HALO Season 1 Episode 6 Review: Solace

That’s how you tell a story!

HALO Season 1 Episode 6 traded in the grueling battles and filled viewers in on what is really going on, and it resulted in a nuanced outing that proved the series doesn’t need things blowing up to advance the story.

The theme that echoed through “Solace” was fail-safes and how there had to be a way to fix things that go wrong.

John was falling apart throughout the hour, with Pablo Schrieber turning in an unforgettable performance as this man who is questioning everything.

The mystery surrounding the artifacts, John’s past, and Halsey’s motives have been the main driving force throughout the first two-thirds of HALO Season 1.

The Covenant handing Makee over was a ballsy move on HALO Season 1 Episode 5, but knowing she’s deeply tethered to Master Chief makes things considerably more enjoyable.

Makee has been vocal about taking down the “alien,” but the truth is, it looks like she and John need each other to communicate with the artifacts in a way that will benefit the Covenant.

There has to be more to the reason why the Covenant allowed Makee to make her way to Reach, but it also begs questions about whether the Covenant knows where the UNSC’s headquarters are located.

Will we get a big battle on Reach? It sure seems that way, but maybe John will cut some sort of a deal to leave the planet intact if he cooperates with the Covenant.

He probably has more questions than answers now, but at least he has some clarity on the true extent of the artifact’s abilities.

He will feel tethered to Makee despite initially being against her. You don’t just trust someone who worked with the Covenant. That’s too far out of the realm of possibility.

John’s lack of trust in Halsey might allow him to be manipulated by the Covenant because let’s face it, how would you believe anything a woman who essentially killed kids has to say?

Halsey will have far-reaching ramifications, more so that all of the cards are on the table.

The Admiral needed a scapegoat, and when you consider the manipulation from Halsey of late, well, she’s a pretty good scapegoat.

Halsey will now believe that the ends justify the means now that she knows about the link between John and Makee, but it’s hard to imagine her getting her job back to continue her research without a struggle.

Miranda snagging her mother’s job was a shocker because I figured it would happen much further down the line.

Miranda wants to be the complete opposite of her mother, but she had to break protocols to allow John to communicate with the artifact.

We haven’t seen much of a parent-daughter relationship, and now it’s easier to see that Halsey was devoted to her cause, and Miranda will start to understand why.

Will that build a connection between them? I’m not sure, but I’m confident they will be forced to work with one another at one point.

Then again, we know Halsey is still manipulating everyone. She’s not the type of person to leave anything she uses without a fail-safe.

John will never trust Halsey again, not after learning what she really did on Eradinus II.

There was a visceral reaction in John when he understood that he had to test the limits of Cortana.

He clearly understands there will be a Spartan uprising sooner rather than later, but I’m starting to worry about Kai.

Kai has been putting two and two together since she got rid of the emotion chip, and if she tries to influence the other Spartans, the Admiral will probably find a way to get rid of her.

Even John finally understood that Kai could be more of an asset without the chip. He was against her plans ahead of the attack.

The artifacts are taking a physical and mental toll on both John and Makee, and the final three episodes of the season should give us the answers to our most burning questions.

The execution of the reveal was handled reasonably well, and having the iconic music in the background amped up the nostalgia factor.

The lack of Kwan and Sorin’s storyline helped elevate this episode. I hope that when we check back in with the pair, the storytelling has improved for them.

I’m starting to feel that the great actors are being wasted by pitiful storytelling.

Maybe Sorin and Kwan should become a part of the Reach plot because the chaos in Madrigal is just not as exciting as it should be.

What did you think, HALO fanatics?

Do you think the show is finally moving in the right direction?

What are your thoughts on Makee and John being tethered?

What will happen now that they’ve made it to the mystical HALO?

Who do you think will break the connection between John and Makee?

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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