Halo Season 2 Finale Recap - Episode 8 'Halo'

Halo Season 2 has been building up to a finale that has major stakes for the show, both on and off-screen. Halo Season 1 is still infamous for crashing and burning with its big finale episode (the Battle of  Raas Kkhotskha), so Season 2 had that shadow to crawl out from under. There were also a lot of dangling plot threads that needed to be wrapped up in Season 2 Episode  8 – plus, there was the small matter of the actual Halo ring finally making its official debut in the series. 

Meeting those challenges would've been good enough; instead, Halo Season 2 throws so much more into its finale than most fans expected, closing out this game-changer season in epic fashion, while already setting up Halo Season 3 to be a must-see event! 

Halo Season 2 Episode 8 Recap: "Halo" (Finale) 

What Happened Down In the Dark? – The episode opens with the curious interview-style conversation between Master Chief John-117 (Pablo Schreiber) and some other party who is hidden offscreen. Chief asks what happened "down there" and the other party responds that it was "Death, but not yours." The conversation eludes to the vast "facility" they are in containing some "dark thing" in its depths – something that Chief must face. 

It's Spreading – Cut to the ONI facility on planet Onyx and Commander Miranda Keyes (Olive Gray) is examining the strange device she and her mother Katherine Halsey (Natascha McElhone) stole from the ruins of the advanced ancient city found under the surface of Onyx years ago, which spawned the Spartan program. Miranda is concerned about how some seemingly dormant spores on the device casing are suddenly alive and active again. An over-eager lab tech named Janine comes in chatting away about how lucky Miranda was to make such a discovery and plying her for information about being Halsey's daughter and rumors that Halsey is on Onyx. Miranda tries to be patient but grows concerned that overzealous Janine might've tampered with the sample while she was away. Janine denies any wrongdoing, but as the camera follows her walking out of Miranda's labor and into the larger facility, a microscopic close-up shows the invasive spore already mutating her cellular structure. Shortly thereafter, Janine looks downright feverish while listening to an obnoxious co-worker brag; when a concerned friend inquires about her, Janine's arm aggressively smacks the woman away on reflex. Janine continues trying to go through the social motions, listening to her colleague prattle on, but another cellular mutation makes her suddenly go feral, strange veins and markings appearing in her skin as she attacks the loudmouth co-worker, stabbing him in the neck with scissors. As Janine is forcibly restrained, we continue to see the cells inside her change and grow; cut to Miranda seeing the same on microscope, wondering out loud what it is she's looking at. 

[Opening Credits Roll] 

This Is Not A Sim – Corporal Talia Perez (Cristina Rodlo) – Is with the Spartan Javelin unit led by Kai-125 (Kate Kennedy) as their unit's ship approaches the Covenant fleet headed for the Halo ring. Perez is praying in Spanish until Kai taps her to focus up and trust in her training. Kai goes to give an epic rally cry speech, but their ship is hit by enemy fire and blown to bits. Kai, Perez, and surviving Spartans in their unit are blown into space, and immediately rally to continue their approach on the target Covenant Corvette cruiser, using skydive freefall tactics they practiced so many times in the simulator. The real thing is much more nightmarish as artillery from both sides, charred corpses, and space debris are all enough to kill off most of the drop team. Kai, Perez, and a few others make it to the ship's hull and identify a breach point, only to see a monstrously bigger Covenant warship pass by overhead. Kai keeps her soldiers focused on one problem at a time – taking down their target ship. 

What Were You Made For?  – Master Chief is still on his own ship headed to Halo's surface while trying to ignore the terrible sounds of death coming over his radio from the battlefield. Chief is contacted by Admiral Parangosky (Shabana Azmi), who informs him that the Covenant is chasing one of their own ships (Makee and the Arbiter) that's broken off and headed toward Halo's surface. Parangosky tries to leverage a common goal and enemy to sway Chief to ignore the battle and get to Halo first, but Chief is fed up with being manipulated by her, and cuts off comms, after calling out Parangosky for monstrously sacrificing her soldiers. 

Leave This Place - Kwan Ha (Yerin Ha) is trying to help Soren-066 (Bokeem Woodbine) rescue his wife Laera (Fiona O'Shaughnessy) and son Kessler (Tylan Bailey) from the ONI forces that abducted them. Kwan is having visions of the strange religious cult leader Master Chief met Sanctuary (and who died there), warning her that something is coming and she must get away. Kwan tries to compel Soren to run, but he won't go without his family. She explains that the darkness and monster her family bloodline was tasked to protect against is finally unleashed, but Soren says that if Laera and Kessler are in the ONI facility, then that's where he's going. 

What Are You In For? – Laera and Kessler are in ONI jail cells, where Kessler has a witty exchange meeting Col. James Ackerson (Joseph Morgan), who is occupying the next cell. Laera tries to break up the bonding experience, but the scene turns horrific when it's revealed that Janine is Laera and Kessler's other neighbor. Kessler's prompts activate whatever is infecting Janine, and some strange parasite crawls out of her mouth when the other prisoners aren't looking. 

