2 Episode 1, “Sanctuary”

We open with Master Chief John-117 on a table while doctors buzz around him. Cortana calls out to him, but he’s unresponsive. She realizes he’s dying. Then, Cortana says, “Sever the connection,” understanding that her being part of him is killing him.

Later, we see Silver Team on Sanctuary. They’re there to help the Marines and the UNSC evacuate the planet’s inhabitants. John orders Riz-028 to accompany him while Vannak-134 must watch over Kai-125. Vannak complains that this mission is akin to “babysitting” and that they haven’t seen real combat in ages. Kai asks Vannak when he removed his pellet, which regulates his emotions. Vannak denies this but promptly follows his denial up with his love of watching animal documentaries in his spare time. Aw, lil Vanny’s becoming more human by the day.

Meanwhile, a few soldiers attempt to reason with a shaman called The Mother. She and her circle refuse to evacuate, claiming the planet is “alive” and they must stay with it.

John pops in to help persuade The Mother to comply. When the other soldiers realize Bravo team, the Marines, haven’t arrived yet, John swoops in to the rescue.

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Interference

Next, John scales the side of a cliff while Riz heads to the Condors. The fog around him quickly thickens. Kai fears he won’t get to his destination in time. When he arrives at Bravo team’s supposed location, all he sees are their empty vehicles. Vannak informs him that they have six minutes until Covenant ships land. Uh-oh.

Then, John meets some of the missing Marines. Suddenly, an unseen threat starts snatching them up. They vanish into the fog. It’s like a horror movie. That’s when the Covenant/Sangheili make their grand entrance. John braces himself, morphing into Spartan mode as he battles the massive aliens. After rising victorious, John discovers all the Marines are dead, save one: Corporal Talia Perez. He helps her up.

More Sangheili appear, unsheathing their luminous Energy Swords. They glow in the fog. However, instead of battling John, they simply leave. Weird.

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Set Fire

Then, the Covenant set Sanctuary ablaze. Kai, Vannak, and Riz rush to get Sanctuary’s inhabitants aboard their Condors. Kai waits for John, who emerges from the flames with an injured Talia slung over his shoulder. Before they depart, The Mother pulls John aside. She urges him to find his faith because she’s seen his death, and it’s coming soon. How ominous and foreboding.

The Spartans leave Sanctuary with the planet’s people. John watches as The Mother and her followers remain behind, their stalwart devotion to the planet inevitably leading to their demise.

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Debrief

Later, at UNSC Fleet Command on Reach, Admiral Keyes (look who got a sweet promotion!) chats with Silver Team regarding the Sanctuary mission. He reveals this isn’t the first planet to get glassed by the Covenant. This has happened with multiple planets in the Outer Colonies. Keyes is interrupted by James Ackerson, who’s taking over Dr. Catherine Halsey’s position as head of the Spartan program.

He tells Silver Team that Halsey is alive but a fugitive. Despite her mistakes, he has big shoes to fill. Something about Ackerson feels sinister and manipulative to me. He boasts a disarming energy that could be deadly.

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The Rubble

Meanwhile, on The Rubble, we see a handful of refugees seeking asylum, vowing to complete two years of indentured servitude in exchange for a home. Everyone must state why they deserve a spot on The Rubble, and its residents will vote on who gets the golden ticket, as it were. One young man, Felix, claims he knows where Halsey is. There’s a massive bounty on her head, too.

Even though the stadium erupts with laughter, his declaration catches the attention of Soren-066, AKA our Pirate King. While Felix is voted out, Soren still arranges to meet with him to discuss Halsey.

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The Truth

Then, John meets with Ackerson to elaborate on what he saw on Sanctuary. Ackerson read his report. He’s a bit incredulous. Why would the Sangheili not fight John? Why would they leave? John believes the Covenant as a whole are training for something big — Sanctuary was merely a practice drill. Additionally, John saw a mysterious, cloaked woman among the Sangheili. Could Makee still be alive?

Ackerson’s disbelief in what John saw forms a rift between them. Ackerson questions Silver Team’s ability to participate in combat missions. They’ve all removed their emotional regulators. Perhaps they aren’t able to think clearly anymore. Ackerson also believes John might be a liability since Cortana spent so much time in his mind before they removed her, influencing him.

