The latest episode of the Paramount+ gloriole The series is an action-packed gut-puncher right from the start. This punch in the windpipe will hurt a little more if you’re a big fan of a particular character from the games who literally bit the dust this week.
gloriole Episode 4 of Season 2, titled “Reach,” represents one of the bigger departures from the game’s established canon since the series announced it would create its own timeline. This deviation doesn’t necessarily hurt the episode, as it’s perhaps the strongest yet, but the specific way in which it chooses to get rid of a familiar Halo character is strikingly unceremonious. If people were angry that Master Chief took off his helmet (and it stay away in the second season) if they were angry about it He wets his gravity hammerThey’ll be angrier than a hornet’s nest about what’s happening in Reach.
Spoilers for gloriole Season 2, Episode 4 and the gloriole Follow game series.
In this episode, Commander Keyes (Danny Sapani) is killed during the Alliance’s invasion of the Reach. In the first gloriole game (that takes place after the Fall of Reach in the series’ timeline), the Commander is captured by the Alliance, tortured, rescued by Master Chief, and then infected by the zombie-like Flood. Master Chief kills Keyes out of mercy when he discovers that the Commander, along with other human spirits, had been absorbed into what would eventually become the Gravemind, a flood with near-omniscient powers. It’s a brutal death for a beloved character, but that gloriole The show really said, “Nah, let’s let him die because he forgot how to refuel a ship.”
Read more: I’m not afraid to say it: I’m looking forward to it gloriole Season two
Yes, while Commander Keyes and others attempt to evacuate Reach, he discovers that the ship they are on is still connected to the dock via its fuel line. Although Keyes knew the fall of Reach was near, he did not have a getaway car ready. And for this planning error he was rejected. At least he had a great speech beforehand, delivered with impressive enthusiasm by Sapani, and a witty closing one-liner.
But Keyes’ death sucks because it’s not nearly as convincing here as it was in the games, largely because the series focuses on the Spartans. I do claim that the… gloriole The series is at its strongest when it focuses on John and the Spartans’ struggle to protect humanity while reckoning with who they are and what the United Nations Security Council has made of them. This choice means that other characters draw less attention. Less fanfare means deaths have less impact, and when a beloved player character unceremoniously dies at a time when they shouldn’t canonically, it hurts.
Aside from Keyes’ untimely death, “Reach” is a hard-hitting, action-packed episode. There are some great nods to the games, including a giant Covenant Wraith tank decimating the city streets, a tough, chaotic melee between an unarmored chieftain and an elite soldier, and a few chaotic, gooey explosions provided by some Good old UNSC fragmentation grenades were provided.
“Reach” also doesn’t shy away from killing characters in one round Halo 3 Team Deathmatch. From Vannak-134 (Bentley Kalu), whose love of animals made him one of my favorite people on the show (and whose death sent me into a hysterical spiral for a few minutes), to Louis-036 (Marvin Jones III) and him partner, “Reach” records a pretty high body count. The emotional beats hit home, even if you’re unhappy about who didn’t make it out of Reach alive. Despite the changes, even though the Spartans literally lost their armor in this episode (lol how Mjolnir fans must feel), I’m still firmly on the side of “gloriole TV series good.”