Contact! – Kai's team breaches the ship and infiltrates it. They find the previous Spartan unit slaughtered in the halls of the ship; when they round a corner they find a Covenant heavy artillery gun set up for an ambush, with Spartans getting cut down where they stand. The squad battles bravely, but the Covenant has clearly learned their tactics; Elites breach their line with Laser Swords, and the squad falls back, suffering heavy losses. The USNC fleet arrives on the battlefield, but cavalry ships are promptly cut down by the larger warship covering the Covenant fleet. No help can reach them.

Save Them All – Kai gets on the radio detailing their position and calling for reinforcements; Chief hears it all and is torn about what to do. He and Perez both think back to their conversations earlier in the season: about how Chief always survives but loses friends; how his "luck" or predictive powers might actually be the power to change fate or beat all odds. The flood of thoughts makes Master Chief finally make a decision, as he flips his lucky coin and willfully controls its outcome. Chief prepares for a freefall drop; Parangosky comes on the radio to talk him down, but Chief tells her she can't predict his odds, and (finally) snaps his helmet back on as the cargo bay door opens for him to jump. CLASSIC MASTER CHIEF UNLOCKED. 

RIP Cortana – On the Arbiter's ship Makee (Charlie Murphy) is confronted by Cortana (voice of Jen Taylor and body of Christina Bennington) who warns her the odds of her survival increase if she takes an escape pod to Halo's surface before her ship is destroyed. Makee asks if John is headed to Halo but Cortana will not answer; that's a problem for Makee, as Cortana's loyalty is still to Chief. Makee asks Cortana to predict what she will do next, and Cortana predicts Makee will destroy her. Makee thanks Cortana for her service and smashes the hard drive containing the AI. 

We Die For Each Other – Kai's unit is getting whittled down to nothing, and running low on ammo. Kai and Perez grab some Covenant weapons and start putting in work, but Perez goes down hard from a gut shot, double-fisting Needlers as she's dragged to cover by Kai. When they get to the bridge of the ship, Kai pulls out the ONI device that will turn the ship into a mega-bomb, and she and Perez agree to go out with a blast. Just before Kai can deliver the kill shot the battle turns, as the Covenant all converge on a single target. Kai realizes it's Master Chief, who slaughters the Covenant Elites and saves the survivors. Chief commands the surviving Spartans to patch Perez up and head for extract; he and Kai look out at the space battle and weigh the dire nature of it, and their existence as the last of the original Spartans. Kai breaks away from Perez and the extract team, heading to the control room of the ship on her own. 

Prison Break – Soren and Kwan get to the lower levels of the ONI facility and find the hallways crowded with catatonic infected. They realize the people are not breathing and hurry on their way out of the creepy hall; the infected start to animate after Kwan and Soren pass by. In the jail cells, Janine also comes to life again, with huge lumps all over her face. The infected girl squishes her body through the bars of the jail cell to attack Laera and Kessler, with a huge tentacle breaking out of her shoulder and whipping around. Ackerson pulls the prison guard's gun and shoots Janine down, only to find the guard is also infected – and the gun is out of bullets. Soren and Kwan get to the facility's security office and find a video feed of Kessler and Laera being attacked in the jail cells. They hurry down the stairs to intervene. 

Mission Deviation – Master Chief is making another freefall jump through space – but this time he's headed for Makee and Arbiter's ship, which is breaking apart in Halo's gravitational pull. Parangosky brings Halsey in to talk Chief down, but Halsey knows he's after Cortana. She tells John the best way to infiltrate the ship, rebuking Parangosky. The scene cuts back to the episode's opening and Chief's conversation with the unseen party, who questions his deviation from the mission. Chief explains that his bond with Cortana is crucial enough that saving her – the one "person" who truly knows him – is important enough to risk it. The speaker muses that he should be talking to Cortana instead of Master Chief. Back on the battlefield, Chief reaches Makee's ship and finds Cortana is alive, having escaped into the ship's databanks. Cortana tries to tell Chief it's too late for either of them, but he won't hear it; Chief punches the ship's steering column and absorbs Cortana into his armor, bracing for a crash landing on Halo's surface. 

Leave A Man Behind? - Soren and Kwan get to the prison cells in time to kill the infected guard and rescue Laera and Kessler. When they're leaving, Laera tell Soren how Ackerson saved their lives, prompting Soren to consider saving him too. Soren leaves at first, leaving Ackerson to rot, but then doubles back to release him. Ackerson compliments Soren's family; Soren tells Ackerson to walk where he can see him. 