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Let’s Leave

Meanwhile, Soren’s wife, Laera, really wants to take their son Kessler and leave The Rubble. It’s not safe for them anymore. However, Soren isn’t a fan of running.

At UNSC FLEETCOM, John and Kai watch as Admiral Keyes awards Talia with the Colonial Cross for her bravery on Sanctuary. Then, Silver Team bickers with Cobalt Team, whom Ackerson is sending on a “babysitting” mission to one of the planets the UNSC and ONI (Office of Naval Intelligence) believe the Covenant will glass next. During the two teams’ confrontation, John sees Ackerson deliver a televised speech where he claims they’ll win the war against the Covenant because they have “super heroes.”

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A Confrontation

Upon hearing Ackerson’s speech, John storms into his office, demanding Ackerson inform Cobalt Team regarding what they’re getting into. The Covenant will be there waiting for them to glass everyone and everything. Frustrated with John’s refusal to fall in line, Ackerson revokes Silver Team’s combat status indefinitely. Uh-oh.

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Finding Halsey

Before Soren departs with Felix to find Halsey, Kessler shares a few moments with him. The boy asks his dad if he fears the “monsters.” Soren reassures him that there’s no such thing and he’s too old to be frightened of monsters. While en route to Halsey’s supposed location, Soren urges Felix to get his story straight. Felix insists he knows where she is, though.

Meanwhile, John, disguised in civilian clothes, runs into ex-Admiral Parangosky. She tells him that someone had to take the fall for Halsey’s crimes and her subsequent escape. John reveals he knows the Covenant are secretly planning something significant. Parangosky believes him. Despite her civilian status, she hands John a tracker. When he has something, he can simply signal her so they can meet.

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The Cargo

Later, Soren and Felix don suits. They navigate an abandoned ship where Halsey supposedly is. They stumble upon a crate, where Felix claims he last saw Halsey. As Soren moves to open it, though, his crew flies away, leaving him and Felix stranded. That’s not good.

Suddenly, a swarm of soldiers descends upon Soren. Felix shifts gears, stating he’s there to arrest Soren for piracy, among other crimes. This little fella was undercover the whole time!

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Therapy

Then, John partakes in a therapy session in a holo suite. The hologram hostess, who looks an awful lot like Cortana (which is what John wants), listens as John voices his concerns. He’s still navigating all these newfound emotions and his PTSD/trauma from being kidnapped by Halsey as a child and undergoing augmentation. You know, all that fun stuff. During this time, he sees Makee’s face. She tells him he should’ve stayed with her.

Meanwhile, a voice provides narration, describing the current threat and how old it is. We see it’s Kwan Ha. She pulls down her hood while chatting with Kessler on The Rubble. She asks him if he believes her regarding the “monsters.”

This is only the beginning.

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Season 2 Episode 2, “Sword”

In episode 2, we see Halsey sitting in a room, looking the picture of tranquility. A young woman arrives with Halsey’s favorite tea and cookies. They sit down to play backgammon. Whenever said woman, Julia, mentions the enigmatic man who’s been sending Halsey these gifts. Halsey pries, asking her to elaborate. However, Julia’s nose starts to bleed. She keels over on the spot. That can’t be good.

Later, at FLEETCOM, John confides in Kai. He discloses his vision of Makee, to which Kai reminds him that she killed Makee herself. Then, John states that Ackerson believes there’s something wrong with him. Ever loyal to the Master Chief, Kai stands by John.

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A Mystery

Suddenly, Silver Team notices one UNSC employee changing slides out on a board, which showcases the various missions each Spartan team is on. He puts “Standby” next to Cobalt Team. John confronts him, demanding to know where Cobalt is. Of course, this dude is just doing his job.

Elsewhere, on The Rubble, Kwan attempts to remove her tag to avoid detection by a group of men scanning people. When they realize she’s removed her tag and is on the run, they give chase. Like a badass, though, she spaces one man and stabs the other through the temple to save herself. Nobody keeps Kwan Ha down for long — just ask the late Vinsher Grath.

