Halo episode 8 recap: Love and misanthropy

Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Halo episode 8, “Allegiance”

In this week’s penultimate episode of Halo, Master Chief does something that he’s never done before in the history of the franchise. And no, we’re not talking about removing his helmet.

Spoilers to follow.

“Allegiance” starts with John and Makee taking a stroll in Reach City. They discuss their connection to the Halo artifact, with Makee reciting an ancient Covenant prophecy about Blessed Ones, those able to connect to the array.

“Where the stars sparkle like grass, a divine wind will rush through, propelling all of those who are worthy on a great journey to the sacred ring, where we will become like gods.”

She also tells Master Chief about the book her childhood friend used to read to her before being taken away by the Covenant. Two soldiers come to retrieve John, who makes his way to the UNSC headquarters. The UNSC learns the Covenant has attacked another human settlement on Criterion, wiping out 11 million humans in a single stroke.

John urges Captain Keyes and Admiral Parangosky to let Makee touch the artifact and locate the Covenant planet, taking the fight to them. Keyes is reluctant to do so, reminding John that they can’t hope Makee had it in her to bypass “decades of indoctrination.” Master Chief hits back by remarking that he’s already done it with the UNSC’s brainwashing.

Master Chief visits Makee again and brings her the book she was talking about at the beginning of the episode. The two then kiss and disrobe, laying together as Cortana watches in the background. In layman’s terms, Petty Officer John-117 has sex for the first time in the 20-year history of Halo.

Elsewhere, Dr. Halsey gains top-level access to the UNSC facilities using her daughter’s biometrics. She then starts to manipulate Makee, who seems to be forsaking her allegiance to the Covenant and embracing her love for John. Halsey warns Makee to not trust humans, telling her that “humanity is the problem” they need to fix by convincing John to take the artifact and go away with the two of them.

As the UNSC prepares for the test, allowing Makee to learn the coordinates of the Covenant world, Halsey activates the Zed Protocol, taking direct control of the Silver Team and sending them to find Master Chief and Makee. She also tasks Cortana with knocking John out during the fight.

On the other hand, Cortana, who’s been struggling with her morality throughout the episode while watching Halsey’s manipulation, decides to instead help John fight his Spartan comrades. Makee makes her way to Keyes and Parangosky, pleading for John’s life.

At the same time, Miranda Keyes learns that Makee was the one who took out that UNSC ship a few episodes back. The soldiers apprehend Makee as Master Chief fights for his life against the two armored Spartans. The Blessed One breaks free and makes contact with the artifact, releasing a timely pulse that knocks everyone out and possibly saves Master Chief’s life.

There’s a lot at stake here, so it’ll be interesting to see how Halo will weave all of these plot threads together for a final outing next week. With the Covenant probably making their way to Reach now, and Dr. Halsey’s Spartans going rogue, the show might not even have the opportunity to reunite Master Chief with Kwan Ha or visit the Halo array, for that matter.

What the season finale can do, however, is set up the next season by ending things on a satisfying cliffhanger when it arrives this May 19 on Paramount Plus.

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