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Halo “Thermopylae” Review

Season 2 Episode 7 – John-117 comes face to face with Makee. A revelation leads Ackerson to question his loyalties. Soren and Laera’s relationship begins to fracture. Halsey, Kwan and Miranda work to solve a mystery.

Please note, our reviews are based on likes and dislikes. These contain significant spoilers. If you haven’t already watched the episode, we recommend that you click off the article and come back once you have watched the episode. Enjoy!

What I Liked

1. A small squad surrounds Chief and they’re ordered to kill him. John says a few choice words to the one holding the gun to his chest and he decides to put his gun down. After the squad leaves, the leader of the squad proceeds to try and kill John until Kai thumps her on the back of the head. This makes the most sense to me. They know he’s the Master Chief. They know what he’s done for the UNSC. It just makes sense that not everyone will be on board with arresting/killing John.

2. I was wondering how John knew exactly where he was going through the facility. After he and Kai discuss the mistakes made, Kai asks how he knows where he’s going. He then replies with; “I don’t but she does”. It’s clever in all honesty. The way he just walks through and the doors are unlocked like it’s nobody’s business is great.

3. John and Ackerson come face to face for the first time in a while. John wastes no time and grabs him by the throat threatening to kill him. Ackerson explains to John and Kai what he saw in the simulation that it isn’t just the fleet or the planet in danger, it’s the entire system. I’m honestly glad that questions are finally being answered. There’s been a lot since the first episode.

4. Soren finds his kid being subject to similar training methods he found himself in when becoming a Spartan. He annihilates most of the guards there but his son doesn’t seem to agree with what’s just happened. We know his son wants to be a Spartan hence the reason he always wore the helmet. Soren himself even bordered on giving him the choice to continue that training but Laera didn’t agree with that of course.

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5. We now know that Ackerson was never truly the bad guy and was just following orders. Although he did some shady things, it’s great to see this all come full circle so we understand it all from the very beginning. I love how confident Ackerson was when he got arrested, asserting to Parangosky that they would listen to Chief, not her. A very good scene.

What I Disliked

I’ll be honest, I didn’t understand what the Kwan, Halsey and Miranda sections of the episode were about. The discovery they made I didn’t get. Maybe that’s just me but because I didn’t know what was going on, it affected the way I watched those sections. If someone could enlighten me in the comments I’d appreciate it.

Favorite Moment

John is finally, finally back in the suit.

Standout Character

It’s another episode that’s difficult to give this to. Master Chief was probably the one that stood out the most for me. We’re seeing this badass side of Master Chief who only has 1 goal in mind and that’s the Chief we want. To be fair, I’m just incredibly thankful we have the suit back as it’s been far too long without it.

Verdict

An episode that mostly answered questions above all else, more so surrounding Ackerson. It was a much-needed episode that didn’t blow you away as much as the Reach episode did but to fully understand the season up until now – this was the episode that brought the season full circle.


Rating 7.6/10



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The Review

Story - 8
Action - 6
Characters - 7
Entertainment - 8
Quality - 9

7.6

Good

An episode that mostly answered questions above all else, more so surrounding Ackerson. It was a much-needed episode that didn't blow you away as much as the Reach episode did but to fully understand the season up until now - this was the episode that brought the season full circle.

Daniel Lewandowski

Founder, Director and co-owner of Only Comic Universe. Journalist specializing in the Arrowverse shows, and the MCU. Creator of the Only Comic Universe website.

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