This article contains spoilers for Halo Season 1, Episode 5, "Reckoning," which premiered Thursday, April 21 on Paramount+.
Fans of the Halo games have been disappointed by the TV series moving away from established canon and forging its own story. While this may have helped to bring new fans to the franchise, it left longtime fans feeling rejected. The latest episode, however, had a tone that was more in line with the games and even offered a battle scene that harkened back to some players' experiences -- suggesting that there's still hope to please the vocal fan base.
Halo is taking place in its own timeline (called the Silver Timeline), away from the plot of the games. The series made some huge changes from its very first episode, like revealing Master Chief's face, and these changes caused quite a stir amongst fans. While some had given up on the show, Season 1, Episode 5, "Reckoning" went a long way to re-establish trust between the show and die-hard Halo fans.
The final scenes of "Reckoning" involved a massive battle between the UNSC and the Covenant that gave the TV audience their first look at Grunts, Jackals and even a Brute. While it was odd that Jackals had energy swords, seeing the different species of the Covenant helped to make fans of the game feel more connected to the show. Many different groups make up the Covenant and help them spread across the galaxy; having all these species fight against the UNSC Marines and the Spartans moved the show closer to its source material.
The way that the Spartans fought also helped to show gamers that the series hasn't completely abandoned its roots. Seeing Spartans leap onto a Warthog and unload its chain gun onto the Covenant was enough to win some fans back over. While there were still some questionable choices made by Master Chief during this sequence, it was enjoyable to watch the Spartans move as a unit and tactically take down the Grunts and Jackals. Hearing Cortana provide tactical support to Master Chief was another sign that the show may be moving onto more familiar ground. More game-accurate conflicts like this would excite fans as Halo marches toward the end of its first season.
The TV series taking more aspects from the games, including more first person combat scenes, in "Reckoning" proves to dedicated Halo fans that there are still parts of the show they can enjoy. While it can be hard to look past the major differences, the episode suggests that Halo may still turn into something special for all fans. It will be interesting to see what the show does with the Halo device and if that will finally be the moment that brings all the fans together -- or if it will go off in another new direction and further isolate fans of the games.
Halo has been fighting an uphill battle since before the series aired. Fans were critical about any aspect that didn't match the games, and when executive producer Steven Kane said producers didn't look at the games, that invited more criticism. The most recent episode worked hard to quell some of those doubts and create a more positive conversation around the series. Hopefully going forward the Halo TV series will keep creating an experience for both old and new fans, instead of being defined by its differences.
New episodes of Halo stream Thursdays on Paramount+.