The Halo show is finally making a case for its Master Chief
The latest episodes of Moon Knightand Haloboth grapple with repressed childhood trauma and demonic mothers. One is held back by its desire for as broad of an audience as possible, keeping the heavy material and its potential emotional impact at an arm’s length. The other is Halo.
Master Chief/John and Marc Spector/Steven Grant are finally confronting emotional scars from their childhoods while coming to grips with the reality of who their maternal figures actually are instead of who they perceived them to be. They also both have a second person in their head who they often fight against, and who has a very different relationship with said mother figure.
But while Marvel’s house style gets in the way of Moon Knight’s efforts, Halo shines — not only through its lead performances, but in its willingness to lean all the way in with jarring editing and sound design to enhance the fractured experience of its protagonist. In “Solace,” the sixth episode of the Paramount Plus show, Pablo Schreiber plays the character with all the rage and confusion of a child who has just discovered how messed up the world is. His outstanding lead performance — coupled with the show’s strongest handle yet on its cinematic language — makes “Solace” a standout episode and a compelling case for skeptical viewers to give the sci-fi show another chance.
[Ed. note: Spoilers for episode 6 of Halo]
In “Solace,” John (Pablo Schreiber) is not well. After a deadly attack by the Covenant in the fifth episode and the continued unraveling of his repressed childhood memories, he is visibly shaken and quick to lash out at those around him (many of whom are simply asking him if he’s all right).
But the episode portrays his downward spiral with delicate care and
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