Halo TV Show

[TormundsWoman]

Season 2 has a different vibe. Don’t know if anyone watched the first two eps but they were decent imo. 
 

Not sure how I feel about this new leader of the Spartan program but going to go with “bad man with an agenda”. Loved Kai staying loyal as always with Master Chief. How is Makee alive? Is it just John’s hallucination?!
 

Cobalt team seem like they need their pellets removed. Total dicks  Silver Team will totally save their asses. 
 

felt super bad for Riz and John pushing her specifically so hard but he’s convinced there’s something brewing. Not sure what he meant by “They are on Reach”. Like how? Blending in is hard for those Covenant uglies.

looking forward for ep 3.

[Corvinus85]

I'm not a Halo gamer, so I thought season 2 started off well. Still don't care for Kwan.

[DireWolfSpirit]

Show watching only as I dont Game.

Binged the 1st season and 1st 2 episodes of S2.

I like it but sometimes I feel a little lost following the thread of things.

[Werthead]

I think we've just about reached the part where the video game timeline starts (apart from Halo Wars, but that's kind of irrelevant), where Halo: Reach kicks in, albeit with different characters doing different things in different places.

Season 2 does seem like a step up from Season 1, with all the characters converging in one location so all the storylines are more tightly woven together. Perez seems to be a solid addition to the cast, although it'll be interesting to see what they do with her (the trailers suggest she might become an ODST or using experimental "standard human"-issue powered armour). The recasting of Cortana also feels random. Not sure why they didn't just change the CGI model to make it more game-like rather than recast the actress but then keep her OG actress for the voice performance. Bizarre.

I am trying to work out how they're going to do Halo 1 as a season of television, presumably next time. Lots of shots of Master Chief going down identical corridors, then the same corridors mirrored?

[SpaceChampion]

I didn't understand how Master Chief was in one moment talking about Copper Team MIA on some far away world (Epislon Eridani?) and then the next moment concluding the Covenant was on Reach.  What did I miss?

[Corvinus85]

18 minutes ago, SpaceChampion said:

I didn't understand how Master Chief was in one moment talking about Copper Team MIA on some far away world (Epislon Eridani?) and then the next moment concluding the Covenant was on Reach.  What did I miss?

I thought he discovered that the Cobalt's real flight plan was in fact that they simply went to another part of Reach. The comm relay in question was on Reach and its failure matched the pattern of what had happened on Sanctuary. 

[Werthead]

2 hours ago, SpaceChampion said:

I didn't understand how Master Chief was in one moment talking about Copper Team MIA on some far away world (Epislon Eridani?) and then the next moment concluding the Covenant was on Reach.  What did I miss?

Cobalt Team. Reach is the second planet of Epsilon Eridani (Babylon 5 is orbiting the third planet next door and a couple of universes over).

[Corvinus85]

Episode 4 had some suitably good action and drama moments, though it feels like more could have or should have been shown. Of course, there might be more action next episode. Of course, I assume that by now the majority of the game fanboys are gnashing their teeth and taking out the pitch forks because

Spoiler

Because Master Chief and the other Spartans were in the thick of the action without their armor for the whole episode. Even if narratively it makes sense with how everything had been set up.

 

[Werthead]

Doing the Fall of Reach on a TV budget, even a TV mega-budget, is quite a call. Not a bad start either (I assume the rest of the battle will unfold over the rest of the season).

Nice Game of Thrones nod as well:

Spoiler

Master Chief picking up the blade and getting ready to fight the Arbiter in single combat, only for a grunt to intervene and shoot him in the back, pissing off the Arbiter for interrupting his honourable battle so he kills the grunt and wanders off.

 

[Spockydog]

I can confidently say that this show is one of the best game to screen adaptations ever. Pablo Schreiber is absolutely crushing the role of MC. And the latest episode, Thermopylae, was the best of the season. Brilliant stuff. 

[Corvinus85]

33 minutes ago, Spockydog said:

I can confidently say that this show is one of the best game to screen adaptations ever. Pablo Schreiber is absolutely crushing the role of MC. And the latest episode, Thermopylae, was the best of the season. Brilliant stuff. 

I don't think I've played more than 1 hour across all Halo games, so my opinion is just about the show and I find it OK. Season 2 has been mostly better than season 1. That being said, your opinion is the first completely positive comment from a gamer I've seen. (unless you're being entirely sarcastic. Poe's Law?)

[Spockydog]

1 hour ago, Corvinus85 said:

I don't think I've played more than 1 hour across all Halo games, so my opinion is just about the show and I find it OK. Season 2 has been mostly better than season 1. That being said, your opinion is the first completely positive comment from a gamer I've seen. (unless you're being entirely sarcastic. Poe's Law?)

