The central conflict between humans and the Covenant forces reaches a significant juncture as Paramount+’s cosmic warfare epic Halo nears the end of its second season. Previously, Master Chief arrived on the planet Onyx along with Halsey, Kwan, Soren, and Laera, and upon reaching the UNSC base, they confronted the only active Silver team member, Spartan Kai, who had been misguided by Ackerson into abandoning Reach. Kai was shocked out of her wits as Chief exposed the heinous machinations of ONI, which were the prime reason for the fall of Reach as well as the death of their teammate, Spartan Vannak. However, to keep the ruse of her obedience to ONI intact, Kai delivered a brutal beatdown to Chief, knocking him unconscious in the process.
On the other hand, Cortana was able to talk Makee to let her connect with the tech of Arbiter’s ship—using which she sent a transmission to Onyx base—and connected herself with Master Chief for the second time since the battle in High Charity during the first season finale. Kwan and Halsey reach a Forerunner gateway in the subterranean sector of UNSC Base, where Miranda Keyes has been conducting research since the end of the first season. Soren and Laera went off their own way to find their son Kessler, whom they learned was abducted by the UNSC, which sought to force him into the Spartan program. The Sangheili Elite leader Arbiter engages in a battle with a Hierarch loyalist priest in order to save Makee. The sixth episode ended in a cliffhanger as both Makee and Chief touched the Forerunner Keystones lying respectively in the Arbiter’s ship and Onyx base and got their consciousness transported to the Halo Ringworld as a result. The penultimate episode of the second season, titled Thermopylae, teases a major action-packed finale, which might change the equation between the two warring sects forever.
Spoilers Ahead
Did Makee Learn About The Location Of The Halo Ringworld?
The episode opens with a picturesque aerial view of the natural landscape of the Ringworld as Makee reminisces about vivid visions of the place she saw in her childhood. As Chief and Makee meet each other in the Ringworld in their subconscious selves, an altercation ensues, with Chief blaming her for the fall of Reach and the ensuing loss of lives. Makee duly reminds him that it was the natural course of war and that he wouldn’t have batted an eye had the opposition suffered a similar or worse fate. Realizing the fact that Makee is close to knowing the location of the Halo, Chief pleads with her not to bring Covenant forces there, as in their hands, Halo will initiate the end of humanity. Makee once again reminds Chief that humans would do the same to their adversaries and suggests a third option—a better path. She claims that the Halo has a multifaceted purpose, and aside from being used as a weapon of mass destruction, it can also harbor life. She wishes to build a world of peace with Chief by her side, as she believes destiny has made them worthy of accessing the Halo, but senses that unlike her, Chief doesn’t feel as strongly about being guided by destiny.
Seeing Makee moments away from being attacked by the Hierarch loyalist Covenants, Chief breaks the subconscious connection, and the resulting blowback in the physical world breaks both of them free from their adversaries. In Chief’s case, oncoming ONI forces get knocked down, and at Arbiter’s ship, Makee gets a chance to evade the attack of the loyalists. With the help of Cortana, Makee manages to gut the Sangheili priest with a plasma blade. From the subconscious connection, Cortana has managed to pinpoint the location of Halo, which is now visible to Makee as well. As the Arbiter ends the Hierarch loyalists, Makee shares her gratitude but laments being fallen as the ‘Blessed One’ as she can no longer look into the future. With the Arbiter’s ship heading towards Halo, an entire contingent of the Covenant fleet starts chasing them, and with their future uncertain, Makee brands herself with the mark of shame just like her rescuer, the Arbiter.
What Is Parangosky’s Endgame?
The power surge erupting from Chief touching the Keystone alerts Parangosky to Chief’s presence in the ONI base, and she warns Ackerson about repercussions as Chief’s survival can expose their nefarious machinations in Reach. Ackerson states he was working on Parangosky’s orders but soon realizes that Paragonsky wants to make him the fall guy if things go south, just like how Halsey was used as the scapegoat in the Spartan program.
The ONI learns about the Arbiter ship’s current location, and seeing the Covenant contingent congregating in nearby space where the presence of suspiciously high levels of cosmic energy is observed, Parangosky realizes that the Covenant has found the location of Halo. She orders Ackerson to deploy new-generation Spartan III troops in battle, writing off his concerns about the new generation not being battle-ready yet. Right after being deployed, the first battalion of the Spartan fleet gets wiped out in an instant, and a persistent Parangosky prepares to send the entire new generation of Spartan forces of the UNSC to the conflict. A dumbfounded Ackerson questions her judgment, but gets even more surprised after learning Parangosky wants to risk it all because if the Covenant reaches the Halo before them, humanity won’t have any chance to fight another day. After secretively running his own simulations using Parangosky’s scheme, Ackerson gets horrified to learn that the ONI Admiral is planning to trigger the fusion reactor of a Covenant ship to wipe out their fleet, as well as the Halo, and is prepared to sacrifice all the Spartans for that.
Did Soren And Laera Find Their Son?
Inside the Thermopylae, Soren reminisces about his young days when he was in the process of being inducted into the Spartan program along with Riz, Kai, Vannak, and John, aka Master Chief. Soren remembers the rigorous, physically challenging, and torturous treatment the kids had to endure at the hands of the Marines, and in a weird way of expressing his expectations as a father, he states that it is Kessler’s time to become a Spartan, serving a purpose he himself never could. Laera is understandably stunned after hearing Soren’s nonsensical ramblings and is reminded that not being a Spartan has allowed Soren to lead a normal life and start a family. She isn’t willing to let their son go down a dark path by being turned into a Spartan.