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In Pain

Meanwhile, Riz works out with Louis-036, who is her trainer. Like Soren, he’s a former Spartan. Louis notices that Riz is in immense pain. He threatens to pull her off duty rotation if she doesn’t get it checked out. He might be blind, but he can see she’s struggling.

John barges into Ackerson’s office. He demands that Ackerson approve Silver Team for combat again. Otherwise, he’ll go over Ackerson’s head. John asks what happened to Cobalt. Are they even alive? Where are they? As usual, Ackerson evades his questions.

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Too Many Delays

Next, Kwan reunites with Kessler. Laera chats with Antares about getting her ship up and running so she can find Soren. As of now, she’s unaware that Antares and the crew left Soren behind during Felix’s fake mission to track down Halsey. Antares makes excuses about the ship needing extensive repairs. They all want to find Soren, right? At the same time, Kwan warns Kessler that he and his mother are in danger.

Later, we see Riz training hard with the other Spartans. After falling from a cliff, she realizes she needs to take Louis up on his offer to see a specialist.

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You’re Dying

Then, Halsey plays backgammon with Julia … again. They’ve done this multiple times, and each time, it culminates in Julia’s death. It sounds like Halsey is trapped in a simulation. Like clockwork, Julia falls face-first onto the table after experiencing a nosebleed. Still, Halsey doesn’t figure out who her captor, this mysterious man, is.

At FLEETCOM, Riz visits Danilo, Louis’ husband, who happens to be a physical therapist. Danilo helps ease Riz’s pain instantly. She cries with relief. Meanwhile, Ackerson calls Kai into his office. He asks her about John. Has he been acting erratic? Does she trust him? Kai insists that John is fit for combat and she’d follow him anywhere. Before departing, Ackerson tells Kai that his door is always open. (But only if she has dirt for him — that’s my subtext, anyway.)

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Family Dinner

Next, John visits Talia’s house. He asks why she didn’t tell Ackerson what she saw on Sanctuary. It would corroborate his statement. Talia’s grandmother sees him standing outside and invites him in for dinner. Talia’s family asks John to define his relationship with Talia — are they dating? However, they switch gears once they discover he’s a Spartan.

After dinner, Talia and John chat about Sanctuary. Talia explains why she withheld what she witnessed from Ackerson. She wonders why the Sangheili let her live but killed her fellow Marines. John understands her pain.

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Halsey and Ackerson and John and Cortana

Then, Halsey learns Ackerson is the enigmatic man who Julia claims has been sending gifts. Julia herself isn’t real, hence why she incessantly dies whenever Halsey gets close to the truth. She was programmed to do that. Halsey asks Ackerson what he wants from her. Why is she here? Julia notices that Halsey’s pomegranate tree is now on fire.

Ackerson makes his way to the room where The Artifact is stored. Meanwhile, John looks into Cobalt Team’s flight plan. The system tells him that no plans are associated with that call sign. Elsewhere, Ackerson chats with Cortana. Apparently, she gave him information on Halsey. We learn that Ackerson has Cortana working out an undisclosed problem.

Next, after some digging, John finds a location for an unknown mission — it’s on Reach, in Visegrád Relay. Cobalt Team never left the planet.

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Trouble Is Brewing

John assembles Silver Team to fly to Visegrád Relay to ensure Cobalt Team is okay. Aw, how thoughtful. He believes the Covenant are currently on Reach. Unfortunately, things ain’t lookin’ good on Visegrád Relay. We see a military squad — not Cobalt Team — bracing to fight an unseen assailant. Suddenly, a lone Sangheili warrior emerges from the shadows, taking out the squad one by one.

Then, a familiar face pops into view. It’s none other than Makee, who is very much alive. The Sangheili warrior opens the door to the larger, second Artifact, which the UNSC has kept under lock and key on Visegrád Relay. Makee touches it as it glows, closing her eyes.

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What are the Covenant planning? Can Laera save Soren? Will John learn that Makee is really alive? What is Ackerson hiding? Join the conversation with other video game fans over at Sideshow Social Network or in side.show/geekgroup, and don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!