HALO Season 1 Episode 4 Review: Homecoming

Who is the real villain of this narrative?

HALO Season 1 Episode 4 was another ho-hum installment that peeled back the layers on the characters while seemingly setting up Halsey as the ultimate villain.

The trip to Eridanus II was poised to come with severe ramifications for John and the other Spartans, but the twist that Halsey was touching down on the planet before the virus dispatched on the planet hints at a much darker side of her.

John has looked at Halsey as this trustworthy individual, but having his memories, emotions, and some facts about the person he looks at as a mentor coming to light will only confuse him.

The path to the next artifact should have been filled with action, but instead, it was slow-paced emotional beats as viewers understood the true extent of what happened on the planet before the virus was unleashed.

It raises many questions, but now that the UNSC is in possession of the artifact, Halsey might start to realize that she needs to keep a closer eye on John.

He’s broken protocol on several occasions, and now he’ll be in pursuit of answers about why Halsey has lied to him consistently since their first meeting.

Vinsher: You’re late.
Franco: My sister was late to watch the kids.
Vinsher: With what I pay you, you should invest in proper childcare.

Halsey’s motives have been murky since the beginning, and now that her own daughter is saying that she will take action against people who don’t follow orders highlights that her warm exterior is a front.

John is the first of his kind, communicating with these artifacts in ways the other Spartans could only dream of, but it’s only a matter of time before Halsey gives Cortana the keys to the kingdom to have more control over his body.

My theory so far is that Halsey, and by extension, the UNSC poisoned the planet because they needed John, perhaps for a battle that will happen in the future.

As the years have passed, Halsey has probably forged a bond with John, but now that he will be questioning everything, she will have to take some action to secure the future of the operation.

There’s too much rebel blood running through this planet. The last thing I need is another Ha martyr. This must be done quietly and discreetly. This requires a professional.

Vinsher

I expected the Covenant to show up on the planet the moment these people found the artifact, so I’ll give the creatives props for eliminating what could have been a very predictable turn of events.

Then again, it’s possible HALO Season 1 Episode 5 will still be set on the planet, allowing John and Halsey time to work through the lack of trust in one another.

The good news is that Kai will not be alone when he returns to Reach. Kai removing her chip came out of the left-field, but it was a nice way to allow Miranda to lift the lid on the way her mother works.

The show has lacked any familial scenes for the Halsey family, and it seems clear that Miranda resents her mother’s work ethic.

Miranda: I know that you report directly to Halsey, but… can we just keep this between us? At least for now, until I figure out what all this–
Kai: Yeah, no problem. It’s our secret. You know, the way I see it, we’re sort of like sisters.
Miranda: I gotta say, Spartan Officer… there’s something very odd about you.

Kai really came into her own throughout “Homecoming,” and it was fascinating watching her come to terms with feeling emotion for the first time. However, I didn’t expect it to happen so soon after John removed his chip.

Maybe we’re headed for a Spartan uprising when John returns, likely pushing Miranda to make a definite decision between her mother and Kai.

It seems like Halsey has nurtured relationships with her subjects instead of her family, which will likely come back to haunt her.

We already know Margaret is sick of Catherine’s continued manipulation. Could Miranda take over her mother’s work at some point?

It sure seems that way.

One thing that irked me was how Miranda realized she could take words the Spartans learned from the Covenant to put the language together.

Surely, Halsey being as analytical as she is, she would have had extensive debriefs with her subjects, and these words would have come up.

The action on Madrigal was some of the weakest material on the show to date.

Halsey is different. She sees the world as a set of data to be optimized, regardless of the short-term pain or sacrifice. Next to this level of dedication, the rest of us ultimately fall short. And when people let her down, Dr. Halsey has a way of cutting them out of her life. But Halsey never stops. She just keeps pushing forward, determined to bend us towards her vision of the future. She’s convinced there’s something out there just beyond our reach. An answer to our eternal questions. Who are we? Where are we heading? What is our true potential?

Miranda

We knew the show wouldn’t write out Kwan or Sorren so soon, not when there’s so much story left to tell, so everything that played out felt redundant.

Kwan’s desperation to avenge her father’s death was understandable, but her reaction to everyone following Vinsher’s way was way off base.

These people are being threatened with death and have absolutely no way of fighting back, so why would they be able to lead a rebellion?

You need people, firepower, and influence to lead such a front.

The show seems to want to put Kwan through every single stage of grief, which might not be the best way to tell the story.

Perhaps the show will switch things up now that she and Sorren are stuck on Madrigal.

Either way, it’s disconcerting that this plot flamed out so quickly, making me wonder whether the show is spinning a yarn of storylines big enough to span two seasons and possibly more.

The first two episodes of Halo Season 1 were action-packed, and while I respect the need for set-up for coming events, much of “Homecoming” featured talking and frivolous developments.

The show needs to strike a balance between the action and set-up to make a case to be in contention as one of the better TV adaptations of a videogame.

What are your thoughts on the action in Madrigal?

Do you think Halsey sent the virus to the planet?

Do you think John can trust Halsey now?

Why do you think the show waited so long for someone to say the show’s title?

Hit the comments.

Halo continues Thursdays on Paramount+.

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Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.

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