Intro

In case you missed my review of the first two episodes of Halo Season Two, you can read my thoughts here.

Unfortunately, despite my hopes that the second season of Halo would learn the lessons from its mistakes in season one, this third episode titled "Visegrad" doesn't inspire confidence. The episode focuses too much on ancillary characters like Ackerson and conflicts that have little to do with the season's overall narrative.

Story

Specifically, this episode splits time between John and Silver Team, The Rubble's inhabitants, and ONI headquarters. While that is a particular improvement over season one's distribution of side stories, it's not immediately clear what these storylines have to do with one another.

Writing

If I had to guess, the outline handed down to Marisha Mukerjee from Kyle Killen, Steven Kane, and Basil Kreimendahl wasn't enough to develop an entire episode or extend beyond a few key points; that's exactly the impression it leaves. There's promise in what this episode holds for the future, but it's offputting at best for now. The multiple storylines, including those of Silver Team, The Rubble's inhabitants, and ONI headquarters, felt disjointed and lacked a unifying thread. For instance, the abrupt transition between John's mission and ONI's internal conflicts left viewers grappling with the relevance of each subplot to the overarching season narrative.

Cast

Furthermore, the performances experience a substantial downgrade over the previous two episodes. Pablo Schreiber's portrayal of John this time gave me shades of Captain Del Rio in Halo 4, who is infamous for being the character players are supposed to hate. I understand Schreiber's intention here, but I would have appreciated some restraint so I don't feel like John is being a jerk for little to no reason. The same can be said for Joseph Morgan's performance as James Ackerson, as the two performances feel too akin to the point where there was a moment in the episode where I got confused about who was onscreen.

Cinematography

This confusion could be due to Andrew Commis's cinematography outside the plainly written and over-the-top performances. Shrouded in near-black conditions, the forest scene posed visibility challenges on non-HDR displays. Even at 100% brightness, my monitor struggled to convey the details, raising concerns about the episode's cinematographic choices. A colorist can fix these issues by applying a color grade to the footage, but if the scene is shot in near-black conditions, no amount of grading can rectify that.

Wrap-up

So, two weeks in, "Visegrad" is a step back from an otherwise phenomenal season thus far. I'll be interested to see where the season goes from here, but if it continues down this path, Halo season two will repeat the same mistakes as its first season.

Rating

★★

Availability

If you'd like to watch Halo, you can do so with a Paramount+ subscription here.

Until next time!