Halo: “Homecoming” Recap

It’s not much of a surprise that many fans are groaning just a bit after this current episode as there isn’t a great deal of action in Homecoming, in fact, there’s next to none as the exposition that takes over to show Master Chief and Halsey returning to his home in their quest to find the second piece of the artifact ends up taking precedence. At the same time, the efforts of Kwan and Soren to gain support and get Soren paid go awry as well. Spoilers are coming for those that haven’t watched the current episode yet, but much of what went on in Homecoming was geared toward building tension rather than showing any aggression between the UNSC and the Covenant. There is enough storytelling in place that makes the episode worth it as John begins to experience feelings of anxiety and even a bit of anger when it comes to pass that he learns of how Halsey has been manipulating people for so long. While she professes to care about people, it becomes kind of obvious that Halsey is a destructive force to anyone and everyone that even comes near her personal orbit. 

This idea is furthered as Keyes and the Spartans are seen interacting as Keyes shows obvious concern when dealing with the other three members of John’s unit. However, she does begin to warm to Kai, who, after removing her inhibitor chip, experiences a shift in her personality that is not unlike puberty, as she not only dyes her hair but also begins to bond with Keyes as they begin to figure out more about Covenant and their language. If anything, this episode feels as though it’s meant to reveal the shift in the Spartans and those around them, either integrating with those around them or finding a reason to suspect those around them of being duplicitous. 

The only action in the episode happens when Soren and Kwan find that they have no friends among those that Kwan was attempting to reach out to, as the wedge that was driven between Kwan’s people and herself by Vinsher Grath has become too great for Kwan to recover any trust from those that have known her for so long. When Vinsher sets an assassin on Soren and Kwan, the two have to run to avoid capture, or worse. It’s fair to think that this episode might have been a little better received had the Spartans been allowed to engage the Covenant once or twice. But the ability to build the story a little more and show Halsey in a light that many might have been waiting to see if only to better understand what’s going on when it comes to Halsey, and how her designs on the Spartans came to make them who they are. There’s still plenty of exposition left to be seen, but this quest to find out more about John’s past and to develop the idea that Kai is learning how to be rebellious is quite interesting since it’s adding layers of depth to the story, which will hopefully end up creating a more vibrant story that will keep the audience happy. As of now though, the fans appear to be getting restless. 

After reading the books and playing the games it’s not tough to understand why this would be the case, since Halo is the type of story that might have a lot to explain, but typically this appears to be done through action and a storyline that doesn’t slow down quite as much as the show has in the past two episodes. The big hope is that the next episode will return to the action, and will possibly plumb the depths of the game, even more, to appease the fans and open the door wide to the action that people want to see. The fact that the show started in such a forceful and action-packed manner could have been a mistake since it might have sent the wrong message; that Halo was going to be non-stop action that would keep people on the edge of their seats.  So far the strong beginning has given way to more exposition than some fans have wanted, but the best part about this is that those that are interested in the show but don’t know much about the games are learning as they go. 

Hopefully, the next episode will be able to kickstart things once again and really propel the story forward, but at this time it’s interesting to learn more about the characters and their motivations when it comes to the survival of the UNSC and the people who rely on them. Another big hope is that the show will delve deeper into the Covenant and the conflict they’ve waged against the UNSC since there’s a good deal of hatred there that needs to be explained.