No, genuinely love it. I generally don't pay much attention to storylines when I'm playing these types of games, but I did with Halo Reach. That was brilliant, and so bleak at the end. 

 

[Mexal]

I think the show is fantastic. I used to play Halo multiplayer but never really got through the single player stories so I don't know shit. But as a tv show, really enjoying this season. The Fall of Reach was insane. My wife and I are through 5 episodes, going to push through rest so we can watch finale on Thursday.

[Werthead]

I think the show is solid, with some great high points and some absolutely diabolical low points ("Somehow, Makee returned," and the storyline with the couple's kid should have never been written or filmed). I think it evens out at okay.

I do think them responding to complains that Master Chief doesn't have his helmet on enough in Season 1 by taking his armour away altogether for most of Season 2 is epic-level trolling of the video game fans on another level though. Art.

Edited March 18 by Werthead

[Spockydog]

I'm really enjoying the adventures of Makee and the Arbiter. 

Edited March 19 by Spockydog

[Mexal]

23 hours ago, Werthead said:

I think the show is solid, with some great high points and some absolutely diabolical low points ("Somehow, Makee returned," and the storyline with the couple's kid should have never been written or filmed). I think it evens out at okay.

I do think them responding to complains that Master Chief doesn't have his helmet on enough in Season 1 by taking his armour away altogether for most of Season 2 is epic-level trolling of the video game fans on another level though. Art.

I don’t mind Makee but yea, the kid storyline is idiotic. Just giving Soren something to do. But I’m a huge fan of the adventures of John.

[Heartofice]

I have attempted to watch 20 minutes of this show, but it has a real 'Set and costumes stolen from Star Trek TNG' vibe that I could barely get past. I've seen others say they like it, but I have a real phobia of terrible sci fi costumes in tv shows, it's a serious red flag for me.

[Corvinus85]

I didn't realize that the season finale was going to give us 2 video game adaptations for the price of one: Halo and

Spoiler

Dead Space. Unless the whole alien virus that zombifies and mutates people was a thing in the Halo games, too.

Solid finale. Even the lesser Soren and Kwan plotline had more stuff going for it.

[Werthead]

17 hours ago, Corvinus85 said:

I didn't realize that the season finale was going to give us 2 video game adaptations for the price of one: Halo and

It was.

Spoiler

Although different. The Flood is encountered by Master Chief alone on the Delta Halo - the first one we see, presumably this one in the TV continuity - so it doesn't really infect anyone, we just encounter tons of purestrains. I believe it's not until Halo 2 and 3 that we see it infecting people

I'm assuming they changed that to show what an insidious level threat the Flood are straight up.

Some nice video game callbacks. The twin Needlers gag I think is a solid reference to a lot of people in the games, and a nod to the fact that nobody in the Halo universe goes into battle with remotely enough ammo for whatever mission they are facing.

ETA: Oh nice! It's Harry Lloyd playing

Spoiler

343 Guilty Spark

 

Edited March 22 by Werthead

[Durckad]

6 hours ago, Werthead said:

It was.

  Reveal hidden contents

Although different. The Flood is encountered by Master Chief alone on the Delta Halo - the first one we see, presumably this one in the TV continuity - so it doesn't really infect anyone, we just encounter tons of purestrains. I believe it's not until Halo 2 and 3 that we see it infecting people

I'm assuming they changed that to show what an insidious level threat the Flood are straight up.

Spoiler

I don't believe that's entirely correct. Captain Keyes was infected. You come across his... body? on a Covenant ship near the end of the first Halo game and it's been converted into some sort of bloated Flood... thing that Master Chief kills by jamming his fist into it. So yeah, the Flood infecting things was established from the very start. 

I also vaguely recall some indication that the Flood do infect things even earlier, during the first levels in which they appear but it's been a loong time since I've played Halo 1 so no guarantees on that. Might just be the passage of time rotting my brain.

Pretty solid finale overall and a pretty big step up from Season 1. I didn't hate Season 1, it was almost aggressively okay from start to finish, with a few standout moments here and there. But Season 2? Yeah, I quite enjoyed it. Although...

Spoiler

Killing the Arbiter so soon? Oof. THAT hurt.

I haven't really followed any online discussions but I can certainly imagine big Halo fans fucking haaaaaaating this. I enjoy the games but the wider "lore" and stories are beyond me caring, but even I can tell how much this diverges from established events. Not enough for me to care about the changes but just enough for me to go "Oh, that's different. Okay." I'm not sure an "accurate" adaptation is even possible, but this certainly goes it's own direction in many respects.

Edited March 23 by Durckad