Well, we just got through watching the finale of season one of Halo: The Series. And now we’re here to talk about it and boy there’s a lot to unpack here. One of the biggest problems so far is the casting.

First, Pablo Schreiber seems to be a decent actor and I have nothing against the guy but his performance as MC is terrible. Even as John he’s terrible. And it’s not because the man can’t act it’s because he’s such a poorly written character. Yes, the writers have established that this is the Silver timeline and it’s different but damnit why character assassinate one of the most iconic characters in video game history. When he’s in his suit with the helmet on, he does a decent job. But every time he’s out of suit the character just feels like one of the flash clones that Halsey has in her back laboratory. His quest to rediscover his humanity is completely rushed and whatever arc that lent itself to doesn’t work.

Most of the characters of the series are garbage, poorly written, or unnecessary troupes. There are a number of characters that are garbage and Miranda Keyes (Olive Gray) and Margaret Parangosky (Shabana Azmi) lead the charge. The fact that Miranda is just a whiny kid just makes her so unlikable. The strength she has in the canon is nowhere to be seen in the entire season. She’s just whiny with no kind of charisma, strength, or leadership qualities. But on a lighter note I’d totally date Gray. She’s very pretty and despite how I hate her portrayal of the character she shows she can act. And Parangosky is just stupid. Everything this character does is just confrontational for no reason. She’d petty, she’s stupid, I don’t see any leadership qualities in her character either.

But we’re going to focus on the two original characters that have been the point of contention for many fans and viewers. Makee (Charlie Murphy), a human raised within the ranks of the Covenant, and Kwan (Yerin Ha), the daughter of an insurgent leader and only survivor of the Covenant attack on Madrigal. I’m on the fence about the two because I can see a place for them in the Halo universe but as major players in the grand scheme, doesn’t make any sense. I was hoping that the series would be more of an anthology and Kwan’s story would be good if it were just a one-off story. But her story drags and doesn’t contribute to the main story (maybe it’ll bridge itself in season two) and let’s be honest. Kwan is a pretty unlikable character because she’s disrespectful, impulsive, and makes a lot of dumb decisions. Makee’s story is interesting but just isn’t handled well. And then when she interacts with MC and they’re made out to be this power couple over the artifacts is just stupid.

Honestly, Danny Sapani is given really nothing to do and pretty much stands on the side lines while Halsey, Miranda, and Parangosky have their power play. The members of Silver Team (Natasha Culzac as Riz, Bentley Kalu as Vannak, and Kate Kennedy as Kai) are actually good and actually have the best scenes throughout the entire series. Most of the scenes with them help elevate the episodes from the monotony of the BS drama from poorly written characters. Bokeem Woodbine is good as Soren though I wished he had more to do. I do like Natascha McElhone as Halsey but the show does portray her as an over-the-top caricature. Perhaps the character that portrays the themself the best is Jen Taylor as Cortana. She’s the voice actress of Cortana from the games and she actually does a really good job in the show. Not only does she handle her well enough in speech but also in her mannerisms.

What the show does best is the action. Throughout the nine episodes we get three major battle scenes (episode one on Madrigal, episode five on Eridanus II, and episode nine on Hesduros) and they are awesome. They make the series feel like Halo, the action is explosive, it’s fast paced, it’s great seeing the practical and special effects utilized in the scenes. The very brutality you see in war, especially with the Covenant, is translated so well. There’s blood, there’s a surprising amount of gore. The alien creatures look good (for the most part) and the weapons and ships look great. Really love the detail given to the Prophets. The Spartan suits look really good, and many of the weapon and costume designs are on point (well at least with the military and on Reach).

The biggest threat to MC on the show more than the Covenant is the writing. This isn’t Batwoman level bad, but this is some pretty bad writing. The character depictions are bad and even if they weren’t portraying such iconic characters, they would still be pretty badly written characters. The pacing is all over the place, the subplots aren’t interesting or impactful, there’s definitely an element of Wokeness to creator’s approach. The dialogue is pretty bad. Makee and Kwan could’ve had better storylines. The series would’ve benefited from being an anthology series, telling these same stories but having them in more concentrated and isolated formats.

The Verdict: In the end, Season 1 is a bit of a dumpster fire for fans of the franchise and an average watch for the casual viewer who knows nothing of the series. Season one does have its moments. There are good performances, the special effects are good, when the action hits, it’s awesome. But it is hindered by the Wokeness and especially the writing. The writing makes the characters stupid and unlikable, forcing in unnecessary drama, and makes the main and side stories unfocused and dumb. But despite the many negatives (and there are quite a few) and the obvious departures from the actual lore, I did get some entertainment. I know. Shocking right? Season 1 gets 3 out of 5.