THIS IS HALO - Master Chief wakes up on Halo's surface, realizing its alive. Cortana appears to him, explaining that Halo is indeed a living network fusing organic life and A.I. perfectly. Cortana points Chief to a temple-like structure she predicts Makee and Arbiter will head to. Chief grabs a Laser Sword from the ground and heads that way. Makee and Arbiter are seen also making the trek to the structure, with the Arbiter believing his redemption is soon at hand. As Master Chief and Cortana walk, the AI states that Halo was built by a civilization humans couldn't comprehend, but that he was connected to it. Cortana says that for Makee it's religious devotion that drives her toward Halo – but what is it for Chief? Johh responds 'It's where the fight is.' 

This Is Going To Hurt – Perez wakes up on the evac ship and realizes Kai is not with her. Perez jumps up to call Kai but it's too late: Kai is on the bridge of the Covenant Corvette, steering the ship into the larger assault carrier that's annihilating the UNSC fleet. Kai's last words are "This is gonna hurt," and her sacrifice pays off, as the UNSC fleet gains the upper hand in the battle. As Kai dies, Master Chief instinctively looks up from Halo's surface, knowing his friend is gone. Parangosy and ONI don't get to celebrate long: as Halsey calls to inquire what Miranda found out about the artifact they found, Miranda sounds the warning that a parasitic infection is loose in the base. Halsey finds out firsthand when the command center is overrun by the infected, including Parangosky being swarmed and Halsey herself nearly getting taken. Halsey seals the room after escaping and runs to join Miranada in the lab. 

This is THE FLOOD – Soren, Laera, Kwan, Ackerson, and Kessler stumble upon an entire squad of infected in the basement of the facility they have to battle the horde in close quarters and Kwan eventually gets separated and cornered by the infected. Before she is swarmed, however, the religious cult leader appears to her, and reveals the power to exert control over the infected. The religious woman informs Kwan that the parasite is a collective and has plans for Kwan as "The Protector," before name-dropping the creature as "The Flood," the infamous parasitic race from the Halo games. Kwan flees while The Flood watches, unable to follow her. 

This is Connection – Halsey reaches the lab where Miranda is already making an escape plan. Halsey is strangely enamored with The Flood, citing the parasite and its collective knowledge are the means to finally learning about the ancient civilization that made Halo, the advanced city under Onyx, and The Flood itself. Halsey doesn't want to run, she wants to study them, and then she doesn't want anything at all, as she stops talking and moving. Miranda discovers that Halsey was indeed infected by the Flood on her neck. 

Lost One – Soren and Co. make it out of the basement of ONI's facility, and Kwan catches up to them just as Soren's about to turn back for her. Laera leads everyone out the door of the facility before sealing herself inside, revealing to Soren that she too was infected by the Flood. Soren tries the rationalize it, but Laera bids him farewell, tasking him with caring for Kessler. 

Master Chief vs. The Arbiter – As Makee and The Arbiter reach the facility on Halo's surface, Master Chief is waiting. There are few words before Chief and the Arbiter go at it in a duel, which begins with Laser Swords before getting into a brutal hand-to-hand slugfest. Chief uses tricks of his armor (like the grappling line) to get the upper hand on the Arbiter, and beat his alien rival's face in. Arbiter has an epic death speech to give, but Makee refuses to translate, wanting mercy for her protector. Doesn't matter though: Chief gets the message and ends the Arbiter with a sword through his heart as vengeance for his fellow Spartan Vannak-134. Makee opens the Halo facility. 

Battle Scars – Kwan comes to the bridge of Soren's ship to tell him that Kessler is asking about Laera. Soren heads down to the hold of the ship to speak with his son, who informs him that (as Kwan once told him) the monster is real. Miranda is seen placing Halsey into cryostasis, claiming she can stop the Flood infection's progression until a cure is found. Kai-125's body is seen floating in space, still intact.

Into the Halo – Makee tells Master Chief that war will follow him everywhere – including Halo's surface. She teases an understanding of their shared purpose and Halo's true function as a means of a universal cleansing, and that "peace" for her means clearing the universe of warring destructive forces all around. Makee proclaims that like Chief she's "a demon too" before heading into the Halo facility. Master Chief and Cortana are perturbed by a set of spires that suddenly rise out of Halo's surface, even as the UNSC fleet starts to land on the ring. Chief uses the same control module Makee did and follows her into the Halo facility's dark hallways. 

It's Awake – We cut back to the beginning of the episode, and Master Chief's strange conversation. He's asked why he continues to fight, which Chief explains as a mission to honor those he lost, and the soldiers still fighting that need to believe in that fight. The other party reveals that they spoke to Makee and she claimed Chief would not be "what was required." Chief counters that Makee can't be trusted – but then, that's what she said about him too. The unseen speaker reveals that Chief is connected to some entity on Halo that's awakened in the darkest depths of the ring due to his presence (The Gravemind?). The second speaker is revealed to be Guilty Spark, aka "The Montior," one of the AI constructs left behind by Halo's creators, the Forerunners. The Monitor bid Master Chief to brave the darkness and face whatever had been waiting for him down there, and Master Chief obliges, fitting his cracked helmet back onto his head, ready for the next mission. 

[End Credits Roll]

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