As the couple witnesses the initiation of Kessler’s Spartan training, Soren jumps into action and violently takes down the aggressor Marines. Kessler gets terrified seeing his father in a crazed state like this, and Laera arrives to take him to safety. However, numbers of Marines keep pouring in, and as Soren gets busy clashing with them, both Laera and Kessler get abducted.
What Did Halsey And Miranda Find In The Forerunner Vault?
As Halsey and her daughter Miranda discuss the Forerunner Vault, the duo connect as their sensibilities as researchers match. Halsey reveals that she was able to decode the mathematical and linguistic cipher of the underground vault, and one of the gateways opened to a library, where she found the mutated DNA of humans and a higher form of life as an activation key. Although the characters in the series remain unaware of the creator of the mysterious, quasi-religious high-tech artifact and the mentioned higher form of life, game series fans will certainly recognize them as Forerunners. Taking a cue from the mutated DNA breadcrumb, Halsey meticulously selected (abducted) eligible candidates for the Spartan program—those who matched the mutated DNA profile. The mother-daughter duo takes a moment to mourn the loss of Captain Jacob Keyes, with Miranda finally learning about her father’s fate from Halsey’s recollection. Miranda shows her mother an activation key she found during her research, and recognizing the cipher as a star system map she saw inside the caverns of Rubble, Kwan Ha manages to unlock the vault, much to the mother-daughter duo’s surprise.
Inside the vault, a light bridge connects the entry point with another gateway, which Halsey opens using the activation key found by Miranda. Inside the gateway, the trio stumbles across a lab, and a deceased Forerunner, whom Halsey assumes to be a researcher, is seen holding on to a device of some sort. A curious Halsey wants to get the device, but soon the entire structure starts collapsing in on itself, with very little time left for them to retreat back to safety. Halsey is almost unwilling to return, leaving all the marvellous, unexplored technological brilliance behind, but a timely, emotional appeal by Miranda brings her back to her senses, and she returns to safety. Kwan sees the star map to be changing its appearance, which she terms the spreading of ‘growth,’ and runs away in fear and disbelief. Later, Miranda reveals to her mother that she had managed to grab the device before leaving the Forerunner lab, and at UNSC base, she manages to successfully open it.
The ominous signs are easily discernible for game series fans, as the indications point to the vicious galactic parasite species ‘Flood,’ who command a substantial role in the lore of Halo. In the first season, there were few visual clues and a single mention, and now the curious minds of Miranda and Halsey unknowingly might have tapped into something extremely dangerous, as ‘Flood’ is capable of infecting and annihilating everything in its path.
Did Master Chief Finally Reach Halo Ringworld?
At Onyx UNSC base, a troop of marines led by Briggs corner Master Chief, and the Major orders her soldiers to take Chief down. No one seems to have the daring or be foolhardy enough for the task, and Chief appeals to their sense of morality by asking them to think beyond their directive for a change. With the marines unwilling to restrain Master Chief, Briggs decides to take matters into her own hands but gets knocked out cold after getting one-shot by Kai.
Kai tries to make amends with Chief by admitting her mistake, but Chief is too furious at her for choosing the wrong side and betraying the trust of her comrades. The duo proceed further inwards in the ONI base and apprehend Ackerson, who is in the midst of considering changing his allegiance after learning about Parangosky’s Kamikaze tactics. Chief pins down Ackerson, holding him responsible for the deaths and destruction in Reach, and learns about Parangosky’s plans. Using Ackerson’s biometrics, Chief proceeds to get his Mjolnir armor back and, for a moment, gets shaken after seeing Vannak’s armor. Chief remembers how helpless Vannak was in his last moments, as ONI’s cruel ploy left him basically defenseless, and asks Ackerson to spill the beans by revealing the truth to the public.
After learning that the new generation of Spartans are marching to their suicide mission, Kai starts getting anxious and prepares to join them; as their trainer, she feels it is her responsibility to assist them. However, she is surprised to learn that Chief won’t be accompanying her, as he will try to reach Halo to shut it down for good. As they part ways, Chief contemplates if, during the crucial moment, Kai will have to implement Parangosky’s scheme for the greater good, listening to which Kai only wishes for Chief to reach Halo sooner.
An armor-clad Chief meets Corporal Perez before departure, who gets surprised to see Chief alive, but moments later feels disappointed after learning that he won’t be joining her or the new generation of Spartans. Perez feels that if he could have, it would have provided a huge boost to their morale. The duo part ways in a somewhat estranged way.
Master Chief walks down the hanger bay, and the mere sight of him inspires the present Marines. As his shuttle takes flight, Paragonsky discovers Ackerson’s betrayal and orders his capture, and he continues to taunt her about the repercussions as he looks forward to Chief revealing the truth to the public. Chief passes into the slipstream to reach the close proximity of the Covenant fleet; on the other hand, Perez’s Spartan unit, led by Kai, reaches the conflict zone as well. Chief notices Arbiter’s ship rushing in a particular direction, and for the first time, he sees the Halo Ringworld hovering in space. The iconic choric tune cues in as Chief’s gazes towards his destination, and the episode comes to an end. On the one hand, if the ‘Spike’ plan succeeds, massive scale annihilation awaits; on the other hand, Halo can trigger the extinction of humanity if the Covenant forces start controlling it. The Master Chief stands as the only hope there is for a better resolution. The stakes for a final showdown are set, and the buildup in this episode has raised expectations among the series fans, which will hopefully pay off in the season finale.
