Halo: The Series thoughts

[Worffan101]

Halo is a mixed bag.

Chief's stuff is a decent sci-fi series.

I love Kai-125 beyond all reason because "sad and/or abused badass woman breaks free and finds herself" is inherently compelling to me. Also I for no rational reason just assume she's gay and has ADHD. I got hooked by that character concept and am now just high on my own supply. Go ahead and give me shit about this, I won't respond lol.

Kwan's stuff is completely disconnected from the rest of the show, would've been a watchable sci-fi series if it had the time it needed to flourish.

So far, mean of 6/10. This isn't a bad show.

[CharlesPhipps]

Also I for no rational reason just assume she's gay and has ADHD.

I'm wondering if the network executives are setting up way too many fleshy humans because a man in love with a hologram that he can't be sexual with is UNPOSSIBLE to understand.

[Worffan101]

Oh, and as for the meat of the series (Chief and Cortana and Halsey):

--Halsey is largely portrayed as a sociopathic narcissist control freak, but I think there are sometimes too many efforts to humanize her rather than have her be unsettlingly manipulative and controlling. I think that McElhone does a fantastic job as a performer and is definitely carrying a lot of this solo.

--Jen Taylor's Cortana is an excellent take on "AI just sort of discovering how to be human because she's basically a shackled brain scan of an actual person". Her outfit is fine. Better than the oversexed stuff from the later games. Jen Taylor's performance is rock solid. Her interactions with Chief have gone from meh to "that's pretty damn good".

--Pablo Schrieber's Master Chief is written tolerably and performed very well considering the awkward stuff that he has to do a lot. Again, actor is better than writing, but the writing isn't so offensively bad that I'm thrown off (see also: Star Trek: Picard, which DOES have writing that bad). His scene with Cortana, Halsey, and the death room is metal as Hell and pitch perfect. His interactions with Kai-125, though brief, are compelling. His dream sequences I could take or leave. His interactions with Cortana have ranged from meh to "that's pretty damn good".

--Silver Team are great. I identify a lot with Kai, Riz and Vannak are likable, their scene with Keyes Jr. when they discussed their pets was really easy to fuck up but they handled it well and I think it worked without becoming something from r/meirl. Solid acting, decent writing. These guys, especially when interacting with Chief, are the highlight of the show.

--Parangosky is bland, I could take or leave her. Same with Keyes Sr.

--Keyes Jr. is kind of a cypher but there's enough there to work with and she's well-acted, generally working pretty well. I don't have complaints.



As for the Covenant--they look good. That's all I've got to say.

[CharlesPhipps]

Halsey is largely portrayed as a sociopathic narcissist control freak, but I think there are sometimes too many efforts to humanize her rather than have her be unsettlingly manipulative and controlling. I think that McElhone does a fantastic job as a performer and is definitely carrying a lot of this solo.

To be fair, what makes Halsey interesting is she's not a stereotypical mad scientist. She did a horrible, evil, unforgivable thing but believes it was worth it. That doesn't take away from the fact that she still cares about the Spartans more than anyone else in the world. It's a very hard character mixture to get right.

[Worffan101]

Kwan's plotline is the big albatross. Not because she or Soren are badly written or acted, this is a fine Mandalorian expy with shades of Firefly, and the evil dude who was a good guy on Pacific Rim is a tolerably cheesy, well-acted cartoon villain. Kwan is a serviceable if unexceptional protagonist and Soren hits all the right "Mal Reynolds had a lovechild with Mando" beats.

The problem is this has basically nothing to do with the main plot or Halo in general, and it's a binary choice between giving Chief and the UNSC/Covenant/Halo plot the necessary time, or giving Kwan the necessary time.

So Kwan's plot isn't getting enough work AND comes off as a distraction.

It's a real shame because it's not horrible, albeit rather tropey. And I'm not looking to have my mind blown by this show, I'm just looking to be entertained.

[Frustration]

Clearly everyone isn't hate-watching. If there's anything we've learned from the past twenty years of media, it's that there are people who will watch anything.

[Worffan101]

Clearly everyone isn't hate-watching. If there's anything we've learned from the past twenty years of media, it's that there are people who will watch anything.

I assume you're responding to the troll you have on ignore, but I, as somebody who's casually played Halo and finds the lore intermittently cool and intermittently asinine, am rather enjoying the show and find it to be tolerable sci-fi entertainment.

[CharlesPhipps]

Honestly, it's amazing how the streaming scifi fans have united around Halo.

EVERYONE hates Kwan's plotline.

[Frustration]

I assume you're responding to the troll you have on ignore, but I, as somebody who's casually played Halo and finds the lore intermittently cool and intermittently asinine

Alas, that's how lore generally works.

I'm pleased that moderately-entertaining content is available, if only because so much of recent content has been totally trash - it's in my self-interest for the field to be thriving, even if I don't directly consume any particular show.

[Worffan101]

I assume you're responding to the troll you have on ignore, but I, as somebody who's casually played Halo and finds the lore intermittently cool and intermittently asinine

Alas, that's how lore generally works.

I'm pleased that moderately-entertaining content is available, if only because so much of recent content has been totally trash - it's in my self-interest for the field to be thriving, even if I don't directly consume any particular show.

I mean, it's not gonna blow your mind and change your life, but it's a solid story with solid themes, and they DO know how to do Chief. He does some metal AF stuff in the most recent episode, I was impressed.